An important safety reminder - too graphic to post

[Russell Tribby]

A friend of mine that owns his own cabinet shop sent me some pics that had come his way of a gentleman that had been pulled into a lathe. It looks like the clothing he was wearing must have been snagged by the lathe. I imagine he didn't know what hit him. The pictures are very graphic. I usually have a stomach for this stuff but seeing these really made me step back and further appreciate the safety precautions that we should all be taking in the shop. If you are interested in seeing the pictures I can forward them to you, they are far too graphic to post on the forum. I have no relation to nor do I know the gentleman but my prayers certainly go out to his family.

[Alex Shanku]

I saw those pics the other day and thought about bringing it up on the forum, too. The pics are far too graphic to post on this forum, but they are certainly a grisly reminder about the potential dangers in a workshop.

[John Schreiber]

Is the guy ok? or ?

I don't need to see the pictures.

[Russell Tribby]

Is the guy ok? or ?

I don't need to see the pictures.

I didn't think it would bother me to see the pics but it is pretty disturbing. I don't know exactly what happened but I would imagine that he was killed instantly.

[James Williams 007]

I was dumb enough to look at the pics and I read the comments expecting sympathy and some advice and the normal responses but instead it was a bunch of vile disgusting idiots that seemed to enjoy it. It scares the heck out of me to think that there are people out there that would make comments like the ones they made. I really feel for the guy and his family. After seeing these pics I have a sick feeling and I also have the urge to go down to my shop and review my machines and make sure I am using them safely. I will have those pics in the back of my head the next time I fire a machine up and I hope it will keep me on my guard! I have had one serious accident when I was just getting into woodworking and I was being stupid and paid the price. Luckily there was no nerve damage and all I have to show for it is a jagged scar on my hand but I think about it when ever I'm in the shop!

[Brian Clevenger]

I'm not looking.

[Toney Robertson]

That was unbelievably bad and the pictures were VERY graphic but some context needs to be given to those who do not want to look at the pictures.

He was using a LARGE metal lathe spinning a large piece of metal. While safety should always be paramount and loose clothing around a lathe is not advised, IMO most home wood lathes (which I would think is much more common than metal lathes) would not have the power to inflict this kind of damage. I am sure you could get hurt but not to the point of dying.

[chris yount]

I really feel for the man and his family.I dont need to see the pictures and I dont have to use my imagination.
I work in a machine shop that has huge lathes .That range from 16"-100" swings, 400" long beds and can handle up to 100 ton.I have to remind myself not to be complacent daily.It is far to easy to be going through the motions forget something on the set up or feed something in too fast.These machines are so unforgiving one small mistake can kill several people when parts start flying from breakage.

Chris

[Jeff Atnip]

When I was younger, I would eagerly look at stuff like this. But I now realize that these kind of images are un-erasable. Death is real for all of us and gore is no longer a thrill.

On a related note, I was in the hand-therapy clinic the other day getting treatment for a problem with my little finger. Sitting at the next table was a young guy and I nonchalantly asked him, "What are you in for?". He couldn't wait to show me a picture of his hand that he had taken on his cell phone. He worked in a guitar factory and he had slipped on a wet floor. As he fell, he reached out and grabbed a spinning router bit. The picture he took was right after the accident. Needless to say, I wish I had not looked.

[Dave Loebach]

I usdd to have a lathe (Delta/Rockwell) with a 1/2 hp motor on it. htat is what I did my biginning turning on. I'd get annoyed at times when my tool (usually a skew) would stick and stop the wood from turning. The motor would keep turning but the belt would slip. Now I have lathe with a 2 hp direct drive motor on it. Nothing is going to stop that motor, including my skew or clothing that catches. Since these big lathes have become popular, you suddenly see cages to shield the work and dead centers used for drives so that you have slip. Bigger isn't always better and in the case of lathes, all that power usually isn't necessary and it raises the risks.

[Skip McKenzie]

A woodworker frind of mine had a rule in his shop,,,,,,,,there are 2 switches to turn on the 1 in your head and the 1 on the tool. Bottom line, pay attention. I feel for the guy.

[Jared Larrow]

I can only hope it was a quick death for his sake.

J

[Christopher Fletcher]

Seriously, no pictures needed...I don't need to hear any details either. I got this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach just now. Mostly because I've seen some grizzly things before and I can only imagine what might happen.

James, I agree whole heartedly. The thought of people making depraved comments about another person's accident truly triggers a primal unrest.

[Jim Underwood]

Man. That's really sad. What a way to go. Be careful out there guys.

I've been thinking of getting a larger lathe, but perhaps I'll stick with my Mini. It does enough damage with it's small motor.

[Nathan Hawkes]

I feel for his family, and his coworkers that might have been around when it happened. I made the mistake of looking at the pics. DO NOT LOOK AT THE PICS!!!!!!!!!! IT IS HORRIFYING. I'm in nursing school, and have seen some pretty terrible things in the hospital, but this was above and beyond anything I could possibly imagine in any horror movie. I can't believe people actually put these pictures online.

Although this was a HUGE machine and undoubtedly gear driven, even a mini-lathe is capable of doing serious damage. This has most definitely made me think about shop safety being a #1 priority ALL THE TIME.

Stay safe, people.