Mill stand height

[student_Machinist]

Hey guys
Ive had my mill and lathe for a while on the stands that they came with but they are way too low at the moment as I have to actually bend down to reach the dials. Im 6'3" so most asian made stuff is way too small for me, i have the same problem with the seats in my car :
What is the best operating position for a mill and lathe? Im familiar with the basic rule of thumb for workbenches where the top of the vise should be about the height of your elbow but is their anything similar for machine tool heights?

Cheers
Jono

 

[Troutsqueezer]

My mill and lathe are set to executive office chair height. Leaning over the lathe can get to your back after awhile and standing on your feet will aggravate your plantar faciitus.

 

[Maryak]

A good rule of thumb for the height of a bench/ machine stand etc. is...............

Stand up straight bend your elbow so your arm is out in front of you at 900.

The hieght of your hand in this position is the height best suited to such things as:-

The jaws of a vice.
The table handwheels on a mill.
The bed of a lathe.

The bench/stand height is derived from this measurement.

For who like to or must work sitting down the same hand arm combo is used from whatever you sit on/in the most.

Finally if you use duck boards or some other foot lifter upper, don't forget to include it in the calculation.

Hope this helps

Best Regards
Bob

 

[Omnimill]

Yeah, Bobs got it right Jono. And if you ever buy an Anvil the table (main surface) should just touch your knuckes when you're standing alongside it with your arm straight down!

 

[lazylathe]

Hi Jono,

I am also 6'3" and most people who come in to see my benches are amazed at how tall they are!

I have a double layer of the squishy rubber floor mats in front of the lathe so that added
an extra 1/2" to the height of the bench.

What works for me is to stand up straight and bend the arm at 90 degrees.
Measure from there to the floor and that is the height i usually put the cross slide at.

I am lucky in that my workshop chair can rise up a lot and can still use the lathe sitting!

keep us updated!!

Andrew

 

[Sic Semper Tyrannis]

My lathe is rather high as well. I think around 35+ inches. It looks too high, but it works great for me.

I don't see how people use a standard desk height as my back would KILL me.

I have the luxury of a spare office now at work with a spare computer system so I built a standing desk there. Used a hollow core door and some milk crates from target on the standard desk. Their L,W and H are all slightly different so they give you some options.

I use that desk 6-7 hours a day. Feel much better too than when I sit around all day.

 

[mygrizzly1022]

Hi all
A tip my father passed on to me regarding the height of a bench top was, “The bench top should be level with your belt buckle”. I have used this tip often and it works well for me. I adjusted my mill table accordingly and it seems to be fine.


Bert

 

[student_Machinist]

Thanks for all the info guys, ill start making up something to put under them today altho im not too sure i know how to get the mill up onto it

 

[k7pedgbb]

I had the same problem. I guess it is built to Asia normal height. My Grizzly 13 x 40 lathe was too low so I welded up a couple of stands out of 3/16" x 6" flat bar and put them under the factory stands. Everything is now comfortable now.
Gordon