Had a close one today, don't think anything in my hand is broken but it smarted a fair bit

Did the old "chuck key in the lathe" trick...but not in a lathe.

I have enver yet left a chuck key in anything, but a bit tired today, setting up a job in a Bridgeport mill and put a ring spanner on the drawbolt nut to turn the quill to set the cutter to an edge, then just reached over and turned the spindle motor on without thinking........................

As anyone who has used one will know, this leaves your arm between the spanner (which being a ring one can't come off) and the switch/motor.

My arm smashed the switch before the drawbolt came undone, lucky I didn't tighten it too much

Stupid accident, but I was lucky and certainly won't do it again, and to anybody using a bridgeport, don't use a ring spanner on the drawbolt

Glad you're alright, indeed easily done, especially when a bit knackered.

I spent 3 hours in Harrogate A&E on Sunday through stupidity and rushing, didn't support the front end while mucking about with the lower ball joint, end result crushed middle finger and a bit missing out of the side

Wife was upset cos I spoiled one of her best tea towels and the hospital car park cost her £4.50
So no building for a while, bit of a bugger, first accident in 2 years building, normally I'm so careful.

Thanks to another builder Fazerruss that came over straight away to put my car back fully into the garage. thanks mate.

So in short...Take care out there!

Regards

Rich

[Edited on 17/9/07 by RichardK]

It took me a while to work out the following rule, but...

When you're tired, or annoyed with something, WALK AWAY! Disaster is imminent if you carry on.

I've done so many stupid things when not running at 100% brain power... like grinding a lot of welds and was a bit knackered, thought I'd finished so took off all my protective gear, then noticed a little bit that needed doing. Picked up the grinder, went to it without gloves, and ended up grinding a chunk out of my finger. 'Oh bother' I said...

Ha, been there, got the scars!!

At my apprentice school if we left are chuck keys in machine the tutors threatened to make us wear the keys around are necks!!

"At my apprentice school if we left are chuck keys in machine the tutors threatened to make us wear the keys around are necks!! "
with them in the chuck, with hand poised on the start button ???

Speaking of accidents and chuck keys...

I thought with an electric drill (my dewalt one) it was good practice to put the chuck in the rubber web thing that is moulded to the bottom of the handle where the power lead comes out.

Great idea so you don't loose it, bad idea if the drill bites, spins round and the serated teeth on the chuck key finds your eyebrow.

To make matters worse, I was under the floor which is like a 20M labryinth from the hole under the stairs!

Came up looking like a zombie covered in blood.

Pat...

You're dead right David!!!

Re. the chuck key thing, at least with that the worst is that it flies out across the shop, unfortunately with the mill, the full power of the mill goes into the spanner on the drawbolt, whichj was then stopped (briefly) by my hand. 3hp feels pretty unpleasant!!

Fortunately the drawbolt came loose pretty quickly (and I suppose it was useful that my hand wasn't rammed right into the smashed open live 415v motor switchbox)

quote:

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Originally posted by Avoneer
Speaking of accidents and chuck keys...

I thought with an electric drill (my dewalt one) it was good practice to put the chuck in the rubber web thing that is moulded to the bottom of the handle where the power lead comes out.

Great idea so you don't loose it, bad idea if the drill bites, spins round and the serated teeth on the chuck key finds your eyebrow.

To make matters worse, I was under the floor which is like a 20M labryinth from the hole under the stairs!

Came up looking like a zombie covered in blood.

Pat...

---

Sorry to hear you get hurt - and very good you didn't get a 415v belt, it makes a 240v shock feel like a love tap.

People have been killed by flying chuck keys, but the lathe I used 15 years ago had a sprung chuck key so it was impossible to leave it in by mistake, are they not mandatory? - mind it was a weird lathe, French made and metric so the company got it second hand almost for free as no one wanted it.

[Edited on 17/9/07 by iank]

I know of many people who fit a spring to each of their chuck keys, if they weren't there already.

It's one of those jobs I keep meaning to do, but have never got round to it...

I was drilling out my shock bushes (long story). Unfortunately Black + decker had made the drill for poxy right handers. As I squeezed, the muscle at the base of my thumb pushed in the index-finger-for-right-hookers "permanently on" button just before the bit snagged in the bush. Drill wizzed round double quick time, wacked me on the back of the hand before doing a cathrine wheel impression until the cord was so wound round the handle it pulled the plug out the wall socket

Hurt like hell but could have been so much worse....

like the time I was angling grinding sparks all over the STM garage whilst Ian Gray was filling up a petrol tank from a jerry can....... He blamed me, I blamed him Fair doozy!

A mate left the chuck key in and pressed the start button. Unfortunatly the stop switch on the safty guard was broken and it started with the guard up. took his hand round and cut his finger off on the guards edge!

adrian

quote:

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Originally posted by iank
Sorry to hear you get hurt - and very good you didn't get a 415v belt, it makes a 240v shock feel like a love tap.

---

And to think they let me play with 3 phase meters! So that's 3 x 600 amp fuses in the nearest substation backing up the wires I could fall onto! Just as well I have a load of shielding!

I've had a black and decker with a polishing attachment hanging from my hair a few times with smoke coming out the motor.

Its when you do it and the drill bit is being pulled in towards the side of your head at speed that it gets a bit dangerous

This is all getting a bit grim for me now.

Take care Mr NS Dev.

Pat...

ouch!! hopefully you'll recover and all will be well,.

Black and Decker drills are evil.

I was drilling > 20 mm holes with black smith drills in a Land Rover bumper when the drill snagged, somehow the on button latch got pressed andthe thing got ripped out of may hands - I stood there for a second or so watching the drill turn round on tiself as the mains cable got wound tighter and tighter..... until I pulled the plug out.

At an engineering training center when I was an apprentice, I can remember looking up from whatever I was turning, to see a lad holding onto the chuck key of a big lathe, and leaning over to press the start button. Unfortunately the chuck key was still in the chuck! It was ont of those slow-motion-feeling-of-helplessness moments as it was too quick to do anything. I saw the chuck key yank his arm around the back of the lathe, but by some amazing stroke of luck the middle of the key hit a guard and stayed in the chuck, stalling the lathe before his fingers hit anything. Brown trousers....

The guy who chopped a finger off on a old horizontal mill AFTER switching it off was not so lucky. Big flywheels on those machines.

Learnt to look around if in an unknown workshop once, was at a mates place helping with an engine transplant, went to make up a throttle bracket. Grabbed a piece of scrap 3mm iron, chucked it in the vice and popped on goggles. Grabbed the angle grinder with a cut off disc and got stuck in, BANG and a huge puff of smoke. Didn't notice the batteries charging under the bench, nice big hydrogen pop. Hopped into the shower, meanwhile the trackies disintergrated.....