Wow!!! That is some disgusting mess. Few grasp the power of a 7 HP 3 phase electric motor, and the inertia of a chuck and spindle at 600 rpm. Saw a guy once in the printing press factory leave his T handle in the chuck and turn the lathe on. When it hit the bed, it popped out of the chuck at such a speed as to fly across the shop and pierce another operator skull. The offending machinist ran for the parking lot, never saw him again.
Thanks for the reminder, it is quite sobering. You just can't be too careful. I wonder if it was long sleeves that bit this guy?
I read a few of those responses,.............just sad. I don't take any joy or feel any sarcasm, when a blue collar guy that has probably worked most of his life, dies on a machine. We have very large Mazak mills that had two tables, guys would be setting up one fixture while the mill head was running on the other table. About once every 7 years an operator would climb up on top of the unused table (in spite of the warning signs) and the head would finish its operation and then return to the first table injuring the operator severely. This usually resulted in the operators leg being cut off just below the knee. Having seen the effects of these injuries on wives, kids, and other relations, there is a lot of pain and sorrow.
I remember as a kid in HS Auto Shop the Primitive Pete Videos, that would show basically what not to do in shop. I had an acquaintance of mine die while setting the idle speed on a Cadillac. He set the emergency brake and had to set the curb idle while the car was in drive. What he didn't realize was that this model year Caddy released the emergency brake when the car was put in drive. He was alone, and should have been with an assistant with his foot on the brake, or at the very least chocked the wheels (not a good idea)! He was in front of it making the adjustments with a little space between him and tool boxes which were against the wall behind him. The car crept forward and they found him crushed to death the next morning. This was at a local repair shop and he was doing work on a friends car after work.
Frank D
Posts: 98 | Location: Valley Stream, NY | Registered: Mon January 12 2004
And you are right about the comments demarpaint. Some people just find something like that funny, until a bit puts a nice hole in their hand, or someone in their family.
"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a universal act." George Orwell.
Originally posted by Shuggerz: Gosh, I knew lathes were dangerous, but I did not think that they could cause THAT much damage. Wow. I feel sorry for that mans family.
I knew they were powerful tools, but never in my wildest dreams thought they were that strong. I showed those pictures to my brother who is a machinist by trade and he said, with the right motor/gearing its no problem at all to do that kind of damage.
Frank D
Posts: 98 | Location: Valley Stream, NY | Registered: Mon January 12 2004
A typical Bridgeport mill may have a 1.5 to 2.5 HP motor running the spindle. My Clausing lathe that I loaned to Doc probably has a 5 to 7 HP 3 phase electric motor capable of incredible torque. The spindle and the chuck probably total over 120 lbs.......Imagine that spinning 600 rpm and then grabbing a part of your body.....
