"Toller" wrote in message
...
I have just finished a bowl turning course; my first lathe work. The
instructor is very casual about safety; he says that is reasonable, since
no
one ever get hurt on a lathe. I wonder how true that is.

He's got to be a complete moron to make such an irresponsible and inaccurate
statement.


I read through the website on woodworking injuries, and there aren't many
lathe injuries reported.

Probably because lathes are not as widely used as table saws, bandsaws,
jointers, etc.

The main problem seems to be the work breaking
apart at high speeds. Does that happen much?

Yes, especially with inexperienced turners. Sufficiently heavy catches can
also break tool rests and steel turning tools. Other dangers include loose
clothing, jewelry, and long hair getting caught on the workpiece or spindle.

A number of people recommended full face shields. I have one, but it is
pretty thin flexible plastic; I don't expect it would help much against a
high speed chunk of wood. I looked up a few websites (amazon, hartsville,
woodcraft) and they just sell ones like mine, except mine has a metal
frame.
Is there something better, or is it strong enough?

Even though it's fairly thin, the shield has a radius to it, so a flying
object is more likely to be deflected away than result in a full-force
impact as a flat surface would.

I am the only person wearing a dust mask, and it gets pretty dirty after a
few hours.

I personally find dust masks annoying and don't use them much, but I often
pay for it with a couple hours of coughing and sneezing afterwards. Other
turners take dust more seriously and wear breathing apparatus resembling
full hazmat suits.

B.