Your Lathe Can Reach Out and Touch You; Ouch!

I had an unusual accident about ten days ago. I was turning a 31" spindle for my wife to use as a curtain rod. I had spindle mounted a 32" piece of very dry, treated 1 1/2" by 1 1/2" piece of treated pine to round down to 1" and had it about 1/2 completed when the piece started chattering. The piece bent enough to grab my left hand and my carbide roughing tool and trap my hand and the tool above the tool rest. The lathe stopped dead with my hand hung between the tool rest and the piece. I managed to reach across my body and hit the cut off switch. I usually turn with my hand against the tool rest and "squeeze" the tool from right to left.

I guess the morale of the sad saga is that if you hear something strange going on, stop the turn. The side of my left hand is close to being healed up. Your lathe can reach out and touch you. I am planning on adding a large paddle emergency switch on the right side of my lathe that I can hit with my knee. I may never have to use it, but it would be nice to know that its there.

I have gotten trapped like that when sanding spindles and having the tool rest way to close, or even on the lathe. I think I did it twice before I learned to avoid it. Never did it while turning though. Do keep your hands on the right side of the tool rest. One rule of thumb for spindles is a 10 to 1 ratio, meaning a spindle that is 10 inches long can be 1 inch diameter and not chatter. Any thinner, and that can be a problem. Since the pine is rather soft, that probably contributed to the problem. Also, if you have a lot of pressure on the tailstock, that can make the wood flew as well. I do prefer a spindle roughing gouge for taking spindles down. I can do a peeling cut with it, as well as with a scraper, but the SRG just seems to do it with less pressure.

robo hippy

I remember in 8th grade shop class we had to remove the banjo before we could sand with the lathe running. I suspect that most of the Powermatic 90's that come out of schools have gap beds so you can remove the banjo without removing the tailstock.

At 31 inches, you also need a spindle steady..........the pressure of the cut will make a spindle that long flex, which only gets worse as you go. It will whip as it flexes and cause your tool to go down under the spindle........

Always move the toolrest before sanding.........I have been guilty of having it too close, but generally, I take the tool rest off as a rule, but if it is a quick thing I will reposition the banjo all the way to the headstock or tailstock.......whichever is best.

Hope you were not injured too badly...........scary scenario!

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Originally Posted by Roger Chandler

At 31 inches, you also need a spindle steady..........the pressure of the cut will make a spindle that long flex, which only gets worse as you go. It will whip as it flexes and cause your tool to go down under the spindle........

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A spindle steady may not be necessary -- I've turned 32-33" chair legs without one.

The other half of the problem is PT pine. Dry pine would be bad enough but PT is worse. Also those pieces tend to have grain running at an angle. If turning chair legs, you would probably carefully pick straight grained hardwood, ideally riven not sawn.

I was not sanding. I was turning with a carbide (square) tool at my lowest speed so I had to have a tool rest in place. Thank God that the turning tool was also grabbed along with the meat on the side of my left hand. I got my hand out by using the turning tool as a pry bar against the tool rest. Its about healed up so I can start turning again this week.

I'm a bit confused. If you were turning, why was your hand anywhere near the piece?

I was trying to figure that one out as well Dale. One thing I thought of is that when turning thinner spindles, we all tend to use our hand as a steady rest. Those of us who are experienced will have our fingers underneath and on the back side of the spindle. If you are trying to steady with your thumb and fingers, that would put the thumb in that danger zone....

robo hippy

True, I've done that before, but my fingers never get anywhere near 12 o'clock, and I make sure my thumb isn't in the danger zone. Sorry it happened, just trying to picture exactly how.

Dale,

I was taught to turn with my left hand on the tool rest and the tool in my right hand braced by my left hand as I place it on the tool rest. That position puts the side of your left hand parallel with the spindle piece right on the tool rest. I "squeeze" the turning tool from right to left. This is pretty much the standard hand positions when turning bowls and spindles.

Ken