I'm building a custom mobile cart for the lathe I'm restoring. I've never done any turning before to know what's proper for using a lathe. How do I determine how tall the stand should be? Is there any type of formula or rule of thumb to use? Do I base it on the height of the head/tail stock center points? I'm clueless in figuring this out. Any guidance on this would be greatly appreciated!

Center of a spindle should be elbow high.  Build your cart so you can add or subtract from that height in case it isn't comfortable for you.

What @HandyDan said!

 

 Have mine a little higher as my back bothers me when I stand for a long time 

Thank you! That I can work with. As with all of my carts/stands, it will be made out of reclaimed wood. Basically, one and done. I intend to glue and screw everything, so height adjustable isn't really an option for the design I have in mind.

 

Any suggestions for how to measure my elbow height? Are we talking arms straight down or forearms parallel to the floor?

 

@lew - When you say "a little higher", does that mean 1", 2", 3"?

Forearm parallel to the floor. I’ll measure for you 

 

My spindle is about 2.5 inches higher.

Thanks @lew!  I might try building the frame and surface for the top, then putting it on my height-adjustable sawhorses. Hopefully that will give me an idea of what might be comfortable. I'll post some pictures of the project once I'm done building it.

You can always add blocks at bottom or top of stand , but it is difficult to make it shorter after a build.

Build it short and add blocks at the lathe mounts.  Shorten those blocks if it is too high.  Space under the lathe for cleaning is always good.

12 hours ago, Drumone said:

Thank you! That I can work with. As with all of my carts/stands, it will be made out of reclaimed wood. Basically, one and done. I intend to glue and screw everything, so height adjustable isn't really an option for the design I have in mind.

 

Any suggestions for how to measure my elbow height? Are we talking arms straight down or forearms parallel to the floor?

 

@lew - When you say "a little higher", does that mean 1", 2", 3"?

 

I have read to fold your arms and use the elbow height.

A great resource for beginners and experienced turners alike, is www.turnawoodbowl.com. You can learn an incredible amount from this site. I have learned 90% of the basics from that site.

I was on my walk and thought about something to consider when building your lathe cart. 

 

You probably should add some cross members near the bottom of the legs to allow for the addition of a shelf. Adding weight to the table will help keep it from walking around the shop when turning off balanced pieces. Weight can be sand bags, concrete blocks or similar heavy items.