i'm starting the next addition to the shop safety tips

I wear gloves all the time to cut down the wear and tear on my hands and as I work in water, to keep them a bit warmer. The thing isthy are nytryl gloves and if they do get caught in something they just get little pieces ripped off and I put on a new one.
 
i'm going to be posting the second set of shop safety tips soon. are there any more tips that need to be added?
 
Be sure to know exactly where your work is on the grinder at all times. I once was fine tuning the point of a finished knife when the point of the blade caught the contact wheel, shredding the belt as it briefly stuck into the rubber tire of the wheel. This resulted in an explosion; bang the knife was gone, out of my hands and stuck ¾ inches into the wall behind me. The 320 grit belt was shredded, and luckily the damage to my contact wheel was minimal, and I got away without injury. The knife had a bent tip as a result of the accident.
Wear eye protection, and a leather apron. Have a good grip on your work, and pay attention to what you are doing at all times. Let the machine do the work, and don’t use excessive force, as this will lead to serious injury and premature wear of belts.
 
Adjust your tool rest. Not just so it's square (or whatever angle you want, I guess) but so it's just clear of the belt. An 1/8" gap is the maximum, in my mind. Getting your work-piece caught between the belt and rest would probably be no fun at all.

Remember the HALT principle : don't work with power tools if you are too Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. If you do, you'll forget what Bufford and the others have said!
 
Since we are talking about grinder safety........if you use a ceramic platen liner, make sure you use some type if a stop at the bottom of the platen along with your favorite adhesive. I use a screw inserted through the back of the platen so the liner can rest on it. No matter how you adhere it, prolonged heat will loosen the adhesive and the ceramic liner will slowly slip down. If it slips to low....POW goes the belt. Ask me how I know?
 
richard j said:
new belts have a tendency to grab a blade when you least expect it that can cause an "oops" moment when you least expect it
Click to expand...

I got a good chuckle when I read this statement! Just the other day I put a new belt on my grinder. I touched steel to it for the first time and it grabbed hard. My first reaction was to grab for the steel so it didn't bind and break something, probably hurting me. I did get lucky, as I only lost the tip of my index finger. :grumpy:
 
wow bufford, you got lucky that the knife didnt stick in you. i have had a blade catch the belt at the seam which got my attention one day. i was working on the contact wheel at the time and luckily there was only enough belt sticking up to bump the blade. thats why its important to check the seam of your belts. a little bit of superglue on a seam thats coming loose can get you by until you can get a new belt if necessary.
 
If I remember correctly, it was the seam that the point grabbed. It was early in the knifemaking game before I upgraded my Wilton grinder to full variable speed. It happened so fast. The knife was in my hand one moment and gone in a instant sounding like a gunshot.


First thing I did was check to see if I had any injury to my hands, then I checked between my legs. I felt a slight breeze below my crotch:eek:, but fortunately for myself and my lady at that time everything was still there, and no blood.

Big safety lesson learned there. I think the accident was in part being in a bit of a hurry to get the knife done for the customer, and getting too picky about very slight defects that should have better been left alone for the knife/price in question. Also I only had the grinder for about a year and a half, knifemaking has a very big learning curve. Infact I believe that in knifemaking the learning curve never really ends. Knifemaking is more like and art and a practice where we are constantly learning and evolving.
 
I have had some nasty cuts from a microfilm belt, and a good slap in the face from a broken belt. Thankfully this is just with a 1/42 with a 1/3rd hp motor, and being ugly as hell and scarred up all over anyway I don't really care. Hell just a few weeks ago I managed to break my nose 3 days after I cracked my thumb... only one was done with a hammer. My last real hammer accident involved a thrown hammer to my mouth.... not a pritty sight.
 
I will add one saftey tip. Dont use a router free hand. The wood will grab and take your finger to the blade like mine last night.Woulda took about 5 stiches but never went till the next day the doctor said you only have a 6 hour window for stiches. I first duck taped it the doctor replaced it he said the duct tape did a good job . He also reminded me he has a endless supply of thread. lmao what a joker.
 
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