Time for Another Safety Reminder

Vaughn McMillan

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I just read that an Australian turner was killed at the lathe in the last couple of days. His wife went to call him for tea and found him on his back with his head split open. That makes two people in the past couple of years that I've heard of being killed in this manner.

Be careful out there people, and ALWAYS wear quality face protection.
 
Wow :eek:thats a first time i hear something this bad as an accident. Thats really sad.:( Feel quite guilty now:eek: working with blunt tools but i did have my proper protection on and earplugs.
 
Good for you on the face protection, but if you needed earplugs to turn, you tools were WAY too dull. :p Were you hearing a screeching sound?

Rob was your lathe running backwards.....? :D

I have to get a better face shield, the one I have sucks, or I can use my full on helmet, shield, filter combo from Triton, but it is a bit of a hassle to use daily. I use it when turning larger stuff or stuff that throws a lot of debris, but for just smaller stuff I use only safety glasses.

22r7260s5b.jpg
I was thinking of this one from LV.

Sorry to hear about the guy who died, that is really sad.
 
Sadly this isn't the first I've heard about this year... :( Please do be be safe folks! Also be careful with the bandsaw!!

Vaughn, the AAW guidelines do recommend ear protection: http://www.woodturner.org/resources/safety.htm although I to am ?guilty? of not using it on the lathe, lathe work is pretty darn quiet unless you're doing something overly aggressive or with really dull tools (either of which means I need to stop and regroup).

I always wear a facemask (this was drilled into me by my shop teacher over 25 years ago; he was a good teacher, something for which I am still grateful). Not just for bowls either, I actually had a piece of a spindle let go earlier this year, it went "tick tick tick bam!" and a chunk bounced off of my face shield and ended up in the rafters (I was doing a rather odd/sharp cornered =[]=[]= shape and one of the high points is what let go). At best it would have really smarted!

I have to get a better face shield, the one I have sucks, or I can use my full on helmet, shield, filter combo from Triton, but it is a bit of a hassle to use daily. I use it when turning larger stuff or stuff that throws a lot of debris, but for just smaller stuff I use only safety glasses.

View attachment 72570
I was thinking of this one from LV.

Looks very similar to the Uvex Bionics that I have (might even be, I can't tell from the LV site). Its relatively lightweight and comfortable for a full face shield; definitely recommended.
 
January 25, 1953 To May 17, 2011

On May 4, 2011, Joan Kelly of Memphis, Tennessee, was turning a heavy cedar bowl blank on her lathe.* Something happened during that turning that caused her bowl blank to shatter, pieces striking her in the face and forehead.* Despite a quick response by her husband to call an ambulance and apply first aid, and receiving two weeks of exemplary medical care, Joan never regained consciousness.* On May 17th, Joan passed away with her family at her side.
 
@ Vaughn ,,,no to the noise on the lathe, the earplugs were for router work i was doing.;) My tools were not thaaaat dull. :) Just not as good as they could have been.

Stu and Ryan that is the Bionics and its the one i have and i got it from LV . But as much as I support our store, enviro safety products sells it and the replacement visors way way cheaper. Its a great face shield and it allows one to fit this dust mask under it comfortably.
 
@ Vaughn ,,,no to the noise on the lathe, the earplugs were for router work i was doing.;) My tools were not thaaaat dull. :) Just not as good as they could have been.

Stu and Ryan that is the Bionics and its the one i have and i got it from LV . But as much as I support our store, enviro safety products sells it and the replacement visors way way cheaper. Its a great face shield and it allows one to fit this dust mask under it comfortably.

I think you are somewhat mistaken Rob. LV sells only the unit with the super tough scratch resistant and anti-fog shield for $48.50 US, ESP sells the same unit for $43.16, but they want $89.35 for just the shipping to Japan, so for ME LV will for sure be much cheaper.

FYI :D
 
Sadly this isn't the first I've heard about this year... :( Please do be be safe folks! Also be careful with the bandsaw!!

Vaughn, the AAW guidelines do recommend ear protection: http://www.woodturner.org/resources/safety.htm although I to am ?guilty? of not using it on the lathe, lathe work is pretty darn quiet unless you're doing something overly aggressive or with really dull tools (either of which means I need to stop and regroup).

I always wear a facemask (this was drilled into me by my shop teacher over 25 years ago; he was a good teacher, something for which I am still grateful). Not just for bowls either, I actually had a piece of a spindle let go earlier this year, it went "tick tick tick bam!" and a chunk bounced off of my face shield and ended up in the rafters (I was doing a rather odd/sharp cornered =[]=[]= shape and one of the high points is what let go). At best it would have really smarted!



Looks very similar to the Uvex Bionics that I have (might even be, I can't tell from the LV site). Its relatively lightweight and comfortable for a full face shield; definitely recommended.

Me too.... I posted pictures of my results of not wearing a face shield... now if my lathe is running, my face is covered... I'm just too pretty to risk any more damage...:D:D

Seriously, I feel for the family in Australia... it can happen so quickly and the older we get the slower our reflexes get, so it's imperative to be safe.... I pretty much wear eye protection any time I'm working with machinery... I wear safety glasses when cutting on the band saw, table saw, chain saw and when riding my lawn mower.
 
This gets me to thinking - again on this subject. Those of you with family nearby, do you have a system set up to check on you regularly? Those of us who live alone need to figure out some safety checks from others. Right now the only thing I can think to do is make sure my cell phone is on my person. Not saying this replaces personal safety gear, but stuff happens even with the gear on.

Thoughts?
 
I just read that an Australian turner was killed at the lathe in the last couple of days. His wife went to call him for tea and found him on his back with his head split open. That makes two people in the past couple of years that I've heard of being killed in this manner.

Curious Vaughn it didnt get much if any space in the press here. But still we all get one head a piece so we should look out for them. Uvex bionics shield looks a good but they are hard to come by down here and like Stu I 'm a bit reluctant to pay for the courier charges from the US.
 
The Uvex with the hardened / anti-fog lens sounds like a good way to go. For those of you who do not wear prescription safety glasses, please remember (from the UVEX site) "This face shield is ideal as secondary protection with safety eyewear for impact,". This is not a replacement for your safety glasses. True, we get two eyes versus only one head but, I don't want to hear about anyone losing any of them :thumb:.
 
This gets me to thinking - again on this subject. Those of you with family nearby, do you have a system set up to check on you regularly? Those of us who live alone need to figure out some safety checks from others. Right now the only thing I can think to do is make sure my cell phone is on my person. Not saying this replaces personal safety gear, but stuff happens even with the gear on.

Thoughts?

I don't live alone but my wife stays on the go so much sometimes I wonder. I call her my wonder woman. I wonder where she is !!!
 
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