*
Okay, i got one for you, but this involves hand tools (my choice for injuries). A year and a half ago, I was slicing some vinyl siding to put a door in. On my knees, cutting with the newly changed blade of a utility knife. Never use pressure upwards on the knife. If you extend your arm, and, using the elbow as your pivot point, you will find that the hand with THE KNIFE comes into direct contact with the center of your nose when there is no resistance. Well, the knife slipped throuth the siding like butter (of course) and i got 6 stitches right down the center of my nose. Healed up nicely though. The worst part was I had two clients to see that weekend. Doesn’t exactly inspire confidence to see that does it. Ah well, live and hopefully learn…
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
Fine Homebuilding's editorial director has some fun news to share.
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
*
The idea of any gloves near a spinning blade scares me.
What if it grabs glove and pulls you in? Anyone have this
happen?
Dog
*
Mad Dog,
While I was in college I took a couple of shop safety and industrial safety classes, and believe me your fear is well founded. I saw and read many examples of hair, gloves, sleeves, shirt tails, etc. pulling people into tools and machines. Even in bitter cold, I remove my gloves when I run the table saw.
John
*
Sorry to read about your pain, been there and done that too with heavy doors, knives and a hand saw (once). Casey mentioned kevlar gloves, I haven't seen kevlar gloves, but at the very least some kind of glove can help. I like a good, well fitting glove that still leaves plenty of flexibility and isn't too baggy. Of course for detailed work, off them come. Apart from that, watch what your doing and where you place them digits, good luck in the future.
*
I saw a guy get his shirt caught in a big ole wood lathe in high school shop class . First it jerked him into the peice he was turning and gave him a nice friction burn on the belly , by the time he got away from it the only thing he had on from the waist up was one cuff . I dont wear gloves when using a table saw, same goes for ring's etc. Chuck
*EveryoneI am not one to preach. BUTPlease don't wear gloves around any powered machinery.Gloves can rapidly turn a possibly major cut into a mangled hand. The Kevlar is even more scary. It will tear even less than leather or cloth, and will pull, mangle and chew until the hamburger on the end of your arm stops that 1 1/2 to 5 hp motor, and then trips the breaker. If you're lucky, the belts will slip and you won't get the full experience. Can your hand fit down the slot in the table insert? It will by the time the saw stops.Hate to preach, but gloves, rpm, and horsepower do not mixScott
*When I was about 4, I slipped in behind the cashier at the local grocery store to see what I could see. This place was big, and the checkouts had moving conveyor belts controlled by the cashier by means of a "thigh lever". The safety panel was off this one, and as I started to tell my dad who was in his proper place on thei otherside of the counter, about the nifty mechanism, I pointed my mit covered finger at the chain and gear drive. The rough chain grabbed the mit and pulled my fingers through the gears. A few seconds later the middle two fingers of my right hand were almost completely severed at the first nuckle.Many hours later a supremely talented surgeon re-attached the two fingers that were left hanging by a thread of flesh and while they have always looked a little funny, they continue to function very well. Well enough indeed for me to later become a pretty speedy musician.I continue to marvel at the ability of that surgeon. . . four year old fingers are pretty small. Keep gloves and such away from moving machinery parts. . . you might not be so fortunate!!-pm
*Oh man, your right hand...at least that's your pick hand, not your fret hand...unless you're..wierd...
*
Sacred Cow, what instrument do you play?
*
hey...Hey...HEY!!!
We're not wierd, we're just...different.
*Heyare you suggesting that I'Mi sinistre??Wrongo, I was a woodwinds player. . . we need to have all ten fingers working (well, nine actually, the right thumb only supports things). You guitar players can be half lame and still function. .. in fact many of you are totally lame, but that's a slam for another day.-pm
*Sorry to hear that. I shook hands with my tablesaw 10 years ago, now I can only count to 9 5/8. Got a splinter in one of my insulted fingers a couple of years ago. Look as closely as I might, I couldn't find the splinter. I gave up on it as one of those invisibles that would have to find its own way out, and turned my hand over to inspect my nails. There was the splinter, on the other side of the finger from where it hurt. Nerves are weird.Speaking of new careers, you might not be surprised to learn that the average number of fingers here at the magazine is less than 10.Good luck with the surgeon.Andy Engel
*
Stories like these are what keep me alert
I read these and makes me stay on my toes
I'm 23 yrs and always mindfull of the saws and shapers.
