Cracked Wood - Beware the Turning Hazards!

Woodturning Can be Hazardous to your Health. This video, Cracked Wood - Beware the Turning Hazards!, deals with some of the safety issues associated specifically with cracked and flawed wood.
00:00 Introduction
01:00 cracks in a red oak bowl
01:20 exploding black limba platter
03:00 faceshields
04:08 couple of stories
06:50 using a safety cage
07:40 ring shakes explained
08:10 how to remove bark safely
08:50 other safety measures
Click here to watch a related video, Toxic Wood - Who Knew? • Toxic Wood - Who Knew?
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You can download demonstration handouts, downloadable copies of articles I have published, and other useful woodturning information available on my website www.mikepeacewoodturning.com/

[@tomcoker9882]

Thanks for the tips Mike. I learned about the listening to the sounds when turning last week. I started hearing a high pitch sort of ringing sound as I was completing a small bowl. I stoped the lathe and looked, but couldn’t see anything. Restarted turning and the sound came back a little louder. Stoped again and found a hairline crack running lathe way around the bowl on a grain line, one of the ring shakes you were talking about. I was able to easily pull the top part off with a very few fibers still connecting the top part. The bottom still made a nice shallow dish. 😁 so listen to the sounds - unusual ones mean stop and check. Thanks for the video. Cheers, Tom

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Thanks for sharing your experience. No earbuds, headsets or excessively loud music while I am turning!

[@dougrobins8291]

This is a great public service announcement! Thanks!

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Our pleasure!

[@davejohnson9495]

Great tips thanks Mike. I had a piece shatter yesterday, no injuries but a bit scary. Had I watched this first I probably would not have attempted it as it was quite cracked.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Life is too short for turning crappy wood! And we do not want to shorten it.

[@PattersonPatch]

In the motorcycle world there is a phrase "stupid hurts" if it was not for protective gear I was wearing when I was involved in an accident I would have been in for a world of hurt. . I believe this can also apply to wood turning. It is all about mitigating risk factors and wearing protective gear is one way to reduce risk factors that may harm us.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

And the corollary, "You can't measure stupid!" Fortunately, I think many new woodturners (and old) may be ignorant about some things but not necessarily stupid.

[@glencrandall7051]

If we turn long enough without incident we tend to become complacent. Safety sessions like this one are needed periodically to remind us of the consequences. This one had an excellent example of how fast things can go bad. So thanks Mike. You have a great day and I will remember your safety tips to stay safe myself.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

It can happen in an instant. You stay safe.

[@JamesCouch777]

I had a big piece of oak come apart and luckily it didn't hit me. Lesson learned 😬

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Glad you were not hurt!

[@fouroakscrafts7240]

Great safety tips and reminders! Thanks!

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Our pleasure!

[@TimJohnsonBizNet3]

Years ago there was a story in Popular Woodworking about a dad and his 14 year old son who decided to try turning as a way to do more together. They bought a full size lathe. tools, safety glasses, etc. and had their 'engineer' neighbor set it up to "400 RPM." All set. For some reason "lost to history" the first piece they wanted to turn was a 20" long, 12x12 piece of maple. Right before they turned it on, the dad said, "Oh, safety glasses." Switch on - to find out it was set to 4000 RPM and not 400. Once the blank reached terminal velocity, it launched off the lathe and through the cinder block wall behind the lathe. As the dust and debris was settling in the stunned aftermath, the son said, "Safety glasses wouldn't have helped."

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

God bless engineers!

[@bd3952]

Thank you for your guidance.

[@MrPete1x]

Well done Mike thank you

[@TheGarageEngineer]

Great topic. Learned a lot on what to watch for. Thanks for sharing.

