Just a little public service announcement here about the dangers of our trade. I was working on some trim today and pulled out the trusty block plane to fit a piece of oak.
It was 3/8″ thick stock an I just needed to kiss a little off one end, with the grain. So I grab it with my left hand and start at the end. Need a little more off, so start at the end and do it again. Well, third time ain’t a charm! Third pass, I’m using a bit of force and the plane slips off the oak. Glides right across my ring fingernail, and took a chunk out. The picture of my finger is attached, if you really want to see.
The moment after I did this, I looked at my finger and said to myself: “That was stupid”. I always make it a point to wear safety glasses, close my utility knife when not in use, keep my fingers out of the sawblade…..you get the picture.
Just wanted to share my stupid move of the day.
Two good things I realized from this. One, it didn’t hurt as bad as taking half a finger off. Two, I have a scary sharp plane that cuts like a knife through butter.
Mitch
Replies
DW does that quite often with her Chef knives.
When yer doing 50lbs of any veg sooner or later it will happen.
Man !You eat a LOT!!!!..We are smart in so many ways. Surely, we should be able to understand that in between war and passivity, there are a thousand possibilities. ~Howard Zinn..You are always welcome at Quittintime
Just got home and Mrs Jet would like to add that it may never grow back.
There may be a permanent dip in your finger nail.
She also wanted to add that with all her injuries.... "SUCK IT UP BIG BOY"
Let Mrs. Jet know that I've had similar digs in my nails and they have all grown back fine and normal.DC
Chefing ain't nearly as safe as carpentry.http://www.tvwsolar.com
We'll have a kid
Or maybe we'll rent one
He's got to be straight
We don't want a bent one
He'll drink his baby brew
From a big brass cup
Someday he may be president
If things loosen up
Mrs. Jet here.
I've been trimming my left hand fingernails with a chef knife for years now, but about 12 years ago I took the better part of of my middle finger nail off (Damn those peppers) almost to the cuticle(the only time in my life that I cut myself and needed to sit down) anyone coming to the fest can see the dip in my nail line. Yes it did grow back, all good but not perfect. One of the youngin's I work with did an even better job on his pointer finger a year ago and he and he admits he never has to trim that side of he's nail, the other side still grows just fine. Not to freak anyone out, looking back at the original post and picI'm going to say it will grow out just fine
Jet,
Tell Mrs. Jet I am way more careful with my Wusthoff's. Years ago when the whole family would get together to butcher, I was finally given the opportunity to help( I was about 9 y.o.) cutting up meat for burger. I sliced right accross the top nuckle of my left thumb. Have always had respect for sharp knives since then.
On a side note: Jenni got her some K2 true loves, and I got some K2 Ranger's, now just gotta talk her into a northern trek this winter. We went to Boyne this past Feb., awesome time.
Mitch
http://www.rdwoodworks.comhttp://www.freewebs.com/glenndalepedalplane/
Mrs. Jet here,
My eldest was 2 when I told him not to touch "Mummy's" knife.........I took pic's so he would remember "Some times you should listen to your Mum" AND respect the blade. It was a Kiss and a bandaid, but lesson learned.
I've worked many, many different jobs but only once was I asked to fill in some "Touchy feelly" "How do you like working here" survey, I answered all questions very honestly so when I got to "Do you work in a safe environment? I thought to my self, I work with sharp knives and fire........so NOThe word of the day is "Respect" Respect the tools that make your job easier, while respecting the fact that those tools can do you harm."On a side note" Come north young man!!!!!!!!! We have even brought Dino over to the "Sutton" side. Once you sky my hill you will never go back;-)
It will grow back just fine just as long as you didn't damage the area at the base of the nail..
I used to sharpen rental ice skates at an ice arena and the preferred method for checking for sharp was to drag the thumb nail across the blade to see if the blade would shave it.
After shaving the thumb nail down to nothing at all you moved on to the finger nails, then switched hands. At times the nails on my hands were all shaved flat across the top surface. Good thing we ran out of skates to sharpen before I had to take my shoes off.
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
Don't put your finger on the blade on the top side either, you'll take a splinter shaving and drive it under your fingernail, so they tell me :0
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Hammer,
That's what I've heard also...after a few sailor's words.LOL
Mitch
http://www.rdwoodworks.comhttp://www.freewebs.com/glenndalepedalplane/
Geezzz..I don't even notice when little things like that happen to me. I see a few drops O' blood here and there and don't even know how I did it. 32 years cuttin' and still have all my digits...a few brain cells might be missing but....
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Andy,
Yup, most of the time I don't notice....until I see the blood on a piece of wood. This time it jumped out at me as such a stupid move I had to share. Slainte!
Mitch
http://www.rdwoodworks.comhttp://www.freewebs.com/glenndalepedalplane/
I see a few drops O' blood here and there and don't even know how I did it
Aint that the truth!!
