Stupidity & Power Tools

[Merlin]

So last week on Friday evening I was finishing up some benches inside the wife's greenhouse and damn near cut my thumb off with my table saw. It was nasty man. Took the blade all the way up the meat of my thumb so I still have the digit thankfully but man is it ugly. Kids call me frankenthumb now. 7 or 8 stitches and all lumpy and shit.

Anyway I still keep thinking back to that moment. Right before, where I had lazily set up the saw on the deck for a couple quick cuts. It's like I knew it was going to happen really strange. I made the cut fine, then reached back to grab the piece of wood (like a fucking dumbass) which was up next to the blade (because I had put the saw on the ground) and boy howdy.

Worst thing is I've been woodworking for 30 years and always been so careful. I'm really fucking careful. Or am I lol. Man it pisses me off.

 

[ozarkram]

Dam Mac. Glad your alright and were able to keep the thumb. I have been bitten by an industrial saw down to the bone its no fun. Doesn't hurt at first more shock. In about twenty minutes the pain kicks in. Glad your OK.

 

[Memento]

Closest thing I’ve come to that sort of damage was punching a glass case. Cut a nice slice of my hand below my thumb. I still have the scar to prove it.

 

[Dz1]

So last week on Friday evening I was finishing up some benches inside the wife's greenhouse and damn near cut my thumb off with my table saw. It was nasty man. Took the blade all the way up the meat of my thumb so I still have the digit thankfully but man is it ugly. Kids call me frankenthumb now. 7 or 8 stitches and all lumpy and shit.

Anyway I still keep thinking back to that moment. Right before, where I had lazily set up the saw on the deck for a couple quick cuts. It's like I knew it was going to happen really strange. I made the cut fine, then reached back to grab the piece of wood (like a fucking dumbass) which was up next to the blade (because I had put the saw on the ground) and boy howdy.

Worst thing is I've been woodworking for 30 years and always been so careful. I'm really fucking careful. Or am I lol. Man it pisses me off.

Heard of Jesus the carpenter but never the Merlin.jk

S@$#h happens even to the best, been around caprentrtry 43 years,thru friends my stepfather etc etc etc and on it goes.

Jmho always go with your 1st thought you think it's dangerous, wrong F$@g STOP.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

So last week on Friday evening I was finishing up some benches inside the wife's greenhouse and damn near cut my thumb off with my table saw. It was nasty man. Took the blade all the way up the meat of my thumb so I still have the digit thankfully but man is it ugly. Kids call me frankenthumb now. 7 or 8 stitches and all lumpy and shit.

Anyway I still keep thinking back to that moment. Right before, where I had lazily set up the saw on the deck for a couple quick cuts. It's like I knew it was going to happen really strange. I made the cut fine, then reached back to grab the piece of wood (like a fucking dumbass) which was up next to the blade (because I had put the saw on the ground) and boy howdy.

Worst thing is I've been woodworking for 30 years and always been so careful. I'm really fucking careful. Or am I lol. Man it pisses me off.

My brother has been a career carpenter. One day he cut his thumb with his chop saw right to the bone. Shit happens. I'm like you and try to be very careful. I wear PPE anytime I'm using power tools. But I occasionally find myself taking the odd, dumb risk.

I've had a few nasty Knife cuts while cleaning or sharpening knives. Having a razor sharp knife is awesome as long as you keep your fingers away from the blade.

 

[Raptorman]

Have a cousin who cut the tip of his left thumb off with a band saw. He never even felt it. The first thing he sees is blood and is going, What the hell?

 

[Mister Sin]

I have always been the Super Cautious type. I let the saws stop moving before I ever come close. They now have those laser cut off deals that they demonstrate won't even cut a hotdogs. BULLSHIT. IDGAF what they have on them. I'm not reaching in.

 

[RhodyRams]

I chopped my right thumb up pretty good with a table saw about 15 years ago or so. And I still cant recall how it happened. The thumb is still there but the whole tip is dead. No feeling in it from the nail to the pad. It sucks in the winter because the skin will crack and bleed. I have cut it with a utility knife and didnt even realize it.

It took me a long time to get back to the high level of accuracy at throwing darts I was at before.

Now I use a push stick whenever I am ripping small pieces.

Within the last 3 years I bought a new Dewalt folding table saw. I wont even let my employees use it unless the guards are on it, but I plan on buying one of the new ones with the SawStop technology ($1800.00 or so) soon for the jobsite and will keep the Dewalt at home for projects here

 

[-X-]

I’ve been lucky in my 30 years in the trade, but I did inflict some pain once. In my third (and final) apprentice year, I was drilling 1” holes in the top of a controller cabinet with my mechanic down below doing something else. Well, the drill hung up (as they sometimes do when using a hole saw), and the drill went flying out of my hand, did a full rotation, and landed vertically - hole saw blade down - on top of his head.

Scalps already bleed like crazy, but this was kinda deep too. He looked like something out of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Thought for sure I was fired, but he took it like a champ.

