Letting other people use your equipment

[matthewsx]

Nope

 

[mmcmdl]

My friend and co-worker . You don't ever want to read articles like these .

Bethlehem Steel employee killed in lathe accident

A Bethlehem Steel Corp. machinist was killed yesterday in an accident involving the lathe he was operating, a company spokesman said. Samuel F. Garcia Jr., 33, of the 1900 block of Churchville Road…

www.baltimoresun.com

 

[MrCrankyface]

Scary story.
There's several reasons why I would never let anyone else use my machines, at least the big dangerous ones.
1. In my experience a lot of people refuse to repair what they break
2. I don't want other people getting hurt on my machines on my conscience
3. Most machines I have can kill a careless person
4. A 'guest user' is not going to have the experience with my particular machines and will thus be more prone to dangerous mistakes.

If someone needs help doing something I will happily do it for them on my machines.

I however don't have a problem letting friends and aquintances borrow "non-dangerous" tools, hand tools and such where it's hard to break them and you have to be a real idiot to hurt yourself with them.

 

[Eddyde]

Currently I don't know anyone I would let use my machines. I'll make the part for them, they can watch and I'll teach anyone who wants to learn. On that note, last weekend a friends 12 yo son came by my shop and asked me to fix a loose pin on his pocket knife. After I fixed the knife he asked about the lathe. First thing I told him is how dangerous these machines can be and basic safety protocol. I then demonstrated basic turning, facing and threading. He was very impressed and says he is interested in learning more. I'm happy to teach him but it will be a long time before I'd let him use the machines.

 

[Peyton Price 17]

I got my first wood lathe when I was 11 and my first metal lathe when I was 12. now I'm 13 and running it making parts. my dad has no idea how to run it but I do. my neighbor only has CNC mills so he gives us some jobs to do on it. I wanted a metal lathe since I learned about them when I was 10. my dad got us a wood lathe because they are cheaper and really hard to break or crash it. now the guy we got the lathe from wants to sell us a bp and someone else wants to sell us a bp too. I only have half a bay of a garage for machines so no mill yet. I ran a CNC mill(neighbors Haas VF-2 ss) and never a manual mill yet. I somewhat used a metal planer, thanks @DiscoDan, but might be buying an m-head bp soon. I don't really trust my dad on my metal lathe since he hasn't ran one for a long time but he is good at running and my neighbor or anyone who used a metal lathe recently or is a machinist.

 

[ericc]

It depends on the person. If there is any doubt, the easy answer is no. Some people just don't understand the concept of safety. And I'm not talking about Mike Rowe. I think that he is very aware, but sometimes his message of "safety third" has the potential to be misinterpreted. Some of the worst people I've seen are youngsters who are trying to strut, or old experienced curmudgeons. I've seen a professional blacksmith with 30 years of experience pick a hot piece of metal out of the forge and burn himself. Some of these old guys are highly experienced and very stubborn. And it's not just blacksmiths, it's welders and fabricators as well. Confidence and experience are not a substitute for safe work habits. I have worked in a lot of collaborative environments, and it is extremely difficult to tell who is a safety risk until something happens. It's better to be more picky, even though it seems OK to let others use your tools. On the other hand, some of my best lessons have been situations where an old guy walked up to me and said, you're doing it all wrong, gimme your tools and I'll show you how it's done. It's just really hard to tell.

 

[Bourbon]

Only one other person can use my (mostly woodworking) tools. My best mate of over 40 years. Reason. He showed ME how to use them! He is way more experienced than I will ever be. He was a professional carpenter for most of his life. Having just got my mini metalworking lathe. We both haven't done metal turning since we were at school together, So when he finally sees it. We will learn together.