"buck" wrote in message
rvers.com...
Just curious as what to expect if a 2" square x 24" piece of stock should
come loose from lathe at 2000 rpm....... Would it just fall to the
workbench..... Go flying across the room..... or lodge into my head? I
would imagine that when you turn bowls things can kind of explode all over
the place but not sure about a thinner piece when doing spindle work.
-thanx


There is no predicting the direction. You may have observed that some
turning respirator gear looks like a hard hat for good reason. I wouldn't
consider turning without a full-face shield as a minimum.
My biggest disaster was a piece held by one end in a chuck (it should have
had the tailstock as well) that went up hit the ceiling, then a lamp on the
way down before contacting the band of my face-shield. Fortunately I wasn't
injured but it got my attention in a hurry. I think that a spindle is less
likely to come loose and fly since if they loosen you notice it by poor or
lack of drive.

Other woodworking tools can maim you, a lathe can kill you!
Billh