skew 1 : George 0

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gcurran

gcurran

Member
Joined
Dec 17, 2007
Messages
68
Location
Blairsville, GA, USA.
Well I just got back from the ER - was turning some pens this afternoon (what else to do on a holiday). I was working on a baron between centers, and just about had it rounded out when the skew chisel slipped and caught me on the right middle finger at the first nuckle on the far outside (thank goodness for scarey sharp tools). I grabbed a blue shop towel to stop the bleeding (was pretty bad) and shut everything down. Walked into the house and washed it out good (pain is a good thing - right? :RockOn:) and wrapped it good and tight with the shop towel. Called my wife (she was out shopping with daughter #2) and informed her that I cut myself in the shop. She said that she was on her way home and asked if I was ok - said I would make it till she got there. 30 minutes later when she got home, she informed me that a trip to the ER was in my future (she is a nurse - so I follow her directions on things like this). Went to the ER, got 2 stiches and an admonation to be careful (yea, right :biggrin:) and sent home.

Bottom line -- ruined a half day of shop time, only finished one pen with 2 in work, and cant play in the shop for about a week.

Y'all be carefull out there. :bananen_smilies047:
 
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Glad you are not worse for your wear than that. Ain't it funny how those things happen when you are not expecting them. less than a blink of an eye.
 
George you must have been holding your mouth just at the right angle. The error could have been far worse. Very sorry to hear you had the 'accident', but and very glad it is not worse.

I have a neighbor that just insists on using his lathe at top speed (bad idea)while sanding. Not a big deal to sand on the lathe as we al know, BUT he uses long strips of cloth backed sandpaper. He has told me of the many 'grabs' he has had over his turning career resulting in the paper wrapping itself around the item being sanded.

Well, I saw him the other day and he is missing his right index finger all the way back to the knuckle. Seems he had a grab and the paper caught up his finger and ... well the rest is history.

Be careful out there folks! Loose cloths don't make good sense around spinning devices ya know!
 
At least your ordeal is over and you lived to tell about it! :wink: Painful lesson too! I feel for you and glad that you came through without major damage.
 
1080Wayne said:
George Ouch ! Only way I can figure out your accident , is if you are left handed ? Perhaps we should be wearing a Kevlar glove on the hand closest to the tool point . Wayne
Click to expand...

I'm also puzzled about how it happened. BTW, many turners do wear gloves.
Slight digression: Now that I have a lathe with real power, I find that deeper cuts at higher speed result in shavings coming off quite hot. A glove on my right hand (closest to the rest and piece being turned) would be a big asset, I'm going to start. Pain isn't fun.
 
1080Wayne said:
George Ouch ! Only way I can figure out your accident , is if you are left handed ? Perhaps we should be wearing a Kevlar glove on the hand closest to the tool point . Wayne
Click to expand...

George; Glad to hear it isn't too bad. I have nicked myself with a skew. Skew in one hand, reached for something with the other... OUCH!
Lesson Learned: Always lay the skew down unless both hands are on it!


Hmmm; Wayne; you might be on to something there... I have a "butchers glove" from when me and a friend (also named Wayne) processed deer during fall deer hunting season.

Second Hmmmm.... I don't think that is a good idea. A glove and a spinning tool are just waiting to get wrapped up in each other....

I do wear a glove to change sharp blades etc. but only on tools that are turned off and unplugged.
 
I seem to recall specific warnings when I was first taking some lessons on the lathe against wearing anything, including gloves, that might be caught while turning. It's very hard to stop a horse and a half from spinning with a finger (or a wrist, or an arm, for that matter). And I can state from my own experiences that you won't get to the emergency stop button on time either.

Marc

1080Wayne said:
George Ouch ! Only way I can figure out your accident , is if you are left handed ? Perhaps we should be wearing a Kevlar glove on the hand closest to the tool point . Wayne
Click to expand...
 
marcruby said:
I seem to recall specific warnings when I was first taking some lessons on the lathe against wearing anything, including gloves, that might be caught while turning. It's very hard to stop a horse and a half from spinning with a finger (or a wrist, or an arm, for that matter). And I can state from my own experiences that you won't get to the emergency stop button on time either.

Marc
Click to expand...

I'm betting that for those that turn between centers to results would be less dramatic. One of the things I like is that in the case of a major catch, the blank is allowed to spin free. Not that I'm willing to try it to find out.

I can say that the effect has saved a couple blanks that I was working on.
 
