Lathe Safety: Face Shield vs. Respirator

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Duration: 3:55

Ready to do some turning? Keep lathe safety in mind. You’ve got to wear a face shield to protect your face and eyes. When you get to the sanding step you also need to protect your lungs, something a face shield alone won’t do. Check out this video to learn more about face shield/respirator combos.

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15 Responses to “Lathe Safety: Face Shield vs. Respirator”

  1. Mike Moore

    When it comes to a respirator, I started with the model you showed but found the weight of the blower on top of my head made it uncomfortable for long periods of time – especially when turning bowls or hollow forms where I may be leaning over the lathe bed. I have since switched to a model where the blower and battery are worn on a belt and connected to the helmet by a hose. I wear this comfortably all day long.

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  2. Mike Hunter

    Have had a Trend for 3 years. It died on me recently, looking to replace and want to know what my options are.

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    • Customer Service

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  3. Bob

    Hi George, What are your thoughts of sharing this device in a shared wood-shop? Thanks Bob

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    • Customer Service

      Hi Bob. Hmmm….it’s probably ok. I’m certainly not squeamish, or any kind of germaphobe. But in all honesty, I personally would feel weird about putting my face inside a respirator that a number of other people have been breathing inside of. Maybe you could find something to treat the interior of the respirator with. Kind of like people wiping equipment down at a public gym.
      Thanks
      George-WWGOA

      Reply
  4. Mark Hendrickson

    I have an older similar piece. Battery is worn on the belt–but I still sometimes find it top heavy. For those of us with beards, it’s the best way to go as nothing really seals well with a beard.

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  5. John

    I love the protection it provides both for flying objects and dust however there are two issues that need attention. (1) The grade of the plastic is lacking in the area of static control and scratch resistance. The additional stick-on shield does help protect from scratches but does nothing for the static control. Also after you replace the plastic stick-on it is near impossible to get a complete seal and this results in a visible distortion. (2) The low battery signal cannot be cut off and comes on after a short usage but the battery will still provide power for at least another 6 hours.

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  6. Calvin Arterberry

    I am newto woodworking. I have watched a ton of videos of turning and scroll sawing. I had not seen the respirator mask in use until I watched George use one. I kept noticing that he would put on this mask and I heard the suction kick in with it. Interesting…I thought. I’ve been using my scroll saw quite a bit lately and I use my black and decker rotary tool to do most of my sanding for the end result of my projects. I currently use a half face filter with the pink filters. It does the trick but it gets a bit uncomfortable after an hour of use. I’m going to check into these respirators. They look comfortable but maybe just a bit heavy. I received my new PSI lathe about a month ago and just starting to pilfer around with it. One might come in real handy around my little 10×13 unvented shop.

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  7. Richard Slosky

    I love the site’s videos and articles. Thanks for producing them. I
    have read that if you use a face shield while working on a lathe, that is not enough to protect
    your eyes and you need to also ware safety glasses. Can you please
    comment on this.

    Reply
    • WWGOA Team

      Hi, Richard! I think that a good face shield is enough protection. But if there’s any doubt, doubling up the protection with safety glasses is a great idea.

      Reply
  8. Guest

    That’s the Trend Airshield Pro. It comes with or without attached earmuffs. You can get it lots of places (Woodcraft, amazon.com, etc.). The model he has runs about $365.

    Reply
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