Larry I believe that it depends on what you are trying to accomplish. If you are trying to protect something nearby from chips and sap, I would say put the curtain close to that something so as not to constrain your mobility. If you just want to contain the chips to make clean-up easier, then move the screen in a bit. Bear in mind that if you put screen all the way around the lathe and close in, you will not only contain the chips but also the air-born dust, increasing the need for filters or respirators. A further comment: I find that almost all of the chips go toward the front of the lathe or downward. Therefore a screen behind the lathe has relatively little value. I have pull-down plastic window shades about 6 feet in front of the lathe and about 6 feet behind the lathe and rarely bother to pull down the rear ones.