Is this a safe setup for an interrupted cut on heavy part?

[JRouche]

I'm at least half as safe as Evil Knievel, so I should be fine right?

Just read a documentary about him. WoW!! Its seems like he must get amnesia while laying in the hospital bed while mending his bones cause he would just go out and do it again. It was entertaining though, I grew up watching him. Yeah, yer safe comparatively JR

[The Metal Butcher]

Hahahaa!! Yes Sir. Its so safe I tend to just float a few inches off the floor as to not get dust on the bottoms of my steel toed shoes

Id love to see your resume. "Risk-Я-Us" is the header JR

Hmm. Dust sounds like a breathing hazard. Risky. But floating should be a good mitigation strategy. Haha.

I'm at least half as safe as Evil Knievel, so I should be fine right?

[Doozer]

Noah works with radioactive stuff.
He knows about risk.

-D

[JRouche]

Not in JR's shop.

No need for safety glasses. He simply does not allow the risk of a chip hitting his eye in his shop.

No e-stops either. That's for emergencies which only happen due to risk.

No smoke alarm, no fire extinguisher, no risk. He simply doesn't let it in the door. JR has the safest shop here because he simply won't allow it to be risky. Gotta admire that.

P.s., good tip on the wrench.

Hahahaa!! Yes Sir. Its so safe I tend to just float a few inches off the floor as to not get dust on the bottoms of my steel toed shoes

Id love to see your resume. "Risk-Я-Us" is the header JR

[The Metal Butcher]

Yes, machine shops are extremely dangerous places. One can do one's best to minimize risk, but it can't ever be eliminated. A simple mistake can be deadly around such equipment, as I'm sure many of us have first or second hand experience with. That's why training is very important. Personally, I've still got all my fingers intact. I have had a few stitches from machine shop incidents as an apprentice though. My number one bit of advice is to NEVER put any part of your body in or even very near a possible pinch point. Number two is to keep your balance when pulling on a wrench, and always pull toward yourself. Especially important if you're standing in a pile of razor sharp chips while doing it ..

Not in JR's shop.

No need for safety glasses. He simply does not allow the risk of a chip hitting his eye in his shop.

No e-stops either. That's for emergencies which only happen due to risk.

No smoke alarm, no fire extinguisher, no risk. He simply doesn't let it in the door. JR has the safest shop here because he simply won't allow it to be risky. Gotta admire that.

P.s., good tip on the wrench.

[Doozer]

About risk and crossing the street...
When I cross the street, I always make sure
traffic is clear enough to allow me to cross
at walking speed. Never running.
I remember one time it started to rain when I
was at work. I ran out into the parking lot to
close the windows in my car. The pave was
wet and I slipped and fell on my butt.
Never again will I run in the rain.
I thought I would apply this rule to crossing
the street. Raining or not, it seems like a
good idea to always leave enough time to
walk across the street. Less risk of tripping.

-Doozer

[eKretz]

I have to continue the shop experience I just mentioned as it is so sad
The glove caught on the shaft ( rough ) and ripped off the glove and 3 fingers but left his thumb and index finger on his right hand
blood everywhere and we got a tourniquet on his right arm and luckily the fire department was only a minute or two away for the ambulance to come .( 1/8 mile ?)
We stood around in shock talking when a fireman came back and said the hospital wants the fingers, so we rushed back inside ,
and could not find them, and then one of the lesser intelligent guys in our shop said
" i picked them up and threw them in the toilet so you guys didn't have to do that"
Boy was the boss pissed .. and we all felt stupid --but he never came back to work , so he probably never knew what really happened
As I said, a sad experience
Rich

Wow. That's about all I can say. What an idiot. (Toilet guy). That shaft must have been one nasty torn finish SOB to grab a glove that quickly and tenaciously.

[Rich Carlstedt]

I have to continue the shop experience I just mentioned as it is so sad
The glove caught on the shaft ( rough ) and ripped off the glove and 3 fingers but left his thumb and index finger on his right hand
blood everywhere and we got a tourniquet on his right arm and luckily the fire department was only a minute or two away for the ambulance to come .( 1/8 mile ?)
We stood around in shock talking when a fireman came back and said the hospital wants the fingers, so we rushed back inside ,
and could not find them, and then one of the lesser intelligent guys in our shop said
" i picked them up and threw them in the toilet so you guys didn't have to do that"
Boy was the boss pissed .. and we all felt stupid --but he never came back to work , so he probably never knew what really happened
As I said, a sad experience
Rich

[J Tiers]

For sure..... just a comment, not a critique.

[eKretz]

I'd modify that to say to "pull away from any moving or otherwise dangerous parts, in such a way that neither your hands nor your body will go into danger if something breaks etc".

I'd not recommend pulling toward one's self if an unguarded belt is between your body and hands, for instance. Actually, I'd not want to put myself in that position.

it also matters how sharp what you are pulling is..... I cut "away from myself" when using a chisel or knife, etc. A wrench is generally less of an issue, unless you can brain yourself with it if it comes loose.

