As Leo said. But, another thing to think about...

Imagine this...

Hold a tool comfortably and imagine the spindle in front of you. As the spindle gets higher
(or you get lower which is easier to picture) you need to lower the tool rest to keep a
reasonable cutting angle. Typically, tool rests will not go very far below the center of the
spindle and this is especially true for the mini machines. So, you are going to be turning
in some pretty awkward positions.

That said, many prefer the spindle an inch or two above the elbow.

Bill


In article ,
says...

"buck" wrote: (clip) Is the lathe more dangerous at this level than at elbow
level. (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^
I don't think it is a matter of safety--mostly comfort and ease of
manipulating the tools. If the lathe is too low, you will get a tired back
from bending over. If it is too high, you will not be able to steady the
tool handles easily against the side of your body, under your arm. If you
find that your lathe is too high, just build yourself a platform to stand
on--easier than building a whole new bench.