Lathe accident injures man

[Mike Johnson]

Several days ago an individual operating a metal lathe while wearing cut resistant gloves got caught up on the chuck pulling in his hand, elbow and arm wrapping up onto the chuck, he was able to stop the chuck with his other hand holding it from turning while the belt slipped on the pulleys. He tried yelling for help for twenty minutes but he was in his attached garage shop and his wife was on the second story of the house and could not hear him. Luckily his daughter stopped by and used the door opener to enter the house and found him wrapped up on the lathe and smoke rolling out of the headstock from the belt burning. He broke multiple bones in his hand, wrist and arm and suffered multiple lacerations.

The only gloves I wear around power equipment are disposable latex surgeons gloves, the rubberized cut resistant work gloves are a bad idea around power equipment.

 

[John Walls]

That hurts thinking about it, glad atleast he's still breathing.

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

Adam Savage did this last week, he got lucky and only had a finger split open.

 

[John Torchick]

I do not wear any kind of gloves around moving machinery. Nitrile gloves only for finishing; leather gloves for carrying wood to avoid splinters. Was around heavy manufacturing, directly or indirectly, for years and know of too many accidents with gloves/long sleeves/jewelry. FWIW, worked with a lady who was on the emergency team at a manufacturing plant. A lady got her hair caught in a machine and was scalped.
He is very lucky as it could have been worse. Good idea to position the switch where it is easily reached.

 

[Bobby Smith]

Ouch!!! Yea I only wear nitrile gloves and that's only when I'm putting a CA finish on something.

 

[John Torchick]

Ouch!!! Yea I only wear nitrile gloves and that's only when I'm putting a CA finish on something.

And the lathe is not on, only turned manually.

 

[Bobby Smith]

And the lathe is not on, only turned manually.

Actually I put CA finishes on at my slowest lathe speed. Hard to hold the CA, hold the paper towel and turn the lathe at the same time. Lol

 

[John Torchick]

Gotta be fast!

 

[John Hicks]

The same with baggy sleeves

 

[Perry Hilbert]

Was turning some cherry a few days ago and the shavings coming off the piece against the back of my hand were so hot it burned after a few seconds. I though about a glove for about a half second, and nope that would be dumb.

 

[John Hicks]

there are gloves that are skin tight and have no areas to catch; but I suppose anything can get caught on a rotating piece of wood.

 

[hockenbery]

there are gloves that are skin tight and have no areas to catch; but I suppose anything can get caught on a rotating piece of wood.

If a sharp edge on any spinning wood or chuck grabs something it won’t let go.
With skin a small piece will tear out and you have a small cut.
With material that tears you may have a just hole in the material or depending on the weave a very long string/thread that winds around the turning cutting your body parts as it pulls across them.
If the material doesn’t tear, it wraps around the spinning part.
With jewelry it’s may break but more likely not.

when things wrap around the spinning part, body part get pulled in. If the lathe doesn’t stall or trip an auto shutoff switch serious injury or death can follow.

A nitrile glove is going to tear. A thin leather glove maybe?.. maybe not

 

[John Hicks]

I was not able to find a made for turning glove anywhere. I use a tight motorcycle glove; and then only when the burl is flying.

 

[hockenbery]

was not able to find a made for turning glove anywhere.

. I would not expect that you would.
1. Very small market niche
2. Liability downside too Unpredictable.

like any safety vs comfort argument you evaluate the safety risk against the comfort. It the case of abrasive chips the glove could prevent a road rash injury. If you stay on you side of the tool rest there is no risk. I learned to turn with either hand forward so the chips fall away from me.

I do a lot of turning in sports sandals. I think the risk of dropping a log or the pointy end of a tool on my foot is negligible. I don’t use the chainsaw in sandals.

 

[John Hicks]

007 would be wearing lambs skin gloves.