Doug just posted a story on the main page regarding Rube Goldberg and shop hazards. My jaw just about dropped when I read that. I'm the EAA chapter 49 newsletter editor, and here's an article I wrote last week that's going in this month's newsletter. I thought I'd start a thread for folks to post their own Rube Goldberg shop stories 
Reuben Lucius Goldberg Lives In My Workshop?.
Man wants to build airplane (A), and looks around workshop (B), for cleco pliers (C). Man bumps head on nail (D) sticking out of workbench causing man to stumble backwards into carelessly placed halogen light (E). Attempting to catch halogen light (E) man discovers that a lit halogen lamp is 5 baggilion million degrees Fahrenheit and promptly burns hands (F), once again dropping halogen light (E). Halogen light (E) bumps against tool chest (G) and knocks over precariously balanced can of Diet Mt. Dew (H) that then spills onto digital camera (I). Halogen lamp (E) hits floor and shatters into little itty bitty pieces (J through X). Attempting to clean up mess, man trips over extension cord (Y) and falls to the floor (Z). From man?s new, low altitude vantage point, cleco pliers (C) hiding under rolling tool chest (G) easily discovered. Success!
I don?t have any bicycle-pedaling monkeys, catapulting bowling balls or steam whistles but I tell you, Rube Goldberg is alive and well, and he lives in my workshop.
What got me thinking about this was the tragic accident a couple of weeks ago out at Fox Field. I?m sure everyone knows about the Cirrus that went down. I?ll leave it to whoever?s interested to read the NTSB report on N526CD. Suffice it to say that a chain of events possibly combined with some poor judgement appears to have claimed two more lives?.stall/spin into the ground about a mile north of the runway. Old story with new names, but tragic nonetheless.
So what does this have to do with our workshops and Mr. Goldberg? I dare say that there are very few accidents that blindside us out of nowhere. We?re all familiar with the concept of ?breaking the chain? when it comes to flying. In other words, don?t fly VFR into marginal weather, and you won?t get stuck between the cloud layers that will eventually close up around you and you don?t know where you are because you didn?t bother to keep track of your position on a sectional and were afraid to call ATC for help because you didn?t want to loose your license for taking off into marginal VFR without even bothering to get a WX briefing, and woops?where?d that mountain come from?? The wise pilot takes a quick glance outside, hangs up his headset and pops open a beer instead. Thus, the chain is broken and life is good.
So back to the workshop?
When?s the last time you looked around your workshop and identified the potential hazards? I?m not talking about things like safety glasses and ear plugs. I?m talking about the messy workbenches with tools and parts millimeters away from plunging to the floor, sub-assemblies haphazardly propped up against a wall, extension cords and air hoses strewn across the floor, etc etc etc.
Do you feel safe letting your dog roam around your workshop? I don?t know about you, but my dog routinely runs back and forth across the top of my retaining wall with the grace of a gazelle. I, on the other hand, have been known to trip over puffs of dust. I?m the one I need to worry about, not him.
So my goal for this month is to go around my workshop and systematically identify potential hazards to my safety AND to my aircraft. My thought will be ?would I feel safe letting my dog loose in here?, and I will imagine all of the damage he could do to himself and my painstakingly assembled airplane components.
For example, my big ole? drill press isn?t bolted down. It?s easy to imagine my dog jumping up and knocking it over. Heck, I?ve bumped into it half a dozen times myself and almost knocked it over. One of these days, I?m going to knock the stupid thing over and 70 lbs of precision machinery is going to go crashing down onto my vertical stabilizer resulting in a great deal of longitudinal smushing. And why is my vertical stabilizer just hanging out at some random location in my workshop anyhow? And why am I bumping into my drill press all the time? I?ll tell you why?it?s because I have junk all over the place and there?s no room to walk. Here I?ve identified three different things I can do to break the chain of events that could lead to some pretty costly damage, or worse.
