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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.Originally Posted by derek labian
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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."
Yoga class makes me feel like a total stud, mostly because I'm about as flexible as a 2x4.
"Design"? Possibly. "Intelligent"? Sure doesn't look like it from this angle.
We used to be hunter gatherers. Now we're shopper borrowers.
The three most important words in the English language: "Front Towards Enemy".
The world makes a lot more sense when you remember that Butthead was the smart one.
You can never be too rich, too thin, or have too much ammo.
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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.”
Last edited by Jim Becker; 12-07-2022 at 8:51 AM. Reason: Edited to clarify Bob was posting a quote from elsewhere
Contributor
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.
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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.
Last edited by Edwin Santos; 12-05-2022 at 4:49 PM.
[OP]
Contributor
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.
Contributor
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.
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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.
Distraction could lead to dismemberment!
Moderator
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.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
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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.
Distraction could lead to dismemberment!
Contributor
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
Contributor
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.
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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.
Contributor
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.
Moderator
To clarify, Bob posted a copy/paste from Reddit. I'll do an edit to clarify it was a quote.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
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