ProSoundWeb Community

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

Pages: [1] 2  All   Go Down

Author Topic: Shop Safety  (Read 2013 times)

Steve-White

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1582
  • Fort Worth
Shop Safety
« on: June 20, 2021, 05:38:17 PM »

I was out in the shop this afternoon working on a mounting panel for a Lian Li computer case to hold the power supply.  Did a full refresh on the audio workstation PC - motherboard, processor, RAM, video card, power supply, SSD's and liquid cooling + a second DVD/RW drive.

Anyway, cleaning up the 1/8" aluminum panel on the 6x48" belt sander after cutting to size on the band saw.  The belt flew apart on the sander.  That's the second time that's happened on that machine in the last 3-6 months and only the second failure of that nature I've ever encountered.

Fortunately, I was wearing a full face shield and work gloves when it let go.  It ka-bangs real good with a 1.5 HP machine at full RPM with belt moving, rollers spinning, motor spinning, sanding disc spinning.  Scared the crap out of me - fortunately nothing hurt.  The tracking has be a little strange with that machine for quite some time.  Not sure if that was a factor or not or if it's the brand of 6x48" belt.

Ordered a new disc/belt sander:  https://www.zoro.com/jet-beltdisc-sander-1-12hp-115230v-jsg-6dc/i/G4283986/

Pretty decent looking machine, and cost ~3 times what I paid for that old Craftsman 20 years ago.

Pictures attached.  Be safe guys, I'm real happy I was wearing heavy gloves and the face shield - that thing could take an eye or finger real easy.
« Last Edit: June 20, 2021, 05:43:10 PM by Steve-White »
Logged

Steve-White

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1582
  • Fort Worth
Re: Shop Safety
« Reply #1 on: June 20, 2021, 05:42:18 PM »

Picture attached.
Logged

Dave Garoutte

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3387
  • San Rafael, CA
Re: Shop Safety
« Reply #2 on: June 20, 2021, 06:44:31 PM »

Picture attached.
Sanding belts often have a direction to them.  The overlap can peel if reversed.
That looks like a new belt.  It also looks like your panel dug in, ripping the belt.
I usually use the disc sander with thin materials.  No way of digging in.
Logged
Nothing can be made idiot-proof; only idiot resistant.

Events.  Stage, PA, Lighting and Backline rentals.
Chauvet dealer.  Home of the Angler.
Inventor.  And now, Streaming Video!

Steve-White

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1582
  • Fort Worth
Re: Shop Safety
« Reply #3 on: June 20, 2021, 06:59:16 PM »

Directional belts with arrows on them are definitely what I'm used to.  Seems like the latest fad, after peel and stick and hook and loop is non-directional belts.

Could be the edge of the plate caught and dug in.  I've done edge sanding for a long time and not had any problems until the last two incidents.  Maybe just dumb luck there.  The belt is industrial grade from Grainger, but a they are no-name house brand it looks like.  I usually use 3M or Norton abrasives.

Gloves & face shield always for this guy.
Logged

Bob Stone

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 521
Re: Shop Safety
« Reply #4 on: June 20, 2021, 07:37:32 PM »

Gloves are a bit risky on anything moving like that...all it takes is a thread to catch and pull your hand right in. Most advise not to wear gloves while sanding with anything powerful.
Logged

Steve-White

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1582
  • Fort Worth
Re: Shop Safety
« Reply #5 on: June 20, 2021, 07:42:21 PM »

Definitely on a drill press gloves are a no-no.  For the belt sander, that's a risk I'll take as getting into that belt with a bare hand could be unpleasant.  Probably just need to limit the free-styling I so like doing.  :)

Once I explained to the panel who it's biological daddy is, things went better.  Should have started out on the mill as i need to do some cutout work on the mill anyway.

I'm thinking the belts themselves are questionable in the sander.  Once the new machine shows up, we'll find out.  I have a smaller 4x24" machine and do that kind of work on it frequently without issues.  I do a lot of work on sanders, why there's a dedicated table full of them in the shop.  Plenty of modeling things to include boat propeller balancing and sharpening as well as stainless steel turn fins and never had problems.  For the props it's a 2" wide belt in free air but they are hand held.
« Last Edit: June 20, 2021, 07:56:23 PM by Steve-White »
Logged

Chris Hindle

  • SR Forums
  • Hero Member
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2693
  • Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Earth, Sol System,......
Re: Shop Safety
« Reply #6 on: June 21, 2021, 12:39:39 AM »

Far too many "shop accidents" are not accidents, but lapses in procedure and/or attention.
Glad you had adequate protection in place.
It's been a few years, but i have never seen a belt without a direction arrow either.
By chance, were both belts from the same batch? Might be a QC problem, but likely you "caught an edge".....
Chris.
(Lots of stupid stuff, but still have 10 fingers and 2 eyes, and no extra holes.......)
Logged
Ya, Whatever. Just throw a '57 on it, and get off my stage.

Stephen Swaffer

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2672
Re: Shop Safety
« Reply #7 on: June 21, 2021, 01:26:52 PM »

Years ago, I had a co-worker loose a portion of his thumb when the glove he was wearing was sucked into a disc grinder.  These tools are not idiot proof-or even forgiving if you get complacent for a split second.
Logged
Steve Swaffer

dave briar

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 572
  • Helena Montana, USA
Re: Shop Safety
« Reply #8 on: June 21, 2021, 02:16:04 PM »

Fifty years ago I learned finish carpentry from one of the nicest, most intelligent, and engaging humans I’ve every crossed paths with. We talked endlessly throughout the day about science, literature, music, you name it. But gentle Richard had one absolutely inviolable rule: Before a power tool is started and during its use there will be no talking by anyone on his crew. I flipped a table we saw on once while finishing my sentence and he calmly walked over and turned it off. That was my one calmly delivered warning. Never did it again.
Logged
..db

Steve-White

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1582
  • Fort Worth
Re: Shop Safety
« Reply #9 on: June 21, 2021, 04:33:31 PM »

Plenty of stupid screw-ups here over the years and fortunately no major boo-boos.  I remember drilling a 1/8" hole into a model boat part years ago.  Back when hand-held drill motors had cords on them.  Bit snapped from excess pressure and remaining part drilled through the end of middle finger - ouch.  A bit more careful drilling holes now.

Steel to boots in shop always and pay much more attention to safety.

More forensics this morning and those that stated "it caught an edge" are awarded the prize.  Sure looks that way - at the main failure point of the belt there is an indention that looks to be 1/8" wide.

Won't be doing that anymore.  :)
« Last Edit: June 21, 2021, 04:42:59 PM by Steve-White »
Logged

ProSoundWeb Community

Re: Shop Safety
« Reply #9 on: June 21, 2021, 04:33:31 PM »


Pages: [1] 2  All   Go Up
 



Site Hosted By Ashdown Technologies, Inc.

Page created in 0.037 seconds with 23 queries.