Lathe Safty

A while back some one asked if those clear plastic face shields work. I found the answer today, YES. My wife got me a set of bowl turning chisels for Christmas (why I have them now is another story). Not being a bowl turner I had to try them. Took an 8# block of ash out of the wood pile and put it on the lathe face plate. Turned it until the lathe stopped bouncing,and the shape was close, increased the speed a notch and started cutting the inside of the bowl. Next thing I know the whole shebang came off the lathe and hit me square in the face. Faceplate has a nice scuff mark on the shield and I had a nice break and cup of tea otherwise no damage, to me or the block of wood. Cause of incident, too light of screws holding wood to face plate, at least I learned.

Reply to
sweet sawdust
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Good to hear it worked out okay.

Reply to
Toller

I have had a number of heavy metal objects hit my faceshield while doing grinding. I will not perform a variety of shop functions without a face shield. And mine is attached to a hard hat too.

Good for you. You got off easy. Let the safety equipment take the hit. That way we don't scar up our pretty faces!

Reply to
Lee Michaels

Reply to
sweet sawdust

Did the screws break, or just lose their grip (i.e. not long enough)? PS: Never use drywall screws, as they're too brittle. Tom

Reply to
tom

I'm glad you weren't hurt.

Now for my canned spiel every time the topic of eye protection comes up: There are other things on your face besides your eyes that need protection. Good thing you were wearing a face shield instead of just goggles.

Where do you figure it would have whacked you if you'd been wearing goggles and no shield? Nose? Teeth?

Reply to
Doug Miller

I couldn't agree more. Yet there are those that feel like there is a predictable flight path for wood that leaves the lathe, and that using simple prudence is almost safety factor enough. Citing all manner of laws of physics, etc., they feel comfortable without a shield.

Obviously they just haven't been whacked in the head like OP. Good for OP for wearing the proper gear. Face shields are cheap enough, and even cooler than googles and provide much more protection.

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41

Reply to
sweet sawdust

Reply to
sweet sawdust

The face shield probably saved you from a broken nose as well as an eye injury. Aren't you glad you had it on?

Reply to
Doug Miller

It's funny how people who aren't physicists are such experts on the laws of physics. Generally it means that they've never actually had to solve the equations. A simple pendulum is bad enough the first time, when you get to unconstrained motion of an irregularly shaped object in three dimensions with rotation and both elastic and inelastic deformations then it's "watch me bring the Cray to its knees" time, without heavy duty number crunching all you can say that has real relevance is "incoming" as you duck and cover.

Reply to
J. Clarke

Suppose those might be the folks who cut above center, entering down for convex work and keep their toolrest close? If Newton's right, they get an opposite from their tool, and the rest takes any ricochet. Which they watch from a secure arm's length because they know better then to stand in front of poorly-held spinning objects or objects that might be propelled by spinning objects.

Always puzzles me when people talk about getting a board propelled into their gut by a tablesaw. What in the hell were they doing standing behind the thing anyway?

Reply to
George

Reply to
sweet sawdust

Hookah? Smoke will still get in your eyes though.

Reply to
J. Clarke

Reply to
sweet sawdust

(snip about people who think they can predict the flight path of a turning gone wild)

: Suppose those might be the folks who cut above center, entering down for : convex work and keep their toolrest close? If Newton's right, they get an : opposite from their tool, and the rest takes any ricochet.

The rest doesn't take any riccochet. And if ytou're referring to "every action has an opposite and equal reaction, once the tool catches and hits the rest, it stops, and the WOOD receives the opposing force, not the toolrest.

Which they watch : from a secure arm's length because they know better then to stand in front : of poorly-held spinning objects or objects that might be propelled by : spinning objects.

Sure, those are useful tips for decreasing the likelihood of a catch, and for decreasing the likelihood of getting hit.

But anyone who thinks that is going to provide complete protection all the time is ignorant (sometimes willfully so).

To give one data point, I was in the audience at a demo by Chris Stott, a professional woodturner. He was turning a bowl from green acacia, and it shattered. A piece hit the wall ten feet behind my head and bounced back and hit me in the back.

This piece was really sharp. It comes to a point sharp enough to go right through an eyeball if you got a direct hit. And I was some 15-20 feet away from the lathe, and not inline with what you would call the expected danger zone.

I keep that 5" fragment of wood right near my lathe as a reminder to always wear a face shield.

-- Andy Barss

Reply to
Andrew Barss

Nice thing about cutting as I recommended is that you _don't_ catch. The vectors involved try to push the tool away from the piece, thus the opposite is the piece is being pushed away from the tool and you. And I'll take the rest as protection over a mask, thank you. When the physical distance between the person and the piece is added in, it's a great combination.

Shavings never make it above the xiphoid, except when peeling inside. I get watching the opposite side of the bowl and the shavings tangle sometimes gets tossed in the air after being carried around and out. I have to remember to close my eyes when removing my glasses and brushing my hair, because they get caught on the lashes and lids, and sometimes I blink 'em in. Looks like time and an increasing forehead may make that moot soon, however.

Reply to
George

I sat on a Cray X-MP at NCSA once.

todd

Reply to
todd

Cool. Always liked the way Cray tried to make their machines decor items.

Reply to
J. Clarke

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