I always figure that a year without stitches is a very good year. For some reason, I've never cut myself on the lathe with a chisel (if you don't count the time I put my hand down on the chisel rack without watching). I nick myself regularly on bowl edges I have forgotten to dull. And I once had a natural edge bowl eat a shirtsleeve. I did save the bowl I'm proud to say.

Marc
 
marcruby said:
I seem to recall specific warnings when I was first taking some lessons on the lathe against wearing anything, including gloves, that might be caught while turning. It's very hard to stop a horse and a half from spinning with a finger (or a wrist, or an arm, for that matter). And I can state from my own experiences that you won't get to the emergency stop button on time either.

Marc
Click to expand...

Watching videos of teaching professionals, you will often see them wearing a glove.
 
None of my videos show gloves. Nor do I recall seeing them in a demo or seminar. I'll have to ask around the local clubs but I haven't seen them there either. I do know that Dale Nish wears them and I'm sure there are some people who do, and most of them still have all their fingers. But the general shop rule still holds, wear nothing that can get caught around spinning and cutting machinery. I think you're just trying to inject fearlessness into this discussion.

Rifleman1776 said:
Watching videos of teaching professionals, you will often see them wearing a glove.
Click to expand...
 
1080Wayne said:
George Ouch ! Only way I can figure out your accident , is if you are left handed ? Perhaps we should be wearing a Kevlar glove on the hand closest to the tool point . Wayne
Click to expand...

I am right handed but turn both left handed and right handed. When the accident happened, I was holding the skew with my left hand, working the blank from left to right. Only thing I can think of is that my right hand slipped to the right of the chisel and got caught in the line of motion. I really hesitate to wear a glove because of the loss of tactile feel of the tool and the work.
 
When you work left to right do you turn with the leading point up or down? I'm left handed too. I go from l to r with the point down. Don't know if that would have any effect, though.

Marc

gcurran said:
I am right handed but turn both left handed and right handed. When the accident happened, I was holding the skew with my left hand, working the blank from left to right. Only thing I can think of is that my right hand slipped to the right of the chisel and got caught in the line of motion. I really hesitate to wear a glove because of the loss of tactile feel of the tool and the work.
Click to expand...
 
I did hear about a young engineer working at one of the race team shops here in NC getting his glove caught in a metal lathe. It pulled the ends of a few fingers off and pulled ligaments or tendons? out of his arm up to his elbow. That was graphic enough just hearing about it to convince me. I know there's a difference between metal lathes and wood lathes but I say "Safety First Alllathes" (always).
 
marcruby said:
When you work left to right do you turn with the leading point up or down? I'm left handed too. I go from l to r with the point down. Don't know if that would have any effect, though.

Marc
Click to expand...

Marc, I turn both directions with the point of the skew up. Kind of forced to, since I am using an oval skew that has the edge opposite the point rounded and the edge next to the point square.

(bad attempt at ascii art: )

_________
(_________| point end
 
George - Hope you recover quickly!!! The LOML says I am accident prone. I tell her if I sat on the sofa all the time I probably wouldn't get hurt. Think about the beauty of your finished work and plan for the next great experiment. You'll be back turning in no time.

And remember what Keanu Reeves (sp) said in The Replacements:

"Pain goes away, chicks dig scars, and glory lasts forever."
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1080Wayne View Post
George Ouch ! Only way I can figure out your accident , is if you are left handed ? Perhaps we should be wearing a Kevlar glove on the hand closest to the tool point . Wayne

Rifleman1776 said:
I'm also puzzled about how it happened. BTW, many turners do wear gloves.
Slight digression: Now that I have a lathe with real power, I find that deeper cuts at higher speed result in shavings coming off quite hot. A glove on my right hand (closest to the rest and piece being turned) would be a big asset, I'm going to start. Pain isn't fun.
Click to expand...

I've taken to wearing a leather glove on my left hand.. with the fingers cut out so I can still feel the tool and what the wood does... you're right about the hot shavings and then hitting the back of my hand.. gets pretty uncomfortable and quick.

I can see the skew going through the right hand... I'm right handed and a couple of times when I have thrust the skew against the wood without paying attention have had it kick back hard enough to shoot through my hand and half way across the shop. (knock on wood..two raps to the side of the head) so far I've only had the bejeezus scared out of me.. no cuts yet.

George,
Hope all heals well and you are back attaching the wood soon.
 
Chuck Now you are giving me the shivers ! I would classify an airborne skew as a lethal weapon . Full face/neck shield as a minimum , full body armour preferred . Always remember : The pen , and all processes associated with the making and marketing thereof , can be more painful than the sword . Wayne
 
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