I posted this on another forum and thought I would post this here also with hopes that someone may benefit from my experience. I hesitated posting this as safety has been discussed to great length in the past two years on this site and others. I hate to admit that this happened to me as I always stress safety in my shop. Just a few days before I was mentoring a new turner and mentioned to him several times to learn to do the particular cut without standing directly in the line of fire.
The burl was 19â€. I was turning at about 700 rpm. There was an invisible bark inclusion that caused the burl to separate in two pieces. When I first started turning a turner in the UP warned me of standing in the line of rotation. I was not standing in the line of fire at the time of separation. I was standing next to the tailstock doing a final light cut on the tenon before reversing the piece to core with the Mc Naughton bowl saver. I was wearing a 3M Airstream full helmet/face shield. Half of the burl hit me on the left side of the helmet knocking it completely off my head. The suspension system band broke in the back. I believe the helmet performed exactly as it should and absorbed almost the entire force of the blow. My right wrist and lower arm was black & blue from the handle of the gouge being forced up against it as the tip was pushed down, my shoulder still hurts a little at times from it being forced upward. The gouge was lying on the floor 6’ behind me.
I cannot imagine the severity of the injury I would have received, or if I would even be typing this, if I had been wearing lesser protection. I include a photo of the burl on the lathe and one of myself to show how fortunate I am. The steel light rack that I had suspended over the lathe was on the floor along with a lot of accessories, one florescent bulb was destroyed that was in a ceiling fixture. I am physically intact due to using good safety protection. I am ok and unharmed other than a cut to the forehead from the helmet that did not require stitches.
It is only due to the warning posts of others in the past that I was using a helmet at the time of this accident. Thank you very much!
The burl was 19â€. I was turning at about 700 rpm. There was an invisible bark inclusion that caused the burl to separate in two pieces. When I first started turning a turner in the UP warned me of standing in the line of rotation. I was not standing in the line of fire at the time of separation. I was standing next to the tailstock doing a final light cut on the tenon before reversing the piece to core with the Mc Naughton bowl saver. I was wearing a 3M Airstream full helmet/face shield. Half of the burl hit me on the left side of the helmet knocking it completely off my head. The suspension system band broke in the back. I believe the helmet performed exactly as it should and absorbed almost the entire force of the blow. My right wrist and lower arm was black & blue from the handle of the gouge being forced up against it as the tip was pushed down, my shoulder still hurts a little at times from it being forced upward. The gouge was lying on the floor 6’ behind me.
I cannot imagine the severity of the injury I would have received, or if I would even be typing this, if I had been wearing lesser protection. I include a photo of the burl on the lathe and one of myself to show how fortunate I am. The steel light rack that I had suspended over the lathe was on the floor along with a lot of accessories, one florescent bulb was destroyed that was in a ceiling fixture. I am physically intact due to using good safety protection. I am ok and unharmed other than a cut to the forehead from the helmet that did not require stitches.
It is only due to the warning posts of others in the past that I was using a helmet at the time of this accident. Thank you very much!