Disclaimer
Notice
Last updated on
Wednesday, September 20, 2023 05:47:08 AM
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▪ Please review all of the precautionary notes below & the Personal Safety Equipment page.
▪ Failure to comply with these warnings may result in personal injury.
▪ Follow & observer all safety requirements set forth by the American National Standards Institute, ANSI B11.10.
▪ All practices described herein are to be used at the discretion & risk of the reader.
▪ Opinions expressed are those of the author or the quoted source.
▪ The author is not a machinist, a tool maker or an engineer but a retired Research Psychologist.
▪ No information provided herein should be construed to represent professional advice or best practice.
▪ All information is provided to help hobbyists & interested parties gain a better understanding of the tools & techniques described.
▪ Care has been exercised to provide accurate information but the author cannot be held responsible for information that is incorrect or out of date.
▪ Always take all proper safety precautions such as wearing industry approved (ANSI) protective eyewear, breathing filtration, hearing protection, appropriate clothing, adequate illumination, good ventilation, & secure footing.
▪ Do not wear loose clothing, jewelry or unrestrained hair styles. Never wear gloves.
▪ Refer to the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for info regarding the properties of a particular material. Dust from grinding tool bits & other materials is dangerous if inhaled.
▪ Assure shop observers also have proper protective eyewear & hearing protection.
▪ Beware of creating a flammable condition or an explosive atmosphere (liquid, vapor or dust) within the work area. Identify all potential ignition sources within the work area.
▪ Have the appropriate type of fire extinguisher readily available inside the shop.
▪ Keep children, animals, clutter & trip hazards away from the work area.
▪ Secure tools & the work area when not in use.
▪ Do not converse with others or allow them to interrupt you while performing cutting operations.
▪ Cutting & grinding metal or wood can result in exposure to & inhalation of toxic materials. Refer to the MSDS for the properties of a particular material.
▪ Power tools & shop practices are dangerous. Read, understand, & follow all directions & precautions provided by the equipment manufacturer.
▪ Directly contact the manufacturer if you have any questions or problems; often they have manuals available on their site.
▪ Consult knowledgeable people in the appropriate forums if an equipment manual cannot be obtained.
▪ Keep all machinery (mechanical & electrical) in proper working condition, including lubrication. Replace worn or broken parts.
▪ Assure all safety covers & shields are in place before turning on the machine. Never use a machine with a cover open, removed or damaged.
▪ If there are any doubts about the safety of the machine or how it is going to be used, do not operate it & seek professional guidance.
▪ Before starting a cutting operation, assure all involved parts have been properly tightened.
▪ Allow sufficient time to complete the task; do not hurry. E.g., do not do a "quick cut" just before rushing out the door.
▪ Do not place hands near cutter while the machine is operating.
▪ Wait until the cutter has completely stopped turning before reaching in or touching the setup.
▪ Never use a taper-mounted chuck without a drawbar if side forces are being applied. Side forces can cause a taper-mounted chuck to loosen & spin-off at dangerously high speeds causing injury.
▪ Always use a tang handle when filing on a turning lathe part. If it catches, it can jam the tang into/through your hand/eye. Wear eye protection.
▪ Do not reach over a machine while it is running.
▪ Do not operate any machinery while fatigued or under the influence of alcohol, medications, or other drugs.
▪ Do not leave the area while a machine is running unless it & the work area are setup to safely operate in that condition (e.g., a CNC machine that incorporates working fail-safe mechanisms).
▪ Always disconnect & lockout the machine from its power source before performing any maintenance, repair, modification, or upgrade.
▪ Disconnect machinery from its power source when unused for extended time periods.
▪ Periodically test emergency stop circuits to assure they are functional.
▪ It is your responsibility to verify that all technical specifications of any given tool or project provides an integrated solution that will produce the desired results.
▪ Mating mechanical parts sometimes require a mirror-image design.
▪ Pay close attention to units e.g., metric vs. imperial, cm vs. mm, C vs. F, or feet per second vs. furlongs per fortnight.
▪ Bistable multivibrators are interesting devices.
▪ Never underestimate the pervasiveness of the Dunning-Kruger Effect, the scope of Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics, the influence of Cognitive Dissonance, & the efficacy of reverse psychology.
▪ Your mileage may vary. Batteries not included. Objects in mirror are closer than they appear. The Answer to Life is 42. I'm a poet & don't know it. ;-)