Metalsmith21 Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Everyone knows of the glove eater hand power tools...but even the staionary ones can bite. Didn't properly brace and due to my empty mindedness and thought my fingers were stong enough to hold the piece in place. The drill press yanked the steel pipe cap from my hand and sliced open my left pointer finger, and took a nice chunk out of my nail on that finger as well. Just be aware. I must thank you folks on here that warned me about the gloves... it could of been worse had a glove been present and my hand would of been wraped in the bit, broken wrist no dout. "Do things safely and right the first time, else you may not get a second chance to do it again" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbruce Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 The stationary ones can kill. Drill presses,lathes,pedestal buffers/grinders all seem to want to draw you in when things go south and scare me way more than power hammers. Hope you mend ok. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&ved=0CFUQFjAF&url=http%3A%2F%2Fabcnews.go.com%2FUS%2Fyale-university-student-michele-dufault-killed-machine-shop%2Fstory%3Fid%3D13366121&ei=k0O-UvuZMYjboASnl4DYBw&usg=AFQjCNGkMuAOwp-z1YVQb-8oiluRePg3Hg&bvm=bv.58187178,d.cGU&cad=rja Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Everyone knows of the glove eater hand power tools...but even the staionary ones can bite. I usually find stationary power tools even more dangerous than most hand power tools. That's because most are always on. If a hand drill grabs you or spins the work, chances are you will let go and most likely it will shut off ( assuming you don't have it on cruise control for some reason). However a drill press won't stop no matter how wrapped up you get unless you stall the motor. At that point things are probably really ugly. Same goes for wire wheels, buffers, table saws and so on. Most newer stationary tools usually have bigger "panic" buttons now days so they can be shut down faster and easier should things get ugly. Older ones don't. However they do make add on switches that can be used to retrofit some tools for safer use. It's also not a bad idea with some things to make sure if nothing else, at least the cord is in reach so you can possibly depower the tools in an emergency. Edit: I see Macbruce beat me to it while I was typing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vapremac Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 I don't know any other way to put this......but......count your lucky stars that is all that happened ! I'm glad to know that you're still here with us !!! It's sad to say but we all know to be careful around these heartless machines but we tend to get in a comfort zone, rushing to meet deadlines or "I've done it this way a hundred times " and it takes an accident whether it be to a friend/coworker or ourselves to give us a reality check. Never thought about it until DSW's reply,I have 2 walker-turner drill presses and both machines (mid 50's) have the power switches located at the rear of the machine near the motor,all of the newer ones are located at eye level in front of the spindle, times have changed. WISH YOU A SPEEDY RECOVERY !!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petere76 Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 The guidelines for stationary tools, laths, mills and drill presses, is rigidity and alignment. Lacking either can and will get you seriously injured. In the words of a crusty USMC aviation machinest, nothing hurts worse than pain. Common errors I see are folks that don't adequately secure pieces in drill presses. The piece comes lose and starts to swing at whatever the chuck speed is. If you are near this swinging menace and it catches you, it will cause damage. Be safe out there. Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobody Special Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 One I don't see mentioned as much is rings. I've seen gloves rip a guy's fingers almost off on a lathe, but if something gets ahold of a wedding band, or in between it and the finger, it's Ugly............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbruce Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 One of my old mentors Lloyd W Hammond grew up in Cheynne Wy in the 30's and told me a story about a drill press accident........ Going home from school he would hike over a viaduct that went over the tracks and Union Pacific shops (which were huge in the 30's) and he could look down into the machine shop windows.......One summer with the windows open he saw more than he wanted to. A guy operating a large drill press had maybe even got his glove snagged up in the thing but the end result was when it got done winding up his arm his whole body followed and wound him round and round until somebody got around to switching it off, too late, he was dead.....Lloyd warned me about drill presses....... :ph34r: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Rings, watches, necklaces/ neckties... All those sorts of things can be dangerous. I haven't worn a watch in years since I started working around heavy equipment. My old boss told his wife to take a good look at the ring on his finger the day they were married, because it was probably the last time she'd see him wearing it on his hand. he wasn't going to loose a hand or finger to make some sort of "fashion" statement. I had to tell the instructor at the tech school night program that I'd appreciate it if he'd either remove his school ID from around his neck, or at least tuck it inside his shirt when running the lathe. I just kept looking at it dangling just inches from the spinning chuck as he was doing demos. Anyone ever notice that older machinists either wore bow ties or had their ties tucked in their shirts/vests or had tie tacks in those old machining picts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vapremac Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 Here you go DSW, check this pic out from yesteryear......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 Yep. I was looking for a few I've seen in the past from a shop doing heavy machining in a shipyard, but couldn't locate them earlier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 It's a relief to hear all the drill press did is give you a sound beating. Getting too comfortable and relaxed around power tools can be a BAD thing. Dad used to say, "familiarity breeds contempt," so often I got sick of hearing it but truer words were never spoken. another Dad saying I heard all the time was, "you have to respect IT but you can't be afraid of IT." It being whatever tool or operation you were doing. He was also death on loose clothing, long hair or jewelry around the machinery, anything that could catch. Heal up and remember. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judson Yaggy Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 What's the average age of the kids in that machine shop photo? 14? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 Probably close. Keep in mind things were a bit different back then. An apprenticeship was a form of schooling. Young "kids" would do basic menial tasks many times and learn at the feet of more skilled workers. It still used to be common for kids to learn basic machining even as soon as Jr high in shop when I was in school. Difference was they weren't getting paid to learn. I'll grant you there were abuses to the old system, but at a time when people married and started having kids at 14 to 16 life was a bit different than it is today. In many cases you were "old" by 35 or 40. Keep in mind the average life span of a man in 1900 was about 46, and it was only 54 in the 1920's. Compare that to about 74 in 1998. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuge Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 I use a foot pedal on my drill press, quick to stop if there's trouble and also very efficient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbruce Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 I use a foot pedal on my drill press, quick to stop if there's trouble and also very efficient. I'd like to see that.......... B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vapremac Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Nuge, I agree, foot pedal controls are a great addition to drill presses......excellent for production work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuge Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 I'd like to see that.......... B) It is an old on/off pedal from a flex shaft I had kicking around. When your foot comes off, it's off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 As to foot peddles, to paraphrase Linda "were blacksmiths, right?" Momentary switches arnt hard to sorce, and they are made for just these kinds of applications. Sorce the swttch, build the foot pedal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judson Yaggy Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 I have one on my belt grinder, wouldn't be without it as I can step up with something two-handed, knock off a corner or two, and walk away quick as you like. Not for a shop with employees or the accident prone thou… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 ...and don't leave the key in the chuck when starting up. Also, on hand held tools, don't lock the trigger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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