Workshop Machine Guard Check Sheet
Show that the guards on a saw, planer, lathe or press were actually looked at, and that a machine with a missing guard was taken out of use rather than run.
SD-35 1 page
Workshop and tools · WT-17
Wood Lathe Pre-Use and Maintenance Log
A free printable wood lathe checklist: a before-start check for each session, then belt, bearing, bed, chuck, centre and tool rest maintenance on one record.
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2 pages. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.
Print it and write on it
Fill it in type and save
The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.
What this sheet is for
Make the same before-start round every time the lathe is used, with its upkeep beside it.
Who it is for
Woodturners at home, shared workshops and makerspaces, and school and college workshops with a wood lathe.
How to use it
- Fill in the lathe's details once, including the speed range from its manual.
- Before each session, write the date at the top of a column and work down it.
- If anything is not right, do not start; write the fault on the back.
- Log belt, bearing, bed, chuck, centre and tool rest work as it is done.
What is on the sheet
2 pages, in this order:
Page 1
Printed under the title: A before-start check for a wood lathe, a column for each session, and the lathe's maintenance history: belt, bearings, bed, chuck, centres and tool rest in one place.
Speeds are yours to set. No speeds are printed. The safe speed for a blank depends on its size, balance and condition, and the lathe's manual gives the machine's own limits. Start each new blank at the lowest speed and stand clear of its line as it starts.
Write-on lines: Lathe make & model · Serial or asset no. · Swing over bed · Between centres · Chucks and jaws owned · Centres owned · Speed range (manual)
Before each session — tick if right — if not, do not start; note it overleaf
Also printed: Check · Date · Lathe stable, bolted or weighted down · Tailstock and tool rest locked · Chuck key and spanners removed · Blank sound: no cracks, loose bark or knots · Blank turned by hand, clear of the rest · Speed turned down before switching on · Belt and pulley covers closed · Stop switch tested · Dust extraction on · Face shield or eye protection on · Sleeves, hair and jewellery secured · Tools sharp, handles sound · Turner's initials
Page 2
Maintenance — tick what was done; write parts and anything found
Table, 11 rows: Date · Belt · Bearings · Bed waxed · Chuck jaws · Live centre · Tool rest · Other work and parts · By
Faults found before use — and what was done before it ran again
Table, 5 rows: Date · Fault found · Action taken · Fixed by · Date fixed
Ruled lines: Notes — vibration, chatter, catches and what caused them
Questions
Why does the sheet not give lathe speeds?
Because the right speed depends on the blank's size, balance and condition, and on the lathe. Starting each new blank at the lowest speed and working up is the habit the check builds; the figures stay with your manual.
How is this different from the workshop machine guard check sheet?
That sheet records the guards and stops on any machine. This one is the full before-start round for a lathe, from the tool rest and chuck key to the blank itself, plus the lathe's own maintenance record.
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