Height of Lathe Spur

[northwoodsice]

So i am building my own lathe. I am 6'4" and am trying to decide how tall the lathe should be at the spur (drive shaft) for ease of turning. Anyone around this height could you let me know wat is the most comfortable height? Thanks.

 

[Claude]

There is a kind of rule of thumb which says that the tip of the drive spur should be at the eighth of your elbow when you bend your arm…
hope that helps..

 

[underdog]

There is a kind of rule of thumb which says that the tip of the drive spur should be at the eighth of your elbow when you bend your arm…

Whuh???

Do you mean "height" of your elbow?

 

[Claude]

...Do you mean "height" of your elbow?

hummm... fortunately I am less bad at truning than at spelling foreign languages.
I mean the distance from the floor to your elbow.

 

[MichaelMouse]

Elbow is a good place for lathes where you'll be cutting over the bed. Inch or so either side is tolerable. What you're looking for is a comfortable elbow bend with your "normal" length tool's cutting edge at centerline, and a tool handle dropped maybe 20 degrees. Puts your fist closer to your navel or the top of your hip than level with your elbow.

 

[hockenbery]

You want to be able turn standing with your back straight.

Most spindle turners work more on the top of the work and prefer their lathes a bit lower than a bowl turners who work at center.

Try using a few different lathes. Jack them up on 4x4s or 6x6s until you find a comfortable height for the work you do.

happy Turning,
Al

 

[Jim Carroll]

I agree with the measurement of height from the floor to your elbow give or take an inch, One other consideration is what you are standing on, a rubber mat or duck board are a lot more comfortable than a concrete floor. So allow for this when setting up your lathe.
At your height you may find that you are better making a custom bench to put your lathe on. We have one customer about your height with a Vicmarc VL300 and he started with the standard stand but finished making a custom stand to help reduce vibration as he found it unstable propped up on blocks.