How long do you turn per session?

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Rcd567

Rcd567

Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2007
Messages
240
Location
Glenwood, Iowa, USA.
I'm telling you, that if I spend the afternoon in the shop, turning and such, my back really starts to hurt. Course my legs ache too from standing on the concrete all afternoon. Thinking of getting some sort of pad to stand on to see if that will help. Have a history of back problems and an additional 40 pounds I took on over the past 11 years since quiting smoking. :( Also my lathe is set a little higher than elbow high because I need to see what I'm working on. Aging is great isn't it?

How long do you guys turn before taking a brake? Any suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks
Bob
 
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I broke my back in a plane crash and can't stand all that long. If you don't already have it, get the rubberized flooring underneath you wherever you stand for long. And then spend 6K for the new Oneway Sit Down lathe!!!

I usually work an hour or 2, then take a seat in my recliner in my shop in front of the fire with my pyrography tools.

Dale
 
got me a rubber mat to stand on; but still if I turn more than 4 hours in a stretch, my back lets me know it is NOT happy. so I turn a few hours then clean things up and move around a bit more. It seems to help instead of just standing at the lathe.
 
I turn until I've completed all of the projects that I intended to do. If I turn less, I don't get things done, but if I turn *after* I've run out of planned projects... I find that I get careless, and don't do good work.

That can be anywhere from 2-5 hours. If it's toward the longer end of that range, I can be a little stiff sometimes.

I don't (yet) have any back problems, so if I'm getting lower back pain, it tells me that either I've been standing in a HORRIBLE position, or that I have been too lazy in my exercise for too long. But still... those mats feel *nice*.

There's a building which I visit as part of my day job, and at their urinals, they have a rubber mat that is about 1" thick, waterproof, and softer than the usual "soft mats", it feels like your feet sink in a half inch. Boy, is that a comfortable way to stand while you relieve yourself, I wish I knew where they got it!
 
Harbor Freight has those interlocking foam pads. I like them to stand on, and they also are really nice when you drop something right after polishing it! I am slowly covering most of the floor in my shop with them.
 
Being a retired pharmacist who owned my own business, I have spent the last 35 years standing, literally sometimes 12 hours without sitting down. Of course this has resulted in leg problems, but I still don't think anything about working 4-5 hours in the shop uninterrupted. I do agree with the suggestions for a mat. It can make a world of difference. An even better option if you have a concrete floor is to build a wooden platform a few inches tall and place the mat on this. We do this in the pharmacy.
 
My other hobby is maintaining some web pages for a couple Christian organization and like you I have back problems. I will turn for 1/2 an hour an hour at the most and then go and do some computer work for 15 or 20 minutes. I have some of those interlocking pads around my workbench, table saw etc but a couple years ago my DIL got me one of the pads from Lee Valley. There is no comparison if I could afford it I would have the Lee Valley pad in front of all my stuff. If you are on a concrete floor get the Lee Valley pad your feet and back will thank you.
 
I agree about the pads. LOML bought me a 3 pack and it really helps. Before back surgery in DEC. I would spend 6-8 hours turning. Since then, maybe an hour at a time before I go looking for the recliner.

Ain't turning 50 fun!!!!:biggrin::biggrin:
 
My time in the shop is usually only an hour or two but sometimes it is 6 to 8 hours. However, even short days I don't spend all the time standing at the lathe. I always mix in other things like cutting blanks, gluing in tubes or putting another coat of finish on a bowl. I also have a stool at the workbench so I can sit while I'm doing some things.
 
Turning time

I must be very fortnate, I try to spend my time devided, turning, cutting blanks, assembly etc. I can spend three hours turning without a problem.
I have had nine surgeries, one of them was my back, another was triple bypass, plus, I am 82 years of age. I do not intend to tell you anything other than, yes, I am FORTNATE. Carl:smile:
 
I broke my back (lumbar, L2) and had 17 other fractures from falling off a telephone pole in 2000. I turn for half an hour and then sit with an ice pack across my lower back for 5-10 minutes and then repeat. I also have found that putting one foot on a small platform of some kind REALLY helps a lot. I made a little box that is 6" high and 24" wide and 6" deep. That was suggested by my back doctor. I alternate feet every 5 minutes or so. Oh yeah...2 Vicodin and a muscle relaxant seems to help, especially if you wash them down with a beer.:biggrin: now where did I put my lathe..........:redface:
 
I'm disabled from a fall that broke the entire left side of my body. I need crutches to walk and I can't lift my left arm above my chest but I can turn for several hours because I sit down. You only need to stand to turn large pieces where you need the leverage or pieces longer than 18". I have no problems with pens or pieces 18" or shorter.:wink::smile:
 
Saturday in "show season" : Turn a couple hours (for me about 4) - stop, get a cup of coffee and SIT for a few minutes (20 for me). Yes, the mats help, or you can let the shavings build up on your floor and stand on those (They are soft)

IF its really bad when you go to bed, two acetominophen or ibuprofen - good as new in the morning (if it's Sunday, head back to the shop!!)
 
