safety... was just reading a thread about a momentary lapse of attention

[mistermikev]

over at talk bass.  Gentleman was running something through a jointer and slipped off the wood... lost 2/3 of his pinkie.  (no push stick)

this hit me like a ton of lead.  I go through stages of comfortability with tools...when I haven't worked for a bit I'm probably a lot more safe as I'm hyper-aware.  That said you can be doing everything right and have a collet break on your router, or saw bite on a knot.

Just wanted to relay... as stories like this are invaluable in terms of reminding folks to think about it.  I certainly benefited (or feel like i have) and hope to pass that on.

[ADFinlayson]

Yep, the moment you disrespect the tools, they will take your flesh. It makes me cringe when I see people on YouTube learning over a router table with tassels from their hoodies dangling 2” away from the bit. It would only need to touch the bit for a second and you’re done. Getting your head sucked into that would be immediate and serious disfigurement at best.

[mistermikev]

12 minutes ago, ADFinlayson said:

Yep, the moment you disrespect the tools, they will take your flesh. It makes me cringe when I see people on YouTube learning over a router table with tassels from their hoodies dangling 2” away from the bit. It would only need to touch the bit for a second and you’re done. Getting your head sucked into that would be immediate and serious disfigurement at best.

personally I don't like router tables.  i know any tool can be used safely or not safely and there are times when that IS the tool to use (putting cove on 3/4x3/4 stock) but I prefer not to use.

that said... I've had a 1" x 1.25" bit come out of a 1.75hp router while I was holding it... not fun.  if that happens - throw your router away from you and run for the power!  you won't be able to hold on to it anyway and you don't want it anywhere near you!

Even when you do everything right something can go wrong... so it's good to think about a plan for cutting power in advance.  mine isn't that great... just everything plugs into a powerstrip that is nearby and has a simple off.

 

 

ok so horror stories please! 

[komodo]

I’d say the majority of accidents are with hand tools. Most damage from power tools. Many / most are to hands which can be the worst for damage or healing.

I nearly cut my finger off with a swiss carving knife, of course trying to do something stupid, quickly.

[Bizman62]

At our class there's a pretty girl, small and slender with long hair - isn't 28 still a "girl" or is that infantilizing? Anyhow, when she started she would have her hair open, not using earmuffs or goggles when using power tools. It didn't happen once or twice that I handed her those. She then used them with a "come on oldtimer" face...

Now during the last Saturday of this spring I noticed she had her hair tied to a knot while working at the pillar drill and later having earmuffs and goggles while routing. When I thanked her for taking care of her safety and reminded her about her earlier attitude. She told that having heard so many horror stories from the rest of us and elsewhere including YouTube she had started to think it would be better to be safe than sorry. You should have seen her face when we discussed a potential scenario where long hair were grabbed to a circular saw, splicing the face!

Very good reminder, mistermikev!

[mistermikev]

6 hours ago, komodo said:

I’d say the majority of accidents are with hand tools. Most damage from power tools. Many / most are to hands which can be the worst for damage or healing.

I nearly cut my finger off with a swiss carving knife, of course trying to do something stupid, quickly.

my uncle was a chef.  he always said a dull tool is more dangerous than a sharp one.  that has stuck w me.  hand tools are something we often forget how dangerous they are... perhaps don't respect them enough.  good point.

2 hours ago, Bizman62 said:

At our class there's a pretty girl, small and slender with long hair - isn't 28 still a "girl" or is that infantilizing? Anyhow, when she started she would have her hair open, not using earmuffs or goggles when using power tools. It didn't happen once or twice that I handed her those. She then used them with a "come on oldtimer" face...

Now during the last Saturday of this spring I noticed she had her hair tied to a knot while working at the pillar drill and later having earmuffs and goggles while routing. When I thanked her for taking care of her safety and reminded her about her earlier attitude. She told that having heard so many horror stories from the rest of us and elsewhere including YouTube she had started to think it would be better to be safe than sorry. You should have seen her face when we discussed a potential scenario where long hair were grabbed to a circular saw, splicing the face!

Very good reminder, mistermikev!

I worked in a cab shop when younger and I can't tell you how many old timers would just have to show you their hands to send a message.  I don't use earplugs enough.  then again my marshal is more likely going to ruin my hearing... or my shotgun!  it's a good reminder!

 

mods - I probably shouldn't have posted this in this forum... probably should have gone under a dif catagory so sorry for that!

[Liquorice]

Two stories I read on other forums some time ago had hand damage involved.

One was about accidentally dropping a powered on router, and in a flash of a second one thought came up in mind to save the router. While grabbing the router in mid air spinning bit dug in to his hand. There sure is potential for huge damage in this scenario.

