Lathe riser blocks

[Frank S]

Actually I should say lathe lifting blocks .
While I am not overly tall, @ 67 years of age I still stand straight backed and I prefer working with tools positioned at a comfortable height to me as much as possible. My main lathe has never felt comfortable for me. Some of the control levers I use very frequently seemed too low for my liking. The hand wheel for the carriage was the worst of these I had to bend down to spin it and leaning over to inspect a bore was a pain in the back.
So I finally decided to do something about it by giving the lathe a raise well a lift anyway.
I blocked between the chip tray and the bed then blocked under that and a hydraulic jack to lift the power end up a few inches then the off end as well
Spindle height before

Spindle height after

Blocking and jack

riser blocks 4x6 OAK

[Frank S]

After 3 days of running the lathe at least 4 hours per day I can say this. It is all about comfort. even where the chuck key is kept is more comfortable to grab as it is just above fingertip height, so using the socket as a handle puts it square in my hand with no bending or reaching.
The feed rate change levers are easier to reach, the carriage handwheel is now high enough that when the handle is at the bottom of rotation I still don't have to stoop down.
All in all I like just about everything that goes with the change in height, now I just need to find the time to elevate the other 3 lathes in the trailer