Wood Lathe Safety: Five Things To Consider For Woodturning Workshops

Of all the power tools in the work shop, the wood lathe is one of the safest. This is still a powerful tool used with sharp tools and care is needed. Ultimately, safety is in the hands of the user. Here are a few safety tips to consider when turning wood.

One of the first things to look for is the general condition of the lathe itself. Many woodturners are amateurs who have only a few hours a week to spend in the workshop and wish to spend most of it at the lathe so that maintenance takes a back seat. Some time needs to be spent on such maintenance as sharpening spur centers, replacing bearings, making sure mounting nuts are secure, dressing the tool rest and so on. Before the lathe is turned on it should be checked to be sure that everything is tightened down and the wood will clear the tool rest as it rotates. Not only does it make the turning more enjoyable, it makes it safer.

While the condition of the lathe is important for safety, so is the condition of the wood turner. Fatigue causes accidents. A wood turner should be well rested and free of alcohol or drugs. All rings and other jewellery should be removed. It is all too easy for rotating wood to catch neck ties or other loose clothing and draw a turner into the lathe or for a caught piece of jewellery to rip off pieces of skin.

The height of the lathe should generally be set so that the center line of the turning will be at elbow height of the turner. This may vary a little with individuals because of varying ratios of arm to leg length, but it is a good working estimate. A height too great or too little easily causes back pain through undue hunching or stretching. Rubber mats on concrete floors also can be a big help in relieving back pain.

With the increase in artistic turning over the past few decades, more and more wood turners are mounting burls, spalted wood and wood with splits and voids in it, particularly in faceplate work. These pieces of wood tend to be fairly large and unbalanced. This sets up a lot of vibration in the lathe and can be inherently dangerous, especially as chunks of wood may fly off the lathe at high speeds if the lathe is turning too fast. Experience and slow speeds are essential in this type of turning.

There are various charts that are used to determine the speeds at which woods of various diameters are turned. These should be approached with caution as not all woods are of the same density and many have knots, hidden splits or other imperfections that will be aggravated by high speeds. It is best to start turning at a slow speed and increase as circumstances dictate.

There is no way to make working with power tools completely safe but a few simple precautions and common sense can make the woodturning workshop a safe place for a long time to come.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.