Basic safety question: lathe position

[Stan Calow]

Creekers, is it unsafe to have a lathe too close to a wall, for potential bounce-back if the workpiece breaks up? I am relocating my midi-lathe in my shop, and my first choice was in a corner up against a concrete wall. The spindle would be about a foot from the wall, so with workpiece thats max 10" diameter, is that too close? I couldn't find a reference book that addresses that. As usual, I didn't think of that potential problem until I already moved it.

Thanks for input.

[Ted Reischl]

Well, I am no ballistics engineer but it would seem to me that wood hitting a concrete wall will lose a lot of energy on contact. That said. . . .

Mine is close to the wall too, what is more of a problem is that there are times it would be easier to cut from the opposite side of the lathe, like when hollowing. Bending over and peering into a deeper shape gets old real quick. Not to mention that sometimes I cannot get the correct angle for the tool. Just today I was sitting there looking at it debating moving it out about a foot. My shop is pretty small but efficient. Maybe too efficient.

[Thomas Canfield]

Not as a safety issue, but I like to have enough clearance behind the lathe to use a full size gouge with handle straight to back like entering a bowl for undercut or non-skid entry. I have made/bought short handled gouges to use on club lathe with plexiglass shield preventing using full size bowl gouge. I would opt for 2' from spindle as a minimum clearance if possible.

[John K Jordan]

Creekers, is it unsafe to have a lathe too close to a wall, for potential bounce-back if the workpiece breaks up? I am relocating my midi-lathe in my shop, and my first choice was in a corner up against a concrete wall. The spindle would be about a foot from the wall, so with workpiece thats max 10" diameter, is that too close? I couldn't find a reference book that addresses that. As usual, I didn't think of that potential problem until I already moved it.


It might depend on what you turn. I like my lathes close to the walls for the types of things I turn. I think the bed is about 18" from the wall on this one giving enough room to position the dust collection pickup. Those who like to turn big bowls and hollow forms sometimes like the lathe further away, not as a bounce safety issue but for access.

I'd probably think more about why a piece might even come off the lathe. Well mounted and turned at a safe speed with good technique you should never have one come off the lathe. I think it's wise to avoid turning junk wood with lots of cracks and voids, especially at high speed. I suppose if you planned on turning things that might come apart you could hang a heavy canvas tarp from the ceiling. But then what if it goes straight up? Many lathes come with safety cages but almost no one uses them. Got one of those? A face mask is not going to stop a heavy projectile.

If turning a chunk that lacks integrity and has a chance of coming apart, a friend of mine has a useful technique. He turns big things with voids by turning the outside first then wraps the outside with nylon strapping tape to hold it together while turning the inside.

Of course, always, always, stand well to the side when turning the lathe on. (Graeme Priddle said this should be your mantra) If bouncing off the wall was a concern at all, perhaps you can hang something like a heavy curtain.

I personally have no problems with turning even larger things with the lathe near the wall. I sometimes turn in reverse so I can see the cut on the inside of bowls. Mark StLeger recommends breaking the habit of bending over to peer into something when hollowing - it just makes the back hurt and you usually can't see a thing anyway. He said, and I agree, to stand comfortably and learn to do the hollowing by feel. Access at the end of the lathe is helpful when hollowing, not for peering but for leverage and control.

This is how I like things - everything I use most often is within arm's reach, directly behind me, or within two or three steps.

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Of course, you don't need to access this much stuff if your turning is more limited in scope.

JKJ

[Bruce Schoenleber]

Hang a sheet 4-6 inches from the wall, it will absorb a lot of the energy and greatly reduce any reflection should something decide to fly in that direction.

[Stan Calow]

Thanks everyone for the great ideas. Hanging something on the wall is a good tip for peace of mind. It'll be easy enough to move the lathe away from wall if I'm doing something unusual. I like John K's suggestion of wrapping the outside of a workpiece if its questionable. Good stuff.

[Ted Calver]

If you turn wet wood or wet sand, the wall behind the lathe will get "decorated" by wood/finish spray....another reason to hang something there. I have a hanging tarp that also helps funnel wood shavings to a collection area.

