This is a long story so I’ll try to keep it short. We had an old Ash tree fall down in the woods behind our house. There was a nice large crotch section that I cut out and split. Put in on the band saw cut it down to a 17” diameter (I did notice a little bark inclusion in the center, I didn’t think it went all the way through). Attached a 6” faceplate with 8 screws. I started shaping the bottom and things were running smoothly so I figured I’d increase the speed. To be honest, I really wasn’t paying attention and just reached over and gave the speed control a twist. So many errors created the perfect storm.

Too much speed.

Too much acceleration.

Using the speed control on the head put my face in direct line with the work.

Not checking that bark inclusion better.

In a split second that piece separated with the larger section hitting me right between the eyes. Fortunately I was wearing a full face protection but it didn’t stop the sheer impact. I ended up with a gash across the bridge of my nose from my glasses being pushed into the skin, a good nose bleed and a concussion.

My lathe has a remote speed control (that I’ve never used) that can be mounted on the opposite end of the lathe, allowing one to adjust the speed while keeping your face behind the tool rest. I will be using that from now on. More importantly, I was reminded that no matter how comfortable we get doing a task, any power tool demands our full attention and respect.

I got my reminder with a good slap in the face, hoping this post might help you to remember to pay attention.

Oh Man! That could have been so much worse! So glad you were wearing the face shield. Hoping for quick and complete recovery.

I need to do as you say. My lathe had a detachable speed thingy, but I hardly ever do that (move it away from the headstock). Thanks for the caution, and I'm hoping you recover quickly.