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Turning attire

R

rjanema

Joined
Aug 24, 2006
Messages
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Location
Caledonia, MI
What does the AAW turner wear while actually turning? Seriously, or at least semi seriously, I am tired of getting wood shavings and chips down the inside of my shirt. Also, to keep peace in the house, it would be nice to rid my clothing of most of the chips before I enter the house. Are there any patterns or less expensive alternatives to the expensive "turners smocks"? Thanks

Rich
 
Hi Rich,

I have a real problem with my neck and shoulders and cannot stand a closed collar like is on the turners smocks. My wife is a very accomplished seamstress and picked up a pattern for an apron with a full front and back at the fabric store. She then adjusted the pattern to suit me - and fit me as the original was sized for women and she had to adjust it to fit a man. She now has a wonderful smock that closes on the sides with Velcro fasteners, rear pockets and comes up high enough to block 95% of the shavings without hurting my neck. Her first attempt was not quite there but after pinning it to adjust the fit she was able then to get the fit perfect for the next ones she made. If I remember correctly the fabric, Velcro, etc. for my last one ran about $15 - $20. I have even worn it giving demos and as we picked up the AAW patches and club patch to put on it no one even noticed it being hand made. Gotta love a gal that helps in a hobby like that - maybe that is why she gets first choice at anything I make. If you have a good seamstress in the family they should be able to do the same for you. If you would like, I'll see if she has the pattern number/make still at the house tonight.

Wilford
 
I use the AAW smock and don't think it's overly expensive. Zip it up and use a face schield and you'll not have those chips in your shirt. Then get a brush and brush off your pants and shoes and you should be good to go in the house.
 
I turn in what I'm standing in. T-shirt, regular, makes no difference, though if it has pockets, you might want to check to see if they're buttoned. I don't get shavings much above the xiphoid if I remember to clear when taking out the interior of a bowl. Sometimes I forget and the shavings carry around the bottom a bit on a steeper side, tossing the odd shaving up into the air where it can land on my hair. Takes only a bit of practice to turn your gouge so the shavings are ejected down and away from yourself. Additional benefit is that if you're not lifting shavings with the tool, you're not catching or lifting and fuzzing the endgrain.

Even a roughing pull cut can be redirected fairly easily as you see here. http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n28/MichaelMouse/?action=view&current=HollowTwo001.flv If I clear the heap building under the piece, I can keep my shirt almost clean. Gaposis of the pant pockets can pose a problem, however. If you need a tight neck, get a barber type smock at your local uniform shop and sew the pockets shut. Low pockets will collect, and one or two curls caught in the wife's bra while doing the laundry will bring down the wrath.
 
Some like it cheap, some like it expensive!

I've never been able to justify one of those expensive smocks in my mind and just use pocketless t-shirts in the summer and sweatshirts in the winter - close fitting around the neck and hanging over my belt. For pants that have pockets, I've found that strips of duct tape will seal them very nicely. Hoodie sweatshirts can be a problem in the winter - the hood can fill up without you noticing and then be a pain to get off!
 
I wear over my regular clothes a pair of medical scrubs. Maybe one day, I will have the neck area modified but it works well as-is for me.

When I am done turning, I just take it off and go inside.

I still shower immediately after but atleast I won't be dragging too much shavings and dust in the house.
 
My wife bought me a smock from Packard Woodworks last year for our anniversary. I love it. It's great to be able to remove the smock and go inside "clean." Of course I still have to shake the shavings out of my hair...
 
I put off getting a turning smok for a long time. Then one day while at the AAWsymposium I decided i had some extra cash and got one. I love it. It does get a little hot during the summer but it does a wonderful job of keeping the shavings out of my shirt. Heck they get all the way down into your underwear not to mention filling up your shoes.
Now I've been looking at Gaiters or the shoe covers sold for woodturning. Most of the shaving that end up in house come from my shoes and socks.
 
Turning smock

I went to Sal's Dept. Store (aka Salvation Army) and got a cheap nylon windbreaker. My wife sewed the seam on the left arm tighter so there is less loose fabric to get caught. Zips up high in the neck and has elastic cuffs. Sheds chips great. I also have a nylon vest that zips up high for warmer weather or demos. :D
 
On just about any given day I'm wearing a golf shirt and demoted a few just for turning.

I also got tired of shavings down my neck so I started wearing them backwards. It works and my kids think I look hysterical.
 
