Can any one tell me the correct height a wood lathe should be?

I think its supposed to be the center of rotation just above your elbow.
in article , CJH at
wrote on 3/13/04 5:28 PM:

Can any one tell me the correct height a wood lathe should be?

In article ,
"CJH" wrote:

Can any one tell me the correct height a wood lathe should be?

If it feels low, raise it. If it feels high, raise you.

--
Cats, Coffee, Chocolate...vices to live by

Hi CJH, As far as I know there aren't any lathe height police and no
rules to be enforced. Since your height is likely to be fixed and not
bent over, make the spindle high enough so that you can adjust yourself
up or down for comfort & turning efficiency. Use platform grating or a
pad. You might want to start out with the spindle about the height of
your bent elbow without padding. Your aching neck & back will show you
the way from there. Enjoy comfortable turning, Arch

Fortiter,

On Sun, 14 Mar 2004 01:28:13 GMT, "CJH" wrote:

Can any one tell me the correct height a wood lathe should be?


No disagreement here--elbow height or a bit higher. I've got my new
PM3520A up on 6x6s to raise it--but then, I'm 6'5" myself.

The only trouble with this is that if shorter friends come over
they'll find the spindle height way too high for them, and I haven't
built a real sturdy platform for them to stand on.

John Wadsworth, in Delhi, NY

The general rule of thumb, as others have noted, is around bent elbow
height. However, for production spindle work, I like it a bit lower than
that. For hollowforms I like it higher and then higher still for thin or
small intricate turning.

Having it too low when you tend to hunker over it just causes back pain.
Having it too high will often cause problems with shoulder or elbow pain as
you will be in a compressed position in those two areas.

So, I recommend just putting it somewhere around elbow height and adjusting
from there as you work until you find something comfortable.

- Andrew



"CJH" wrote in message
...
Can any one tell me the correct height a wood lathe should be?

The answer varies with each individual, depending on that person's ACDOF
(average chip depth on floor.) G. My lathe tends to get too low
periodically, but I can adjust it with a broom and dustpan.