Shocking Experience

[Al Wasser]

I recently purchased the Beall system. I use it in the lathe. It builds up static electricity that is quite shocking when I touch metal which is virtually unavoidable. I have asked other in our club and some get socked and some never do. I am standing on a rubber mat. Does anyone else have the problem and have you been able to solve it? It seems to be a difference in our bodies. Thkx

[Keith Burns]

Sometimes I does and sometimes I doesn't. I think the weather, humidity, temperature affect it. When I first got bit I chec ked the lathe to see if I had a short. Most of the time it doesn't shock me though.

[George Tokarev]

Humidity will help. Expect the end of the heating season will provide more than enough soon. Secondary grounding of the lathe, though that third wire should have taken care of it, might help, but the insulation provided by the paint will still allow a buildup of opposite charge on the painted surfaces. Just a little reminder for those folks who think that a wire will ground their dust collector tubing. Tough to ground an insulator. http://www.esdsystems.com/training/staticgeneration.htm Is interesting, as is the Greek word for amber, which attracted fur - "Elektron."

[Paul Engle]

just to add to George, I had to run a copper wire thru the inside and connect it to the wire wound around the outside then to a ground rod out side to be sure it went to ground. years of portable crushing requiring a confirmed ground taught me not to fool around , do it right the first time....

[Jeffrey Fusaro]

have you tried removing the rubber mat under your feet?

[Al Wasser]

Thkx --- I thought about grounding but that would require a permanent position for the lathe and I'm not there yet. Humidity I can't control and unless its raining humidity above 30% is rare in the SW. I'll try without the mat and a couple other things I have heard. Maybe I'll just have to get used to getting zapped

[Kevin McPeek]

I just try to rest my arm on the tool rest and that seems to keep me grounded. Although if you lift your arm off and put it back you get a little shock.

[Pat Salter]

computer techs use a wrist band to keep them permanently grounded to prevent shocking/burning out systems. that may be an option.

[Brodie Brickey]

computer techs use a wrist band to keep them permanently grounded to prevent shocking/burning out systems. that may be an option.

Uh, No Thank you. NO LOOSE WIRES NEAR A SPINNING LATHE!!!!!

You could seriously loose a hand or have it broken.

[Don Orr]

Hey Brodie and Pat, I have heard of turners that actually attach a wrist type ground strap to their ANKLE and the lathe to eliminate static shock. Keeps loose wires well away from the moving parts. Kevins' way works well too.

[Jim Underwood]

I work in a fairly large custom cabinet shop, and we have a similar problem at our CNC Router. When using a vacuum hose attached to the main dust collection system, we'd get shocked whenever we touched the router table. We used a grounded mat to help solve the problem. It's better, but not totally fixed.
Perhaps you could use a mat grounded to the lathe?

[Al Wasser]

Thkx Jim, do you have an idea where to get a mat that grounds to the lathe?

[Doug Collins]

You're getting shocked because the item you are buffing is taking on a static charge and you are standing on an insulating layer of rubber, essentially turning yourself into a big capacitor.

Removing the rubber mat from under your feet should eliminate the problem unless you are wearing thick soled rubber shoes that are insulating you as well.

A grounding strap around your ankle should work if it is connected to a grounded point or surface so that the charge can flow through to ground instead of building up. I'd suggest removing the rubber mat and see if you still get shocked. If you do, try putting a loop of wire around your ankle and letting it lead to the floor of the shop so that you have bare wire touching your ankle and concrete.

[Bob Opsitos]

attach a wrist type ground strap to their ANKLE and the lathe to eliminate static shock.

In the electronics assembly industry this is quite common. The line workers need their hands free to assemble so on the ankle it goes.

Note that these straps often have a high resistence, like 1 megohm, built in so you don't create a low resistence, direct path to ground. That could be bad if you touch the wrong thing. Makes toast. Keep that in mind if you would think to make your own.

Bob

[Rod Sheridan]

I Think that you'll find the mat is the culprit.

Static electricity is being generated by friction during the buffing. You are standing on an insulator, which allows the charge to accumulate.

When you touch the lathe or other machinery, the charge flows from you to ground. Since you have accumulated a large charge, you can feel it as a shock.

Remove the mat, and try buffing again, if you still have problems, try changing your shoes in case they aren't conductive enough. This is a common issue in industry, you buy electrical rated footwear, and then you have static problems. In our electronics areas at work, the people wear ESD safe shoes, which means that they are conductive and let the static charge flow to ground.

I had similar problems with my planer, when I used a plastic dust collection hose. The static generated by the chips travelling at high speed against the plastic, generated static electricity. When I approached the hose, I would get a shock. I replaced the hose with a piece of aluminum flex which solved the problem.

Regards, Rod.