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Thread: Lathe safety

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Leawood, KS
    Posts
    42

    Lathe safety

    Novice turner (and woodworker) here. Overall I believe I have good safety practices in the shop.

    While working on a turning project today, I went to swap chisels. While doing so, the lathe suddenly powered on and starting spinning. The pockets on my apron caught the power switch and turned it on. No harm, no foul. However, it got me thinking...

    If I had been adjusting the chuck or had my hands in harm way, it could have been a different result. I had previously thought that unplugging the lathe for adjustments wasn't necessary. But maybe I should re-evaluate that?

    Curious what others think about this.

    (I'm now in the market for an apron without pockets.)

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Central MN
    Posts
    42
    I unplug safety first

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Roseville,Ca
    Posts
    455
    It sounds as though you might have been leaning over your lathe to reach for a gouge on the wall behind the lathe. If so suggest you move your gouge storage to eliminate this. IMO this is not safe.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Lummi Island, WA
    Posts
    665
    could we have more details? What kind of lathe, what were you doing? hard to envision hitting the power switch with an apron pocket. I will say that a turning smock rarely has pockets on the front; they work well. I turn off the power switch when moving/adjusting the banjo, etc., but unplugging seems extreme. As a new turner a local club can provide mentors and classes to help get you through the initial learning curve, and the AAW has numerous safety videos available online. Beware of youtube videos - there is a lot of stuff there that is downright dangerous. Make sure the turner knows what they’re doing.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Leawood, KS
    Posts
    42
    Quote Originally Posted by Jeffrey J Smith View Post
    could we have more details? What kind of lathe, what were you doing? hard to envision hitting the power switch with an apron pocket.
    Certainly-
    Lathe is a Jet 12-21VS. Power switch is on the lower right and is a small paddle-style switch that you lift upwards to turn on.
    The apron is similar to this one.

    When turning, I keep the gouges that I will be using laying flat on the table immediately to the right of the lathe, handle towards me. When I swapped gouges I moved to the right (centerline of my body approximately even with the tailstock (and the power switch)), put down my roughing gouge and picked up the spindle gouge. After picking up the new one, I think I shifted backwards slightly as I moved back to the left. Apparently the lip of the pocket in the apron had caught on the power switch and levered it up when I moved back and to the left.

    I immediately thought "one-in-a-million" for that to happen. But if happened once, it can happen again.

    A turning-style smock is in my future. I think moving the lathe a couple inches further away from the edge of the table will help as well.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Peoria, IL
    Posts
    4,443
    Curious how you could snag the on switch with your apron while tightening the chuck or having your hands on the wood? Don't you have to rotate past the switch? I think you will have to be a contortionist to get yourself in trouble like you are imagining.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Leawood, KS
    Posts
    42
    Quote Originally Posted by Richard Coers View Post
    Curious how you could snag the on switch with your apron while tightening the chuck or having your hands on the wood? Don't you have to rotate past the switch? I think you will have to be a contortionist to get yourself in trouble like you are imagining.
    Maybe I am overthinking this, that's fair. Having the lathe start up unexpectedly on me is gave me pause. I'm just trying to figure out any different/better safety practices I should put in place.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    Wayland, MA
    Posts
    3,655
    Another argument for putting your switch on a tether so it can be placed where it is convenient to use but not in your way, or subject to inadvertent bumps. Having the switch on the headstock where you have to cross the line of fire to turn the lathe off in the midst of a mishap is almost the worst design I can imagine.

    Unplugging the lathe every time you reach for a tool or adjust a chuck is an untenable solution; perhaps fashion a cover for it? Tool storage (like mine) behind the lathe is a bad idea. I've been designing a rolling cart for tools that I can keep behind me for a while now, I need to get it built. For the moment I take down all the tools I will use on a given project before starting and rest them on the lathe bed-- fortunately I have a very long bed, so they can be pretty well out of the way. Obviously not ideal

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    sykesville, maryland
    Posts
    861
    Seems like two things would prevent it from happening again. Remove the pockets from your apron so there is no edge to snag on things. And move the machine back from the edge of the work surface so that the switch is not hanging over. If you want to go one step further, replace the switch with a different style that isn't as prone to being caught on something. Or plug your lathe into one of these and use it to control the power:https://www.amazon.com/Rockler-Safet.../dp/B001DT13B2
    Last edited by tom lucas; 12-20-2020 at 8:50 AM.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    E TN, near Knoxville
    Posts
    12,298
    Bryce,

    You might consider adding an auxiliary safety switch to the lathe. On my PM3520B I have in a paddle safety switch in magnetic box that can be positioned anywhere. I have it stuck low on the lathe where I can touch it with my knee and stop the lathe. This switch deactivates the control circuit so it's not possible to turn the lathe on with the switch on the headstock - both switches have to be "on" for the lathe to turn on.

    This would be simple to add to any lathe - it's just a second switch wired in series with the lathe switch. You can probably buy one ready to wire into your lathe.

    I also have a separate switch on the end of the lathe which turns off all power to the lathe. I don't use this until done turning, since switching it on causes a short delay while the VFD powers up. I don't like unplugging the lathe often since the plug is harder to reach and plugs and receptacles can wear and get loose over time.

    JKJ

  11. #11
    The turner's smocks that I wear all have the pockets on the back side of the jacket/smock. This keeps them out of the way, and some what reduces the amount of shavings that they catch. The pencil holder on the front side is always full of shavings. Sounds like your lathe may be a bit low as well, depending on where the pockets are on your apron. If you have to bend over at all, except for when looking to see the inside of a lidded box, your lathe is probably too low.

    robo hippy

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