Lathe safety!

[oldred]

Another member by the name Project brought up a very good point that I think merits it's own discussion. There has been a lot of recent talk about lathes and a lot of this is from folks new to them, teaching one's self to operate a lathe and to do so safely is not all that difficult but there are some basic safety rules that MUST be followed. I thought maybe some input from those with a lot of experience behind them could be helpful here, maybe just pointing out some of the basics and some anecdotal incidents that might get someone to think before they get hurt. Lathes are not necessarily any more dangerous than most other powered machines but some of the more serious (and potentially deadly!) hazards on a lathe tend to be a lot more subtle appearing and thus in that sense could present a significant hazard. For instance an open spinning saw blade is just automatically relegated into the realm of extremely hazardous with those wicked teeth just waiting to snatch off a finger or two so a person just naturally avoids them with great caution! However spinning stock on a lathe doesn't appear to be nearly as dangerous but is that really the case? That of course depends on how you approach it and the particular situation and that more innocent looking piece of spinning stock is just waiting to grab loose clothing, long hair or a beard to do it's deadly work!

How about it, any input here from those who have worked with these machines?

[odfairfaxsub]

Disconnect electric running to tool head prior to any changes made on the tool.....when finished verify everything as it should then energize tool head

[blaser.306]

Do not clear chips / swarf when the machine is running.

[bangerjim]

All good points! The metal lathe I consider one of the safest tools of the MANY power tools I have in my shops. But something that must be used at all times is COMMON SENSE.

A few rules I have posted:

"This machine has no brain.......engage yours before operating."

" A fool and his fingers are soon parted."

"You are not running a beauty pageant here.....you are running a machine tool. No jewelry or loose clothing allowed!"

"Keep your eyes on the prize......and your mind completely on your work."

"Common sense is not common..........you have to work at it!"

banger

[oldred]

Another one that seems to be a common mistake among newbis is to pinch a sanding strip around a spinning shaft, using sanding strip on a lathe is a bad idea in the first place for several reasons but pinching it in tight is one of those anecdotal incidents I was talking about. At a mine where I did a lot of work they had a shop with a 13"x40" lathe and a few other shop machines such as a bandsaw etc but the lathe was the only real machine shop tool. It was there for anyone to use and the "greenhorns" finally trashed it but not before it got a couple of them first! Two incidents of that pinched sanding strip left one fellow with a crippled hand and another with a piece of a thumb missing but it was the already mentioned chuck key being thrown that finally made the management lock out power to the thing, several close calls and one hit that caused a rather serious head wound. This all occurred over a period of time but it's not surprising since almost none of these guys knew a darn thing about a lathe and most of them were just playing around with it on lunch break working on "government jobs" when these incidents occurred. By the time the power was locked out to the lathe and an iron worker they had both machines were pretty much trashed anyway but the injuries from that lathe should never have happened and probably never would have had these guys had any training at all.

[cwheel]

Even experienced machinists can be hurt or killed when not paying attention. I was a machinist in the Navy, the Navy called us Machinery repairman. The person I replaced was killed when he was about to polish a long 1/4" shaft. He didn't properly support the shaft coming out of the backside of the headstock, was distracted talking to someone as he hit the start switch and the lathe was engaged in it's highest speed. The small stock bent 90 degrees in a instant and acted like a weed wacker with 1/4" steel rod going through his skull, dead instantly. Accident happened on the U.S.S. Raleigh about 1966. You don't need a big powerful lathe to do something like this. Biggest thing is pay attention to what you are doing and use common sense. That was the third fatal accident in a year on that ship, first accident killed 2 people. Something doesn't look right, most likely it isn't, look for a better way to do it safe.
Chris

[quickdraw66]

No neck ties, loose sleeves, or jewelry. In a tug-of-war with a lathe you will lose.

Add long hair to that. I recall hearing about a young lady who let her hair get caught in a lathe. She didn't survive.

[Red River Rick]

Common sense prevails above all!

If you don't know what your doing.............leave it alone!

RRR

[JSnover]

Two from me:

NEVER try to pull a chip with your bare fingers, especially with the machine turning.

ALWAYS make sure the jaws will clear your tooling and the saddle before you engage. If you need to work close to the chuck, float it first to make sure you won't crash.

[Treetop]

All the above is very good advice! I've been a machinist/tool & die maker since the early 1970s. I've seen some pretty gruesome accidents, through the years, usually by people who had no business running a lathe.

Maybe I missed it above, but NEVER turn a lathe (or any other power tool for that matter) on without proper eye protection!

[oldred]

Probably the most common accident is leaving the key in the chuck, while not likely to be the most dangerous it can and has caused some serious harm. If the machine is set for a high RPM and switched on that chuck key can be ejected with surprising force!

[danski26]

Check and double check ALL locks on the carriage before engaging auto feed!! Learned this the hard way.

[country gent]

I have a couple not mentioned yet First is no gloves while running the lathe. Chips, tooling spinning parts will grab them and pull you in. Next is never use a file with out having a handle on it.

[big bore 99]

Been running a lathe for over 50 yrs. I've seen some nasty accidents. I've learned to always use the same hand to tighten the chuck key as turning it on. Beware of those spinning chuck jaws when polishing or filing. Never use a file without a handle. Invest a minute to make a chip hook and only use it when machine is stopped.
Air hoses on machines are a very bad idea. Get in the habit of putting the spindle in neutral when loading parts and indicating them in. Most important:Think first!
Use your head for something other than stopping a flying chuck key.

[country gent]

Also remeber ghips are hot sharp and tough. Stringy chips will cut and suck you in. Resting your hand on some on the carriage can result in cuts. ALso while not the lathe keep in mind some cuts from certain materials may not heal up as easily as others ( berrilium comes to mind). Coolants in tanks can get rank and cause issues with sinuses lungs and skin. ANother trick when loading parts especially long or heavy parts is if possible load from the back side of machine. You arnt leaning over the carriage and handwheels can get closer staying upright easier.

[pjames32]

Good info for some of us with limited experience!
THX
PJ

[country gent]

Another couple tricks that help alot are cut a piece of plywood to sit on ways when changing chucks and heavy tooling this protects the ways from dings and scratches. Another is cut a piece of pipe to just fit in spindle hole. Aith heavy chucks chick this in the chuck with enough on each side to get a hold of and enough on back side to start into spindle and slide into place. Makes changing a chuck much easier by hand

[Artful]

Clean you ways between jobs - new a guy who cut his lathe in half the hard way when it combusted - Ouch

[plus1hdcp]

Great information for a future lathe owner like myself

[Jeff Michel]

Do not run the lathe in reverse if you have a threaded spindle.