Pastor Found Dead in Church Carpentry Workshop After 'Tragic' Woodworking Accident

[Mark Hennebury]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/beloved-pastor-found-dead-in-church-carpentry-workshop-after-tragic-woodworking-accident/ar-AA14Km42?ocid=winp2fptaskbarhover&cvid=d715f4a5255d4b4689c4194bc97441e8&fbclid=IwAR1LvWbnqwnyEbbIKUWYY1Fmrm2WTcz5oTs1iboRE FZCoU17-Ab1t-SibBQ

[Steve Demuth]

Big lathes with big wood on them are pretty dangerous, particularly given the hobby's love afair with turning live edge pieces from blanks with character (which often means they are mechanically dodgy. involve lots of interrupted cuts, and really gnarly grain). Those things can indeed lead to tragedy.

[Osvaldo Cristo]

How sad!

It is the first time I listen on a fatal accident on wood lathe operation. Perhaps something escaped and crashed against some mortal part of his body...

RIP.

[Roger Feeley]

It’s kind of frustrating that the reporter knows absolutely nothing about the story other than the guy died. I’m curious about what happened. Did the piece shatter?

[Mark Wooden]

Like Steve said,more than likely something came loose and he caught it in the wrong place. I occasionally turn small stuff like bowls with squirrley grain and use a cross slide for it. That way, I can stand to the side while roughing and tend to use scrapers a lot to limit the depth of my cuts.
Lots of pros have horror stories

[Wes Grass]

Machinist I knew 40 years ago told me a story of working in a big shop, Lockheed maybe. Engineer came out on the shop floor wearing a tie. Machinists told him not to do that. 'Don't tell me what to do ...'

....... "couldn't have happened to a nicer guy"

Heard or read a story of a guy wearing a loose shirt. Got caught up in a lathe and pulled him between the bed and shaft he was working on. Bent him over double, backwards.

I've found myself working at the lathe more than a few times, wearing long sleeves or a sweatshirt. Knowing it's a bad idea, I figure I'll get away with it, I'll be done in a few minutes anyway. One of these days, yeah, I'll be 'done'.

HP rating only tells you how fast it can kill you. As long as it's enough torque that you can't get out, it'll just kill you slow.

[Bill Dufour]

Of course he may have had a stroke and fell into the lathe that finished the job. They say most women who fall and break their hips actually do it in the opposite order.
Odd vocabulary, the reporter is obviously not familiar with catholic clergy terminology.
Bill D

[Maurice Mcmurry]

This conjures up the same disturbing mental image as the old plumber tangled in his pipe threader. Very sad. Very horrific.

[Mark Gibney]

The son of my mother's neighbor in Ireland had a near fatal accident working on a wood lathe early this year. The piece he was working on "exploded" and the gouge was forced back and into his head.
He spent a long time in a coma, if I remember it was over a month. Last I heard he is doing much better now, but with complications.
He was a lecturer on pediatric medicine before this - I don't know if he's back working now or not.
I have been a lot more wary around the lathe since I heard this.

[Edward Weber]

As someone who turns, http://www.woodturnersresource.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl
In a sense, turning is no different from any other power tool in the shop.
Know what you're doing, and you can avoid 99.9% of incidents. Sure, there are a million ways to injure yourself, but the same can be said for any tool.

The news story leaves everyone guessing as to the actual cause

[Patrick Kane]

Machinist I knew 40 years ago told me a story of working in a big shop, Lockheed maybe. Engineer came out on the shop floor wearing a tie. Machinists told him not to do that. 'Don't tell me what to do ...'

....... "couldn't have happened to a nicer guy"

Heard or read a story of a guy wearing a loose shirt. Got caught up in a lathe and pulled him between the bed and shaft he was working on. Bent him over double, backwards.

I've found myself working at the lathe more than a few times, wearing long sleeves or a sweatshirt. Knowing it's a bad idea, I figure I'll get away with it, I'll be done in a few minutes anyway. One of these days, yeah, I'll be 'done'.

HP rating only tells you how fast it can kill you. As long as it's enough torque that you can't get out, it'll just kill you slow.

I remember when i was in school the architectural shop sent out a grizzly reminder with an article of a girl that died in her college's shop because of a lathe. Her long hair wasnt tied up securely and she was pulled into the machine. This would have been 2008ish. The story stayed with me, among others, because i often roll up sleeves and tuck in my shirt. I dont do much lathe work though.

[Wes Grass]

Hair, yeah there's another one. The only personal incident I can recall with hair was my late teens, early 20's. Shooting a 375 H&H off a bench. Didn't realize my hair was long enough to get caught between the butt pad and my shoulder. Kinda hurt ...

