Lathe Height

my guess, based on limited and self taught experience (I think that's a disclaimer) is that the height is more for comfort and efficiency than safety.. it's pretty hard to predict which direction something is going to fly in unless you know where and how you're going to hit it..

"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.

Thank you Mac and thank you Leo..... Just wanted to touch base with people in the know. I didn't think you could predict with any certainty the direction of the accident. I couldn't really think of any safety issues but thought I would get a second opinion.... in this case.... two opinions is enough for me.

-thanks again.

If the work decides to part company with the lathe it could go in any direction. Some would say that by having your head closer to the lathe means it's more dangerous because you would be hit harder, but lets face it 4 or 5 inches isn't going to make much difference to the velocity of the projectile.

As others have said, I think lathe height comes down to comfort and they have based it on the height of the average man. Cheers Paul

Unless otherwise stated all references to location refer to Western Australia

I really didn't have any choice on how high my lathe (jet Mini) would be; it sits on my workbench. So, I built a sturdy and wide stand to raise me up to the 'comfortable' height.

fwiw Tom

Thanks to All for taking time.....

that beats the hell out of being too tall and having to dig a hole in the shop floor.. *g*

I tried that, but hit concrete, raising the lathe was cheaper then getting a jackhammer. ;-)

James

mac davis wrote:

I think others have already answered this, but you might be interested in a picture I've just posted in alt.binaries.pictures.woodworking

Can't recall where I got the picture from, but it's apparently somewhere in England, I think pre-1930, possibly even pre-WW1.

Posted it because:

(a) the operating height seems very high compared to what we're used to these days (or he may be sitting, the easier to use the treadle), and

(b) The turner seems to be using what we sometimes assume is a modern development - a bowl saver.

John

The photo is a (fairly) famous photo from The Wellington Journal & Shrewsbury News, published 8.5.1937.

The following description of the photo is from "The Reading Lathe" by P.H. Dixon: "Robert ("Jack") Jordan, the Wellington, Sallop, turner exhibiting a nest of bowls on a lathe...Note that, for photographic purposes, he is holding his turning tool well above its correct place on the toolrest (the end of which may be seen on top of the tailstock), when the tool would not have been visible."

This was a common way to photograph, and earlier draw, turners at work... and is by no means indicative of the way they actually worked.

The lathe is also clearly a common pole lathe, not a treadle lathe. The leather belt passes three times around the bowl mandrel, which is spiked into what will be the hollow of the nest of bowls and is supported by the massive tailstock, seen in front of Mr. Jordan's chest.

The English turners called these "bowl saver" tools "hook tools" and actually had small hooks forged on the ends in order to shear-cut the core from the bowl, unlike most modern coring systems which scrape to make this cut. Shearing takes much less energy than does scraping, very important on a foot-powered lathe.

Michael Latcha - at home in Redford, MI

Guess I was just born lucky :).

I don't see a problem especially with spindles. You may feel some fatigue or sensation in the shoulder--if so, you may need to stand on a platform. A face shield is very inexpensive insurance.

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

Thanks Michael. That's made a rather nice photograph a bit more special.

John