Shop Safety.

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PostalBob

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Oct 10, 2006
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Location
Shamong New Jersey
Question for Safety in the Shop? I just completed a dust recovery system after many attempts on making it right. That being said, I met a turner in one of the big stores buying tools and we started off by asking about different tools being used? After that I told him so proudly about my system and he asked me? IF my recovery system was attached to my grinder along with my sander, and lathe? I said yes and he mentioned about the fact there is a chance the ambers from the grinder can travel along the pipe into the recovery collection bin and cause a fire. I had never heard of that and no one had ever mentioned it too me. It made me wonder, was this really a problem? and if so why had I not heard of it before?This is my first year in pen turning , tried to learn as many safety facts as possible.
Like to get some feed back on this before I continue to use my system?
Thanks, And Thanks to all the great postings, I have learned a lot and like to keep learning more each time I am on the site.
Great Work.
Postalbob
 
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It is a possibility, I would not connect a metal grinder to a wood dust collection system for several reasons, that being one, the other is even if the ember does not reach the container it could cause an explosion from the air born dust with in a tube being ignited, if there is any plastics within the system it could melt them and cause a fire. These are all possibilities and for the most part would not happen unless the conditions for them to happen were just right, are you willing to risk it?
 
A grinder hooked up to a dust extraction system, never heard of that one before.

A little too safety concious I think, it`s like putting on sun cream and shades when you switch on the workshop lights.[8D]

As an ex firefighter I don`t recommend the grinder hook up![:0]
 
I agree on this too. It might not happen but the chances are upped by doing it.

Speaking of the grinder, - a warning - Something that many people are not aware of - grinding steel, iron then grinding aluminum, and back to iron can be VERY dangerous. Aluminum powder and iron powders are what make up Thermite and the mixture does not have to be precise to get the reaction going. Clean the area well between grinding different metals.

This mixture of aluminum and steel/iron is possibly what weakened the beams of the twin towers so fast. (my own theory)

I used to have a few web site links to shops that had had major fires started by the aluminum and steel grinding but I can't find them now.
 
Good point Hank, as a general safety rule one should never grind aluminum on your bench grinder. use sanding discs, belts or disposable wheels on a hand grinder. Aluminum can clog the wheel and cause out of balance issues possibly causing spontaneous and rapid de construction of the grinding wheel. Its just not worth the risk. As far as the grinder blowing up the shop from the sparks, I have never heard of it I guess its a possability but I can't imagine the sparks off a grinder having enough energy to spark a fire in a wood shop. I would not start a grinder in a room full of gas fumes but the chances of having the exact concentration of wood dust to air seems pretty damn remote. That said probably better safe than sorry, just vacuuming up the dust after you are finished grinding may be the best option.
 
Living in the wheat belt of the prairies, I learned that a high concentration of dust in the air is a great catalyst for an explosion. In the OLD wheat silos, they'd just shut the doors with the truck inside, dump the wheat down a chute, and it would billow up and cause a great concentration of dust in the air...then a single spark or arc can cause (and has caused) a massive explosion...

So, adding embers to your dust collection system might be a bad idea...If you're worried about dust from the wheels and the tool getting in your lungs, wear a mask!

ANdrew
 
LOML has a recovery bag under his tale saw. I started it on fire with sparks from sawing wood[:0] Glad the water hose was handy!!!!!
 
Becca, I've got to ask what wood were you working that sparks when you saw it? Please don't say wood with nails in it. I may be funny this way but if there were sparks coming out from beneath my table saw I would be quite concerned about the electrical components of the saw.
 
Becca, the next time you get sparks from cutting wood.... turn the blade around! [:eek:)]

I agree, bad things from grinders hooked to a DC system, I would drop that set up myself.



Oh, and about grinding aluminum on a grinding wheel. I did that one, and my Dad wooped my rear end for it!! LOL [:D] My "just returns" are hitting now, I caught one of the boys outside with one of my D7 Disston handsaws today! (He's VERY lucky it was not the Acme 120 that he grabbed!)
 
Related to safety but not DC systems:

6 months ago or so my 9 year old was working on his first inside out ornament. He lost focus for a second and pushed the tool into the block too hard and cause it to blow off the lathe. It came apart in 4 pieces. One of them hit the aluminum shield on my drop light and put a blank-sized, rectangular dent 5/8" deep. A second piece whizzed past my ear fast enough to hear. We didn't find that piece until last week; it had flown almost 50' and landed in the planter on the far side of the driveway. If it had made contact i would have surely lost some part of my body.

Wear a face shield even if you are just watching someone else!!

GK
 
Being an insurance investigator I have examined the smoltering remains of three rather intense fires that were finally attributed to the sparks from gring wheels being the source of ignition. BTW, it does not take but one spark - regardless of the size of spark - to ignite flammable materials. Heck, spontanious combustion starts just from stored heat and there is no spark there.

DO NOT USE THE VACUUM AT THE GRINDER ...
 
A good friend of mine has a professional woodworking shop. One of his new employees decide to sharpen some of the tools. He move one of the movable inlets for the D/C to the sharpener. After grinding for about a minute the entire D/C exploded. Lucky the system is mounted out side of the building. But it did cost him about 100k in damages. Sparks and a D/C do not mix.
 
Just wanted to say Thanks to all that replied. As it was noted I did not infact connect the collector to the grinder. Almost but thanks to many replies did not. after my posting I had the local fire department make a request visit and they along with most others who replied said it was in fact not a good idea. That being said had and entire new system to collect dust from the grinder, directly into a small water pail.
Again thanks for all of the input that made me feel good knowing there are some really good people in this site that do care.
Be well and Take care \Postalbob
 
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