Just remembered my dad getting his sweater wrapped up in a chip on a drill press. The *small* drill press, that had push buttons on the front of the head. The bigger ones had foot pedals. He managed to hold that arm away from the drill while trying to hit the off button with his forehead. It eventually pulled his sweater completely off of him without leaving a scratch on him.

[derek labian]

Very sad, everything is OK until it isn't. I can't watch YouTube video's with close to blade operations anymore..

[Roger Feeley]

Machinist I knew 40 years ago told me a story of working in a big shop, Lockheed maybe. Engineer came out on the shop floor wearing a tie. Machinists told him not to do that. 'Don't tell me what to do ...'

....... "couldn't have happened to a nicer guy"

When I taught shop back in the 70s, ties weren’t required. A professor in college clued me in, though. His wife cut all of his ties behind the neck and reattached the two pieces with a single thread.

[John Kananis]

How exactly would you 'tie' it again after taking it off?


When I taught shop back in the 70s, ties weren’t required. A professor in college clued me in, though. His wife cut all of his ties behind the neck and reattached the two pieces with a single thread.

[Steve Demuth]

Very sad, everything is OK until it isn't. I can't watch YouTube video's with close to blade operations anymore..

There are some craftsman publishing on youtube whose skills leave me in awe, but I have to close my eyes when they start working on their table saws and other dangerous tools. One in particular who routinely stands beside a big 7+ HP, 14" saw, no riving knife or splitter, pushing pieces in with his right hand and pulling them out with his left. I can't look.

[Lee DeRaud]

There are some craftsman publishing on youtube whose skills leave me in awe, but I have to close my eyes when they start working on their table saws and other dangerous tools. One in particular who routinely stands beside a big 7+ HP, 14" saw, no riving knife or splitter, pushing pieces in with his right hand and pulling them out with his left. I can't look.
Watching 90YO Sam Maloof cut a compound-curve chair arm freehand on a 20" bndsaw almost made me throw up. He had the tension turned down to the point the drive wheel could barely grab the blade, and was twisting the workpiece in two axes as he fed it through. Half the time there was only an edge or corner touching the table. He said, "I know this is dangerous, but it's the only way I know to cut this kind of curve."

[Bob Borzelleri]

Found this in a Reddit thread.


“I have appreciated this thread. I’m not a woodworker but was a friend of Fr. Jimmy’s, and they called me when the news came out, both to let me know and to ask if I wanted to know the details. I did not at first, but I’m glad I did learn about what happened.


He was working w/ a piece of equipment - later I learned it was a wood lathe - something lodged and the blade flew out and hit him in the skull. Death is thought to have come immediately for him. However, head wounds being what they are, the staff who found him in the morning are clearly traumatized.


Jimmy was a safety conscious individual in his shop, and had shown me around it. He often talked about the safety features, including auto-stop on various equipment. News had come out that morning about a local priest we both knew who was murdered and then his remains burned, who was together with a long time associate and caregiver at the same time who suffered the same fate. It’s likely he was thinking about that horror story.


But evidently the blade came loose and caused a traumatic head injury. I can ask for more details if it would be helpful for others in ongoing safety concerns.”

[Edward Weber]

Thanks for the update/clarification.
I'm not going to talk ill of the recently deceased, but the characterization of the accident sounds like something that could have been avoided by someone with more experienced.

Work safe everyone, and if it doesn't feel safe, don't try it until you're sure you can do it safely.

[Edwin Santos]

Every woodworking accident is avoidable in hindsight.
Similarly, there is no woodworker who knew he/she was about to have an accident before it actually happened.

I wouldn't be too hard on the late pastor. Freak accidents can happen to anyone, no matter how experienced or brilliant.

[Mark Hennebury]

Dead people are the only ones that are safe!

If you are alive, you are in danger of injury or death.

Risk management is what we do to survive.

We cannot always see, control or predict all of the factors, that may come into play.

Knowledge, experience, planning and judgement help us do the best that we can, but there is always a good chance that we didn't account for something, and occasionally that will get you.

We are all just one mistake, one unaccounted for factor, from injury or death.


https://youtu.be/8yO7l6TmIRI

[Mel Fulks]

Agree with Mark. Some think that a small thing like , “ oops ! Don’t see the push stick , I’ll just be careful” is smart. Work with solid
good habits, not creative on ,the spot, “ I’ll just be real careful” , ad-lib nonsense.

[Justin Rapp]

It really would be valuable to know what happened in this accident. It could be another safety lesson on 'what not to do'. So many people don't tend the think ahead about the dangers, and it's happened to me also when overlooking something. But unfortunately we hear about accidents all the time that could have really been avoided. Loose clothes, jewelry, hair have all been triggers of accidents. This doesn't just happen in a workshop or around tools. I was at an amusement park years ago when a women with long hair got it caught in a ride. I don't know the outcome but she was taken away in an ambulance. And, my daughter's hair got caught in a scooter wheel in gym class when she was young. Lucky for my daughter she wasn't injured but it could have been a lot worse. But in the case of this incident, it really leaves your mind wondering what actually happened to the Pastor. For all we know, he was doing everything safe, happened to have a medical issue causing him to pass out and fall onto the lathe. I don't know if we'll ever find out as news articles like this unfortunately are gone after 1 news cycle.

