Should I bolt my wood lathe to the floor? (2023)

How high should a wood lathe be off the floor?

How high should a wood lathe be? The height of the lathe should be adjusted so that the spindles are at or just below your elbow height. Your wood lathe's proper height is where you can best control the tools and feel the most comfortable while you are turning.

Bend your arm at the elbow to form a 90° angle. Measure the distance from the floor to the top of your fingers. Second, measure the distance from the center of the lathe's spindle to the bottom of the lathe's base. Subtract this distance from your hand-height—this is the ideal height for your stand.

Sometimes, if the lathe is well anchored, it is possible to turn up the lathe speed just a bit past the vibration point, and the turning will smooth out. If the bowl blank doesn't smooth out by going a bit faster slow down. Back the speed down until the wood lathe vibration subsides and the bowl blank rotates smoothly.

After 25 years of working with lathes I can confidently say that yes, it is preferable to have your wood lathe bolted to the floor or mounted firmly to a solid bench top.

Tie back long hair or beards, do not wear gloves, and avoid loose clothing, jewelry or any dangling objects that may catch on rotating parts or accessories. Becoming entangled in the rotating equipment can lead to serious injury or death. 7. Like all machines you must give the lathe your undivided attention during use.

If the lathe is a step pulley drive system, choose a setting around 750 RPM to 1100 RPM, staying lower around 750 RPM if you can. If the lathe has a variable speed control system, set it around 750 RPM until the work is turned round, then increase the speed, but I wouldn't recommend going above 1100-1200 RPM.

If the cutting edge is too high the edge might not cut at all. In this case it might be possible to start cutting but as the cutting diameter gets smaller the cutter will quite suddenly stop cutting. If the cutter is lowered very slightly it will be found to start cutting again.

The wood lathe speed rule of thumb is – do not to exceed 1,000 RPMs. One thousand RPMs seems to be a magical point at which bowl blanks either go up or down if they come off the lathe. If the speed is under 1,000 RPMs, then a dislodged bowl blank is supposed to fall to the floor.

How common are lathe accidents?

Operators of lathes are one of the largest machine worker populations in the United States, estimated to account for over 140,000 machinists. Of this population, approximately 3,000 suffer lost-time injuries annually in the United States. Some of these are fatal.

LeBlond Precision High-Speed Lathes (RKL-1300, 1500, 1700 and 1900) as well as Precision High-Speed Heavy-Duty Lathes (RKL-1600, 1800 and 2000) have a manual, one-shot handpump on the apron. It's recommended that an operator use the manual lubrication three times per day during normal operation.

The simple answer is yes, spalted woods can go beyond turning. The worse the wood the harder it is turn. Some woodturners see it as a challenge and seek out such wood.

Excessive lathe speed also can cause dust to build up between the sand paper and the wood, which prevents wood abrasion. I recommend setting the lathe speed at ~250 rpm for sanding.

An estimated 3,400 operators of metal-working lathes suffer lost-time injuries annually in the United States. Some of these are fatal.

Position the tool rest parallel to the blank and as close as possible— 1/4" is adequate clearance. Be sure to lock the tool rest to the support and the support to the lathe bed.

Do not wear gloves, loose clothing, rings or jewellery around the neck that can hang outside one's clothing. Clothing should be comfortable but not so loose that it can catch on the machine or get entangled with any rotating parts or the wood being turned; shirts should be tucked in and long hair tied back.

Pine is an excellent wood for beginning turners. It is a soft wood and is easy to shape on the lathe. Cutting with a gouge or skew chisel produces a better finish than a scraper when turning between centres. When you are turning bowls you will need a properly burnished scraper to produce a good surface.

“Operatives and companies should be aware that emery cloth should never be applied directly by hand on a lathe, and that the wearing of gloves increases the risk of entanglement and is never acceptable near rotating parts of machinery.

What is the most common lathe operation?

Turning is the most common lathe machining operation. During the turning process, a cutting tool removes material from the outer diameter of a rotating workpiece.

The headstock is where the main action happens. This is where the power of the motor is applied to the workpiece. Part of its purpose it to hold the main spindle, so you should see this spindle here as well. The motor can be found on the underside of the lathe bed, on the left near the headstock.

Facing is an operation of machining the ends of a workpiece square with its axis. To produce a flat, square surface when facing, the lathe might be true. The purpose of facing are: To provide a true, flat surface, square with the axis of the workpieces.

We want to keep the tool rest as close as possible, but not too close. The turning wood blank should never touch the tool rest or banjo, that's way too close. Instead, the tool rest should be moved back just enough to give the wood space to turn and support the base of the current tool in use.

The power output of wood lathes will range from 3/4 HP – 2 HP, in which the light-duty mini wood lathes offer an output of 3/4 HP, whereas full-size wood lathes come at an average of 2 HP. The motor power will increase the speed of the lathe and thereby allows you to complete your work and the project quickly.