Protect your hands

Steve Hitsman · From: Waterloo, IL

I may be belaboring the obvious but the importance of this message became very personal to me Monday in a table saw accident. While cutting a dado, the board kicked back on me and pulled my left ring finger into the dado blade. With only a 1/4" of the blade exposed, the visible damage was not that extensive but I severed the flexor tendon and during surgery, the doctor determined that I had destroyed the distal joint. Naturally, my first concern was whether I would be able to play. Fortunately, my steel playing will not be effected and the doctor thinks I will probably be able to play 6 string. I will require bone graft surgery to replace what the saw removed and I will have limited or zero movement of my fingertip. When I consider how much worse the damage could have been, I feel pretty fortunate. I'm always extremely careful with power tools so I thought this would be a good time to stress that these things happen very quickly and you can never be too cautious. Take care of yourselves.

Steve

Ray Minich · From: Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra

Any kind of power tool is a grizzly bear just waiting to rip your head (or hand) off. You gotta stay constantly afraid of them. My 13 yr old daughter wonders why I'm "too cautious". I'm 50 yrs old and have made too many runs to the emergency room in my life (for others as well as myself). Power tools and children especially don't go together.
My own experience is that you never try to saw a "little" piece. Always form/shape the little piece on the end of a big piece and then cut it off. 15 yrs ago I got hit in the eye by a little piece that kicked back. Fortunately I had safety glasses on, but the impact knocked the lens out of the glasses and interrupted my eyesight for 30 seconds. When my eyesight came back I looked upward and gave a huge "thank you" to the man upstairs. BTW, I have the full run of table saw, 2 radial arms, jointer, planer, routers, drills, etc. I just stay real nervous around spinning blades.

Steve, many hopes for a quick recovery to your hand.

Roy Ayres · From: Riverview, Florida, USA, R.I.P.

I know all about it. Check this thread out.

Power Tool Experience

Ben Slaughter · From: Madera, California

Not just power tools. About 6 years ago, I cut the tip of my left index finger off with hand pruners. No lasting effects, I missed the bone, but scared the crap out of me. I now wear leather gloves to do almost all types of farm and yard work.

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Ben
Zum D10, NV400, POD, G&L Guitars, etc, etc.

John De Maille · From: On a Mountain in Upstate Halcottsville, N.Y.

About 14 yrs. ago, I had an altercation with a table saw, which took 42 stitches to close. I was lucky in that, the surgeon happened to be the surgeon for the N.Y. Mets. I really thought my steel playing days were over, but, he assured me that all was not lost.( Just a 1/4 inch of my right thumbs length ) And, thank God he was right! I've been a carpenter for 34yrs. and had many mis-haps, but, that was definitely the worst. The only residual from the accident, is that I have to use small thumb picks. all the others are too big.

chas smith R.I.P. · From: Encino, CA, USA

A little over 30 years ago I got my thumb caught in a circular sander and sanded off the top. That was the end of the piano career, not that I had one.

I've been a welder and machinist for the past 30 years. I've had some close calls, but I still have all 9 3/4. (Actually it looks pretty normal now and the knuckle grew back)

David Cobb · From: Chanute, Kansas, USA

A fella I know, who BTW has a reputation as a risk taker, was using a circular saw to rip a plank for a home improvement project.
He put his free hand behind the saw to catch the waste lumber rather than just let it fall.
Wouldn't you know, the saw kicked back across his wrist.
The Doc's saved his hand, but it's not much good to him.
And there's another man in town who did such a neat job with a router, you'd think he was born with only nine fingers.

[This message was edited by David Cobb on 19 February 2004 at 08:56 AM.]

Jim West · Posted 18 Feb 2004 3:43 pm

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

great topic and one that should pop up more often than it does..

we Saturday Morning Home Depot fella's only got 2 hands..count em'..

Once ya cut one off..now ya got 1..

NEVER underestimate the power of a POWER tool..and the speed at which they work...

You can never be too careful..

I make Lamp Bases for my wifes business..30 or 40 bases every month..

Table Saw/Router etc..

My favorite part about this duty is when it's over..I love the respect I have for that 10" table saw..and the Router..They have no mercy for the soft easy cutting stuff...It's almost like they are begging for a simple mistake by me...so they can say.."Gotcha"...

Don't forget Safety Glasses, the proper shoes etc..If you don't cut your finger off you can still come home from the Hospital with 1 foot wrapped up and 1 eye missing ..or worse...

Please be cafeful guys and gals...

t

CrowBear Schmitt · From: Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France

Protecting my hands has always been rule # 1
i use power tools most everyday on my job
in 20 years aside from nicks, cuts and scrapes i've been very lucky
i never rush into things but work calmly and surely
if i start gettin' mad or uptight, i take a break and do something else or have a cup of coffee
gloves, safety glasses, proper shoes and a hard hat are part of it too

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ZumD10 - ShoBud Professional D10 - Gibson EH150 - Nashville1000

Steel what?

Jim West · Posted 19 Feb 2004 7:05 am

Safety glasses are very important. Like one guy told me a few years back:

You can walk with a wooden leg
You can eat with false teeth
But you can't see with a glass eye!

Ray Minich · From: Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra

Yes, I too also learned the hard way about safety glasses & shields. About 20 yrs ago I was fabricating a woodstove in the garage. I had just snotted up a weld (pipeliners have nothing to fear from me) joining two plates and was grinding the slag off with a hand grinder (one of them SEARS grinders that make a lot of noise...). I was wearing my glasses & shield religiously (almost). You know the drill, weld, grind, weld, grind. I had just finished grinding a length of weld, set the grinder down, took of the shield & glasses to inspect my work. Had been working on this mess all day. Saw a small snaggie that I missed so I picked up the grinder & touched it to the snaggie. I thought "one moment can't hurt". Sure enough, tiny piece of grinding swarf went into my left eye. Not enough to injure the eye, but enough that I had to go to the emergency room to have the speck removed 'cause it wanted to stick to the cornea. Then a Tetanus shot to boot (ouch).

Take no chances.

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

I've had pretty good luck with power tools except for chain saws. Now that's a different matter!!! A couple of years ago a really bad wind storm came through our place and took down a bunch of trees. I grabbed a chain saw and the first thing I put it into was my knee. Luckily I didn't hack into any nerves, tendons or muscles. However, I did have to go to the emergency room at the hospital and after the Dr. got all the "hamburger" cut out of the way, he stitched up the meat and then the skin. No permanent damage but it sure gave me a new respect for chain saws!
Uff-Da!

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