Thakns guys for keeping me reminded.!
*
The part about the magazine staff makes me laugh...Thanks Andy and everyone for your kind words. Operation was 2 weeks ago, was pretty doped up for a few days...pretty useless. He ended up removing the knuckle, and cutting each bone to form one(they will grow together). Not much feeling in it...oh well. There was 3/8 of an inch gone so splicing nerves etc, were not an option.
Here's my grand total, Stepped on nail once(through steel plate), Shot myself with the framing nailer once(toe), cut middle finger in half upto knuckle once(table saw--wearing masons gloves -15 degs c, About 10 deg imperial...i think). Shot through two knuckles with same nail (2 1/2" 16ga finish brads), and once again in to the middle of the left hand. Cut left hand with exacto knife(13 stitches, when blade broke), 18 stitches in forearm when window swung open and broke, wound in leg from hooked shingle blade...5 stitches. All the nail wounds came as a result of nails glancing off knots, the sledge hammered toe was a result of decongestants...made me drowsy. Few lessons in here somewhere...but I really don't think it is due to clumsiness, merely working too exhaustion in the early years of a business. Been at it since 87 now.
Play safe guys. Lar
*
I was probably only 8 or 10 years old and knew I was NOT allowed to use dads table saw. So with no one around I found a likely scrap to cut and was slowly & carefully cutting, all the while gently blowing the sawdust which seemed to obscure my pencil line. I begain to notice some red stuff obscuring that all important layout line. As luck would have it I picked one of the few scraps thick enough to nearly protect me. I had passed my guideing and pushing hand right over the blade. Although a single band-aid was all that was needed you can bet I haven't forgotten the close call. Still gets me thinking when using tablesaw or 15" miter saw. I still unplug tablesaw when changing blades with entire hand on blade.
At a tool show a similar conversation ended with the systematic salesman showing me two identical brochures, one with 10 fingers the other with nine fingers. I guess the second brochure had a target audience as well.
*
Last weekend I was setting joists and subflooring for a third floor loft. I have one of those 16 foot Krause ladders that bend in 3 places, forming different shapes. I used it all day to climb from the second to third floor. Late in the day my 11 year old son came up the ladder and said "this ladder feels like its broken". Knowing that those ladder flex a little at the joints I told him it was OK. A few minutes later I went down the ladder and it immediately collapsed, I was able to jump towards the side wall and catch it on the way down. Scared the hell out of me. What if my son had gone down that ladder? Heart pounding, I threw that ladder out the window.
The next day my daughter happened to tell me, "Dad, I was playing with your ladder yesterday (while I was using it) and I pushed a button and couldnt get it to go back!". I guess the mystery of the collapsing ladder is solved but I don't think I'll ever use it again...
-jl
*JimI know you're talkin about your kids here, but don't ya just love it when other people screw with your stuff and it ends up costing you??I had a helper who undid several wall braces, while they were still holding an exterior wall plumb, and then renailed them without checking plumb. I was away from the site and I think he was doin something important like sweeping up. I never thought to check them again until, after the ceiling J's were installed and the rafter installation started to go wonky. It took me a long time to finally get around to checking that wall for plumb. When you know it used to be, you tend to go screwin around lookin at everything else. . . sure was a pisser. Ended up having to do endlessi "boogering" right through to the trim.Another time a homeowner removed a temporary post and beam that was essentially holding up the section of floor I was working on above. I was doing a big reno in an old cheese factory, and had to deal with a lot of rotten framing. Over the weekend the dumb bastard decided it was in his way and took it down. I discovered it Monday morning after I'd been working over the unsupported spot for several hours. It woulda been a long drop to the concrete floor below. . . stupid jerk just laughed when I freaked out about it. -pm
*
Did it again guys, chewed the center of my left thumb this time. Surgery tomorrow, (canada has a shortage of surgeons you know). He says he will probably have to fuse the bone for this bonehead move.