[Al Wasser]

You need enough room to get behind the lathe and do routine cleanup of chips/dust and to pick up things that fall back there like tools, pencils, wrench, dividers, etc

[John K Jordan]

You need enough room to get behind the lathe and do routine cleanup of chips/dust and to pick up things that fall back there like tools, pencils, wrench, dividers, etc

Perhaps not.

Notice the big tub from Walmart under the lathe. I keep these tubs under each of the two lathes I keep in the shop all the time, this PM and the Jet. The tubs fit tightly against the wall and nothing but an occasional smattering of dust gets behind them. I don't need room to get behind the lathe since I can pull the tub out.

The tub catches almost everything that falls as well as probably 80-90% of the shavings the DC misses when I'm turning small things. It also catches tools and protects them from hitting the concrete. The wall actually deflects everything into the tub. When I pull the tub out to empty it I can clean up any dust behind or shavings at the ends by reaching under the lathe with a broom or with a length of shop vac hose connected to the cyclone.

After using this for a while I'd hate to go back to my old method, which was let shavings pile up on the floor. Saves a lot of sweeping.

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The small tub is for paper towels, used sandpaper, and other trash.

JKJ

[John Beaver]

If you have the room to angle the lathe out from the wall, then you will have better access to both sides, and in case something flies off the lathe it will be deflected at an angle away from you.

BTW - from all the teaching I do, the most common reason for pieces flying off the lather is incorrectly made tenons. Of course other things can go wrong, but making crisp accurate tenons sure cuts down on the mishaps.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Creekers, is it unsafe to have a lathe too close to a wall, for potential bounce-back if the workpiece breaks up? I am relocating my midi-lathe in my shop, and my first choice was in a corner up against a concrete wall. The spindle would be about a foot from the wall, so with workpiece thats max 10" diameter, is that too close? I couldn't find a reference book that addresses that. As usual, I didn't think of that potential problem until I already moved it.

Thanks for input.

As your turning is rotating toward you, when it dismounts, it will move towards you, and very fast.

If it explodes or breaks up, the pieces will still want to continue that rotation, and only the parts that are in the rotational swing towards the bottom and back to the wall could hit the lathe bed and the wall or upwards, these pieces could bounce in different direction, but will not be as dangerous as the pieces that will fly towards you, it has been those pieces that have been the deadly ones, not the bounced off of the wall, your face shield will be able to stop them IMO without great danger.

Careful examination of the to turn pieces is what is always called for, stopping occasional and if when you feel or hear something strange etc is what will safe you.

I don’t turn pieces that are unsafe, not word the risk, I have not had a pieces come out the lathe but once a long time ago, never had one fly apart ever :)

Could be that I use a Oneway chuck and jaws :D :eek:, sorry could not help myself here ;)

[Bruce Schoenleber]

" If it explodes or breaks up, the pieces will still want to continue that rotation,"

Sir Isaac Newton would strongly disagree.

[Stan Calow]

Thanks for you all to take the time to analyze my question and provide input. I thought it was a dumb question, but glad I asked. I think that a lot of the basic turning books (of which I have several) don't address safety enough, by assuming that everyone knows and understands how workpieces will fail and which way they will go. I appreciate it.

[david privett]

I would suggest only turning at speeds which jive with the diameter of what you are turning. Of course wood condition also is big issue. So keep it on the slow side when in there is a question about the turning piece. If you are curious look at a table of tire centrifugal pressures at different highway speeds it might scare you .

[Thom Sturgill]

I would agree with the idea to angle the lathe a bit. When I was first starting I had a piece come off the lathe when the tenon broke out hte too thin bottom. The piece did bounce off the back wall, but missed me as I was standing toward the end while hollowing the bowl. I also Like the idea of a sheet or curtain behind the wall as I dyed a stripe up the wall when staining a piece.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Thanks for you all to take the time to analyze my question and provide input. I thought it was a dumb question, but glad I asked. I think that a lot of the basic turning books (of which I have several) don't address safety enough, by assuming that everyone knows and understands how workpieces will fail and which way they will go. I appreciate it.

It is why the “Stand out of the line of fire” is often mentioned and here a picture that shows that the forward direction of a piece from a fly apart or exploding turning, going towards the turner, to almost kill the turner.

Centrifugal forces of course do also play a role in the trajectory, but often the pieces do come towards you.

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