Shop Accidents - Let me learn from your mistakes.

you want Safety glasses or and safety rated prescription glasses and I had a LARGE full thick Leather hide apron made to cover my chest and down pass my knees to protect the family jewels and the arteries in my thighs from sharp pointy projectiles from the buffer etc. ;)

I never wear full gloves on the drill press, grinder or anything else that spins and I invented my finger skins to be able to wear on the grinder for thermal protection and some cut/grind resistance while grinding and about every other job i do in my shop.

Also, Map out your local emergency room!:eek: Yep! Don't wait until you have an Oh Fu&*k moment in your shop.

Have your cell phone handy so you can call 911 if needed and if possible, always let someone know that you are working in your shop so if anything happens they don't find you a few days later when you start to decompose and stink the place up! :(
 
IMHO, there is nothing I do that makes the risk using a bench mounted buffer worth the risk. After reading all the warnings on here and taking all the precautions I could, I still had a blade thrown at me and almost castrated myself. After that, I bought a 7" variable speed (0 - 2500 rpm) buffer and some good lambs wool wheels. I clamp the blade or handle, depending on what I am buffing, in a vice and go at it. I can mirror polish a blade or bring a handle to a 6' deep shine. It probably takes a little longer than a bench mtd. buffer but it is a hell of a lot safer.

Tim
 
Rhinoknives1 said:
I invented my finger skins to be able to wear on the grinder for thermal protection and some cut/grind resistance while grinding and about every other job i do in my shop.
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I've been trying to remember your username for months!

One thing to add to the discussion, never, EVER think that you can get away with not taking safety seriously "just this once". You still need safety equipment for a single pass on the grinder, still need a push stick for a half inch cut, still need to clamp on the drill press, and you still need to use hearing protection.
 
AlphaBravo. said:
I've been hearing a lot about buffers, obviously they can grab and throw knives. What additional precautions should I take with mine. I recently bought a paper wheel set up but I'm beginning to have second thoughts.
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The smartest modification to a buffer is to cut the power cord off at the motor ( do this while unplugged). That makes it pretty safe.

The tips on using a grinder are:
Have nothing within 3' of the buffer's wheel....above, below, behind (The more space behind the buffer the better). That means the buffer is mounted on a strong stand that is firmly bolted to the floor. Please, please....don't mount the buffer on the workbench, or use a shield/guard.
Buffers work best running at 1100-1200RPM.
If you want to buff like the pros - use the largest wheels the unit is made for. 10-12" wheels on a 1HP dedicated buffer are easier to buff on than 4-6" wheels on a screaming 3600RPM HF buffer.
Only touch the buff at the 3:00 to 5:00 position.
Run the buff spinning downward when facing the buff. * see note
Grip the blade firmly.
A "buffing board" that the blade mounts to is a good way to increase your grip.
Buffing doesn't replace sanding.


I regularly read people who say to run the buffer or grinder spinning upward. These people are folks who don't buff or use industrial equipment for a living.
I reply with this;
Put on some forge gloves and grab a hub cap filled with hot charcoal. Have a friend with a 2X4 smack it out of your hands as fast and hard as he can. Now, do you want it smacked down and away from your face and body or up and toward you??????
 
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nightmares from a buffer
 
Safety glasses are a minimum source of protection for your eyes. I got a piece of grit from a belt lodged under the first layer of my cornea. Caused intense sensitivity to light, mild conjunctivitis, and my eye was constantly crying while I slept. A week and a half or so later, I was back to 100%, but I am making the move to a field face shield...
 
Had two fingers almost removed. Metal dug out 3 times. Hearing loss from machinery is what I overlooked.
 
I love this thread! So far, I've only had the big disc sander throw a knife at me and dent the shop wall...I've now grownich more wise and learned it's a really crappy tool for the job:).
 
So does that mean a beer belly is classified as PPE, and is therefore a tax deduction? ...I'm going to keep all my beer receipts for next year's filing!
 
Buffers are a unforgiving beast! A friend of mine told me his buddy was buffing out a dagger blade.Buff took it out of his hands thru it into a cement floor.It came back up caught him just under the ribs came out just behind his collar bone and stuck in his ceiling deep enough it couldn't be pulled out by hand.He's no doubt the luckiest man alive blade followed his ribs all the way up and out.No internal damage to any organs and a few stitches closed both wounds.Stay away from fast buffers 3600 rpm.If you hear a ticking noise while grinding a belt is about to break.Get away as fast as possible and shut down the grinder .A belt will cut thru several layers of heavy clothing when they break. Get ride of the belt!If you drop a knife let it hit the floor.Don't ever try and catch a falling knife.I met a man who tried to catch a sharp knife.It took surgery to reattach the tendons in his wrist. Best of luck to you.
 
