Just a brief word on safety. I’ve been doing remodeling and repair for 30 years, but one day I got careless with a tool I’ve taken for granted – like my small Makita belt sander. I was wearing my T-shirt loose or not tucked into my pants. As I was belt sanding a board I momentarily looked away…and faster than I could think, the back of the sander grabbed my shirt tail and pulled so much of the skin on my side into the back of the sander that it stopped running. It hurt so much all I could do was disconnect the cord with my feet, as I couldn’t bend over. I could barely move and it wasn’t coming off by myself. I knelt down on the ground and for the first time in my life yelled for help. Friends eventually heard me and came over. They had to take the sander apart while I held the weight of it. With each part removed I could pull a little more of my side out of it. It looks like I will have a permanent heart-shaped mark on my side where my sander tried to eat me. SO KEEP THAT SHIRT TUCKED IN!
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sorry for your hurtin
tough to get a side hickey that way
Ouch!
A similar thing happened to a buddy of mine in the navy some 30 years ago. He was in the machine shop by himself working the drillpress when his t-shirt collar got caught. Almost choked to death except that somebody just happened to walk in right in the nick of time.
Funny thing is, he got written up for carelessness and lost shore leave for a week. But I don't think he compained much, just glad to be alive.
Ya'll be careful out there!
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Yeah, every year around here there are two or three cases where a farmer gets his clothing caught in the tractor PTO. Rarely turns out well.
The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one. --Wilhelm Stekel
Soooo Mr. Obvious.........the next time I sand my belt with my belt sander, I should take off my belt and place it on the work bench before sanding it?
Constructing in metric...
every inch of the way.
Sorry to hear that. I've done it with drills.
Me, too.Back about 35 years ago, when I had long hair, I was drilling horizontally, at head level, when my hair got caught.My hair spooled up around the chuck, and the drill motor smacked me in the forehead. No problem, just a bit of a bruise, so I put the drill in reverse, and pulled the trigger again. It went out to about a foot away, started winding in the other direction, and came back to deliver the second half of the one-two punch.Naturally, the crew was extremely impressed with my cleverness.AitchKay
I had a run in with a really big drill while building a sea wall. I had to dill 7/8'-1" holes through about a foot and a half of creosote timbers in order to bolt it together.
The drill was a monster with pipes screwed into it to hold on to. We had spiked the timbers together before through bolting it.
Once in a while I would hit a spike with the drill and I learned that I couldn't hold on to it. It was to much for me so I learned to let go of it and step back and let it spin.
I had moved the chuck key (it was huge too!) about 2' down the cord so it was within reach but out of the way.
Well, I hit a spike, let go, stepped back, only to have the chuck key come around in a 6' arch and hit me square on top of the head. I was lucky it wasn't going any faster.
It just staggered me a bit. Man that was a nasty job. Everything had creosote on it.
Danger Mr Robinson! danger! I found another job shortly after that.
now that's just funny . . . i commend you on admitting it ;)
hope you told everyone afterwards it was 2 gangs of bikers that jumped you, rather than 1
Hang on a minutegotta catch my breathelaughing too damn hard.....Whew!I did one on that level. As I backed the drill out, cord caught something and it flipped out of my hands. I instinctively caught it in midair and ended up sort of clutching it to my chest to save the woodwork.bit still spinning right at the base of my throat. I suddenly felt sharp pain and something wet trickling down my chest.was all alone and fearing the worst - a trachectomy - I managed to unplug it and head to the bathroom mirror, still holding that drill close so I wouldn't bleed too much.Found that the bit had wound up the T-shirt neck hem and my chest hairs into a tight ball is all. The hair pulling is what hurt, and the fluid I felt running was nervous sweat. All I had to do was unchuck the bit and shave some hairs to undo that knot. Lots better that calling 911 with a bit stuck in my throat as imagined.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Yeah, after a few close calls I won't go into, I've learned to always check myself before using a drill press or heavy drill to see what might catch, or what might happen if it gets away from me. An extra ten seconds of thought can save your butt, or some other part of your anatomy.
The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one. --Wilhelm Stekel
My father was an electrician forever and hired one of you long-haired freaks back in the seventies. He kept telling the guy--"Get your damn hair cut!" Sure enough one day it bit him.
This guy was doing whatever with a big old long straight-blade screwdriver--his girl hair hanging in his face so he didn't see my father approach. He swung that screwdriver and drove it right through my dad's cheek! Afterwards Dad could fill his mouth with water and spit a stream out the side of his face! The old man had that scar forever.
The guy came to work the next day looking like a man though.
Kinda sounds like you're still a bit angry.AitchKay
Ya think?
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
Did ya get a buzz or a crew cut?Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
A couple years ago I was using a mid- sized router, hand held with a 12'' r.o. bit that grabbed my shirt tail. With an unusual howl the bit wound tight with shirt and the tool got out of my grasp and started spinning while the bit was held by shirt rags. The whole mess was tied tight to me and the router handles gave me uncounted good shots to the ribs before the shirt tail gave out and the crying router fell to the floor. All this in a few seconds I suppose. So delighted I was to be only bruised that my final response was long, grateful spell of laughter. The bosch 1617 still lives as well.
At first I didn't know if I wanted to finish reading your post. Great outcome, though! Buy any lottery tickets that evening?AitchKay
Didn't have time for the lottery that day, too busy with the funeral for the shirt..
I don't have enough belly flab to get caught, one more advantage of looking like a refugee from Auschwitz.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
but presumably, you have other more or less valuable body parts in the same general neighborhood.;)Still, I was thinking there must be a surplus available for this particular case.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
One time I scared myself using my Sawzall. I didn't pay attention and grabbed it close enough to the blade to get the side of my index finger nipped by the base of the reciprocating blade holder. No serious damage but I was really bummed out because I realized I still had my finger simply because I was dumb lucky enough not to have grabbed an inch or so further up. That was despite the fact that I try to remind myself not to become complacent about being careful with tools.
Maybe not for off site, unless you make a portable set up, but best thing I ever did for my router table, and drill press and all drill presses at work was install foot switch, anything bad happens walk away and it so if. the guys love them!, Just be sure to have the guard over them and unplug the router when changing bits.
Glad you're OK and sorry you experienced that -
"The Makita speed slimming diet - lose 1" in your waist in 30 seconds ...."
Jeff