# ideal height for a wood lathe



## Maylar

Is there a rule of thumb for the best height of a lathe vs the turner's stature?

I put my lathe on heavy duty casters so I can move it around the shop, and now it sits too high for comfort. I'll need to make a platform to stand on and I figure that since I have the opportunity, I may as well optimize it for best ergonomics.

I've been using this old girl for 20 years and have adapted my style (read: learned to turn wood) with it as-built. I do everything from pens and finials to bowls and platters. My instinct is to make the platform exactly the same height as the casters and therefore be back to where it was, but the engineer in me wants to overthink things, so I thought I'd ask here.

BTW, these leveling casters I got through HD are amazing - 










I can move 200+ lbs of Oliver cast iron literally with one finger. The lathe stays tucked under my basement stairs when not being used.


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## Catpower

I like to keep the spindle at or a little below my elbows


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## Jim Frye

All of the books I have on turning say the center line of the spindle should be at elbow height. My lathe sits on top of my 39" high workbench and the center line is at about 47" from the floor. I've learned to use it at that height and with my declining eyesight, having the work a bit closer is a benefit for me.


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## FrankC

If it works don't fix it. 😇


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## Steve Neul

The preferred height would vary depending on how tall you are and your personal preference. Some people can't stand to bend over to work on anything so someone like that would want a lathe higher. If the lathe feels too low for you, you might start stacking wood underneath the legs until you get to a height that feels good to you.


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## holtzdreher

I too have my lathe on casters for moving around. In fact, I prefer the extra 4 inch height. If the lathe is at normal height (lower), I find myself bending over the lathe more and get more neck aches. There is also benefit for aging eyes. I am just a small fraction of an inch over six foot tall...., with my shoes on......, in the morning. and with longer than normal arms (35 inch sleeves) The height seems to make less difference when turning large objects. I have two floor model lathes set up and shift back and forth depending on the task. One for between centers and the other for chuck mounting. Now most of my activity is spindle turning. And that probably makes a difference also.


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