[Jim Becker]

I agree it would be nice to know what really happened, but we can infer from the Reddit posting that something may have caught the tool being used (assuming it was a lathe accident) and, um...inserted said tool in a place it wasn't supposed to be. We don't know what kind of safety gear was being used, either. Sad for sure, regardless.

[Justin Rapp]

I agree it would be nice to know what really happened, but we can infer from the Reddit posting that something may have caught the tool being used (assuming it was a lathe accident) and, um...inserted said tool in a place it wasn't supposed to be. We don't know what kind of safety gear was being used, either. Sad for sure, regardless.

So is it time to start wearing full kevlar body armor when using a lathe? I am not trying to make light of this, but these dangers really start to make you think of ways to protect yourself. With that said, I keep thinking of buying a lathe and would want to read a ton on usage, or even go to a class honestly. I haven't used a lathe since HS wood working over 30 years ago.

[Edward Weber]

It really would be valuable to know what happened in this accident. It could be another safety lesson on 'what not to do'.. For all we know, he was doing everything safe, happened to have a medical issue causing him to pass out and fall onto the lathe. I don't know if we'll ever find out as news articles like this unfortunately are gone after 1 news cycle.

Exactly,
There are a few basic rules to keep yourself safe at the lathe, these cover about 90% of potential accidents. In this tragic story, one can only speculate as to what happened.
Was it a lathe accident or a medical issue that caused a lathe accident, or some other type of distraction, sadly we may never know.

Work safe everyone

[Tom Levy]

Anyone wanting to turn should a) take a class, but also b) buy and read "Woodturning: A Foundation Course" by Keith Rowley. It has by far the best overview of safety practices of any of the turning books I've read. He has some slightly offbeat ideas about approaches to other turning skills, but his safety write up is A+

There are things that can be extremely dangerous on the lathe, but there are also many straightforward ways to avoid them, not unlike other machines. No way of knowing what happened, but flying metal could mean he violated ABC and the tool shattered on the rest or he could have been using an inappropriate/tanged tool on face grain and it snapped off. There is a famous youtube by a tuner where he demonstrates using an SRG on a bowl and it breaks off and stabs him. He left the video it on youtube as a safety warning for others.

[Wes Grass]

Bob, thanks for posting your comments as an acquaintance, if not close friend.

I think sometimes we get caught up in the technical how and why, without considering the friends and family personal tragedy aspect.

[Tim Elett]

Blade came loose? Curious about on what tool. I also respect moving on, I told my spouse, that is why I don't use the Sears lathe my dad brought home in 1968, I got a rag stuck on a spinal I was lucky I didn't have a grip on the rag! Slow speed is 750rpm.

[Jim Becker]

Bob, thanks for posting your comments as an acquaintance, if not close friend.

To clarify, Bob posted a copy/paste from Reddit. I'll do an edit to clarify it was a quote.

[Edward Weber]

I think sometimes we get caught up in the technical how and why, without considering the friends and family personal tragedy aspect.

This is sadly true, but without knowing the person, all we can do is try to figure out what happened. This is not meant to be callous.
If we know what transpired or how the accident happened, we can usually take steps to make the operation safer for the next person.

[Roger Feeley]

How exactly would you 'tie' it again after taking it off?
John,
I don’t understand your question. Maybe I didn’t explain well enough. He would tie the tie and his wife would mark or pin a spot at the back of the neck. He took it off and she would cut the tie at the mark and reattach it with a single thread. The idea was that if the tie got caught in a machine, the thread would break. It’s the sewing equivalent of a shear pin.

[Warren Lake]

Wear a bow tie

[Bob Borzelleri]

To clarify, Bob posted a copy/paste from Reddit. I'll do an edit to clarify it was a quote.

Thanks Jim for editing my post. I had meant to come back and reformat it, but life got in the way.😁

[John Kananis]

Right (I think) but my question is: at the end of the day, when he removes his tie, he would have to untie it. How could he tie it again the next time he wanted to wear it (if it's held on by a thread)? I guess he figured it out but I'm stumped.


John,
I don’t understand your question. Maybe I didn’t explain well enough. He would tie the tie and his wife would mark or pin a spot at the back of the neck. He took it off and she would cut the tie at the mark and reattach it with a single thread. The idea was that if the tie got caught in a machine, the thread would break. It’s the sewing equivalent of a shear pin.