Common sense is the key.

Common sense should tell you not to be wrenching in near vicinity to moving parts as well... And yeah, I'd agree one should never put one's self in that position. (Unguarded spinning belt between body and hands when pulling on anything. )

And the pull toward yourself in my post was intended to mean the pull on the wrench - not sharp-edged cutting tools... Pushing on a big wrench (say couple feet long) makes it much easier to lose footing if something suddenly breaks loose or the wrench somehow loses purchase - and in a large machine shop, losing your footing can put you in the hospital - or worse. Pulling toward yourself generally keeps your center of gravity much better centered and stable. This obviously isn't so much an issue with tiny hand tools...

[J Tiers]

................................... Number two is to keep your balance when pulling on a wrench, and always pull toward yourself. .................

I'd modify that to say to "pull away from any moving or otherwise dangerous parts, in such a way that neither your hands nor your body will go into danger if something breaks etc".

I'd not recommend pulling toward one's self if an unguarded belt is between your body and hands, for instance. Actually, I'd not want to put myself in that position.

it also matters how sharp what you are pulling is..... I cut "away from myself" when using a chisel or knife, etc. A wrench is generally less of an issue, unless you can brain yourself with it if it comes loose.

Common sense is the key.

[Rich Carlstedt]

I was 24 years old working in a shop on mills and lathes and a 35-40 year old (or so ) "oldtimer" wanted to check the surface finish on a turning shaft
and as quick as a wink, he lost 3 fingers.....The scream was incredible.... he forgot that he had gloves on because he used gloves to clear swarf on his machine.
One millisecond of time can mean a lifetime of regrets ......so what you see someone else get away with does not mean "you" can do it
I remember because i didn't think a human could scream that loud with all the noise in the shop....and you never want to hear that , believe me

Rich

[eKretz]

Yes, machine shops are extremely dangerous places. One can do one's best to minimize risk, but it can't ever be eliminated. A simple mistake can be deadly around such equipment, as I'm sure many of us have first or second hand experience with. That's why training is very important. Personally, I've still got all my fingers intact. I have had a few stitches from machine shop incidents as an apprentice though. My number one bit of advice is to NEVER put any part of your body in or even very near a possible pinch point. Number two is to keep your balance when pulling on a wrench, and always pull toward yourself. Especially important if you're standing in a pile of razor sharp chips while doing it ..

[J Tiers]

It is basically a pissing contest to argue what is safe and what is not.
If you want safe, stay in bed all day.
Experience combined with level of risk is what makes something safe or not safe.
Maybe you have a ton of experience but are not able to manage a given level of risk.
So you call it unsafe. Well for you maybe. But others who are capable of managing
that level of risk might see it as normal everyday practice.
People are so easy to cry unsafe. You can make 1000 excuses or you can manage the
variables and get on with the job. If you can't, I assure you there is a person who can.
Move over.

-D

Very true

It is not "safe" to cross the street. That's why small children are not allowed to do it. They cannot estimate risk and act accordingly, which is a requirement for adults.

"Safe" means the level of risk is so low that it can be disregarded relative to the things one MUST do every day. It's not "safe" in the absolute sense to drink water, as you could actually drown doing that, depending on your size and the amount of water held in the container. Probably several people die every year from that cause.

But since there is little practical alternative, that is just part of the inherent non-safety of simply living. If something does not significantly raise your risk over that "background" risk, then it is said to be "safe".

So, there is nothing "safe" about a machine shop. NOTHING nyet, nada, gar nichts, etc. The machines in a machine shop pose a definite risk, as they can cut tough metal, and thus can do bad things to you. The ones in a wood shop pose more.

ANYTHING mounted in a chuck, and spun, "could" come loose and hit you. It is not "safe".

So, yes, "risk management" is in order. Do your best to see that chucked items do NOT come loose. If you don't know how to make sure, learn how.

But never make the mistake of thinking the shop is "safe". That's a good way to lose pieces of yourself, or worse.

The problem here is that it is easy to call out something as "unsafe", and very hard to prove it is not. There are so many possible faults that I guarantee you have not checked, that you cannot effectively answer anyone who calls you out as "unsafe".

Take personal responsibility, check your setups, think ahead asking yourself "what could go wrong?". Satisfy yourself about what you are doing, but it's OK to listen to others, they may see something you do not. Don't listen to silly squeals about safety, but DO listen to ones backed up by facts about what you are doing.

In fact, if someone is prone to horrified shrieks while you are working, ban them from the shop, THEY are unsafe due to possibly startling you.

[JRouche]

That said, I will happily stay outside your machine shop. There is work (with risk!) to be done in mine.

Thank you.. My insurance company would deny the claim when it comes up if you were to tell them that story. Thanks for not putting my house (home shop) in jeopardy. JR