Since nobody else mentioned this yet, there are a few things that you should be aware of when operating a lathe:
1.) NEVER wear gloves of any kind when operating a lathe. Do not wear loose clothing. If you have long hair, make sure that it is secured and out of the way. The spindle on a lathe can do an incredible amount of damage when any one of these things gets caught in it while it is rotating. Make sure this doesn't happen to you.
2.) After you tighten the chuck onto the work piece, remember to take the key out of the chuck before starting up the lathe. People who have failed to do this have seen these chuck keys imbed themselves in concrete walls, or damaged the ways on the lathe. Again, be safe and follow protocol.
3.) If the chips are not breaking up but are coming off in long strings and clumping together (aluminum will often do this), do NOT grab this debris pile while the lathe is running. Without any warning it can suddenly get caught up by the rotating part and begin spinning rather violently. If you grab the string of chips and this happens it can and will cut you badly. I personally know someone who this happened to, and the injuries were ugly. Stop the machine, and clear the chip pile before continuing.
4.) Learn how to sharpen lathe bits. This takes practice and some level of skill to do it well. A good, sharp, well ground bit will make life a lot easier when turning parts. Cutting with a dull or improperly sharpened bit is asking for trouble.
Maui