BareKnuckles said:
So does that mean a beer belly is classified as PPE, and is therefore a tax deduction? ...I'm going to keep all my beer receipts for next year's filing!
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If the statute of limitations is 7 years, and I can deduct beer as a ppe...Then I'm thinkin that the IRS owes me some of that proverbial fat cash
 
Another shop burner/bomb can be grinding Aluminum & steel and then having it get hot enough to burn makes a like explosive melt any steel substance called Thermite. I haven't had it happen and I don't want to find out what it would take to set this off. :o

Looky here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8XSmSdvEK4

We may have a Vet that was in Ordnance disposal stop by to tell us more of the finer points? My point is very careful. Clean up after grinding one material and starting another. Especially inside a vacuum system.

I found myself running for the fire extinguisher when I saw wood shaving catch fire inside the collector and smoke billowing out after I started grinding some carbon steel without cleaning first!:eek:
 
Rhinoknives1 said:
Another shop burner/bomb can be grinding Aluminum & steel and then having it get hot enough to burn makes a like explosive melt any steel substance called Thermite. I haven't had it happen and I don't want to find out what it would take to set this off. :o

Looky here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8XSmSdvEK4

We may have a Vet that was in Ordnance disposal stop by to tell us more of the finer points? My point is very careful. Clean up after grinding one material and starting another. Especially inside a vacuum system.

I found myself running for the fire extinguisher when I saw wood shaving catch fire inside the collector and smoke billowing out after I started grinding some carbon steel without cleaning first!:eek:
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One way to prevent this is not to grind aluminum and other ferrous/carbon steels on the same belt. Thermite is made with aluminum and iron oxide (a specific ratio) if I remember correctly. I can apparently be accidentally made under the right conditions. Keeping a clean grinding area will definitely help prevent this.

EDIT: bad info removed.

Stone wheel grinders: If you use a stone wheel grinder, ring test your wheels before mounting them. If you don't know what a ring test is, if you hang a stone wheel form a string (or anything that will allow it to vibrate) and lightly tap it with something like a wooden hammer handle, for instance, you should hear an almost metallic "tink" or a ring. If it "thuds", it probably got a crack in it an and may explode when brought up to speed. I've had wheels blow up and it's definitely a tail puckering experience.

Speaking of grinders... make sure your work rests are close to the wheel (or for belt grinders, have them close to your belts). I've seen a lot of guys hurt by getting things caught between a work rest and a moving abrasive. Not only that, but it's not good for whatever you're grinding to get sucked in between the rest too. ;)

Don't grind aluminum on a stone wheel, but use a 3M (or similar) deburring wheel.
 
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You really shouldn't use soft metals like aluminum or brass on a stone wheel ever, It's known to cake up and cause the wheel to explode. If you must do it dress the wheel clean every time.
 
I know a lot of people are speaking about the inherent dangers of buffers (and rightfully so, they can truly be one of the more dangerous tools), but with some common sense and care, they're really not as bad as some people might think.

For one, the loose sewn wheels are the "grabbiest". Spiral sewn wheels will certainly grab and throw something, but not nearly as readily.

Hold tight, but press light. Let the compound do the work. Pushing a piece into the wheel until it deforms is not get better/faster results, but it will grab a piece out of your hand a lot more easily.

Don't buff from the top half of the wheel. If the wheel is spinning clockwise, I hold the piece I'm buffing at about 4 o'clock or so. This gives a little more control as it's slightly pulling on the piece, instead of pushing. It's that moment when your hand "jumps" that you will over compensate and push the piece too far in to the wheel where it will be grabbed and thrown.

A lot of makers keep a floor mat under their buffer so that pieces that may be rocketed downwards won't bounce as much (and into legs, or worse).

Take extra precaution when buffing small pieces. Obviously the less you have to hold, the harder it is to hold.

Wear a thick shop apron.

I've also been thinking about putting a "reverse work rest" on the back side of the buffer, not quite touching the wheel, but close enough that it would catch on pieces that were grabbed and would have made it all around the wheel and back towards my body/face. I know some makers have even put a "sneeze guard" over their buffers made of plexiglass, that effectively does the same thing as far as protection.

Standard PPE rules obviously apply. Wear glasses or a face shield. A respirator isn't a terrible idea. Don't wear gloves.

Lastly: smaller knives, folder blades, and other small parts can be screwed to a long piece of wood that can be used as a handle on one or both sides of the piece. Just make sure it's secure.
 
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