On Mon, 24 Sep 2007 06:44:24 -0700, pyotr filipivich
wrote:

After a Computer crash and the demise of civilization, it was learned
Gunner Asch wrote on Mon, 24 Sep 2007
03:51:02 -0700 in rec.crafts.metalworking :
On Mon, 24 Sep 2007 06:06:28 GMT, dav1936531
wrote:

That press probably cycles in les then .5
seconds, so if it trips when you have a hand in there, goodbye hand.
Really!!

Be very very careful with that thing.
Dave


It probably cycles in about .2 second.

The little ones arent fast...they are sudden.

Use two buttons to cycle the punch. That way you have a better
than even chance of having your fingers out of the way when it cycles.

But you STILL shut off the motor and/or block the punch with a big
chunk of timber or steel when putting your hands in there. And use
tongs or a stick to change the blanks with the power on. Old control
systems often have failure modes that can cause it to cycle.

You have to treat it as if it's out to get you.

Even with a proper two-hand-no-block safety system on the cycle
trigger switch you still don't let ANYONE operate it who does not
respect the safety concerns. Or you'll get your ass sued off when an
employee loses a body part.

And the best idiots get help in breaking all the rules - they'll
stick a hand in to hold the die in position (with a stick that in
retrospect was about an inch too short) and have someone else two-hand
cycle the punch...

This is why you don't see many antique machines in modern production
shops - safety issues that can't easily be retrofitted away.

This is why I was so **** poor slow doing old fashioned Letterpress
Printing (where you change the paper by hand) - I wouldn't try feeding
the press fast enough to let it go into continuous feed unless I had
the speed turned way down. And having the speed fast, tripping it by
pedal once the paper was in position, and waiting after the cycle to
make sure it didn't double-trip was no better.

But I can still count to ten without blank spots. This is good. ;-)

-- Bruce --