Why turn off lathe when done

[Bernie May]

Why do people turn off or unplug their lathe at the end of the day? I read herein that is especially true for people with PM 3520B's.

[Scott Hubl]

Their affraid of lightning strikes or power surges that could harm the electronics .

Ounce of prevention worth a pound of cure thing.;)

[Jay Kilpatrick]

I unplug mine just in case my wife needs to use the clothes dryer.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Bernie,

Lightning can easily jump the contacts on a small switch. I've observed some pretty impressive evidence of what lightning can do 30+ years ago.
I just recently got a PM3520B. When you turn it off, there are still lights on the digital display indicating there is power to something that enegizes the display. Also...it doesn't take a lightning strike to do it....power sags and surges can cause problems.

As stated...it is just an ounce of prevention.

[Hilel Salomon]

Still another reason to unplug the lathe and most tools is if your shop ever gets mice, rats or other small creatures. They have been known to chew on wires (actually almost anything) and this could cause a major fire.
Luck, Hilel

[Dick Latshaw]

Down here in Floreeeda, EVERYTHING gets unplugged at the end of the day. Had a lightening strike a few years ago that did mucho damage to my main electrical panel.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Bernie, we are hit with power outtages all the time up here. Summer time it is due to thunderstorms and winds, winter time we get heavy snows and winds and the rest of the time we have suicidal squirrels who get depressed over the long winter!

I have a Jet 1642 and power is always on to the control circuits. The only way to actually shut it down is to unplug it or throw the breaker.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Bernie I have been in electronics for over 40 yrs. You would be surprised what lightening can do. I have seen it jump switches, shut off circuit breakers, etc. and take out high price equipment. I shut mine down and unplug it all the time even with a surge suppression on it which protects it if we have a power surge or brown out.

[Bobby McCarley]

I have a 3520 lathe and whenever I'm not using it I unplug it. I work for a utility company and I've seen what electrical current can do first hand, and it's not pretty. I also do not use it when its raining, even if it's just a light summer shower. Why take chances.

Bobby
Louisiana

[Tim A. Mitchell]

Why do people turn off . . . their lathe at the end of the day? I read herein that is especially true for people with PM 3520B's.

To keep it from spinning.

[Chris Padilla]

I no longer use electricity...it is too dangerous. ;)

:D

[Lee DeRaud]

I no longer use electricity...it is too dangerous. ;) "Let's see...we need 1200RPM at the spindle, the cage is 14" in diameter, and the hamsters run about 4MPH...multiply by pi, divide by 5280, carry the three...ok, good enough, just use the pulleys and belt off the old washer. Gonna be a little light on torque, though." :eek::cool:

[Jon Lanier]

"Why do people turn off there lathe?" Because it's to hard to get the chuck key in while it is spinning around.:eek:

[James Biddle]

Do you unplug all of your power tools or just the lathe? It'd be kind of a pain to unplug everything wouldn't it? I just counted 12 tools I leave plugged in, including the lathe. When you add in all the things that are left plugged in around your shop and house, seems kind of odd to predict that the lathe would be the tool lighting would decide to destroy. I do turn off breakers to the tools I don't want my son turning on though, including the lathe.

[Wilbur Pan]

I put all the power tools in my shop on a subpanel, and kill the circuit breaker to that subpanel when I'm done for the day.

Why? I have a very curious 4 1/2 year old at home, and a 1 year old who is going to be even more curious when he gets mobile.

[Michael Lutz]

Wilbur,

I have a two year old that is way to curious, so I shut off all power to the shop by throwing the subpanel disconnect. He gets into less trouble that way.

Mike

[Ben Gastfriend]

I actually have a circuit breaker right in the shop, and that circuit 21 controls just the shop wiring, so I usually end up just flipping that circuit as a safety measure.

[John Shuk]

I unplug my Delta with VS. Our central vac shares the outlet but I think it is a good practice. Big money to replace to controller if needed.

