Thread: Swarf in house= unhappy wife

Happy wife makes for a happy life.
Find a little trick the makes her happy but not too demanding on yourself......
Like "Sorry Honey, how about we go out for coffee" or
vacuum the house once every six months and tell her you're doing the best you can.
Yer just gotta find the right little thing......

Rocket is correct: Happy wife = happy life!

I have on occasion brought swarf into the house. What I don't understand is that she always finds it before me!

While I don't get growled at, she is not too impressed. I usually apologise (make it sound sincere) and it's all OK again. She knows that if we had to pay a tradesman for all the stuff that I have done around the house that it would have cost us $$$$$$$$$$ more than we have so I guess she see's it as a trade-off.

Anyway I have mitigated some of the swarf problem by changing boots and feeling around my socks, which is where it seems to collect after falling in my boots. To reduce this even further, you could wear gaiters, which are an elastic material that cover your leg and covers the opening to your shoes. Gardeners wear then and so too hikers to stop bindies collecting on their socks.

A nice dust coat (grey colour) would also help.

Failing that, one of those white sperm suites may work, the ones they wear when dealing with absestos.

Good luck!

Simon

I wear a dust coat while using the lathe or mill. I figure that if you are that close that clothing can catch then you are too close anyway. If you really wanted to you could put some elastic in the sleeves.
I sweep several times during the day - not just at the end. It seems to help control swarf.
Keep a comb or brush in the shed to give yourself a quick deswarfing. If you are doing steel, but a magnet on a stick and wave it over yourself at the end of a session. Leave the dust coat there and take your boots off outside.

Michael

It occurred to me today that a perspex shield in front of the lathe chuck would stop most or all of the swarf that is flung in my direction. Might also stop that mysterious vertical stripe of cutting oil that appears on my t-shirt sometimes.

Simon,
the reason your wife finds it before you is that you probably have the same domestic blindness that I have.

Michael,
the comb and the magnetic stick are two good ideas. I'm also leaning towards a leather apron with no pockets. They are reasonably cheap at carbatec.

Tea Lady,
my wife has never bothered about my sawdust- it vacuums up easily. The swarf takes a bit more effort to shift out of carpet (and feet).

Yep, same here.....except my wife is OCD, she vacuums most days and can see a spot of dust at fifty paces......
The whole time we have lived together though i have either been a cabinetmaker, so i have bought wood shavings and dust inside, or i have been machining, so i have bought chips inside. I guess it was just part of the parcel for her.
We have a no shoe's inside deal, so if shaving end up in my soles it doesn't matter. I always wear a leather apron, especially if cutting with carbide. If you are wearing synthetic fabric clothing the hot chips melt their way into the fabric and then fall off later...normally once you get inside. My socks are the other big problem, i use "sock savers", as my dad always called them, when i am wearing shorts.

Originally Posted by Gerbilsquasher

You could go for a boiler suit, and leave it in the shed when you go inside.

I too have a partner whose response to trails of woodchips or swarf is somewhat unreasonable. My normal shed attire is a boiler suit and Oliver slip-on steel toe boots worn over a pair of shorts; when I'm ordered back into the house for the odd meal, fix a dripping tap or to perform my conjugal responsibilties I just slip out of the coveralls, trot briskly the ten yards to the back door and kick off the boots. I keep an old hand towel by the shed door to rub off any dust on my face and a number three comb on the clippers means getting it out of my hair is effortless. The result? Only trace amounts of debris remain to follow me in, and as by then I'm dressed quite sparingly my rippling torso is in full view for her appreciation.

There is also a six foot long runner straight from the back door into the dining area that catches any bits I might have missed thus ensuring I am as sparkling clean as possible and ready to eat/repair/slip into the Spiderman costume as required. Run the Dyson over it at the end of the day and you'd never know I'd been in.

Originally Posted by Ueee

i use "sock savers", as my dad always called them, when i am wearing shorts.

They're called "Putties"

Or "gaiters".

All very Bwitish.

Cheers

Rob

Originally Posted by Chief Tiff

My normal shed attire is a boiler suit and Oliver slip-on steel toe boots worn over a pair of shorts...

I can see why your wife prefers you to change into a Spiderman suit!

Jack, I wear a coat, dust coat I think they are called. When I did a machining course at Midland Tafe back in 2003, all the instructors wore grey ones. At the time I thought it was a bit of a plod look, until the Dragon did the same to me what yours did to you. Always wear safety boots, glasses, cap, long sleeve shirt and jeans, tried machining in shorts once, that swaf is hot when it pings down your onto your socks.

Anyway, after taking a bollocking from her cause she managed to pick up a bit in the bedroom carpet, I went out and bought a coat. Now I just take it off, give it a shake in the shed, hang it up and all is sweet again. I think Sparey has one on, on the cover of his book.

DD

How about installing a MRI scanner in the shed and having a run through before going inside. Sometimes I think it would be better than the tirade of vehement harangue I cop when a micro fragment of swarf hitches a ride into the sacred temple of doom.

Phil

Hi Stuart,
I'm starting to go cold on the dustcoat idea, but, a spider man suit now there's an image to conjure with...

Hey Phil, "Temple of doom"... maybe an Indiana Jones outfit would work...

Regards
Ray

Originally Posted by RayG

Hey Phil, "Temple of doom"... maybe an Indiana Jones outfit would work...

Regards
Ray

Not sure a costume would work though there was some mention of removing the moustache. (Ain't gunna happen) lol

Phil

HI,

I agree with "happy wife, happy life."

I can't stop the swarf, so I just do the dishes and vacuum every now and then.

When I'm at work I wear all the correct PPE due to OHS (all whatever its called now) when I'm at home, thongs, singlet and safety glasses when I can find them.

Cheers Ben.