I'll spare everyone the long story, but I just bought my first lathe, and ideally, I'd like to use it on top of a nice work bench I have that is long enough to accommodate both the lathe, and my grinder, side by side, with ample room between them. The problem is, that with the lathe on top of the bench, the height of the spindle hits me about chest high, maybe a bit lower, instead of elbow/elbow +2 as is the conventional wisdom. The bench top is about 36" high (and can't be shortened), and the spindle height ends up being about 52" from the ground...and I'm only 5'7"
So I'm considering building a platform that I can stand on when turning. I think I recall finding some threads in which one or more or you talk about having a similar set up. Could I ask any of you who use a platform to share some pictures of your design? I know this is an extremely simple item, and I already have something in mind, but I thought I might take a look at how others have approached this solution.
Thanks in advance!