I tried on several different smocks at AAW in Lex this past summer thinking I needed one but none seemed to really be very comfortable. I always wear a t-shirt and shorts, 365 a year since shop is heated and AC'ed. Chips brush off t-shirts pretty good and I seem to accumulate a lot of them from various places anyway.

Biggest problem I have is chips falling in my shoes. I wear tennis shoes that I usually just slip on and tck in the laces, so they fit rather loose. Shaking out the chips isn't too hard but sometimes the chips will go through my socks and irritate my skin pretty bad.

I may not look like the textbook turner but I am confortable out there :cool2:
 
I wear just my regular clothes. Jeans with a T-shirt in the summer, long sleeved shirt when it is cooler and a sweatshirt during the winter.

My one hard and fast clothing rule is to always wear leather shoes when I'm working with sharp tools. I learned that rule the hard way. :o
 
Turnin' Duds

Well...a turned bassackwards baseball cap, then an old slick finish cotton longsleeve shirt that the chips won't stick to, a pair of old pants (DO NOT TUCK THE SHIRT IN!!!), a comfy pair of HIGH top shoes that go up inside the pants. The cap keeps the chips out of your hair, the shirt and pants pockets need to be duct-taped shut, and a good air compressor to blow yourself off if you want to set foot in the house at nite!!!! Woodturning is NOT a hobby...it IS AN ADDICTION!!!
Oh yea...the usual safety stuff also....no sense in spending high dollars on those smocks, scuba breathing outfits, etc. just use common sense and avoid the elite name-brand stuff...save your money for turnin' toys!!!! :D :D
 
air compressor to blow off

and a good air compressor to blow yourself off

at day job, if one uses air pressue to blow lint off yourself its a terminating safety violation, just low air pressure getting in a cut, ears, etc... major medical problems including amputation

yes it is low statical chance but they got the paper already filled out :(
 
Air

Well, air is another of the many things in the shop, that if mis-used, can have nasty effects, to be sure!!!! So is sniffing C.A., getting hair, clothes tangled in rotating equipment, and on, and on....If you are dumb enough to use air on yourself at work against company policy you deserve what you get. I use air safely, as I value my eyes and eardrums, etc.....
(PEE ESS) I am retired, and am in my own shop, governed by my own safety rules. Amen :cool2:
 
Sorry to not have thanked all who replied before. Great advice. Just got a smock from Craft Supplies, short sleeve light weight and am going out to the shop to give it a work out. Thanks again.
Rich
 
MichaelMouse said:
I turn in what I'm standing in. T-shirt, regular, makes no difference, though if it has pockets, you might want to check to see if they're buttoned. I don't get shavings much above the xiphoid if I remember to clear when taking out the interior of a bowl. Sometimes I forget and the shavings carry around the bottom a bit on a steeper side, tossing the odd shaving up into the air where it can land on my hair. Takes only a bit of practice to turn your gouge so the shavings are ejected down and away from yourself. Additional benefit is that if you're not lifting shavings with the tool, you're not catching or lifting and fuzzing the endgrain.

Even a roughing pull cut can be redirected fairly easily as you see here. http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n28/MichaelMouse/?action=view&current=HollowTwo001.flv If I clear the heap building under the piece, I can keep my shirt almost clean. Gaposis of the pant pockets can pose a problem, however. If you need a tight neck, get a barber type smock at your local uniform shop and sew the pockets shut. Low pockets will collect, and one or two curls caught in the wife's bra while doing the laundry will bring down the wrath.
Click to expand...

Nice video ,the only problem I would have is Michael has his watch on. You may consider this: if the chips are a distraction , you may react wrong and send the gouge into orbit, conservative approach would be a smock made so you do not have to focus on the chips but can stay focused on the tool / object and not have to worry where they ( the chips ) are going. As a machinist first , rings, watches etc constitute unwanted distraction either by them selves or worrying about them while you are working, same would go for the chips, I dont use a smock , dust collector is set to remove em before I start to turn, so any " loose ones " I ignore untill I shut the lathe down.Face shield is a must on roughing as " loose " chips can seriously distract you, and all it takes is one time. Nothing you do in your shop is worth losing an eye or a finger or your life..... just ask your wife. she knows . and if you are not married ... you can ask mine .. :D
 
Isn`t this AAW`s site? Shouldn`t we all be wearing an AAW smock? :D
 
Turning smock?

I went to Walmart, bought an extra large, long sleeved, slick-material, shirt.
My wife put velcro on the back of the collar (so I can turn it up), and a strip down the front. I button the collar button, stick the velcro, don the face shield, and I'm ready to turn.
I have a short sleeved one for summer.
 
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