August 6, 201213 yr I saw a bad habit among many turners this past weekend.The habit is putting hands or fingers on the wood as it is turning, This was sometimes done tio see if the wood was round, if it was turned the same diameter throughout its length, or to apply polish or some other compound.  Consider the following:1. Wood whether still or spinning can give off splinters. If spinning the splinters will go deeper,2. As you turn the wood, you may leave the ends square and you fingers can get a good rap by the corners if those squares, if not broken.3. Your piece may not be securly mounted on the lathe and touching it may cause the piece to fly off.4. As you turn vallies and/or ridges on your piece of wood, there may be sharp edges that can seriously cut your hand or fingers. The same is true if you are cutting beads and part of the bead chips out.5. Applying polish/finish,whatever with your fingers can cause them to get caught between the piece and various parts of the lathe. It is bad enough when polishing cloths get caught. Turning is fun but it can be just as dangerous as tablesaws, so pay attention, break bad habits, and turn safely Phil Rasmussen
August 6, 201213 yr What do you suggest then to apply finish to the wood if not using fingers? I use my fingers and PAPER TOWELS to apply finish.Charles NichollsSite Hostnicholls61@att.netProud supporter of The Wounded Warrior Project, Homes For Our Troops and the NRA
August 6, 201213 yr Thanks for the safety reminders. We sometimes become too complacent about the lathe because there is no spinning blade.To test for roundness, you can lay the back of the gouge, skew, etc. on the top of the work and listen to the noise it makes. A thump, thump, thump indicates there are high/low spots. Constant sound means the work is round.As for sanding, buffing, finishing, the tool rest must always be removes to avoid dangerous pinch points. By the time you are ready to apply the finish, the wood is usually in a state where splinters will probably not be a concern.Your point about clothing getting caught is exactly spot on! Tight fitting cuffs or short sleeves are a must. No dangling apron ties of loose fitting clothing articles.Lew Kauffman-Wood Turners Forum HostTime traveler. Purveyor of the world's finest custom rolling pins!
August 7, 201213 yr Author Charles,I know that there are many of us who do exactly as you mention and this is a safety issue from a pinch standpoint and from a thermo build up (burn) standpoint. There are 2 solutions which I feel comfortable with. The first is to wear leather gloves. The second is to put on the finger guards that carvers use. You can also clip the paper towel with a clothespin, do not use a metal clip as this could damage your piece,Hope this helps. Charles Nicholls said:What do you suggest then to apply finish to the wood if not using fingers? I use my fingers and PAPER TOWELS to apply finish.Charles NichollsSite Hostnicholls61@att.netProud supporter of The Wounded Warrior Project, Homes For Our Troops and the NRA
August 7, 201213 yr I always use paper towels to apply finish. I cut them into strips and fold them into pads. This way if they were to get caught they slip off the end of the finger easy and you can bend down and pick them up.I would be very afraid to wear any type of glove and apply my hand or finger to a spinning object on the lathe. If a small tear were to get caught it could pull your finger off before the glove would slip off your hand. Also no jewelry, remove all rings, bracelets, and any dangling necklaces.John MoodySite AdministratorJohn Moody Woodworkshttp://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com
August 7, 201213 yr Just remember when you bend down to pick up that paper towel, you take one step back!John Moody said: I always use paper towels to apply finish. I cut them into strips and fold them into pads. This way if they were to get caught they slip off the end of the finger easy and you can bend down and pick them up. I would be very afraid to wear any type of glove and apply my hand or finger to a spinning object on the lathe. If a small tear were to get caught it could pull your finger off before the glove would slip off your hand. Also no jewelry, remove all rings, bracelets, and any dangling necklaces. John MoodySite AdministratorJohn Moody Woodworkshttp://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com John MorrisThe Patriot WoodworkerProud Supporter of Wounded Warrior Project and Homes For Our Troops
August 8, 201213 yr Author This is a good point but make sure to turn the lathe off. Remember your mind is elsewhere when picking up the dropped paper. Folded paper towel is a good approach, especially if you do not have it wrapped around your finger. As much as I like applying friction polish as a finish, I consider this as one of the most dangerous aspects of turning as it is "hands on." I used to do CA finishing regularly until I saw a well known turner demonstrating its use and in the process glued his finger to the work through the paper towel. Fortunately the lathe was set at low speed and that he was not using a spur headstock but rather a friction one. One other note of safety that another woodworker employs. He uses a "dead-man switch" from an old sewing ,machine his lathe, His reasoning is that if something happened on the lathe, his hands would be "tied up" taking care if the problem and most likely he would be moving his feet around trying ti fix the problem and his foot would move off the switch, John Morris said: Just remember when you bend down to pick up that paper towel, you take one step back!John Moody said: John MorrisThe Patriot WoodworkerProud Supporter of Wounded Warrior Project and Homes For Our Troops
August 8, 201213 yr I like that switch idea, Thanks!Phil Rasmussen said:This is a good point but make sure to turn the lathe off. Remember your mind is elsewhere when picking up the dropped paper. Folded paper towel is a good approach, especially if you do not have it wrapped around your finger. As much as I like applying friction polish as a finish, I consider this as one of the most dangerous aspects of turning as it is "hands on." I used to do CA finishing regularly until I saw a well known turner demonstrating its use and in the process glued his finger to the work through the paper towel. Fortunately the lathe was set at low speed and that he was not using a spur headstock but rather a friction one. One other note of safety that another woodworker employs. He uses a "dead-man switch" from an old sewing ,machine his lathe, His reasoning is that if something happened on the lathe, his hands would be "tied up" taking care if the problem and most likely he would be moving his feet around trying ti fix the problem and his foot would move off the switch, John Morris said:
August 8, 201213 yr  Hi. Thank you for the friendly reminder. One can never have enough information regarding safety.Â
August 8, 201213 yr I read the POST then read the answers and was to put it mildly APPALLED at the answers!!!!!! Your gonna tell me you spin something really fast and put something like sandpaper or a cloth that is LESS than a 1/8th of an inch between your finger and the spinning wood and expect not to get hurt? You've been LUCKY so far. And some of you have had the stuff catch and smack you and you STILL keep doing it. I learned after getting whacked by a board on a Drill press to CLAMP it down. Only took one time. Go to the orange box and get the painters hot dogs (they are foam rubber or tight nap roller covers)  for getting into tight spots like behind radiators and toilet water tanks. THEN wrap those with cloth, paper towels, ETC. and use those instead of your fingers. THERE IS NO JOB THAT CANNOT BE DONE SAFELY!!! Ok, maybe you've done it for years, Maybe you've never had a problem, MAYBE it can't happen to you. I'm here to tell you it can and will bite you, when you least expect it, and machinery has no brain to shut itself off fast enough to keep you from getting hurt. Â
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.