Safety with power cords

[hockenbery]

One of the safety checks is to be sure power cords are out of the way so that you won't trip on them or accidentally cut them.

I was I a hurry last week. I wanted to sharpen a carbon steel tool on a grinder that was unplugged with the cord safely wrapped around it.
I plugged it into an extension cord and lowered the plugs to the floor behind the grinder.
My focus shifted to the wheel I wanted to use needing to be dressed while I was plugging the cords together.
Just as I got the wheel dressed the grinder turned off. My immediate thought was that the switch had been turned off somehow.
The real problem was the cord was against the other wheel and I had ground through one wire.

No pop. No tripped circuit breaker. Just embarrassment. Could have been much worse.
Norton 3x doesn't conduct electricity.

Just wanted to remind everyone to be vigilant checking the power cords.
I did not notice when I unwound and dropped the cord "safely" to the floor that it had gone a cross the wheel.
Easy to see if I had looked. Something l did not see when I assumed it was fine and concentrated on the other wheel a foot away.

Al

 

[john lucas]

Well I had a similar instance one time. I knocked a skew off the lathe and it fell to the backside of the lathe, point first of course, and is sliced through the power cord which arced and kicked the circuit breaker. The whole room went dark and it took a few minutes to figure out what really happened.

 

[robo hippy]

Al, I have done that one.... John, I haven't done that one, but kind of hard since I don't use a skew much...

robo hippy

 

[Charlie Knighton]

at one time the electric cords to industial circular knitting machines were laying on the floor, they were moved to ceiling connection that was much safer.....anyway every once in a while the cords would would get under the machine and get caught up......never saw a machine turned over, but it was usually several hours before they could run the machine again.......

 

[Bill Boehme]

There's two kind of woodturners:

1. 
   [*=1]Those who have done dumb things ... and
   [*=1]Those who will

 

[hockenbery]

Well I had a similar instance one time. I knocked a skew off the lathe and it fell to the backside of the lathe, point first of course, and is sliced through the power cord which arced and kicked the circuit breaker. The whole room went dark and it took a few minutes to figure out what really happened.

I've dropped skews dozens of times. My aim has not been that good!

 

[Steve Worcester]

Yep, stripped a power drill off its perch once with a turning. Thankfully not plugged in

 

[Joe Greiner]

This why electric chain saws have short power cords. And some other power tools should.

 

[Jamie Straw]

So glad you weren't hurt, Al. I take it a CBN wheel might have provided more excitement?

 

[Lee Tourtelotte]

A Safety Alert - When Using CBN Wheels & large magnets for metal particle pickup.

Here is a very strange one for the book: "A funny thing happened on my way to the CBN wheel today" -- but maybe in reality, not so much funny!".

I have several donut sized magnets, salvaged from large stereo speakers from a long bygone era. These 3" diameter magnets are somewhat heavy, perhaps nearly 1/2 pound,
very powerful and have found several useful applications in my shop -- one being placed directly under my CBN sharpening wheel to collect all the microscopic
metal particles coming off the wheel as the tools are being sharpened. Up until today they worked well & it seemed like a good idea -- but without warning, today for unknown reasons,
the magnetic attraction of the spinning steel CBN wheel "apparently" overcame the (lessened?) magnetic attraction of the magnet to the Oneway steel base, and to my amazement,
he 3" round magnet donut suddenly jumped from the base to the spinning 1800 RPM wheel and came around like a medieval trebuchet, hit the platform & hurled the donut shaped magnet back in my direction
at very high speed. My MN woodturning club friends theorize that over time, removing the magnet & cleaning the magnet of the metal grit probably left some residual metal grit behind between the
magnet & the steel Oneway base, rendering less magnetic attraction to the base, compared to seriously more attracting steel in the spinning CBN wheel. (The magnet had been in place, on the Oneway base
over a year with no prior problem.) The magnet projectile just barely missed me, so no injury or damage, thankfully, but I haven't checked my shorts yet!.... (The sequence of attached pictures confirms what happened.)
From my bizarre experience I would recommend that these magnets be strongly secured to the nearby wood platform with some sort of a quick release device for periodic cleaning & easy replacement.
Even much smaller quarter size rare earth magnets or ceramic magnets that a turning friend of mine uses that could attach spin off & then shatter when launched could potentially be very hazardous.
Just thought everyone might think about this event & be prepared.
Stay Safe!
Lee Tourtelotte
MN Woodturners Association

 

[Charlie Knighton]

Lee about those attached pictures........

 

[Lee Tourtelotte]

Sorry -- Senior Moment
(Here are the attached pictures (I hope.)

Lee

 

[Charlie Knighton]

glad no one was hurt, interesting........sounds like murphy's law.......amazing what happens day to day

 

[john lucas]

They have CBN wheels with aluminum substrate. That would solve that problem.

 

[stu senator]

Sorry -- Senior Moment
(Here are the attached pictures (I hope.)

Lee

If the magnet were to be in a thin envelope then it could be cleaned by wrapping in tape and discarding the envelope, tape and filings.

You could use a non magnetic bolt and washer, Stainless Steel, to hold it down.

Stu

 

[Joe Greiner]

If the magnet were to be in a thin envelope then it could be cleaned by wrapping in tape and discarding the envelope, tape and filings.

You could use a non magnetic bolt and washer, Stainless Steel, to hold it down.

Stu

Might be simpler to use a plastic baggie. Invert upon itself to clean. Like dog poop in reverse, for responsible dog walkers.

Joe