Another Lathe accident turns fatal

[Dick Wilson]

I have been the recipient of flying wood. 2 shattered face shields and counting. After this tragedy I think something a heck of a lot more substancial is in order. I have not read anywhere whether Joan was or was not wearing one. There comes a point where you have done everything, wear all protective gear, and things still happen. 100% protection at the lathe means not turning it on in the first place. Of course, there is always life experiences that we have no control over either.

[John Terefenko]

do you have the link to this story??? Thanks

[Roger Chandler]

do you have the link to this story??? Thanks

John,

The opening post on the thread has a link that you can put in your browser and get the info from the segmented turners forum. Also, the WOW site has a running discussion.

[Jeff Nicol]

My heart aches for Joan's family, with the passing of my FIL last week I am still feeling that in my heart also. To add more heartache a friend of mine that I went to Oklahoma this last weekend for a hog hunt lost his MIL on Saturday night and this morning at 8:30 his FIL passed away from some sort of embolism (SP). I have had enough death and sadness in the last few weeks to last me for a long, long time. But Joan's accident is so tragic I can't find words, I had the same thing happen but all I got was 28 stitches in my head. Without knowing what really happened the only thing I got from her husbands post was that she was turning a "LARGE" blank. Not for sure knowing the type of wood and what its shape was, I think some folks turn large pieces much to fast for big items, I don't even use the high setting on my 3520B, because it scares me! The piece that hit me in the head maybe weighed 10oz. but if a large chunk of a few pounds comes off and flies up that high and hits you in the face, there is not a face sheild that I know of that will protect you completley. So I guess we all must be proactive in making sure the wood we mount on the lathe is in good shape without cracks, shakes, voids etc that we are not ready to deal with. If you are turning slow enough in the beginning the chunk should just fall to the bed and bounce away which has happened with me while roughing out some borderline wood.

So with this tragic lose we should all remember to make sure of every little thing and take the time to look at the blanks as we turn them to make sure it is safe all the way through the process and listen to the sound it makes as a crack will change how it sounds.

Turn safe all,

Jeff

[Curt Fuller]

I've followed this sad story about Joan since first reading about it on the Woodturners America site. I was shocked to hear today that Joan had died. I had the obviously mistaken impression that she was improving. Her death is truly sad news. I didn't know Joan personally, but her turned art was always something that caught my eye on WOW. If you have the chance to go to her album on WOW take a few minutes to look through her work and read her wonderful descriptions and open, candid explanations of what she has done. You can't help but notice the references to those that inspired her and also her passion for the art of turning. RIP Joan.

[Cody Colston]

In that u-tube video that Justin linked to, she was wearing safety goggles but not a face shield. I suspect she was not wearing a face shield when the fatal injury occurred, either.

It's up to every turner to decide how much PPE is necessary to pursue a hobby. I generally only wear safety glasses when turning although I'll occassionally don a face shield if the piece has bark that I know will fly off. I have worn a hard hat at work for the past 39 years and wearing one in my woodshop is not an option I'm willing to consider. There comes a point where the need to put on a bunch of safety garb will remove the enjoyment from turning and woodworking. I'm not there yet and hope to never be that scared of getting hurt.

David was right in that it's life that is eventually fatal. One can live it to the fullest and go when it's time or live it in fear and still go when it's time. I've chosen the former and from what I've read, so did the lady who died from her turning injury.

[Lori Kleinberg]

I am sorry I did not know Joan or her work, but can still feel the pain.
My condolences and prayers go to her family.

[Justin Stephen]

In that u-tube video that Justin linked to, she was wearing safety goggles but not a face shield. I suspect she was not wearing a face shield when the fatal injury occurred, either.

To be fair, a lot of people who normally wear face shields only wear glasses when they are demonstrating (in person or on a video) so that their voices can be heard more clearly.

Considering the extent of her injury, it does seem likely that she was only wearing glasses though. Who knows?

[Keith Burns]

In that u-tube video that Justin linked to, she was wearing safety goggles but not a face shield. I suspect she was not wearing a face shield when the fatal injury occurred, either.

Cody, you can not make the assumption that she was not wearing a face shield based on a video and to make that assumption about someone you do not know offends me.

Second, the video makes an excellement statement about doing demos. The problem with the majority of the demonstrators (professionals included) is that they do not wear a faceshield. I have not worn one when I do a demo (I'm not a professional). The demos always start with a statement like "you should always wear a faceshield" but I don't have to because I can't talk or some other excuse. The fact is that this approach is wrong. We must develop a "safety culture" and it must start with demonstrators leading the way and give up the crap of "do as I say, not as I do". We can never protect ourselves totally, everything we do has risk. The key thing to do is to minimize the risk.

[John King]

John - I am interested in the full hard hat with faceshield option. Checked Jackson Safety and could not find anything that looked like the picture you posted. Can you provide product number for hat/faceshield configuration in the picture? - John

[Dan Hintz]

...to make that assumption about someone you do not know offends me.

I'm offended by you being offended of someone's suspicion...

Anyone care to jump in and be offended by my being offended at someone else's feeling of offense?

[Roger Chandler]

It would be my hope that we could keep this thread in the area of sympathy for the family for the most part.......I realize it does raise questions on safety and they are legitimate...........I was the first to mention safety, because I care that all who are part of this turning fraternity be safe as much as possible.

If we can use another thread and not get too personal with the sad circumstances here, then it will certainly help with perhaps not adding to someone's grieving at this time, and then safety can be spoken of in general terms with references to accidents done with some care.

I hope this thread will not degenerate to a show of ego's or anything of the sort..........it just is not the thing to do under these sad circumstances..........most likely,all her family and friends will eventually read everything said here, so any sort of speculation will only add to their burdens............let us try and avoid that if at all possible..........

Thanks everybody!

[Keith Burns]

Roger you are right of course. I offer my appologies. I let my emotions rule over logic and I shoud not have.

[Jeff Moffett]

I offer my sincere condolences to Joan's family, friends and club members. Like others have indicated, hearing the news has rocked my world and made me take a serious look at my turning safety precautions.

[John Hart]

John - I am interested in the full hard hat with faceshield option. Checked Jackson Safety and could not find anything that looked like the picture you posted. Can you provide product number for hat/faceshield configuration in the picture? - John

Hi John,
That picture isn't exactly what I was proposing....just sort of an example pic. I'm still getting all my info together and I'll post it in a bit. I'm feeling a bit like a ball in a pinball machine today.