PDA

View Full Version : My Woodworking Misadventure



robynmau
17th June 2007, 12:48 PM
Morning all

I had a bit of an accident a couple of weeks back with a piece of flying wood - flying off the lathe at speed that is :doh:

A box I was working on came and smacked me on the bridge of my nose:B blood and tears flowed but I managed to contain the language:((

The piece wasn't at all out of balance and seemed to be travelling well so I wasn't wearing my full face mask and hadn't pulled the tail stock in for extra stability. Luckily I was wearing my dusk mask, so I think the rubber took a bit of the impact :2tsup:

I finished up with a swollen nose, one very black eye, complete with swelling and one slightly black eye, so I was quite lucky really. Hubby gave me very 'strict' instructions that I wasn't to spread the rumour he'd hit me, lovely man that he is, he wouldn't dream of it :o

I hopped back onto my lathe again for the first time yesterday and have to admit, got some tummy flutters:no: The piece has now been finished as a potporrie container which I'll give to a friend as a gift.

Has anyone else made a decision that has caused them grief, or am I alone in my misadventure?

cheers

Robyn

flynnsart
17th June 2007, 03:52 PM
Ouch!:oo: I bet you were all set to flee in a hurry when you got back to turning.

Donna

Cliff Rogers
17th June 2007, 04:07 PM
Yowh!!! I have had a large mango bowl explode & a piece bounced off my forehead & hit the roof.
Lucky for me I had plastic goggles on at the time & they took most of the force, it didn't break the skin & it didn't bruise but it did leave a red skid mark. :-
I did swear & then laugh 'cos I realised that I was doing something wrong & I knew that I had caused it. :D
I still have the busted bowl in the shed somewhere. :rolleyes:

Harry72
17th June 2007, 04:50 PM
"The piece wasn't at all out of balance and seemed to be travelling well so I wasn't wearing my full face mask and hadn't pulled the tail stock in for extra stability."

A bit like "Its only just down the road... no need for a seat belt"

Hope it heals up fast Robyn, you hopped straight back on the bike and got it finished!(See seppo's we build them tough in Oz! :p )

s_m
17th June 2007, 11:20 PM
Has anyone else made a decision that has caused them grief, or am I alone in my misadventure?

10y ago I was stripping back some furniture I'd bought cheap at the markets. It was only plywood stuff but looked much better stripped and oiled than painted pukey dark burgundy.

Came in late arvo from a day of rollerblading and decided since I needed a shower already I'd just do a bit of my furniture. After an hour or so decided it was time for shower and dinner except while cleaning up managed to splash turps in my eye :doh:.

So instead of shower and dinner the rest of my evening went as follows:

- call poisons info and get told what to do
- irrigate eye under running water for 1/2h
- drive to medical centre and get told I was better off going to hospital
- drive to hospital and go thru triage
- sit in uncomfortable chair for an hour hungry, getting cold in the a/c and still in my exercise clothes - have no money on me so can't even buy junk from the machine
- eventually tell woman sitting opposite me my name in case I get called and try to doze off to sleep
- get seen by Dr and given the all clear for my eye

I think it was way late like 10 or 11pm when I got home. The moral of the story is when you need a shower and dinner have it *first* then do your woodwork!

Steph

RufflyRustic
18th June 2007, 09:47 AM
Geez Robyn! :C

Greenie fired for using the lathe again.

A friend gave me an old, solid metal table saw/combination cut off saw. I used it less then 10 times. Two of those times ended with with the same finger being mangled and blood on the concrete. I haven't given the machine it's third and last chance to take off that finger. Definintely not a power tool that someone like me should be using.:no:

The good news is, it's now been sold to someone who knows this brand of machine very well and will have no trouble taming it :)

Hope you heal quickly.

cheers

Wendy

MajorPanic
18th June 2007, 09:58 PM
Yowh!!! I have had a large mango bowl explode & a piece bounced off my forehead & hit the roof.
Lucky for me I had plastic goggles on at the time & they took most of the force, it didn't break the skin & it didn't bruise but it did leave a red skid mark. :-
I did swear & then laugh 'cos I realised that I was doing something wrong & I knew that I had caused it. :D
I still have the busted bowl in the shed somewhere. :rolleyes:Cliff, Cliff...Mate!!!

Is the roof all right? any holes? need a hand to patch it?

Quite worried about the chance of rain getting in, oh, your noggin' is tuffer than that! :wink: :U

Cliff Rogers
18th June 2007, 10:02 PM
Cliff, Cliff...Mate!!!

Is the roof all right? any holes? need a hand to patch it?

Quite worried about the chance of rain getting in, oh, your noggin' is tuffer than that! :wink: :U
When are you arriving? :D
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=20978

bobsreturn2003
19th June 2007, 06:19 PM
about 8 years ago was turning a bowl .needed a scraper ,left lathe running as doing about 7-800 revs ,just needed a scrape on inside bottom and sand to finish. walking back with scraper when ,it exploded .one piece dented roller door 20 feet away. other broke my wrist , wow just so lucky to have head out of way . this was green wood and no visible flaws ,keep tools behind you . still love to turn ,and arm healed well . but certainly makes you safety concious. these tools can bite . safe turning bob

John Saxton
20th June 2007, 10:49 PM
Hi Robyn,

The only conclusion that immediately comes to mind is that whilst turning you may have opened up an imperfection in the woodgrain that caused the imbalance of the piece on the lathe and therefore flying off and giving you a war wound.

Sometimes gum pockets or wild wild grain can cause problems with turning!

Congrats for getting back on the lathe and for taming the beast.:2tsup:

I have had the same misfortune a number of years ago but not to the extent that the wood attacked me for attacking it but it instead bounced off of the wall behind!

Cheers:)

lubbing5cherubs
24th June 2007, 04:52 PM
youch.. hope it heals quick
Toni

bentley
24th July 2007, 10:09 AM
I have been working with wood for nearly fifty years and things like that will happen now and, then it is imposable to fully understand the nature of wood it will do the weirdest things just when you think you are in control.