Lathe accident [well, almost]

You were blessed. and mount it on a plaque to remember it by.

-- I've been blessed with a father who liked to tinker in wood, and a wife who lets me tinker in wood. Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Glad you were saved any bodily harm. Great reminder for all turners that stuff like this can happen.

I think the big piece can serve as a sculpture of sorts. Looks really cool.

-- Measure, cut, curse, repeat.

Wow thankfully you were not hurt.

-- Dale, Ohio

List in the file…..WHY YOU NEVER TURN WITHOUT A FACE SHIELD!

Glad you were not hurt.

Scrappy

-- Scrap Wood's the best...the projects are smaller, and so is the mess!

Glad you got away without an injury, I really like your busted up bowl, it’s like an ancient pot found in an archeological dig.

-- Never trust a man in winklepickers

Well very blessed indeed! I was sanding a finished red oak bowl and had on just my goggles when it exploded in my face, I hit me hard enough to almost knock me out and did a job on my face. I had a broken orbital bone, broken nose, Frankenstein scare down my forehead along my nose and into my upper lip. Had surgery to place a tytanium plate under my eye to hold it up and was scared of my lathe for a long time. A face shield would have prevented most if not all of the damage. I do turn some still but don’t turn the lathe on without thinking about my accident.

I’m paranoid about this and probably have a totally inadequate face shield. I try and use the tail stock as much as possible.
I’ve found that I really don’t need to spin the bowl more than about 1500 RPM to get the job done though and I’ve had a few come off the chuck but nothing airborne yet. In fact now that I do inlays, the occasional bowl falling off the chuck can be rather interesting.

-- Failure does not stop me, it makes me try harder..... because I'm crazy.

scary, but glad you are okay Ira!

-- Matt--Proud LJ since 2007

I was using the tail stock up until the bitter end. I had remove the tail stock just before pulling the bowl off the lathe for reinforcing with CA glue.
I’ve had small ‘Failures’ in the past, that is why I was standing clear of the path, were the bowl to come apart.
Very valuable lesson. I hope others can learn from my close call.

-- Rustfever, Central California

This is the reason I’ve shied away from burls. It’s hard to spend an hour convinced that something is going to blow up in your face whether or not it actually does.

-- Failure does not stop me, it makes me try harder..... because I'm crazy.

You were very lucky. I had a blowup recently and wasn’t quite as lucky but not to bad injury. It happens so fast you barely, if at all, see it coming.

-- Dewayne in Bainbridge, Ga. - - No one can make you mad. Only you decide when you get mad - -

Looks like you handled it about as well as a guy could. Good job !

-- Dwight - "Free legal advice available - contact Dewey, Cheetam & Howe""

That was a close call !!

-- William from the oldest town in Texas

Very smart to use all of your personal protective equipment.

-- Everyone calls me Ed or Eddie , mom still calls me Edward if she is mad at me.

Glad you’re okay. I seem to always wind up bleeding.

-- Mother Nature created it, I just assemble it. - It's not ability that we often lack, but the patience to use our ability