So I encourage everyone to take a quick look through their workshops and see if maybe Rube has paid you a visit, lest heavy thing (A) goes crashing through expensive thing (B) causing much pain and suffering to wallet (C) or limbs (D) through (G)?.
Reuben Lucius Goldberg Lives In My Workshop?.
Man wants to build airplane (A), and looks around workshop (B), for cleco pliers (C). Man bumps head on nail (D) sticking out of workbench causing man to stumble backwards into carelessly placed halogen light (E). Attempting to catch halogen light (E) man discovers that a lit halogen lamp is 5 baggilion million degrees Fahrenheit and promptly burns hands (F), once again dropping halogen light (E). Halogen light (E) bumps against tool chest (G) and knocks over precariously balanced can of Diet Mt. Dew (H) that then spills onto digital camera (I). Halogen lamp (E) hits floor and shatters into little itty bitty pieces (J through X). Attempting to clean up mess, man trips over extension cord (Y) and falls to the floor (Z). From man?s new, low altitude vantage point, cleco pliers (C) hiding under rolling tool chest (G) easily discovered. Success!
I don?t have any bicycle-pedaling monkeys, catapulting bowling balls or steam whistles but I tell you, Rube Goldberg is alive and well, and he lives in my workshop.
What got me thinking about this was the tragic accident a couple of weeks ago out at Fox Field. I?m sure everyone knows about the Cirrus that went down. I?ll leave it to whoever?s interested to read the NTSB report on N526CD. Suffice it to say that a chain of events possibly combined with some poor judgement appears to have claimed two more lives?.stall/spin into the ground about a mile north of the runway. Old story with new names, but tragic nonetheless.
So what does this have to do with our workshops and Mr. Goldberg? I dare say that there are very few accidents that blindside us out of nowhere. We?re all familiar with the concept of ?breaking the chain? when it comes to flying. In other words, don?t fly VFR into marginal weather, and you won?t get stuck between the cloud layers that will eventually close up around you and you don?t know where you are because you didn?t bother to keep track of your position on a sectional and were afraid to call ATC for help because you didn?t want to loose your license for taking off into marginal VFR without even bothering to get a WX briefing, and woops?where?d that mountain come from?? The wise pilot takes a quick glance outside, hangs up his headset and pops open a beer instead. Thus, the chain is broken and life is good.
So back to the workshop?
When?s the last time you looked around your workshop and identified the potential hazards? I?m not talking about things like safety glasses and ear plugs. I?m talking about the messy workbenches with tools and parts millimeters away from plunging to the floor, sub-assemblies haphazardly propped up against a wall, extension cords and air hoses strewn across the floor, etc etc etc.
Do you feel safe letting your dog roam around your workshop? I don?t know about you, but my dog routinely runs back and forth across the top of my retaining wall with the grace of a gazelle. I, on the other hand, have been known to trip over puffs of dust. I?m the one I need to worry about, not him.
So my goal for this month is to go around my workshop and systematically identify potential hazards to my safety AND to my aircraft. My thought will be ?would I feel safe letting my dog loose in here?, and I will imagine all of the damage he could do to himself and my painstakingly assembled airplane components.
For example, my big ole? drill press isn?t bolted down. It?s easy to imagine my dog jumping up and knocking it over. Heck, I?ve bumped into it half a dozen times myself and almost knocked it over. One of these days, I?m going to knock the stupid thing over and 70 lbs of precision machinery is going to go crashing down onto my vertical stabilizer resulting in a great deal of longitudinal smushing. And why is my vertical stabilizer just hanging out at some random location in my workshop anyhow? And why am I bumping into my drill press all the time? I?ll tell you why?it?s because I have junk all over the place and there?s no room to walk. Here I?ve identified three different things I can do to break the chain of events that could lead to some pretty costly damage, or worse.
So I encourage everyone to take a quick look through their workshops and see if maybe Rube has paid you a visit, lest heavy thing (A) goes crashing through expensive thing (B) causing much pain and suffering to wallet (C) or limbs (D) through (G)?.
