Shopsmith Forums

I am pretty new to turning wood on a lathe, but I find the shopsmith is just too low to be comfortable when using the lathe. (I'm 6'1"). Has anyone built a platform to raise it up to a comfortable height?

RonBaker wrote: Tue Dec 13, 2022 5:11 pm I am pretty new to turning wood on a lathe, but I find the shopsmith is just too low to be comfortable when using the lathe. (I'm 6'1"). Has anyone built a platform to raise it up to a comfortable height?

Ron,

Welcome to the forum! I am 6'0" and share your concerns. I haven't built a platform because often for long turning sessions I sit on a shop stool now which helps the height issue. There were some ideas on different methods to raise/lower it on the thread linked below:

viewtopic.php?p=286961#p286961

I may try the shop stool next time. If I raise it very much then I'd run into a problem with the bandsaw. Kind of a darned it you do and darned if you don't deal. Thanks for the input. Those were the main reason I bought it.

Ron,

Yeah, it isn't the most ergonomic setup unfortunately, so it is a compromise using a stool for woodturning. Honestly, if I had a larger shop, I would probably have a standalone lathe at the appropriate height.

The problem is that other woodworking machines tend to be lower than lathes. With standalone machines, table saws typically run around 10 inches lower than lathes. If you raise the SS lathe, you may find it too high for other functions. As RF says, it's a compromise.

RonBaker,

RFGuy posted the link to a discussion we recently had on this topic. You can see my comments there, so I won't repeat all of them here. Try using a stool and if you have an adjusting height stool that could be even better.

Ron,

Welcome to the forum. At a skosh over 6', I also found it too low for turning. I found it helped some when I put the legs on pieces of 4x4s. I slide the headstock to one end, lifted the other end and slid the board under with my foot, moved the headstock to the other end and repeat. It could've used a bit more height, probably a 4x6 on edge would have been about right.