Got all mah parts yet, but over 150 stitches from when under 40 and still stupid <G>
My lesson came recently while setting a new Mahogany door. $1700 - Did not fit in the jamb!!
I was a little angry and decided we needed to plane the lock side of the door.
Also decided we needed to cut the sweep with a razor knife so the planer didn't grab it.
Holding the door with the right hand, rocking the BRAND NEW blade on the vinyl sweep corner to finalize the cut...
SWOOSH! Blade goes through the sweep, the door and my right thumb - including part way through the tendon.
LESSON LEARNED: Take five. Relax. It's just a couple passes with the planer, and the door will fit.
I am known as a "safety freak" to some of the other subs. When I told them this story, some had meetings with their guys about safety, and how one dumb mistake can cost you your hand.
Thumb is OK now. Never did hurt really. New razor knife blade turned out to be a good thing.
I call that knife "The Culprit" now.
Jed,
You are correct with your lesson learned, well said.
And glad the thumb is OK.
Mitch
http://www.rdwoodworks.comhttp://www.freewebs.com/glenndalepedalplane/
about two hours ago I was in the shop with a ten foot piece of conduit, moving around the shop. I forgot I had the ceiling fans on. It knock the $%&*(()( out of me. that puppie hurt. it hit the bone right above the eye. notice later I was bleeding. that was stupid.
I thought I was the only one that did stuff like that.
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I refuse to accept that there are limitations to what we can accomplish. Pete Draganic
Take life as a test and shoot for a better score each day. Matt Garcia
Thats not stupid. My cousin (a painter) borrowed my power planer to trim some doors. While planing the doors he noticed how well the machine blew away the wood chips so when he finished his work he decided to clean the driveway using the blower on the plane.
He firmly wraps his hand around the planer (fingers firmly planted on the plate), and pulled the trigger.
Luckily, he pulled away just in time.
Family.....They're always there when they need you.
I think I left a little blood on every job I have worked on.
I no longer coil up extension cords outside while they are plugged in ;o) (although it is a very quick way to see if there are any faults in the insulating jacket) .... 'specially if your hands are wet ...
Jeff
Edited 7/12/2009 10:12 pm ET by Jeff_Clarke
Learned that one a while ago...I holler at laborers for that quite a bit!No Coffee No Workee!
Felt like a really baaad bee sting ... but no bee. Just a hole in the yellow jacket ;o)
I pulled one 2 weeks ago that ranks up there on the really stupid list.
The spring on the jointer guard broke and I didn't get around to replacing it. Sunday I had to do some work in the shop which involved the jointer. I remember thinking, watch the guard. About the fourth pass my little finger was hanging over the side of the board and the jointer took the end right off.
is that the pinky you hold in the air while shipping your tea
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=87511.1
One of my funnier stupid mistake stories, followed by many more from others.
Edited 7/13/2009 1:43 pm by Hudson Valley Carpenter
Is that like standing in a down pour in a swamp and reaching into a water filled hole while holding one end of a broken 220v. pump wire to see if you can feel the other end of the wire?
Yea... the breaker was on.
It all became clear with a jolt and a flash that doing that wasn't one of my brighter moments.
Man, way back when I lived in PA. we had a heavy wet snow, followed by a day of rain. My sump pump ( in my basement shop) just ran and ran...early Sun. morning, I heard it not shutting off...rutt-roh.
I got out of bed ( neckked as a jay bird) and pulled on the LL Bean boots to go down and investigate. I flipped the sw. at the top of the stairs and saw water down there, deep water, like a foot of water.
As I walked over carefully to the pump, I forgot about the extension cords under water, and at that time, it seeped in over my boot tops..Ice cold...I kinda winced and balaned my self by eaning on the jointer, and my other hand on the washer or dryer.
ZAPPPPP!!!!!!
I survived, but it was the worst zap I ever got...
I unplugged everything I could, and the pump died about the same time the water quit pouring in through the block walls.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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"If Brains was lard, you couldn't grease much of a pan"Jed Clampitt
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I had to go through the neighbors basement last winter to turn off the water after a freeze, and was greeted with more than a foot when I went downstairs. I was wearing rubber concrete boots, and had my electrical tattle tester with me, trying to see if the water was 'hot'. Does anyone know if I was wasting my time, or will a tester keep me safe?
""Does anyone know if I was wasting my time, or will a tester keep me safe?"' Absolutely!!
Just pay him $10.00 to go in first.
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
I would have just called 911 and waited for the FDNY, but my shop was rapidly filling with water, and it was 5:30 am on a Saturday.
the regular crowd shuffles in.... oh, sorry, wrong song.
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I refuse to accept that there are limitations to what we can accomplish. Pete Draganic
Take life as a test and shoot for a better score each day. Matt Garcia
Sing us a song, yer the piano man!!!!
you cant fix stupid