A reminder: Don't lock your knees

[Gary Herrmann]

Been making Christmas presents. I was working on a beautiful piece of walnut - that I saved from the firewood pile! I'll post pics when done. I've never seen black walnut like this. Maybe it's a hybrid.

I was making a box. Finished it will be about 2.5" in diameter and 6" tall.

Bottom is done, except for the joint. Was turning the lid down, when I just started losing focus and the lid got blurry.

I stopped because I didn't want to ruin it.

In retrospect, fainting into a spinning lathe with a sharp tool in my hand could have been ugly. 'Course, some part of my brain said "Finish it! You have 3 more to go."

I was getting very close to the finished diameter and was really in the zone. Beautiful surface. I've never locked my knees before, but I think that's what happened today. I went upstairs and laid down for awhile. Blood flowed back to my brain, and I felt fine. Locking your knees cuts off circulation - that's why people faint.


So, remain aware of your body. Shift your stance a bit, even if you're working on a small piece where you can just rotate your body.

[Curt Fuller]

Glad you figured out what was happening before you got hurt. You're right, that could be serious. I remember guys fainting during inspections when I was in the Army. They'd fall face first and not even know what happened.

[Greg Just]

Gary:

Thanks for sharing your experience. Hopefully we can all learn something. I know that even when I really want to go the the shop in the evening after a long day at work, when I'm tired I just don't do it! Too many mistakes happen and that's when we get hurt.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

I'm surely not a doctor but I've never heard that locking your knees cut off blood flow. Do yourself a favor and tell your family doctor your experience. We would hate to see that happen to you while you are driving.
faust

[David Weaver]

A pastor coaching us for a wedding a couple of years ago gave us the same warning, that we shouldn't lock our knees unless we wanted to become a sideshow at the wedding.

http://www.webmd.com/brain/understan...ainting-basics

I think it might have more to do with not moving at all than necessarily something to do with locking knees. But webmd does list standing, just not necessarily locking knees.

[James Combs]

As Curt mentioned it is a more or less common occurrence in the military, especially in early training scenarios such as boot camp. I am retired Navy and when I was in boot camp in the 60's, even though we were told not to lock our knees when standing in ranks especially at attention some young green recruit just off the farm would do it anyway probably because they were scared, everything was new and they just couldn't think of everything, DAMHIKT.

[Harry Robinette]

Thanks for the info Gary. My Doc told me if I'm doing any standing at all to put one foot up a little higher then the other,(Open the door below the sink and put foot inside if your at the sink very long.) and stuff like that so I keep a chunk of wood under my lathe and use it if I'm doing small work.It takes the pressure of your lower back and aids the flow of blood( what the Doc said).
But see your Doc and make sure it wasn't something else before something might happen,Glad your alright and the box too.

[Rodney Walker]

Good you stopped when you did. Get a checkup. Tell your Dr what happened. That one limited incident could be leading up to something more. I have advanced melanoma. Last January I was at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance for some testing. I thought I was fine. My wife let me out at the front doors, it was probably a little over 75 ft to walk to the labs desk. I made it to the desk and the girl behind the counter started checking me in. I started feeling light headed and next thing I was on the floor. Turned out I had so much internal bleeding my blood pressure just couldn't support me anymore.
Anyway, I wouldn't play around with it.
Rodney

[Reed Gray]

Well, another possibility is allergy. I do get a bit head achy if I turn a lot of black walnut, more so if it is wet. Yes, if you are getting a bit faint, get away from the lathe and sit down before you fall down.

robo hippy

[Bernie Weishapl]

Thanks for the heads up Gary. I would still get it checked out by your Dr.

[steven carter]

I was in the Honor Guard while in the Army, and spent a lot of time standing at attention, the difficult thing was breaking your knees without appearing to, but break them you must unless you wanted to be left behind on the parade ground.