[Greg Cuetara]

"Let's see...we need 1200RPM at the spindle, the cage is 14" in diameter, and the hamsters run about 4MPH...multiply by pi, divide by 5280, carry the three...ok, good enough, just use the pulleys and belt off the old washer. Gonna be a little light on torque, though." :eek::cool:

Lee I think you just made my day. Long day at work and you just made me laugh.
Thanks.
Greg

[M Toupin]

seems kind of odd to predict that the lathe would be the tool lighting would decide to destroy

See, there you go James, trying to insert logic:D Personally, I find it humorous that folks claim to unplug all this stuff, pull breakers, lock out entire breaker boxes, but have no qualms about leaving their house with a $5000 TV, a $2000 computer, electric stove, dishwasher etc plugged in. Does that strike anyone else as odd or is it just me?

Now that I've said that, I'm sure someone will come along and claim they pull the meter from the house when they go out:rolleyes:

Mike

[Neal Addy]

To get to the other side?

[Cary Swoveland]

I have a 3520 lathe and whenever I'm not using it I unplug it...I also do not use it when its raining...

That would really cut into my productivity here in Vancouver.

Cary

[Randy Rhine]

I have a 3520 lathe and whenever I'm not using it I unplug it. I work for a utility company and I've seen what electrical current can do first hand, and it's not pretty. I also do not use it when its raining, even if it's just a light summer shower. Why take chances.

Bobby
Louisiana

Here in western Oregon, if I couldn't use my lathe when it's raining, it would sit idle 9 months of the year:).

randy

[Rick Gifford]

I unplug mine just in case my wife needs to use the clothes dryer.

Ha ha! Sounds like my house.

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My panel is easy access in the shop. I will turn the breaker off the large tools when Im done for the day. It stays off until I go to use the tool the next time. Just a habit I've had to keep curious children who might be in the area from hitting a start button that one time your not looking. Not that kids hang out in my work area, but I have 4 and a grand daughter so its just peace of mind.

Just dont like having a tool juiced that isn't getting used that day.

[robert hainstock]

Youc should definately have surge supression on the icrcuit, and if you are running 220vinstall it in both sides of the line in the service box. Lightning will most likely jump the switch if it hits your utility pole, or house. Other indirect hits will be caught by the surge protector. I have also been in electronics for over fifty years, and I had to buy two electroics pakafes for my garage door o-ener before I remember the lesson I preached to my customers for all those years. The other thing you might do is install a dedicated ground rod to the shop, (Lathe) circuitry. :eek::eek::eek:
Bob

[Bill Stevener]

I have read them all. I guess the ones that are about safe guarding the young-ins make the most sense.
Now seeing that we don't have any young-ins or grand kids running around we don't unplug anything.
However, we do have a great array of home entertainment stuff (with surge suppressors) that are quite expensive, as well as, the necessary electrical appliances. Our home is total electric.
So we have a great insurance policy. :D

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My lathe doesn't have a plug.

[Lee DeRaud]

Most of my stuff gets unplugged when I'm done with them, but that's just because all the outlets are on the other side of the garage from their normal "parking spaces". The only exceptions are the compressor and the hang-up shopvac that never move.

Take away my extension cords and I might as well go neander. :eek::eek:

[Dean Thomas]

Many good reasons, especially lightning-related ones (And it's the lightning storms, not the rain storms that are the problem :rolleyes: ). Let me share one other experience that's not been mentioned here.

My dad had a Sears/Craftsman 12" radial arm saw (RAS) that he had plugged into a primitive power strip (this is a 70s story). The power strip was a commercial piece with two outlets on it, one for the RAS, one for the attending shop vac to suck up the crumbs. He almost always removed the little key to the RAS and hung it close by so he would not lose it or the 14 duplicates he had just in case...

One day, while reading his Sunday morning paper, he heard noises from the basement shop. Motor noises. He got up and went to investigate. The RAS was running full speed ahead, but the shopvac was not. The power strip had failed and burned out one of the outlets, but the other one was definitely ON, and because he had forgotten the little key, the saw was on its own. No storms involved, and no idea about possible electricity surges. Had this been a weekday, no one would have been home and it would have run for hours unattended. If he had had a normal amount of clutter on his RAS table, it would have been a disaster, not just for fire hazard purposes.

I know of other folks in my collection of friends who've had their power tools suddenly just turn on because of failure of switches. Some were electronics failures and some were hardware failures on old-fashioned on/off type switches. Anything can happen, and it too often does.

I do unplug my big wood toys after use.

[Bill Stevener]

In todays day and age, if I had power tools that started on there own, I would sell them.:eek:

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