[@Brush0akie]

On my nova 100 and Vicmarc 120 chucks it states basically NOT RATED over 1000-1200 RPM then it gives the sizes of wood diameter. Why go faster on a large bowl ? The trees don’t grow in high speed revolutions so why spin them pieces so fast???😊

[@LindsayFamily]

Thank you for the tips. Many good reminders. Plus, I had never heard about trimming off bark an inch at a time. That was new to me and important. I will add that learning about catches, their cause and prevention, was a very important safety measure.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Thanks for commenting. Perhaps catches might be a future video. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@roystheboy]

yes great tips mike im in the uk and a friend had a large popular tree go over so i had some, a few days later i started to seal them and as i was brushing the sealant on the stump just broke away, and last week i was turning a bowl to around 4mm thick and herd a strange noise so checked it and a thin crack was there i managed to fix it with thin CA glue and did the trick

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Thanks for sharing. I would not rely on CA to maintain the integrity of a blank.

[@jerrystark3587]

A thoughtful, important, and helpful video. Thank you!

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Glad it was helpful!

[@alanmullock381]

Good tips as usual Mike! I hang my face shield on my lathes control panel,can't start the lathe without moving/wearing it!👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍😎😎😎

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Great tip!

[@ronbeckhaus7326]

Excellent advice, Mike and great examples, too. Thank you. Cheers, mate.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Very welcome

[@edmorse3529]

Awesome info!!!

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Thanks for watching!

[@radarthewoodturner8912]

Thank you for the info Mike stay safe👍👍👍👍

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Thanks, you too!

[@svenskjimand]

I really appreciate your doing this.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

No problem!

[@charlesreicks648]

Thanks Mike. Tim

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

👊😃

[@bobchesley6775]

After watching your video I discovered my face shield is only good for getting plastic shads added to the damage a chunk of wood can cause. Thank you. I'm ordering a "real face shield" today and probably a cage out of bullet proof polycarb like the banks use. Looking forward to more of your videos.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Yes, a good faceshield is essential. And wear it when approaching the lathe before turning it on.

[@davidmorgan7522]

Great video Mike! I turn a lot of wood with occlusions and cracks and follow your advice which is spot on! Take care, Dave

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Thanks 👍

[@hfbowerndesigns810]

Face shield is a must to wear along with dust mask Mike. I have a Uvex® Bionic® Face Shield. This is a very sturdy unit. For dust, I use an Elipse SPR451 P100 Elipse Half Mask Respirator with Elipse Replacement Filters for the P100 plus OV, (has activated Charcoal for fumes). Safety Glasses also while wearing the face shield. I also have a Trend Air Shield Pro which I use sometimes, but I find the battery life on this one is not as good. So I revert to the Bionic shield, Elipse mask and safety glasses Great info my friend Take care all and stay safe and well Cheers Harold

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

I am not happy with my Trend battery either. Perhaps I should try your style respirator.

[@hfbowerndesigns810]

@@MikePeaceWoodturning If you come upon a good solution for ear protection to use with the combination of face shield and dust mask, let me know. The ear protection option with the Trend does not work all that well. Take care Mike Cheers Harold

[@davidjackson8787]

Thanks for the warnings sir. I have had a few things fly myself.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Sorry to hear that. Hopefully fewer going forward!

[@harrykeel8557]

I can certainly identify with everything said and I have cracked my face shield a couple of times, by bark coming off a piece of popular. And I have had bowls come apart with me. Thankfully I was hollowing out the inside, so I wasn't it danger. Its no fun though to have the bark fly off and scare you, especially when it hits the shield. If it's got a crack a it looks pretty deep, it goes for heater wood. Most of the time I will soak it with thin CA if I think it can be saved. And I usually continue to use CA until I either finish it or throw it in the heater.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Glad you were not hurt. Stay safe.

[@harrykeel8557]

@@MikePeaceWoodturning yeah I have gotten really careful about what I will and won't turn. It hurts sometimes to take a blank that I really wanted to turn, but better safe than sorry.

[@denverlewis5087]

Thanks, Mike for all the info. I've never had a piece shatter like you have but I have had several pieces come out of the chuck. The only chuck I have is straight jaws and tommy bars. Saving up to buy a dovetail chuck, and hope it holds better.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

If it is a Nova Precision Midi , it is a good chuck. Clean, shoulders and parallel tenon. Stay safe.

