Lathe

Safety practices to remember before operating the wood-turning lathe:

1. Never wear loose sleeves or neckties while operating the wood-turning lathe.  Long hair must be tied back.

2. All wood to be used for turning must be carefully examined for cracks, checks, knots, and other defects.

3. All glued work must be properly set before being turned on the lathe.

4. Large stock must be roughed to shape with a hand plane before turning.

5. After saw-slotting and centering rough stock on the lathe for spindle turning, see that the centers are securely embedded in the stock.

6. After centering rough stock on the lathe, it must be turned over a few times by hand to make sure the tool rest is cleared.

7. Wood being turned between centers must be lubricated and the tailstock must be locked before the power is turned on.

8. Always check the sharpness of turning tools and the condition of the handles.

Safety practices to observed when operating the wood-turning lathe:

1. Obtain permission from the instructor before using the lathe.

2. Before turning on the power, always check the speed setting of a lathe.

3. The gouge is not to be used for inside turning.

4. All lathe operations must be started at the slowest speed.

5. Rough stock down to cylindrical form and obtain your instructor’s permission before using a higher speed.

6. Stand to one side when the power is first turned on.  Never allow observers to stand in line with the material being turned.

7. Keep pulley guards in place on all belt-driven machines.

8. All turning tools must be held firmly with both hands and held directly on the tool rest.

9. The lathe must be stopped before a caliper is used to measure rough stock.  If the work has been turned smooth, the caliper may be used on a rotating cylinder.

10. Stop the lathe when using the inside calipers.

11. The tool rest must be kept 1/8” away from the stock by making frequent adjustments.  Never adjust the tool rest while the lathe is in motion.

12. Stock to be turned must be securely fastened to the faceplate.  Care must be taken when turning to avoid cutting too deep and striking the screws.

13. Have the instructor check the fastening of the stock to the faceplate.

14. Tools must be kept sharp at all times.

15. When faceplate turning, the material must have all corners rounded.

16. The lathe must be run at a slow speed when doing faceplate turning of large objects.

17. If the lathe vibrates, it is running too fast or the stock is not properly secured.  Stop the lathe and correct the problem.