Another serious injury at the lathe

[ray hampton]

I wonder what percentage of folks use the cage that comes with the Powermatics. I have never seen an aftermarket version. Anyone know of one?

I found [internet]three lathes with a guard of type , oliver, pm, vega . vega guard will move along the bed while the other two are fix in one location , my idea would cost more money and are total different

[ray hampton]

Ray, I've read my post several times and still don't see how one could thinks I'm afraid to turn because of being hurt. By turning bowls at safe speeds I don't really have a worry in the world when at the lathe. The main thing I was trying to get across is that speed can hurt you before you can react. To turn a solid piece of wood fast enough for it to explode from centrifugal force is just not in anyone's best interest. If wood is cracked or unsound it should be turned even slower. I'm not in a race when at the lathe, I enjoy turning to much to rush through it anyway. Happy turning Jack

I hope that my statement was not taken the wrong way, telling people not to be afraid are a slap in the face ,I hit 2 items at very slow speed and the person in the way did not know which way to move, the first item was glass pop bottle, my wheel hit it in a manner so as to throw it about 10 feet high while a man who were walking stop and watch the bottle crash at his feet, the second time my boss were the victim and the missile was a piece of wood caught by the fork lift front wheel[sharp point ] both time the person had time to move out of the way BUT WHICH WAY TO MOVE

[Grant Wilkinson]

Michael: Lynne was not wearing her face shield when she had the accident. Here is a quote from her blog:

"Even though I wasn’t wearing my face shield at the time, since my accident, I have looked into whether I could improve that protection. (I also wanted to find out how much protection my face shield would have provided.)"

Her blog makes interesting reading. It shows in a chart just how completely inadequate the Ansi standards are to a turner's situation. Here is the link to the research that she did

http://www.lynneyamaguchi.com/wordpr...1/safety-gear/

She says that the piece that his her developed 30 times the kinetic energy as that derived from the Ansi test. A very sobering thought, I suggest.

[William Bachtel]

Lets not forget, that a project that is not secured properly, or cracked and not safe to even put on a lathe, is the cause of many projectiles, not the safety equipment, the safety equipment comes into play after the fact. ALWAYS WEAR AND USE ALL SAFETY GEAR. ALWAYS.

[ray hampton]

will boxers head gear help ?

[Grant Wilkinson]

I spoke to a rep at 3M Canada yesterday and he sent me the tech specs on the unit that I have. Mine is an older GVP with the bump cap and visor, and powered air. It is very similar to the Airmate that Bill Grumbine has in his video, the difference being that the Airmate has the blower and motor in the cap, while mine is on my belt.

The specs are interesting, as they clearly show that this unit is not designed to withstand hits like we are talking about. So far in my research, I have not found any clear-visored unit that has been tested in an environment like ours. Lynne Yamaguchi talks in her blog about a riot helmet she was going to buy. It came much closer to protecting against the force of a lathe-fired projectile than anything else she found, but it comes up short, too. One thing that I did read about several of the visor units is that their rated protection is based on a chin strap being in place. I imagine that's so, in the event of a hit, the unit cannot pivot down and the visor will not slam into face parts. I don't believe that I have ever seen anyone wearing protection while turning and having a chin strap snugged up.

It looks like the only unit designed to take hits such as ours is a cage unit - lacrosse, hockey goalie, etc. I just can't see myself wearing something that big, heavy and hot. I do have a full coverage motorcycle helmet, but the visor on it is not rated to take a big hit, either.

[Mike Cruz]

Good info Grant. But I would HOPE that a motorcycle helmet visor is made to withstand our kind of impacts... Think of a piece of gravel coming at you when going 65 mph...

[Chris Studley]

I'm not sure that ANSI rating is worth much... a 1" steel ball dropped from 50" is not a lot of energy at all considering the forces and masses discussed here. A 2" steel ball dropped 1.3m (~51") only produces and impact of 5 foot-lbs. a 1" ball would be likely less than half that. Having performed the 2" ball impact test many times(IT and medical equipment enclosures), I have seen some seemingly flimsy materials pass and some rigid pieces shatter like toffee. The amount of give in the entirety of the Face shield assy will play as much a role in it being protective as the shield lens itself. Think Crumple zones in your car which absorb impact energy. Also the securement to your head and the angle of impact could also render it useless (or save you). As it has been said above, certainly there are incidences where your seatbelt or airbag can make things worse but mostly they are helpful and you are better with them, then without.

[Grant Wilkinson]

Mike: It may well put up with it. I don't intend to test it, though. :-) If you read Lynn's blog, you'll see that she did quite a bit of research into the energy generated by the chunk of wood that hit her versus the energy developed by the various objects used by the testing agencies. The Ansi test is not even close to addressing real world turner issues. That's not a fault in the testing, I suggest. It's just that they are not testing products to see if they would survive a lathe-thrown projectile, moving very, very fast, and perhaps weighing a few pounds.

[Brian Finney]

QUOTE=Grant Wilkinson;2121137]... The Ansi test is not even close to addressing real world turner issues. That's not a fault in the testing, I suggest. It's just that they are not testing products to see if they would survive a lathe-thrown projectile, moving very, very fast, and perhaps weighing a few pounds.[/QUOTE]

The ANSI test as described must be testing the ability to protect from small projectiles that would cause damage to the eye or face. The hazard of a piece blowing up needs to be addressed by other means, including:

1. Using appropriate speed. The formula diameter in inches x rpm = 6000 -9000 works and was used before face shields where available. Even using the formula a further reduction in speed is appropriate if the piece is not round, off centre etc. For roughing use 6000 in the formula; for finishing cut use 9000 in the formula when everything is symmetrical; and something in between for general turning.

2. Stand out of the line of fire

3. Listening for sound changes etc.

4. Wrapping doubtful pieces in tape or similar.

5 Not turning that piece if you are at all concerned - there is not a shortage of wood, pick another piece it’s far cheaper.

A flimsy piece of plastic tested to ANSI isn't going to save you for a lump coming off - it is NOT Bionic. But it may protect your eyes and is therefore essential.

Brian

[lloyd morris]

So sorry to hear this. Prayers for s speedy recovery.

[Rick Markham]

I hope he quickly heals! I bet he is glad he had his helmet/facemask on!