Hilel Salomon
07-26-2009, 8:34 AM
First of all let me thank all of you for your kind words of concern and for the excellent advice you've shared with me. I'm not just lucky to have avoided much worse damage to my body, but am extremely lucky to have such a wonderful source of camaraderie and shared knowledge.
In reviewing all of the really good advice I've gotten it occurs to me that I should capsulize it. Most of what follows comes from public and private messages from Creekers.
Always wear protective devices. Face, head and breathing protection should be second nature. Bernie won't go into his shop w/out his Airshield.I got hit on the chest and have abrasions. Had I been wearing my usual Sorby or AAW jacket, it would have been less painful;
Lower speed to zero at the end of any project and make sure you know which speed range you are on before doing anything on the lathe;
Don't leave work on your chuck (as I have) for any length of time. Wood movement can change the nature of how your bowl will react to polishing, sanding, waxing etc ( I tend to leave semi finished bowls on their chucks until I have concluded the finishing process which in retrospect has been a mistake).
Don't rely too much on CA glue to hold in the event of a stress. Also CA glue exposure is a major health risk;
Try and keep your lathe level. Otherwise there is stress on your machine and there is more likelihood of an accident;
Don't work when you are tired, have had any alcohol or medication which will slow down your reflexes and/or affect your judgment;
As my co-Carolina friend CW McClellan warned, haste and impatience can be dangerous when you're involved in an already potentially dangerous situation.
If this sounds preachy, forgive me. In part it is the "righteousness of the newly converted." Almost all of it comes from Creeker friends whose wisdom it would be folly to ignore.
Hilel
In reviewing all of the really good advice I've gotten it occurs to me that I should capsulize it. Most of what follows comes from public and private messages from Creekers.
Always wear protective devices. Face, head and breathing protection should be second nature. Bernie won't go into his shop w/out his Airshield.I got hit on the chest and have abrasions. Had I been wearing my usual Sorby or AAW jacket, it would have been less painful;
Lower speed to zero at the end of any project and make sure you know which speed range you are on before doing anything on the lathe;
Don't leave work on your chuck (as I have) for any length of time. Wood movement can change the nature of how your bowl will react to polishing, sanding, waxing etc ( I tend to leave semi finished bowls on their chucks until I have concluded the finishing process which in retrospect has been a mistake).
Don't rely too much on CA glue to hold in the event of a stress. Also CA glue exposure is a major health risk;
Try and keep your lathe level. Otherwise there is stress on your machine and there is more likelihood of an accident;
Don't work when you are tired, have had any alcohol or medication which will slow down your reflexes and/or affect your judgment;
As my co-Carolina friend CW McClellan warned, haste and impatience can be dangerous when you're involved in an already potentially dangerous situation.
If this sounds preachy, forgive me. In part it is the "righteousness of the newly converted." Almost all of it comes from Creeker friends whose wisdom it would be folly to ignore.
Hilel