Kids, Don't Do this at Home

[randyjaco]

I had a little accident yesterday with a 4" angle grinder. Just a little reminder to everyone that those cute little grinders pack a lot of energy and if that disk decides to fragment, it can ruin your day.

Be careful out there guys!!

Randy

 

[Nelson]

Ugh Randy- that's a bad one! Might need a trip to the ER to get that stitched up a bit.

Reminds me- what type of protection and safety equipment are you guys using when you operate things with spinning disks like angle grinders and bench grinders?

I know eye protection or a face shield is a must, but what about your neck, chest, and midsection? One of those discs, should it become airborne, can act like shrapnel and cause an awful amount of damage.

What kind of protection are you using? When it gets hot, even harder to dress defensively.

Best,

Nelson

 

[Starlight Tools]

Randy that is a bad ouch!

Start by making sure that all the proper guards are in place, and are properly attached.

Use good quality grinding discs.

Pay attention to what you are doing.

Keep all long hair tied up or in a hair net, do not have loose clothing or jewelry that can catch.

Always look out for pinch points

Walter

 

[Nelson]

Keep all long hair tied up or in a hair net...

Walter

I wish! I'm bald...

What do you guys use on your eyes and face? I have used a full face shield but on hot humid days, it is murder, there is condensation and the mask steams up, etc. Are goggles enough?

Hands can never be protected- you can never use gloves- they will suck you into a machine and cause a worse injury than going with bare hands.

Best,

Nelson

 

[tompas11]

I use a full face shield but have the same problems as you when it is hot.
I think that you also need some protection against inhaling the dust that comes out in the air when grinding. Not very healthy to your lungs...
And then of course be careful how you work with the machine, no stress etc.

 

[Starlight Tools]

I have a 3M ClearVisor Adflo full face shield that hooks up to the same battery powered air supply as my welding helmut, it works good at keeping out the large contaminants and has a HEPA filter system.

It does well for most of what I need to do. I know it won't protect against noxcious odors, as you don't dare pass wind while using it, but there is an optional filter for it that protects agianst organic, sulfer dioxide, chlorine and hydrogen chloride vapours

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/...12H2_nid=W9HN51BD3LgsF3RH7CD92NglN582FT40G4bl

Walter

 

[HSS]

When I was paintballing I had a mask that had a fan mounted in it to keep my glasses from fogging. The thing worked surprisingly well.

Pat

 

[randyjaco]

Thanks Guys,

I got to spend 6 hours in the ER. The Dock spent @30 minutes pulling out debris. He also put me on some heavy anti-biotics and told me it would probably get infected anyway, so" come back Friday"

The hard thing is to keep all that protection on. Only a minute before I took the right glove off and neglected to put it back on.

Just about any high speed grinder is nothing more than a rotary hand grenade. So be wary.

Randy

 

[Nelson]

Im sorry randy, that has to hurt and will set you back some on time in the shop. One mistake and you pay. Even a Carpenter will hit himself with a hammer, all craftsman need a warning before we learn and even after that it could happen again.

After years of machining with high power machine tools on the job, the tools that scare me are my wood working tools at home like a table saw.

Using a table saw or chop saw (compound sliding miter) or router table, my degree of concentration is 110%, because it is the one dang time when you relax that you will get bitten by those. I always use a push stick on those- if you saw the damage to my push sticks, you would know why. They are magnetized so they stick to the table and are handy.

Regards,

Nelson

 

[Nelson]

I use a full face shield and only buy quality grinding disks. Anything that going to spin at 10K RPMs or more had better be the best quality and not just adequate. There are times when you can get away with skimping on quality but this is certainly not one of them. I also wear leather gloves when using an angle grinder.

Sorry about your big Ouch!!!!!!!!!!! Randy. Hope you heal fast and complete.

Ed

Ed,

Question- I thought gloves were a no-no, or is that only on tools like a mill and lathe, where you can get pulled in. After what I see here, I would wear gloves if it is safe to do so. A little more protection for my hands can't hurt.


Regards,

Nelson