Other was about belt sander. While sanding a piece of wood it caught the belt and flew away, and once again one thought came up. It was "save the wood" and while trying to grab the flying wood in mid air fingertip touched the belt. Saw a picture about that and it looked like soft parts were gone from that fingertip. Same thing happened to me also but it was only surface scratch.

Can´t be 100% sure about the stories but I guess the lesson to be learned here is the most important thing. In a flash of a second there is room for only one thought. Know beforehand that the idea in your mind is not to save the money. So if something ever happens let that precious wood or your new router tip bite the concrete, just let them go. You can always get more wood or new bits but not new fingers. Just make sure that the one idea you have for case of emergency is about protecting yourself.

[komodo]

@Liquorice That's a great point. You likely will not be able to decide that last thought, and you are never going to be faster than the tool, getting out of the way.

Pizza guys always have a burn on their arm from reaching into a pizza oven, and then a matching one on the other side of their arm from yanking their arm up after getting burned.

[mistermikev]

1 hour ago, Liquorice said:

Two stories I read on other forums some time ago had hand damage involved.

One was about accidentally dropping a powered on router, and in a flash of a second one thought came up in mind to save the router. While grabbing the router in mid air spinning bit dug in to his hand. There sure is potential for huge damage in this scenario.

Other was about belt sander. While sanding a piece of wood it caught the belt and flew away, and once again one thought came up. It was "save the wood" and while trying to grab the flying wood in mid air fingertip touched the belt. Saw a picture about that and it looked like soft parts were gone from that fingertip. Same thing happened to me also but it was only surface scratch.

Can´t be 100% sure about the stories but I guess the lesson to be learned here is the most important thing. In a flash of a second there is room for only one thought. Know beforehand that the idea in your mind is not to save the money. So if something ever happens let that precious wood or your new router tip bite the concrete, just let them go. You can always get more wood or new bits but not new fingers. Just make sure that the one idea you have for case of emergency is about protecting yourself.

great illumination of the point.  kind of what I was trying to convey above about throwing the router but much better stated.  In my case... it def ruined a $250 router but no one was hurt.  It is difficult to override that natural urge to grab something that falls... and I think the only way you can combat that is by thinking about it a lot, so thanks for the contribution.

on that note... I've read a story about a guy loosing 3 fingers via a palm router.  those IMO are very dangerous.  hanging on to something like that with one hand is looking for trouble in my opinion.  You think they are small and cute but that little palm router might as well be a 1.75hp if it hits your bone.  not even going to slow it down.

I'll admit another of my stupid accidents... had to file off about 1/16 from a solid surface square.  it was only about 1/8" to begin with.  I took it to a wheel sander... once I got my 1/16 off and was almost done the wheel pulled it between the rest and itself and shot it back out perfectly vertical into the ceiling.  no one hurt... but man it was loud.  if that had hit me in the face I'm certain I would be dead.  stupid stupid stupid.  was too lazy to just sand it off or tape it to a bigger piece.  just thought I'd do it the easy way.  that's usually when you get into trouble!

1 hour ago, komodo said:

@Liquorice That's a great point. You likely will not be able to decide that last thought, and you are never going to be faster than the tool, getting out of the way.

Pizza guys always have a burn on their arm from reaching into a pizza oven, and then a matching one on the other side of their arm from yanking their arm up after getting burned.

the pizza guy visual.. cracken me up.  pretty sure I've done that exact thing in the home oven!

[Bizman62]

2 hours ago, Liquorice said:

While sanding a piece of wood it caught the belt and flew away

Happened to me too a couple of times but fortunately only thinned my fingerprint. That's too easy to do when using a large belt sander for thinning a tiny little piece like the switch cover of an LP. Actually I lost one such disk, it flew somewhere into a wood storage. Those incidents taught me to use double sided adhesive/masking tape+super glue to attach such pieces to a block big enough to hold firmly.

[curtisa]

A coiled-up bandsaw blade once sprung off the wall hanger near where I was standing and nicked me just under my right eye. Had it been a few mm higher I probably would've lost sight in that eye. Coiled bandsaw blades now get secured with cable ties.

The short-and-sharp safety moments make great stories and frequent reminders that this hobby of ours can actually be quite dangerous if you're not being sensible. The longer term chronic safety issues shouldn't be discounted though - lung and skin conditions dues to dust exposure, paint and fume exposure...How many old spray painters and plasterers do you see these days?

[Bizman62]

8 hours ago, curtisa said:

How many old spray painters and plasterers do you see these days?

And how many of the painters still alive are still in their full wits? The modern water based paints and lacquers may not be as bad as the old ones. Parquet lacquering was quite nasty, one had to minimize all air circulation in the room and back then there was no such things as a pressurized jump suit with fresh breathing air devices. A sane floor maker was a rarity, they all had personality changes sooner or later, similar to those who sniffed thinner rags.