Shop apron safety

If you wear an apron in the shop you'll want to stay well clear of rotating machinery, especially lathes. The typical apron uses a "string" that goes around your neck. If, Zeus forbid, your apron gets tangled in the rotating work or the leadscrew it's going to pull your head down into a mess of spinning metal.

I solved this problem by severing the "string" and sewing it back together with a SINGLE STITCH of crappy sewing thread. I tested this arrangement by grasping the apron in the shop vise and sharply pulling my head back. The thread broke easily.

Later I did the same thing to the other "string" that goes around my waist.

It's a simple fix that could save you a lot of grief.

I forgot to mention...

If your apron has one of those swing-free pockets (know why they're made that way?) it's worth lashing it down while you've got your sewing gear out.

Another very useful post. :hattip:

My friends all know me as the "safety guy". In every context, I'm the one who tries to foresee and mitigate all possible consequences. They think I'm nuts, but I still have my hearing, vision, and all fingers/toes/et al.

Ken

One of the hardest safety-oriented adjustments for me was learning to file left-handed on the lathe. I'm massively right-dominant so doing anything "lefty" is a real pain. In fact, sometimes I'll set up the collet chuck for an operation that could be done in the 3-jaw just so I can file right-handed.

[QUOTE=mklotz;
If your apron has one of those swing-free pockets (know why they're made that way?) it's worth lashing it down while you've got your sewing gear out.[/QUOTE]

If about 2'' wide x 4'' or so, that a 1'' mic will fit, it swings preventing gravity from re-calibrating the instrument in a partially non-scientific manner.