Scoffin' at Scarf While Learning to Lathe

[2oolhound]

Scoffin' at Swarf While Learning to Lathe

60 years ago when my atlas 10" lathe was made I don't think just anybody could own a lathe. Today home owners can own a lathe and a mill. We don't need to take a 4 or 5 year apprenticeship, just buy one and learn as you go. I've read 4 or 5 text books, watched youtube videos and spoken to machinists but it's not the same as an apprenticeship where you get structured learning alternating with hands on experience under the watchful eye of a journeyman.

I've been getting more time in on mine lately makin chips and producing swarf. I was facing some very rusty 7" plates watching thin threads of steel rise up from your work like fine silken serpents 12 to 20 inches high before they collapse into a tangled ball. Sometimes I get concerned it's going to fall forward around my hand then get tangled in the revolving chuck and tighten up but I've always scoffed at the thought in my mind thinking if that ever happened I'd just give a good jerk back and snap that little strand in half.



When I get a basket ball sized pile I stop and gently cradle my hands under it and drop it in a 5 gal. can where I stomp it down with my big boots.



This time however I had it cradled in my hands and when I turned toward the bucket one strand caught on a knob of the lathe and it happened to be a stand that looped around my finger. In a fraction of a second it sliced 1/2 through my finger. It was deep and cut some small veins and grazed a nerve so I decided to go get stitches. It took 6 to close it up. That happened last friday and I'm not supposed to do anything at all for 3 days and then do almost nothing for another 7 when I can get the stitches out. BUMMER MAN.



In hind sight I'm sure I've read on how to grind a groove on the bit to act as a chip breaker so you end up with chips instead of a mound of razor sharp spaghetti but when you're learning on your own you just don't remember everything in order all the time. I've learned the hard way and now have a whole lot of respect for swarf. I won't be scoffing at it and I'm glad it wasn't a situation where it wrapped around my wrist and got caught in the chuck so I could have done what I'd envisioned and tried to break it by yanking my hand back real hard. After this my vision is more like my hand is laying there beside the chuck.

Here are some links to discussions on chip breakers for any other newbies like me out there:

http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=87325&start=0

http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=75985

 

[ZRX61]

It's swarf, not scarf

 

[gol4]

2oolhound thanks for the visual lesson/reminder.
I had High school machine shop in the early 70's and still remember not to use my bare hands around metal shavings.
I just recently got a lathe (2 actually) and have been using them a lot lately.
I just came out of the shop and had a pile similar to yours. Mine was aluminum.

I keep some needle nose pliers, a brush and a vacuum to keep my lathe clear but there are occasions I will use my hands so a visual reinforcement of the consequences is appreciated.

Hoping you have full recovery and can get back to making chips.

 

[hautpot]

Chip brush, needle nose, and air gun (using air is actually advised against but we still do it)

 

[2oolhound]

Re: Scoffin' at Swarf While Learning to Lathe

It's swarf, not scarf

Ha, dam you beat me. I just got in and was thinking about it and thought geez, did I call it scarf? Then I logged in to check and sure as **** one of you had to catch it before I could make it right.


Thanks for the kind words guys although we've all had some cuts and bruises so I'm not looking for sympathy. I know you can find it between **** and syphilis in the dictionary. No, my hope for this thread is if I can help prevent even just one fellow GJ member from sticking his big foot in his mouth and using a word like scarf instead of swarf in a public forum such as this the post won't be in vain.

But I'll say again on the serious side, I had gotten too comfortable handling swarf over the last few weeks and this little mishap has likely prevented a far worse one from happening to me.

 

[xtremek]

When I ran production machines, we used fillet gloves that were made out of steel, Kevlar and nylon to clear the swarf. I used to start clearing it as the spindles were beginning to brake. Every now and then you'd hear a hissing noise as the swarf started to wrap around the spindles or parts. I never moved so fast in my life, pulling my hands out. 7 years doing production machining, I still have all my fingers and they're not molested from that experience. Respect the stuff, it tougher than looks. Glad you got off with just a little kiss.

 

[davethorik]

I've definitely seen some pretty gruesome pics and vids online of machining accidents. When I'm running any machine I have a no jewelry rule. Seen lathes grab wedding bands and deglove entire finger or hand. I like keeping a pair of side cutters handy for when the chips are long and stringy

 

[LXCam]

As I was reading your story and you described just pulling back and breaking a strand, my first thought was ya-right after it cuts halfway through your hand. And then the picture . Almost 20 years ago I was wearing gloves and they got caught in between a gear set and trapped my hand like a Chinese finger torture deal and drug my hand between them splitting it in half like a torn open peach. A three fingered hand was the first surgeons suggestion and then came duggie houser and I wound up with a whole hand but two of the digits are there just for looks. Morale of the story, I got a whole lotta respect for machines. Damn glad that's all that happened to ya bud.

 

[woody 73]

Wow am I so glad that even though I get covered in every part of my body by wood chip shavings nothing like that will happen to me.

Good story about not getting close to all that flying metal!

 

[bczygan]

Machinist I worked with used needle nose pliers to pull swarf away from the turning part, so it wouldn't tangle.

Swarf got caught on the part and dragged his hand into the machine before he could let go.

Hand got trapped between machine and the tool holder before he could hit the emergency stop, which took a few seconds.

Mashed it good, but could have been a lot worse.

Nice lathe!

Bill

 

[justanengineer]

I think some of you fellas are missing the OP's humor.

This thread reminds me of a setup I was running recently, something wasn't quite right and before I knew it I had hair growing in funny places...