FIRE HAZARD WARNING

[Anonymous]

Hi all

Ground a piece of steel on the bench mounted belt sander toaday as many members do.

After a few minutes of doing some hand-planing, I noticed a burning smell. Saw smoke coming from the sander at the rear :shock: :shock:

A small fire had started inside the belt sander where sawdust had been trapped.

You can see where the plastic started to melt in this photo

This is the inside shot of the rear cover where it is clear that there were 2 fires.; Just glad that I didn't grind and then leave the garage :?

Most important tool in my workshop is shown below

 

[thomaskennedy]

The same thing happened to my hand belt sander :roll:

Is it fixable Tony? Or are you replacing it?

Ta, Tom

 

[Philly]

A cheap battery powered smoke alarm is a good move, too!
I bought a twin pack for about a tenner.
Glad you didn't have a fire,
Philly

 

[Anonymous]

Still works OK Tom. Luckily I saw/smelt it before it got really bad

Philly

Are smoke detectors OK in the workshop? I'd have thought that the dust might cause problems with some types

 

[MikeW]

Wow, Tony! glad everything is OK.

As regards the smoke alarms, I use them also. I do vacuum them out whenever I am doing general shop cleaning. Even at that, there have been times I have burnt an edge with either the belt sander or a router bit when cutting too deep of mortices and the smoke alarm lets me know. Hardly enough smoke to notice, too.

Again, glad everything's OK.

Mike

 

[tim]

Tony

Lucky escape - glad all is okay.

I haven't got a smoke alarm or fire extinguisher

. Will be ordering both tomorrow.

Cheers

Tim

 

[Waka]

Bad luck Tony, glad the shop and the tool are ok. Was it just the build-up of sawdust on a hot spot that casued the problem , or something else?

 

[Chris Knight]

Fortunate that you spotted that Tony! I have had a similar thing happen but with fine wire wool which starts to smoulder nicely when a couple of hot sparks hit it.

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Tony

Glad that you and the the workshop are both OK.

Cheers
Neil

 

[devonwoody]

They say a cat has nine lives, how many does a woodworker?

I think one solution with this type of equipment is to have a didicated storeage area after use which would not be a fire hazard if there were an incendary or whatever its called.

 

[tim]

if there were an incendary or whatever its called.

A fire!

Cheers

Tim

 

[Anonymous]

:shock: As a bit of a blacksmith as well as a wood turner, I'm very conscious of the fact that the two don't mix very well.
In "The Hovel" where all the turning is done, I've fixed three fire extinguishers to the wall with the business ends facing into the centre of the shed.
In the event of a fire starting, I can hit all three extinguishers on my way out and then shut the door. The theory being that I can fight the fire whilst not being confined within a very small space.
Don't know whether the theory works in practise, cos I've never had to try it - and I hope I never do.

 

[Alf]

Tsk. Nasty. :shock: Maybe there's something to be said for my older version with it's more open design. :-k Glad it wasn't worse, Tony.

Cheers, Alf

 

[Les Mahon]

Timely reminder to us all!

It brings back to mind something which I have often thought about over the years, would it be possible to use the same kind of fire suppression system that is used in computer rooms in a workshop?

In my day job I see these inert gas systems in most computer rooms I go into, and wonder if they can be bought by private users. I guess there is probably all sorts of regulations around them (not to mention the fact that they probably cost serious money!). Anyone evr heard of them being used in workshops - either at home or commercially.

Glad things worked out ok for you tony!

 

[Adam]

Are smoke detectors OK in the workshop? I'd have thought that the dust might cause problems with some types

You can get ones that go on heat rise, rather than "smoke" particles, or combinations of both.

I have only a fire extinguisher in my workshop.

Adam

 

[devonwoody]

if there were an incendary or whatever its called.

A fire!

Cheers

Tim

Got it at last a 'conflagation'
(not a flagellation which I knew there was something not quite right)

 

[tim]

Or even conflagration!

T

 

[jonny boy]

Hello all,

It is also worth noting that if you intend to do some grinding/linishing of materials which can cause sparks, any extractor system connected to the machine should be disconected. As well as potential fire risk, you also run the risk of an explosion occuring. Sawdust can explode under the right conditions.

cheers, jonny.

 

[Shadowfax]

Lucky there, Tony. Just as well you saw it.
With my fireman's hat on, I think you can get away with smoke alarms in your workshop but they are easily affected by dust so they will have to be frequently vacuumed out.
The rate-of-rise heat alarms will be affected in the same way but bear in mind that they need the fire to have started to produce the heat that they detect so they are, therefore, slower to sound a warning - by which time you might have already left!
The total flood systems are going to be much more expensive but if you want peace of mind you can think about it. However, they are often associated with sealed rooms - not quite the average workshop situation.
I feel that the good old fashioned water extinguishers are the things to use. Easy to use, easy to fill and easy to pump up if you use the stored pressure types. Just remember to turn off the electrics before you start doing your firefighter impression!
Nothing else, perhaps apart from AFFF, gives you an instant cooling effect which is what you want in a woodwork shop.
Just my thoughts, anyway.
Cheers.

SF