[@jackthompson5092]

Great information Mike. Always start your lathe at the lowest possible speed.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Very true!

[@harrykeel8557]

I just cut a piece of popular this afternoon for a bowl but the fist thing I noticed was the ring feature that you pointed out on your video on cracked wood. I sure hate to not turn it, but f there is a possibility of me getting injured then it will make a nice piece of stove wood.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Better safe then sorry.

[@kerrystimpson5111]

I appreciate the tips. I did blow ua a bowl and fortunately only got hit in my big tummy. It almost knocked the wind out of me but no real damage. Hopefully i can take heed of your tips better than i normally do.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Stay safe, Kerry.

[@monophoto1]

Very important message. Thanks! There is no such thing as 'absolute safety' - activities such as turning always involve some degree of risk. And perhaps the greatest risk comes from not being fully aware of the potential risks and taking appropriate steps to remediate those dangers. That means always wearing a face shield, checking for flaws in the wood before and throughout the turning process (some flaws aren't visible until the surface has been turned away), and being alert to abnormal vibration or sounds - if something changes - stop immediately to determine why! And always remain focused; that means when your spouse walks in to chatter about something, stop turning.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

All true!

[@DKWalser]

Excellent information. Turning wood can be a relatively safe hobby. However, just like most other hobbies -- fishing, skiing, stamp collecting (you can't imagine the risk from paper cuts!) -- there are inherent dangers in woodturning. New turners need to be aware of those dangers and experienced turners need to be reminded of them. I don't think you need to worry that sharing such information will discourage people from turning. Hopefully, it will simply dissuade them from turning unsafely. Years ago, I took a class from Dale Nish, who co-founded Craft Supplies USA. He shared an experience he had while writing a book on well-known woodturners. One was a retired general contractor who made very large segmented vessels. He used several colors of wood to reproduce the geometric shapes found in Navajo rugs. While Dale was photographing the turner in his studio, Dale noticed that some of the joints in the segmented vessels were not as tight as they should be and that the turner was turning at very high speeds for such large vessels. Dale cautioned the artist that his methods were unsafe. The turner told him he'd been doing it for years without any problem, so Dale's concerns were misplaced. Within a couple of years, a large vase the man was turning came off the lathe. Dale helped his widow sell his woodworking tools. Dale told us that story on the first day of our class. His purpose wasn't to scare us away from woodturning, but to encourage us to listen when he discussed safety -- which he did a lot! I've been an enthusiastic woodturner ever since I took Dale's class. I also am enthusiastic about practicing safe turning methods in my shop.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Going without an injury using unsafe practices does not make them safe for sure. Thanks for that cautionary tale.

[@johnwallace4408]

Nice video, Mike. I always stabilize my wood cracks with CA and the CA and sanding powder. It may take many coats of CA and

[@johnwallace4408]

sanding dust. This way, I do not have to worry about the tool getting caught in the crack.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

I did the same. My experience is that CA will fill a crack in the middle of the wood but will not stop wood movement at the rim if the crack goes thru the rim.

[@coolcat9327]

Thanks Mike great video. What are your thoughts on using a catchers mask instead of a plastic face shield?

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

I have no opinion since I have never worn a catchers mask. Would probably do fine if you are wearing safety glasses.

[@sethwarner2540]

Looks like the split is fairly straight and clean; were you tempted to glue it back on, wait overnight and start again? I would; they claim the T-------- glue is stronger than the wood. Maybe unwise to take a chance?

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Life is too short for turning crappy wood! Most repaired cracks look like repaired cracks.

[@michaelmccurley5234]

great topic and well presented but "line of fire" is actually the "plane of death"

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

If we all called it that, it might cut down lathe sales. Can't have that!

[@michaelmccurley5234]

@@MikePeaceWoodturninghahaha you're right, of course, but that how I explain it to my grandson I'm teaching to turn. It's physics. Keep up the good work.

[@neilharvey94]

I heard a siren...then I heard what sounded like gunfire. Where was this filmed? What happened?

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Filmed in my basement shop in the Atlanta suburbs. No gunfire. Probably an ambulance.