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Objective:
To teach students that trusting yourself to figure
out how to use a power tool without having received proper
instruction is a very bad idea.
Materials/Requirements: Students and a lathe, unplugged.
What To Do:
Present your class with an assignment that
involves using the lathe. Suggest to them that the owner's
manual is lost and time is short, and you're wondering if anyone
can figure out how to use the lathe without the benefit of the
manual or any instruction in the tool.
Have
a student volunteer or volunteers show the class how
they would proceed to do the assignment. (Make sure the lathe
is unplugged while students handle it.) Keep a list of all the student
suggestions that are dangerous or ill-advised. When all the students
have offered their suggestions, address each of them, explaining
why it is dangerous or unacceptable.
Discuss
with the students the possible consequences of trying
to figure out a machine like the lathe on their own.
Finally,
retrieve the manual and explain the proper way to use
the tool. Based on your discussion, have the students create a
list of warnings or "Do Nots" for the lathe, as well as a list of
"Things to Do."
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Before securing wood on a lathe, have students check the wood for defects that could result in breaking or splintering. They should securely tighten all adjusting levers and locks before turning on the machine. Instruct students to always stand to one side as they switch on the power, and to be sure the motor suits the lathe in both horsepower and RPMs. |
Refer to...
Safety is Specific, page 8.
... for references to
the safe use of
wood lathes.
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