New mini lathe. How to setup lathe / sharpening station.

Hello,

I have a large delta lathe in my woodshop but with a 1 year old I can never find time enough to make good use of it, i found a deal on a 12x16 lathe (craftsman branded made by rikon) I want to set it up in my unfinished basement. Im planning on just making small stuff, pens ornaments, etc. Big bowls will be made on delta.

Is it easier/ better to have one big table/cart with lathe and grinder or make a seperate lathe and seperate sharpening station?

If anyone has similar setup I would appreciate pictures.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cody michael

Is it easier/ better to have one big table/cart with lathe and grinder or make a seperate lathe and seperate sharpening station?

---

Better? I think either would work - much is preference. I personally prefer a separate lathe stand and sharpening station for flexibility in positioning, but that might depend on your space. I used to have my sharpening station a few feet behind my lathe which worked well. (Moved it later to put another lathe there.) If you do make a separate stand, you can always position it at the end of the lathe!

If I had a table with space for the grinder at the end I might consider instead using it for turning tools. A sharpening table a little wider than you need for the grinder is handy to - to set jigs, cooling water, tools to be sharpened, leather strop, etc.

Fortunately the recommended heights of both the lathe spindle and the center of the grinder wheels are the same so if you do use one bigger table for both the heights should be fairly close for small lathe. One other thing - grinders (and metalworking in general) can be pretty "dirty" with grit and fine black metal powder. Having it too close to any finishing operations might be an issue. BTW, extremely fine steel particles can float through the air some distance. After I started using CBN wheels for all of my sharpening I found fine steel particles accumulating on some magnets about 10' from the sharpening station. I put magnets near my wheels and they accumulate a surprising amount of steel powder.

JKJ

What is the suggested height for a lathe. I'm 5ft 10in if that matters

I am going through that right now. I have a lathe that came with a metal stand and the prior owner put a dolly with casters under that. The center of the head stock is a full 48 inches off the ground. I bought a smaller lathe cheap that was set up for pens. total length from end to end is only 25 inches. The center of the head stock is ten inches higher than the surface the lathe sits on. I have been eyeing a rolling tool cart that is for sale at HF for $99. It has 4 drawers and the top surface is 38 inches off the floor. sitting the lathe on it would make it the same height. 48 inches. I could use the drawers for the lathe accessories like centers, chuck, mandrel, drill bits, pen kits, etc. and the bottom shelf for supplies of turning wood. two of the casters lock to hold things in place. Mrs. doesn't want me turning in the basement, but the cart would permit me to roll the unit out into the yard or under the covered deck to work when the weather is not bad. (walkout basement) I am 6ft tall and a height of 46 to 48 seems best for me, but maybe because that is what I am accustomed to.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cody michael

What is the suggested height for a lathe. I'm 5ft 10in if that matters

---

I'm about the same height. (I used to be 6'1" but shrunk a few inches over the years!) I'll try to remember to measure spindle heights of my lathes the next time I walk down to the shop.

The usual simplistic advice is to have the lathe spindle about elbow height when the elbow is bent. This of course, doesn't work for everyone - some like it higher or lower. Regardless of the height, some who teach sharpening point out both the point of view and the motions for turning and sharpening are very similar so having the two at the same height will be more comfortable and your motions more "natural" and less strained. I can believe it, I have one grinder in my little welding shop that is higher than my sharpening station and it certainly feels more awkward - fortunately I don't use it much for precision grinding!

If the spindle is too low, you might get back or neck strain from bending or leaning a bit to see best and keep the tool in the optimum spot or put the tool rest too high - a skew, for example, is harder to control and get a good cut when used high on the piece when the tool rest is high. When the lathe is too high it is tempting to lower the tool rest too much to avoid the strain of raising the shoulders - for me this creates problems with the proper support and control - might even lead to catches with scrapers and such.

Some say it might depend on what you like to do. I turn a few bowls but more spindles. We might hold our tools differently for different things. One comment in this thread indicates bowl turners might like the lathe higher:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...uestion-please

If you search SMC (or even Google) for something like HEIGHT FOR LATHE you can find lots to read while you have your morning coffee!

What might be ideal is to set the lathe up temporarily on some table or cabinet and put blocks under the legs to try different heights - turn a few days and see what feels the best. If you need to use a table that is too high, at least for a while, you might consider making a temporary platform - there was a thread here not long ago about that. I keep a platform when kids come to turn.

Also, this thread has photos of a table/cabinet that has the mini lathe AND grinder together. I didn't read it but maybe it will help you decide what's best for you.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...is-now-help-me

JKJ

JKJ offers some great comments. I would suggest not having the sharpening station too close to the lathe - at least the headstock end. I have always been concerned about stone dust or metal dust getting into the moto and electronics.

Thank you everyone.

I think I am going to make one bench and put both lathe and grinder on it. I fiugre that will give the lathe extra mass. I was planning on putting it away from the headstock.

I will measure to my elbow and I will measure my other lathe also.

I like mine about 1.5" above elbow but that may be how you measure your elbow also.
Since you mentioned "extra mass" you may want to consider riser blocks under the lathe no matter what height you settle at. I assume you will bolt it down since you mentioned mass? If so, many sit very low (the bed almost touching) with the little feet removed. Having it up a couple of inches gives room to clean out from under the ways and keeps chips from building around the motor (most of which in can get pretty hot).

Yes I am going to bolt it down, That makes sense to add a spacer to make cleaning easier.

Attachment 368936Attachment 368937Attachment 368938Attachment 368938Attachment 368939

This is my current setup, I need to bring the grinder in and get it setup. I'm pretty happy with it. the spindle is about 2 inches higher then my elbow. If I remove the spacers it would be closer but I want to try it at that height.