Lathe set up help for my shop

[19Fordy]

Make sure you allow enough room to feed bar stock thru the headstock and into the chuck.
What kind lathe do you have (Southbend)? I sure miss the lathes I had when I was teaching high school metal shop. Having a lathe is "heavenly".

I would not recommend having your lathe on a little taller work surface as it will be more tiring and difficult to change chucks and do machining work like turning between centers, using boring bars, making intricate cuts, cutting tool mounting, using the taper adjustment and adjustment, etc.. Keep it at floor level for easy access , adjustment and cleaning. You want your head and neck to be comfortable. Looking down is better than looking up.

Also, you want to be able to tighten and open the chuck easily and safely.

It is nice to have a rubber mat on the floor for your feet comfort.

Enjoy your new machine tool. It's solid gold.