Saturday, September 16, 2017

More Detail on My Stupid

Some of you want to know how I cut myself.   I ordinarily sand the ends of a workpiece in the lathe by turning up the speed and placing sandpaper on the end.  If the workpiece is sticking several inches from the ends of the jaws,  this is perfectly safe.

 In this case,  the workpiece was only about .25" longer than the end of the jaws. Even a slight misadjustment reminds you why we call them jaws: they might as well have teeth.  I am thinking of wearing gloves a bit thicker than the depth of skin sliced by that 6" chuck.   If it rips off that much glove,  I will not be in Urgent Care.

 I will also not try to sand an end that is not at least an inch or two longer than the jaws.   Next time,  the belt sander, even though it produces an inferior finish.   Looks really do not matter for this part.   I just like stuff that I make to be pretty.   Of course,  blood does not help it cosmetically, nor does a Forensic Files blood spatter exercise.

5 comments:

  1. DO NOT WEAR GLOVES!!!!

    If you catch a glove, it will rip your hand off or worse.

    Hold the sandpaper with pliers or something what you are doing, holding it in your hands is foolish and dangerous

    Be safe..

    John Henry

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  2. Going to second what John said. Gloves will only get you in worse trouble. Sandpaper on a stick is the way to go when you are on the lathe. If you don't use much, just glue it into some scrap wood and throw it away when it wears out. If you use a lot of sandpaper use thumbtacks.

    We don't want to hear that you pulled a finger off because your gloves got caught on a workpiece.

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  3. Oh, and the stick should be long enough that it reaches past the swing of the jaws just so it won't get thrown back at you.

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  4. As John said, never wear gloves. I don't even wear long sleeves near machine tools, and frequently take my ring off.

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  5. Are you just cleaning it up, or changing the surface?

    Consider taping sandpaper to a chunk of 2x4.

    Some industrial scrubbing pads might do the job (green/gray/purple). I'm thinking that putting that on a bathtub scrubbing pad holder would keep your hand away from the jaw. This would not clog up as quickly as sandpaper.

    Why not run a blade or bit across that part? Not trued up enough for this?

    Also, SLEEVES can be just as hazardous as gloves around spinning machinery. Never use rubber type or inspection gloves, either, as they stretch and wrap around and pull your hand in.

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