Don't leave the key in the lathe chuck

been there done that. my lathe doesn't seem to throw them, just busts off the tip, rendering them useless.
 
I took metal shop in 9th grade (1971-72) - Our shop teacher taught us to rotate the chuck by hand
at least once before applying power. Still do that now, especially good when something has
sidetracked you.
 
My chuck keys have springs on the end. When I first got them I thought “ what a pain in the butt” and took the springs off. After realizing the accident potential I put the springs back on. I just can’t see slinging a chuck key through the windshield of my car parked in the garage with the lathe.
 
I have chuck keys on Tool Balancers over the lathe which keep them at an ideal height to grab but automatically retract when you let go of the chuck key.
I used a chuck less than 10 times last year though as my lathe has a native ER40 spindle nose which covers 99% of what I do in the lathe.
 
My chuck keys have springs on the end. When I first got them I thought “ what a pain in the butt” and took the springs off. After realizing the accident potential I put the springs back on. I just can’t see slinging a chuck key through the windshield of my car parked in the garage with the lathe.

Consider yourself lucky if you only get a broken window. I don't know of a specific case, but wouldn't be surprised to hear that people have lost their lives making that mistake.

Over the years, I've trained myself to never, ever, ever take my hand off the key until I'm putting the key away in it's designated spot.

Ray C.
 
Don't do what I did when I was 10 years old. I managed to flip the drum switch on with my left hand on dad's 9" South Bend lathe with my right hand on the chuck key tightening down on the work piece. I thought the end of the World came and flashed in front of my face! My right hand was caught between the chuck wrench and the bed of the lathe and the 1/4 HP motor was cycling trying to run until dad came over and turned it off. Probably all happen in less than 5 seconds. My poor hand hurt for two weeks! It didn't break anything, didn't even bleed! But had a bump on the back of my hand for nearly 40 years until my RA hit it and went away. You gain a respect for chuck wrenches and drum switches!

Ken
 
When I was in Trade School, if you got caught leaving the key in the chuck, the Shop Teacher had one mounted on a chain and you wore it around your neck for the week you were there. Now, just about every Craigslist ad I see has the key sticking out the top. Guess they stopped doing that.
 
I happened to be watching a person start spindle on a (large) modern conventional lathe with a forgotten/overlooked 5/8" t-nut in the slot on a face plate. The spindle speed was fairly high. The nut flew from the faceplate hitting him in the shoulder and sat him down on the floor in front of the lathe with a bewildered look of both pain and surprise on his face.
 
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My lathe came with a chuck cover. The cover must be in the lowered position in order to start the spindle. I have taken it off in order to turn some large items but it goes back on as soon as I'm done. With the cover down you can't leave the key in the chuck
 
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