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Found a good use for that cage that came with my lathe

Bill Boehme

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Awwww . . . . . I was expecting to see how you modified it into a basket for deep frying shrimp. :D

Are you showing that it can be used as a shield to protect you from flying objects? :) Or as an indicator of the amount of shaking from an out of balance load? It's not obvious to me what the video is showing.
 
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I used my cage the other day. I was turning a big piece of pecan that was giving up its bark in big chunks. I put the cage down and was still startled at the force of that flying wood as it clanged into the guard. I don't use it often, but it's nice to have every now and then.
 

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I don't use it often, but it's nice to have every now and then.

This is my First time. I have counterweights on the reverse side and it is really very well balanced given that it can run at 1000 rpm and the lathe is't walking. I'm not running it at that speed but I'm usually wanting to test things well beyond their use load just to have a firm confidence that the actual load will be safe. 1000 rpm is 400 rpm faster than the fastest I'll actually use.
 
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No, no purpose necessary, I figured I was missing the point being made. From the sound it makes, I thought perhaps it was intended to scare cats from the shop. Carry on :oops:.
 
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perhaps it was intended to scare cats from the shop

That alone would be a marvelous use. I have a dark and stormy history of cats crapping in the sawdust.

I found a use for my metal cage. Scrap metal.

Oh gosh now that's just harsh; poor cage.
I have an off again and off again relationship with safety gizmos. I have very little tolerance for things that get in my way. I don't use a riving knife on my saw I don't use a blade guard.
 
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You could fix that vibration problem by

Well I could balance it better. But I was really impressed with how well it was balanced already.

I have two 2 x 2 x 3/8 " hunks of steel a 1/2" nut and a 2 x2 x 3/8 hunk of aluminum. as balancing counterweights
 
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You could file this under "Don't do what I did" or, "What's that cage thingy for?" Being almost entirely self-taught I've made some mistakes. About 10 years ago I was turning an out of balance, heavy, knotty, wet piece of pear intending to make a natural edge bowl on a Jet 12-20. It weighed about 15 lbs. I had just roughed a similar bowl out and, feeling confident and rather pleased with myself, thought I'd rough another one out before dinner. I failed to slow the lathe speed (done manually) and did not have the tool rest tight enough. When the bowl gouge hit that first knot ... I saw stars and had trouble staying upright. I looked around, saw the bowl blank spinning like a top on the floor and my faceshield at my feet. Then I saw the blood steaming down and realized I'd been smacked in the face. The faceshield saved my nose, eyes, teeth and facial bones ... just needed a few stitches to fix that hole where my teeth got driven through my lip. I recovered and finished that bowl ... and I gained a healthy respect for the energy in a spinning bowl blank. I'd been a martial arts instructor/competitor and had never been struck that hard that fast. When I wanted to move up to a bigger lathe I liked the idea of the cage on the Powermatic though that was not the primary reason I bought it and I will admit there are better lathes out there per Bill's post. At any rate, as a result of that experience I:
  1. Never turn a large, out-of-balance bowl blank between centers. I use a faceplate with 1 1/4" #8 machine screws.
  2. Always use the "birdcage" until the blank is balanced and the bark is off.
  3. Always make sure my tool rest and banjo are tight.
  4. Always start out spinning slowly and bring the speed up slowly after stopping.
  5. Stay out of the line-of-fire whenever possible.
You may ridicule my mistake if you like. I deserve it. Just don't repeat it. I post this in the interest of hopefully preventing someone else from doing something similarly stupid and dangerous. Be safe out there and use those safety devices.
 
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John, experience is the best teacher. I follow #5 when starting a new piece. I did have a chuck come off, hit the bed and ended up on the other side of the shop. It's a small shop, BTW. Now.........I double check all the set screws on the chuck, make sure anything that can come loose is tightened. Then I check them again before starting the lathe.
 

Bill Boehme

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Last year I bought a 10 inch faceplate from Oneway to hold a very large piece of mesquite. It is a hefty hunk of cast iron that weighs about 14 pounds. I discovered that it also makes a nice flywheel that could be used to swamp out unbalanced inertial loads on smaller sized pieces. It is a simple solution that reduces vibration from an unbalanced turning to a tolerable level.
 
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Found another use for it.
You know how you van pour a ridiculous amount of CA glue in a crack? then on start up even after squirting it with accelerant you are sprayed with CA glue?
Lovely in the eyes
Well Drop the cage and tape a few sheets of paper towel on it and VIOLA you are safe-er
 

Bill Boehme

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Found another use for it.
You know how you van pour a ridiculous amount of CA glue in a crack? then on start up even after squirting it with accelerant you are sprayed with CA glue?
Lovely in the eyes
Well Drop the cage and tape a few sheets of paper towel on it and VIOLA you are safe-er

You forgot to mention that while you are pouring CA in the crack, it is running out of the other end and gluing your shoes to the floor or gluing your jeans to your lap. :D
 
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That is why you hold your finger on the bottom side of the crack to allow the CA glue to fill the void. After the CA glue sets up you then try to peel your finger off of the bottom of the piece with a putty knife. Skin will grow back in a couple of days, an endless renewable resource.
 
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Personally, I use my cage for holding my face shield when I'm not actively turning.

20180410_120812_432x768_L8.jpg

I guess it also kind of acts a protection for my water heater in the event of a catastrophic failure of some sort.
 

Bill Boehme

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Personally, I use my cage for holding my face shield when I'm not actively turning.

View attachment 25050

I guess it also kind of acts a protection for my water heater in the event of a catastrophic failure of some sort.

It also protects you in case the water heater suddenly explodes ... don't laugh, it could happen ... maybe. :D
 
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It also protects you in case the water heater suddenly explodes ... don't laugh, it could happen ... maybe. :D

My greater concern is the bottom of the water heater giving way and suddenly standing in a pool of 130F water... After all, I DID just recently flush the entire system... got far too much gravel and sediment out of the water heater.
 
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