Turning Precautions & Lessons Learned

[WoodWrangler]

Since I recently purchased a lathe ... thought it would be a nice thing to have a listing of the turning safety precautions and lessons learned from NCWWers. Originally I wanted to know what are the dangers of a lathe -- meaning, what dangerous things can a turner do (i.e. kickback on a tablesaw) and how to you avoid it.

Share your experience! :icon_thum

Hopefully we can learn something from each other here!

 

[clowman]

Beware of the flying bowls. Chuck it good.

Careful with tool catches that run into your hand. Don't get in a hurry. I find that tool catches happen to me when I get in a hurry and try to take off too much wood at a time.

Someone, I am sure, will explain the potential dangers of a skew. ;-)

Never wear long sleeves, nor long hair (Beards included).

Always put the tool on the tool rest BEFORE it touches the workpiece.
Hold tool with a firm grip, but not so tight that you get cramped up.

 

[nelsone]

Wear your face shield! Flying chunks happen!

 

[Dusty Sawyer]

Take time to stop the lathe, check the chuck, the endstock, banjo and rest for tightness. Most catches on the work will work something loose that could cause a big problem later.

Keep the rest close to the work, never reach.

When turning bowls from soft, knotty, or heavily wormy wood, stop ocassionaly and check for pieces which might fly off.

 

[Makinsawdust]

Jeremy,
Ed's advise is very good. I've been hit twice by small 1x1x6 pieces in the forehead right above the eye. Both were chucked as a square block. The corners from the block cut quite deep into my head. So be carefull if you chuck a small piece this way. I've never been hit by a big piece because I naturally take more time making sure everything is right and of course always wear the faceshield when working with them.
Stick with scrapers on end-grain if you can to avoid catching.
Turn the lathe off and let it come to a stop before moving the tool rest.
Practice with a skew on a piece of scrap until you get the hang of it.
If you try bowls, my advise would be to not start out with an Elsworth/Irish grind on your bowl gouge. The learning curve for me was pretty steep on this grind.
Use the tail stock whenever you can even with a chuck.
Keep your tools sharpe.
I'm sure I'll think of others as soon as I hit "submit reply" but these are the few that came to me at the moment.
Rob

 

[Sir Chiz]

I've had a short sleeve shirt grabbed by the handwheel of my Jet mini,
so, Turnin' should be done naked. :mrgreen:

When turning wet wood,if you have to leave a piece on the chuck or faceplate for an extended period of time, check the chuck or screws for tightness. Drying, shrinking wood can cause the piece to loosen.

There's no need to torque a chuck to 1000 psi via the Armstrong method, especially when turning facegrain, this can split the wood, ruin the blank, or create an IFO,(identified flying object).
Tightening with one hand should be sufficient, unless you've got girly hands. ;-)

Beware of sharp edges,like a bowl rim, they can cut to the bone before you know what happened. :roll:

 

[cskipper]

When something just doesn't seem right - an unexpected change in sound, vibration, chatter etc..., STOP and TURN OFF the lathe. Check the chuck, check your tools, check where your mind is at. Proceed if all are ok. If you still don't feel "right" take a break. Do not try for that "just one more little thing".

Always have the lathe turned off and stopped when moving the tool rest. Then be sure to hand turn your project to be sure it clears the rest before you turn the lathe back on.

Wear protective equipment. You may think, well I'm only turning a pen, but if anything flies off it happens way to quickly to react and avoid the flying object.

Sawdust on the floor it slippery. Keep it swept/vacuumed up.

 

[Mark Anderson]

kathy makes a very good point, keep your ears open. most small problems can be heard before they turn into big ones

 

[Eaglesc]

If you choose to use any cloth material(for finishing, even sandpaper "strings") or steel wool, EXPECT them to "catch" but don't let it take your fingers with it.

 

[WoodWrangler]

Thanks for all of the great feedback. This thread is of much use (at least to me, but I have to assume others!)

 

[sawman]

Jermey, I am one of the others and I agree the feedback is great. When Jeff finally buys a lathe I will seriously consider buying one.

Later,
Albert

:saw:

 

[Wildwood]

1. Check wood for defects before turning. Even wood you glue up!

2. Wear eye and dust protection.

3. Make sure your work is securely mounted:
a. between centers
b. face plate
c. chuck

4. Rotate work by hand, make sure won't hit tool rest.

5. Check lathe speed before starting. Get in the habit of returning lathe speed to lowest setting if you take a long break or quit for the day.

6. Use the correct turning tool for the job!
a. don't try to rout out bowl center with a roughing gouge or skew chisel.

7. Remote stop and start, not only convenient, adds a lot of safety.
a. If lathe not so equiped, consider a foot switch. Foot switches can be mounted on lathe for knee operation.
(1) Packardwoodworks Page 82, Part # 114920 foot switch control $34.95
(2) Woodturnerscatalog,Page 63, part # 182-0200 foot switch $32.95
(a) been using #2, style, mounted for knee operation for over 12 years.

8. Remove tool rest for sanding. Turn on dust collecter!

Never attempt to turn wood if tired or don't feel well, call it quits!
don't forget all the good advice already provided.

 

[jeff...]

I don't know because I don;t have a lathe :icon_thum

 

[nelsone]

I don't know because I don;t have a lathe :icon_thum

........YET!:rolf:

 

[MikeH]

........YET!:rolf:

What he said! It's only a matter of time.

:rotflm: :rotflm: :rotflm:

 

[gsdoby]

The following site has several good articles on turning. The one about do's and don'ts of turning bowls has several safety tips

http://www.nickcookwoodturner.com/articles.htm

 

[JRD]

Use lower speeds to start a project, higher when it's been turned true!

Keep tool rest close to the work piece!

Keep tools sharp!

Check, check, and recheck frequently to insure the work piece is secure, and no pieces are ready to come off and hit you.


So far I've been very lucky, but have had a few pieces depart the lathe at high speed. While I was not injured, (the work usually was) and it's easy to imagine what a high speed chunk of wood could do to your head.

Jim