Aftermath of exploding hollow vessel

[mr bill]

If you turn large hollow forms, this is what a 16" piece of Mesquite will do when it comes apart.

 

[Dennis J Gooding]

It looks like most of it is outside somewhere!

Dennis

 

[Michael DeWald]

Hopefully, you are all in one piece. Looks like it was moving at a pretty good clip. I'm trying to decide if the window is a good thing or not. Yes, it broke. On the other hand, the HF didn't bounce off a wall and back at you.

 

[john lucas]

that is the reason I have heard for putting your lathe at an angle to the wall, which is to make pieces bounce away from you. Glad you survived.

 

[mr bill]

This did not happen to me, but to a friend and fellow woodturner....This is the post from our woodturning chapers forum. I have removed his real name and will use WT for Woodturner.....

One of our turner had an accident while turning on Friday. As you know, WT turns big hollow forms, and one of those hollow forms, came apart while turning. The good new is, there was no blood and no broken bones, but WT does have a very deep bruise on his arm. I will give you the info that I have and WT can fill in the details. WT put a in progress, turned Mesquite vessel, back in the chuck, and it was not balanced and he readjusted it several times to get it turning smooth and balanced. It was not balanced perfect, but he felt that it was as close as he could get it. He started up the lathe, and moved his body toward the tailstock end of the lathe. He then placed his hollowing system tool inside of the opening in preparation to start hollowing. At that point, the turning began to viberate, and as he reached toward the headstock to turn the lathe off, the turning exploded. A large piece of the turning, hit his outstretched arm. Another piece of the turning hit the window, tearing out glass and aluminum frame. Yet another piece went up in the air hitting the fluorescent lights above the lathe, and broke it. So in a split second, wood and glass, was flying everywhere. WT was in his shop alone, his wife was not at home and his arm was injured. He had to call 911 to get help, and they transported him to the ER for X-rays. Fortunately his arm was not broken. When I talked to him this afternoon, he was re-cooperating at home.

As you can see from the picture, the lathe, was, at an angle to the wall, but when it comes apart, pieces fly everywhere.....

 

[hockenbery]

I'm glad there is no serious injury.

A couple of thoughts
I have a remote switch that I place on my side of the work when hollowing. This is an option I strongly reccomend for anyone turning work that can hurt them.

I use face plates for my hollow forms they can still blow up but the faceplate won't come loose from the wood unless the wood is in really bad shape.

I also try to turn to finish thickness in one go.
Remounting a half turned hollow form is really trickey when it has moved and warped.
If I have to leave a piece partly hollowed. I wet it, wrap it in several plastic bags and freeze it with the stainless steel faceplate in place.
Freezing usually prevents any drying and it is still on the faceplate.

Work safe
Al

 

[Mark Mandell]

Maybe you guys should be spinning different wood. Mesquite is infamous for wind shake that sometimes can be all but impossible to see until it lets go. I've turned some of it, but with hollowforms I always wrap it in at least 2 layers of stretch warp and finish turn the outside form before starting to hollow. Like Al, I regard it as a turn-to-finish in the first go-round.

 

[mr bill]

Maybe you guys should be spinning different wood. Mesquite is infamous for wind shake that sometimes can be all but impossible to see until it lets go. I've turned some of it, but with hollowforms I always wrap it in at least 2 layers of stretch warp and finish turn the outside form before starting to hollow. Like Al, I regard it as a turn-to-finish in the first go-round.

Good Advice....Mark, I picked up a roll of stretch wrap at Lowe's today. As long a Mesquite sells good, we're going to turn it. You are right it does have wind shake in it. Don't guess you have too much Mesquite growing in New Jersey..... Kinda hard to do one of these turn-to-finish. This is typical of what WT turns....

 

[odie]

In that first picture shown in the first post of this thread, I notice what looks like two Oneway bowl steadys hanging on the wall. I realize that "hind sight" is easy for anyone to have, but any bowls that tend to vibrate will be less of a problem if a steady rest is used. It might not completely solve the issue......but, the bowl steady will reduce vibration dramatically in most cases.

I have a single Oneway bowl steady for smaller bowls, and a five point Clark steady rest that was special ordered from:

http://www.theokspindoctor.com/

The "Clark Steady Rest" is usually advertised in the back pages of the AAW monthly publication.........

Use a steady rest, or two.....they work!

ooc

 

[MichaelMouse]

Wind shake is separation between annual rings, while the first picture suggests it split along the grain at about 90 degrees to shake. http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d160/GoodOnesGone/HemlockShake.jpg If so, discount them as cause and stuff with epoxy where and when discovered as insurance.

I don't do tenon-chewing holds, but they can push back from the stabilization provided by the shoulder if you squeeze them. With the dovetail hold, any wobble makes me stop and reshoulder to prevent racking. I also make a place for support and centering help from my bowl steady on long cantilevers while the piece is still between centers. It can be revised later as required.

 

[Wally Dickerman]

Maybe you guys should be spinning different wood. Mesquite is infamous for wind shake that sometimes can be all but impossible to see until it lets go. I've turned some of it, but with hollowforms I always wrap it in at least 2 layers of stretch warp and finish turn the outside form before starting to hollow. Like Al, I regard it as a turn-to-finish in the first go-round.

I live in Arizona, "mesquite country". Lots of mesquite is turned here because it's very available. I've never heard of wind shake problems with mesquite. I wonder if areas in New Mexico or Texas where they might have prevailing high winds would produce wind shakes.

 

[Mark Mandell]

I live in Arizona, "mesquite country". Lots of mesquite is turned here because it's very available. I've never heard of wind shake problems with mesquite. I wonder if areas in New Mexico or Texas where they might have prevailing high winds would produce wind shakes.

Yee-up,

Texican wood's what I was talking about. Have traded for several chunks, all had shake.