Anyone raise their lathe a few inches?

[Ultradog MN]

My lathe is still sitting on 4"X8" wood blocks.
I haven't yet set it down onto the concrete floor or done any precision leveling on it.
Need to tho.
After using it that way for a couple of months I really like the height it is set at and am loathe to lower it to the floor. I am 6'1" and have lower back issues.
So I've been thinking about ways to keep it at the height it is now.
The old lathe weighs most of 2 tons.
There are 8 leveling bolts on it.
I was thinking about finding some 4" stock of some sort and putting one under each leveling bolt.
4" stock - round, square or rectangular cut 4" long would be perfect. That could get pricey though with the price of materials and I would need to have the 8 pieces cut.
Just wondering if others have raised their lathes and what they used to do it.
Thanks

 

[jbobb1]

Haven't raised my lathe, but it has 3/4" thick cast iron pads under each leveling bolts.

 

[7milesup]

My new lathe is quite low in my opinion. I was just looking at it yesterday and figured that 8" height increase would work great. I am going to weld up some risers at some point. Probably a next winter project.

 

[Nogoingback]

I raised mine by bolting it to a fabricated stand made from rectangular tube which has leveling bolts under it.
It's about 4" higher, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I also have back trouble.

 

[NCjeeper]

I raised both my lathes. The 13x40 I just used machinery pads. The Monarch I turned 3" steel stands and put them under it.

 

[Ken226]

I put Te-co levelling feet on my lathe, which brought up up about 2.5".

I'm 6,1 as well. No back problems, and I'd rather not get back problems, so having the lathe at a good height is beneficial.

They make levelling feet with various stud lengths. You should have no trouble finding something that works for you.

My lathe is a 13x40, and already had a slightly taller than average stand, so I didn't have to raise it much.

I also cut circular pieces of gasket material and epoxied them to the bottom of the feet. For a little grip.

The Te-co swivel feet are very heavy duty. Levelling with a wrench is convenient too.

 

[Ulma Doctor]

i purchased a Shenwai 1236 that has a custom built roller stand (from the PO)
it is about 3" taller than the other stock height Shenwai1236 i have at my shop
the Shenwai at the shop sits on 4, 1" steel plates - it's too low
looks like i need to make it taller now that i'm seeing this thread

@6'2" the extra height helps

 

[Suzuki4evr]

I am also 6'1" and raised my 1.5ton lathe by 120mm and it also has 8 leveling feet. Now I know some of you might frown apon my material used, but the lathe is sitting on 8 pieces of 120mm×120mm HDPE and I did this about 3years ago and it is still sitting pretty. I will add that if you can afford steel, that would be best to go with.

Michael

 

[Ulma Doctor]

I am also 6'1" and raised my 1.5ton lathe by 120mm and it also has 8 leveling feet. Now I know some of you might frown apon my material used, but the lathe is sitting on 8 pieces of 120mm×120mm HDPE and I did this about 3years ago and it is still sitting pretty. I will add that if you can afford steel, that would be best to go with.

Michael

i'm not frowning on your choice of HDPE
since you have 8 legs, each foot carries 1/8 of the load when leveled
1/8 of 1.5 tons is about 375lbs per pad- you'll be fine for a long time

 

[Suzuki4evr]

i'm not frowning on your choice of HDPE
since you have 8 legs, each foot carries 1/8 of the load when leveled
1/8 of 1.5 tons is about 375lbs per pad- you'll be fine for a long time

I was comfortable with my choice, but now thanks to you I feel even better about my choice, because I also did some homework about the material and weight distribution. If I think about it, I think I did post a question back then on H-M before I purchased the HDPE, I will have to check.