In my opinion these kind of things happen when things are going well...or badly,(mind on other things...)I wasn't in the middle of a cut...just reaching for a piece of wood with my right and my left just wandered into the blade. If the saw wasn't set at a depth of 1" it would have been gone entirely.
Times like this, am glad for insurance...and getting more serious about looking for a new career. Use your guards whenever possible...this is my second time...play safe guys!
Time to go back to work...later!
* Lawrence,
Joseph Fusco View Image
*Ouch. Good luck with the knife. And there are always new careers ahead...
*Has anyone ever tried using the Kevlar gloves available at safety supply stores or the stainless steel gloves designed for use when gutting fish? I was told that they would not protect against a table saw blade, but I was wondering if they might defect the errant digit enough to at least minimize the damage. These things are a bit cumbersome at times, so I wonder if the tendency to snag would make them more dangerous than their ability to deflect a cutting edge. Even if they worked, one would probably only bother to put them on when doing a lot of cutting - which, as per above, is not necessarily the time when the "oops" happens.I bought some of the Kevlar ones a couple of years ago for woodcarving (which I have not yet attempted)but can never find where I put them for safekeeping when I drag out my table saw... (Gotta get that shop building up real soon...)
*Just Think Lawrence, If you didn't do what you did the surgeon would miss you... And he wouldn't be able to buy that new saw he wanted. I think it the same as the one you were useing. Sorry to hear about the cut. but you still have your hands to do other things with. By the way stay with the saw,and the woodworking...
*caught a fingertip last Febuary. Not to deep, but I found out how many nerve receptors are in there. Still hurts. Doc said to expect to feel it for over a year. How about thimbles?Rick Tuk
*Man. You guys are makin' my skin crawl. I'm not sayin' anything, and knockin' on wood. - jb
*Heyreally soeey to hear about your finger hope you got Dr. toye he's great if you do say hi for me.Thinking of youStubbyya guys my fingers are shorter
*Lawrence,So sorry to hear what happened. It was 15 months ago when I chewed my right hand thumb. Lost the tip, but thanks to a skin graft, got it back. Plastic surgeon did a great job. Lost some of the feeling in the tip (feels like a callouse), but nothing I can't live with.I too had the blade guard off. I since bought a better blade guard and now I use it all the time.I must admit that afterwards I was a bit "gun shy" around the table saw, but that did pass. I do however give it a little more respect than I used too.Hope surgery goes well ( I'm sure the Doc will do a great job for you) and that you continue to pursue your wood working.Davo
*Okay, i got one for you, but this involves hand tools (my choice for injuries). A year and a half ago, I was slicing some vinyl siding to put a door in. On my knees, cutting with the newly changed blade of a utility knife. Never use pressure upwards on the knife. If you extend your arm, and, using the elbow as your pivot point, you will find that the hand with THE KNIFE comes into direct contact with the center of your nose when there is no resistance. Well, the knife slipped throuth the siding like butter (of course) and i got 6 stitches right down the center of my nose. Healed up nicely though. The worst part was I had two clients to see that weekend. Doesn't exactly inspire confidence to see that does it. Ah well, live and hopefully learn...
*
My favorite tool for self-mutilation seems to be the utility knife. Once while cutting the plastic banding on a bundle of cabinet doors, I literally slit my wrist. Now, I am a practitioner of "appropriate language" on the job site, always willing to refer to "excrement, night soil, poop, or doodoo" (thank-you, Redwood Kardon) as just plain shit. But in this instance, whence the blood began to squirt, I said, "Ah, fooey." I was so glad I didn't die, 'cause those would then have been my last words.
I also have an odd propensity for broken ribs, an injury that doesn't even let you take a few days off, just lets you work with a creaking pain in your chest. I've suffered three on the job: while loading a cement mixer into a pickup, I fell INTO the mixer, cracking a couple. (A testament to my coordination.) Another time, my 1/2" drill with a 4" hole saw - overhead - stalled and spun, smacking me off the ladder, cracking another couple. Lastly, a flying cantaloupe (don't ask) caught me off guards and, well, you know the rest.