First lathe injury

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xmaddchillx

Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2008
Messages
126
Location
Boca Raton, FL
I completely deserved this......

So, I unpacked the lathe. Mind you I have NEVER used one before. Read the instructions, Put the mandrel in and turn it on. The mandrel wasn't alighned straight I guess and flew off and whacked my index finger.

Long story short. I probably should of read up a little more first and I might have a fractured finger lol.

Thats the complete nutshell. I'm going to have to heal up and get a new mandrel now before I post questions about how to fix my lathe


One thing I did notice is that the variable speed option on my turncrafter wasn't working. The lathe was spinnging extremely fast. Any ideas as to why? I can say that might be part of the reason why this little ordeal occured.
 
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Yes, the mandrel goes right into the headstock? I'm not exactly sure what happened. It was spinning awfully cockeyed. Something is definetly not right and I will have to do some research now.
 
Hey, at least you learned from it! Now it's experience! :)

The mandrel goes into the headstock. The live centre goes in the tailstock. The live centre is brought up until it fits in the small hole in the mandrel. The tailstock is locked down. Make sure everything is secure, then start the lathe. Nothing falls out! :)
 
I hate to say it but thats how I feel. I'm really curious about the variable speed though. The knob isnt adjusting the speed at all. It just stays at a roaring RPM. Wonder why that is? Hopefully this isn't as bad as I think because I can't afford to miss work right now.
 
xmaddchillx said:
Yes, the mandrel goes right into the headstock? I'm not exactly sure what happened. It was spinning awfully cockeyed. Something is definetly not right and I will have to do some research now.
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yes but the live centre on the tailstock should come up to the end of the mandrel. Sounds like you didn't do this and the live stock should have a 60 degree taper
 
It was in the little dimple at the end of the mandrel. I must not have tightened it or something. Also, I don't believe the headstock and tailstock line up perfectly. Is there any way to adjust it? The instructions are horrible.

Any noobie guides are also appreciated!!
 
Next time you turn it on don't have anything on the lathe. No mandrell, no faceplate, no centers, no nothing. Just turn it on to see how it runs. If there isn't anything on it then there isn't anything to fly off and hit you.

Also, although I doubt many people do it, when you turn on the lathe you should be standing to the side so if something does fly it won't hit you and you can quickly turn it off. I confess I don't do this when turning pens but I do it everytime I mount a bowl blank. I also suggest you wear safety glasses or better a full face shield. You could have been much more seriously injured.

Is there anyone near you that can show you the basics?
 
Sorry you got hurt, There have been quite a few problems with the pots the Chinese are using on all of the lathes, both wood and metal, some will weld the wires in place if you turn it on with the speed set at Max, this has happened to a friend of mine twice with his 7x12 metal lathe, and I got sick of replacing the off/on switch on my Steel city, so I just put a toggle switch on it, Jet has a similar problem.
 
I found a great tutorial on youtube which I am watching. I have a lot of learning to do still. No one in the area to teach me that I know of. Woodcraft has a class in april which is kind of a ways away! :(
 
xmaddchillx said:
I found a great tutorial on youtube which I am watching. I have a lot of learning to do still. No one in the area to teach me that I know of. Woodcraft has a class in april which is kind of a ways away! :(
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I'd also recommend looking up Ed Davidson (yoyospin.com). He has a bunch of basic videos that I referenced when first starting out. Check out several of the pen suppliers sites (arizonasilhouette.com, pennstateind.com) for DVD's on pen turning. It's worth the few bucks to save your mandrel or your hand (or face, next time!). There are PLENTY of video tutorials out there. I'd be a little leary of some YouTube videos out there. I've yet to see a YouTube pen turning video that doesn't use at least one unsafe step in the process. Some are better than others, but any old shmo can just throw up their videos.
 
xmaddchillx Invest the 20 or so dollars and get a real 60 degree live center, it will save your new mandrel and more bruising and breaking of things, Also Never reach over a table saw DAMHIKT
 
Hope you overcome your injuries quickly. If the lathe caused you problems, WATCH OUT FOR THE TABLE SAW AND BANDSAW!!!
 
Keith ... First, sorry that you had a bad experience right out of the box. It could have been worse for you and I am sure everyone else here is very glad for you that it was not.

Stories like this one REMIND us all to always turn the speed down BEFORE turning on the lathe.

As far as your being hurt there are several scenarios that could have caused this injury. It reads to me like you just did not have the proper seating of the mandel in the headstock, and/or you didn't seat the live center into the dimpled end of the rod. This would cause a fast turning mandrel to frail about like crazy if it was even a little bit out of balance - especially if the brass knob was on the rod. Yikes is all I can say!

If you did have it properly mounted and the live center in the dimple ... then I do believe that I would (a) consult with a friend who is experienced with using a lathe and get their opinion of the possible cause, (b) I would then consider contacting the place where you purchased the lathe and discuss the problem(s) - depending on what you learn from your 'friend', (c) maybe a lawyer should be contacted IF the product is found to be defective, etc.

Be sure to let us know what you find out and decide to do ... Happy Healing! Just don't let this experience get the best of you and drive you out of the hobby. We all have some similar experiences to tell about - but don't for many obvious reasons ...

REMEMBER the golden rule to always turn the speed down when first turning on the lathe and things like this - or worse - will not happen!

Best of luck to ya! :biggrin:
 
do you have the right size mandrel? It almost sounds like you had a MT-1 and you need a MT-2 mandrel. Make sure you check the size needed for the lathe that you have.

Robert
 
If the mandrel rod is bent, you can sometimes fix them by rolling them on a tablesaw.

Once you think its straight, put it on the lathe and turn by HAND = LATHE OFF.. without the tailstock on, this will show you if the rod is straight or still bent.... (straight would turn nice when looking at the tailstock end, and bent would be whipping a little).. Again.... DO THIS WITH THE LATHE OFF.
 
and if you just took it out of the box and something isn't working. send it back and get one that works correctly. don't tamper with it yourself, or you probably will void the warranty.
 
i will take some pictures tomorrow to show you what I am working with. Also, I am going to go to woodcraft to pickup a new mandrel. It came with a 60 degree live center. I bought the turncrafter pro 1/2hp variable speed
 
xmaddchillx said:
i will take some pictures tomorrow to show you what I am working with. Also, I am going to go to woodcraft to pickup a new mandrel. It came with a 60 degree live center. I bought the turncrafter pro 1/2hp variable speed
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I think it probably came with a live center, not a 60 degree live center. You might want to check again as they are very different.
 
I just looked up the 60 degree and your right. I have the regular live center. Looks like thats on my list to pickup tomorrow. Also the finger is actually doing a lot better from what it looked like right off the bat. I would say its almost back to normal. Amazing since I thought I whacked my knuckle out of place
 
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