I guess I'm luckier than all of you "old guys" at 67-1/2, I have little trouble standing or working in my shop for 4-6 hours at a stretch... I don't spend all that time turning, since there's always cutting, drilling, etc., moving around the shop part of that time. I did get a rubber mat for my shop when I was in Houston, the floor there was concrete. My new shop has a wood floor, so it's easier on the feet and legs.
When I take a chain saw to the log pile, then I feel the back pressure some by the end of that session.
 
ozmandus said:
I guess I'm luckier than all of you "old guys" at 67-1/2, I have little trouble standing or working in my shop for 4-6 hours at a stretch... I don't spend all that time turning, since there's always cutting, drilling, etc., moving around the shop part of that time. I did get a rubber mat for my shop when I was in Houston, the floor there was concrete. My new shop has a wood floor, so it's easier on the feet and legs.
When I take a chain saw to the log pile, then I feel the back pressure some by the end of that session.
Click to expand...

How's that old saying go? If I'd have known I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself? And I'm only 50. :O
 
I know I'm a young buck, but where I get sore is more in my muscles, namely whatever muscle/tendon is in the back of your knee connecting your calf and thigh....I guess it's from 'leaning' over the lathe.

I've though about sitting down, but I move around a lot in the shop (lathe-drill press- gluing station-sander-buffer) and getting up and down would be more work plus the chair takes up space in my cramped shop.

The most I've turned is 10 hours or so, i didn't really count. The last couple of Christmases I've gotten some large corporate orders that take me weeks to do and I'm in the shop for looooong days. I use 2 woodcraft anti-fatigue mats at the lathe, take many stretch breaks, and change out my shoe inserts regularly. It's not that bad that way.
 
I have pads that are a full inch thick--wear the best shoes I can afford--and I still work till my feet are hurting me---6 to 8 hours.
This getting old stuff just ain't no fun.
Yup--- those extra lbs ain't helping a bit either
 
Rcd567 said:
Antifatigue Mat? Anything special I need to know about these?

Here's a link I found. Gotta be something cheaper out there that will work.

http://www.globalindustrial.com/gcs/prod/30047018/i/productInfo.web
Click to expand...

Here is a link to the Lee Valley mat I have, works great. Also watch your local walmart, department store or whatever for those rubber mats that look like jig saw puzzle designed for floors in kids play rooms. I see them on half price sales every so often. They work, not as well as the anti fatigue mats made specifically for this but on sale they are cheaper.
 
I will usually do prep one day (cutting blanks, drilling, gluing in tubes, squaring & trimming ends) and turning/finishing/assembly another. Prep will take me a few hours for a dozen or so pens, and to turn/finish/assemble takes pretty much all day (8 hours anyway). I do use a padded shop mat to stand on but my back kills me anyway.
 
I actually had to ask my wife. i seriously could not tell you how long I spend in the shop in one spell. to me it does not seem that long. i was surprised when she said it averages two to three hours. I do know that a while back i was really involved in a project and spent 7 hours in the shop in one spell. it did not phase me much but my lower back was tired. one of the things I do int he shop is keep a couple of stools around. it is surprising how often you will have just a moment to plop down on it and give the back and legs a bit of a breather. it really helps. I always have on a step or two off to one side and tend to set on it when measuring and marking blanks etc. I will turn while standing but will pull the stool closer and set on it to sand and polish. Basically the idea is that I am not stranded to being on my feet every minute I am in the shop. My wife said to get the mats that the cashiers at wal mart have. that is all she has to offer in the way of identifying them though. She did say they are the real thick rubber ones. I've used the interlocking ones before and they work really well.
 
Rcd567 said:
Antifatigue Mat? Anything special I need to know about these?

Here's a link I found. Gotta be something cheaper out there that will work.

http://www.globalindustrial.com/gcs/prod/30047018/i/productInfo.web
Click to expand...


If you have a Woodcraft close by, they have a mat about 24 x 60 inches that looks pretty nice... don't know how they are to stand on, but look good and price is under $20 I think... last summer my local WC had them on sale for about $14.. didn't get one, but probably needed another one.

I bought mine at Lowes or Home depot year ago and it about 3 x 3 ft.. one of those with holes in it.
 
Gary Max said:
This getting old stuff just ain't no fun.
Click to expand...

You know the alternative to getting old is even less fun :biggrin::biggrin:

Biggest problem I ever have, if I'm doing a lot heavy turning, bigger bowls, hard wood, etc., my shoulder will get sore... that appears to be where I'm having the most problems with "aging".. sometimes it's pure hell to have to reach behind my back to get my left arm in a shirt sleeve. As long as I keep it out front, not too bad. Guess I should learn to put the left sleeve on first.

In winter my feet will get cold, then I have to quit and go to the house.. otherwise no problems there either.
 
I spend hours at a time in the shop. On my day off from my paying job, I spend almost the entire day in the shop. Anti fatigue mats do the trick for me.

Finished%20Shop%20Matting.jpg


I purchased the mats pictured from Harbor Freight. I wait and they will have them on sale every now and again. I purchased them for $6.95 for 4 - 24x24 squares. They carry them in our store off and on. And the price seems to vary everytime I look at them. I have seen them from $6.95 all the way up to $11.00. I have these all over the shop and they make a HUGE difference.

hth,
John
 
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