[Bob Coates]

Found the youtube video (I think see red highlight below) and explains how it happened. It was so quick that you can even stop to look. Not sure it was the tool, or the edge on the bowl when his hand got pulled in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOhHeyoZLaY


Anyone wanting to turn should a) take a class, but also b) buy and read "Woodturning: A Foundation Course" by Keith Rowley. It has by far the best overview of safety practices of any of the turning books I've read. He has some slightly offbeat ideas about approaches to other turning skills, but his safety write up is A+

There are things that can be extremely dangerous on the lathe, but there are also many straightforward ways to avoid them, not unlike other machines. No way of knowing what happened, but flying metal could mean he violated ABC and the tool shattered on the rest or he could have been using an inappropriate/tanged tool on face grain and it snapped off. There is a famous youtube by a tuner where he demonstrates using an SRG on a bowl and it breaks off and stabs him. He left the video it on youtube as a safety warning for others.

[Roger Feeley]

Right (I think) but my question is: at the end of the day, when he removes his tie, he would have to untie it. How could he tie it again the next time he wanted to wear it (if it's held on by a thread)? I guess he figured it out but I'm stumped.

hmmm…. Cut the necktie in two so that the cut is at the back door f the neck and hidden by the shirt collar. Sew the two pieces back together with a single stitch. You can tie and untie the tie as normal. Just don’t tug too hard or the thread will break. If the tie gets caught, the stitch breaks, the machine gets to keep the tie and you get to keep your face.

[Justin Rapp]

Found the youtube video (I think see red highlight below) and explains how it happened. It was so quick that you can even stop to look. Not sure it was the tool, or the edge on the bowl when his hand got pulled in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOhHeyoZLaY

So I know very very little about a lathe and the tools used for it, but I keep looking at lathes and never pulled the trigger. I watched the video and than looked up how to use a spindle roughing gouge. It says it's for use when the grain is parallel to the bed. So when making a bowl, do you always turn the bowl with the grain perpendicular? Is it possible to turn a bowl using a black with the grain running parallel to the lathe bed?

Edit:

I found this video which helps also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC95iQOtONQ

[Kevin Jenness]

So I know very very little about a lathe and the tools used for it, but I keep looking at lathes and never pulled the trigger. I watched the video and than looked up how to use a spindle roughing gouge. It says it's for use when the grain is parallel to the bed. So when making a bowl, do you always turn the bowl with the grain perpendicular? Is it possible to turn a bowl using a black with the grain running parallel to the lathe bed?

Edit:

I found this video which helps also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC95iQOtONQ

Most vessels are turned cross grain as they are stronger that way. Turning long grain allows for taller forms like vases, but they are more easily split.

Be careful of You Tube videos. As a beginning turner it can be hard to sort out the wheat from the chaff. The guy you linked to is not bad but there are many other better presenters I prefer, like Brian Havens, Lyle Jamieson, Robo Hippy, John Lucas and Al Hockenberry. If you join the AAW you can watch their videos which are thoroughly vetted from a safety as well as technical standpoint. Joining an AAW chapter is best as you can get hands-on instruction from a competent mentor, which will save a great deal of trial and error.

[Justin Rapp]

Most vessels are turned cross grain as they are stronger that way. Turning long grain allows for taller forms like vases, but they are more easily split.

Be careful of You Tube videos. As a beginning turner it can be hard to sort out the wheat from the chaff. The guy you linked to is not bad but there are many other better presenters I prefer, like Brian Havens, Lyle Jamieson, Robo Hippy, John Lucas and Al Hockenberry. If you join the AAW you can watch their videos which are thoroughly vetted from a safety as well as technical standpoint. Joining an AAW chapter is best as you can get hands-on instruction from a competent mentor, which will save a great deal of trial and error.

Kevin,

Thanks for the explain. That makes sense that cross-grain would be strong. If I ever dive into turning, AAW is a great suggestion. I'll check out some of the presenters also, maybe it will push me over the edge to get a lathe as I get more educated on them. I am kind of out of room in my shop though :(

Justin

[Mike Mason]

I wore a tie for many years every work day. Only tied it once, then loosened it and pulled it over my head each time, rather than untying and retying it. Saves time, but also when you retie it, the wrinkles from previous knots seem to show up. I think this may be what he means. Also, ties were not allowed in the production area unless they were the old fashioned clip-on style (do they still make those?).

[Mike Soaper]

I went to a public "Engineering" high school where we wore ties everyday. Wore them in math, physics, mechanics (not auto), etc, and when making a wooden pattern of a wrench for a sand mold for poring molten metal in foundry, along with welding and metal lathe work. If i recall correctly we had to either keep the tie behind a high shop apron or tuck the tie into the shirt between the upper 2nd and 3rd buttons.