Placing a Lathe

[crokett™]

Long story but I'm finally getting to the point where I will be bringing my lathe home from storage since we sold our house 18 months ago. I hope to have it home by Thanksgiving. At the old shop I originally had it near a wall. I moved it out to the middle because the wall was getting in the way of tool handles while turning, especially things like bowls. The new shop is much smaller (intentionally) and having it near a wall would be preferable. So, if your lathe is near a wall in your shop, how far away is the headstock spindle from the wall? I'd assume at least as far as the swing is. Is there something wrong with my technique that the wall was causing interference problems? It's highly probably the answer is yes.

[hairy]

I like my lathe to be accessible from both sides, some tasks are easier from the other side.The headstock end is near a big shelf unit, but just far enough away to use the knockout rod. It seems to me that you just need more than the length of your longest tool, or make it mobile and put it away when not in use.

[MichaelMouse]

Mine is up against the wall, distanced by the top so that I can swing the headstock.  Storage of tools on magnetic strips on the wall beyond, and it drops the flung stuff on the tabletop where I can get it easily.  I'm right handed, so the counterclockwise turning is made for my dominant hand.  Left-dominant will want to turn from the other side.  Guess I've not made any of the things that might cause me to want it away from the wall through the years.

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d160/G...yit9v0.jpg

[Arlin Eastman]

I have my Powermatic next to the wall and have it 2" longer then my knockout rod.  Never had a problem.

[iclark]

Unless you are using a very steep grind on your bowl gouge, I cannot picture why your handle would go much past the safety cage.

What type of lathe are we taking here? For a Jet 1642 or smaller, you can just pivot the tailstock end out away from the wall when you need a bit more room.

[SceneryMaker]

Mine is on locking casters like all my other big tools so that I can rearrange the whole shop to fit the project at hand. I almost never use it from the back side so it could fit close to a wall if I had the wall space. If I needed to work on the back side, I just run the spindle backwards.

[TxTawd]

My 3520B is against a wall but slightly angled. I built a cantilevered platform shelf between the lathe and the wall. This is handy for material and tool storage while working. Of course it collects wood chips but easy to clear. There is enough room at the headstock end to run some dust collection hose.  The main reason I angled the lathe this wat was to allow room for a floor standing boring bar steady rest and access to the end of the lathe when I slide the headstock to the end. 

I used to have a shelf below between the lathe legs but I removed it to allow easy access for cleaning and sweeping shavings. I like it much better this way.
Here is a photo

[NCPaladin]

I have mine almost against the wall also.
I don't turn large hollow forms so I have never needed to turn from the back side or end of the lathe.
No problems turning bowls up to 16".  When hollowing a bowl the handle may start behind the lathe but it has to move to the front anyway as you make the cut; the handle end has never came near the wall.

[Angus]

If you do hollow forms there are some tools that would require a handle swing off of the back side of the lathe.  The sorby hollowmaster is one if you are working the inside top of the hollow form. Bowls with gouges? I can't see why the wall would be an issue unless it's a mini/midi and your using standard gouges. Even then it would have to be really close. I can swing 16" over the ways and my spindle is 20" from the wall. I turn the headstock slightly for hollow form work but thats to save my back not because of the wall.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

I have my lathes oriented so that I’m standing between the lathe and the wall if turning over the ways, where I turn mostly on the outboard side of the large lathe.

The turning accessories are in/on a rack and cabinet that are against the wall, so I can easily get any of it by just turning around or take a step or two, cleaning up is of course easy this way.

My middy lathe is standing at the tail end of the large lathe and right in front of a rack where the usual used material is in again behind my back, the nice thing is that shavings are not flung in and on all the tools and chucks etc.

The mini lathe is just standing anyplace it is convenient, as I can pick it up and set wherever I like.

In my previous shop I had my lathe about 2 feet or so away from the wall, enough to be able to get around or turn from the backside, but were I do most of my turning on the outboard side, the two feet from the wall was barely enough, so now I have no restriction in that regard.

I like this setup much better, though you do need maybe a bit of extra room, but in a way one would need that amount of room when the lathe is against the wall, only then in the rest of the shop.

My sharpening and drill is on the wall on the tailstock end and yes that is away from the outboard side by 12 feet or so, close to the midi lathe though.