Since Bob had to go all “Safety” on us, a couple practices I use come to mind: Surprises at the Lathe are Generally not Good - It’s real easy to startle me while I’m engaged in a turning at the lathe. To get my attention in a safer manner, my family turns off and on the shop light switch at the shop door. This is enough to get my attention in a controlled way. I suppose facing the door would be good too, but not an option at the moment.

Whenever I lock the spindle (to tighten or remove a chuck, while drilling, or whatever) I turn the speed dial to zero. In the unlikely event that I forget to unlock the spindle, or leave a locking bar or jaw adjustment wrench in the chuck, I won’t accidentally turn the lathe on like this. When I do turn it on, and the speed is set at zero, I double check everything before turning the speed dial up.

- Mike