However. 3 days later we’re doing the same thing, except this time he’s doing the drilling while I’m down below connecting wires. Next thing I know, I hear his drill motor stop, and it lands like an inch away from me on the ground. It hung up on him too.

Or so he said.

 

[CGI_Ram]

I have always been the Super Cautious type. I let the saws stop moving before I ever come close. They now have those laser cut off deals that they demonstrate won't even cut a hotdogs. BULLSHIT. IDGAF what they have on them. I'm not reaching in.

Same.

I don’t do a ton of wood work, but I have a table saw, chop saw, yada yada... so I do use it some... I am super super cautious because I just don’t do it enough.

The low usage can work to a person’s advantage, in this way.

But I will never own a chainsaw. Stuff like that. No way. I will ask for help with something like that.

 

[Mister Sin]

Same.

I don’t do a ton of wood work, but I have a table saw, chop saw, yada yada... so I do use it some... I am super super cautious because I just don’t do it enough.

The low usage can work to a person’s advantage, in this way.

But I will never own a chainsaw. Stuff like that. No way. I will ask for help with something like that.

I do use a chainsaw. My property is overrun with maples. Especially down by my pond. I cut a bunch about 3-4 years ago and those sum bitches are already 15 ft tall prolly. Just cut em and give them to the guy down the road. He has a wood stove.

As much as I use one tho, its always in the back of my mind that the chain may snap and wrap around me.

 

[FaulkSF]

I use a battery operated chain saw this time of year to prune tree limbs that are too thick to get with pruning shears.

Was up on a ladder and misjudged a cut last week. Good clean cut but the limb slapped me across the face within about half an inch from my temple and almost knocked me out on its way down. Meanwhile the chainsaw is still on and my cutting arm dropped from the force of the branch hitting me. I ended up missing my leg by a couple of inches thanks to the awkward position I had to get in to reach this limb. Could have been a bad day.

 

[Merlin]

Yeah chain saws are no joke man. Haven't used mine yet here in mo, but when I was stationed in maine a small percentage of the young pines on my property would explode from sap freezing. Kind of scary too for a city boy up in the wood but not an issue until the spring when I had to clear them.

Funny you mentioning the chain coming undone Juggs because I had the exact same fear. Not sure if that's a thing with them but I have an (over)active imagination lol.

 

[Dz1]

Yeah chain saws are no joke man. Haven't used mine yet here in mo, but when I was stationed in maine a small percentage of the young pines on my property would explode from sap freezing. Kind of scary too for a city boy up in the wood but not an issue until the spring when I had to clear them.

Funny you mentioning the chain coming undone Juggs because I had the exact same fear. Not sure if that's a thing with them but I have an (over)active imagination lol.

Never had a chain comes off, easy keep the tension right, oil it when needed and make sure it isn't, the chain ,worn, and is in good shape.

 

[Dz1]

I do use a chainsaw. My property is overrun with maples. Especially down by my pond. I cut a bunch about 3-4 years ago and those sum bitches are already 15 ft tall prolly. Just cut em and give them to the guy down the road. He has a wood stove.

As much as I use one tho, its always in the back of my mind that the chain may snap and wrap around me.

I don't know what kinda maples you have, how thick big etc etc but at the right size thickness and correct area.

Someone may cut them for free, the right size and maple,Hell might even make a few bucks.

 

[Dz1]

Closest thing I’ve come to that sort of damage was punching a glass case. Cut a nice slice of my hand below my thumb. I still have the scar to prove it.

And most of us,including myself, had to learn,don't punch things jmho.

 

[Pancake]

Worst thing I had yet was once when using my brad nailer. I was holding two pices of wood together with my left hand and I fired a nail in and it went sideways somehow and right through my thumb. The worst part was taking it out. Had to slide it like an inch through my thumb. Luckily it missed any bone and was just a flesh wound.

 

[Tano]

Worst thing I had yet was once when using my brad nailer. I was holding two pices of wood together with my left hand and I fired a nail in and it went sideways somehow and right through my thumb. The worst part was taking it out. Had to slide it like an inch through my thumb. Luckily it missed any bone and was just a flesh wound.

Sorry - couldn't resist

 

[Merlin]

Worst thing I had yet was once when using my brad nailer. I was holding two pices of wood together with my left hand and I fired a nail in and it went sideways somehow and right through my thumb. The worst part was taking it out. Had to slide it like an inch through my thumb. Luckily it missed any bone and was just a flesh wound.

Yeah I have two nail guns, one for finishing nails and the other for framing nails since I prefer to speed both those activities. Both are deadly tbh. And when you get a misfire generally it will be in a small radius so keeping fingers clear is critical. I've had a couple near misses with the finishing nail gun because they're so thin it seems to misfire more.

I'm surprised they don't use nail guns more in torture scenes in movies tbh. They would be ideal for that if you're so inclined lol.

 

[bomebadeeda]

Worst thing I had yet was once when using my brad nailer. I was holding two pices of wood together with my left hand and I fired a nail in and it went sideways somehow and right through my thumb. The worst part was taking it out. Had to slide it like an inch through my thumb. Luckily it missed any bone and was just a flesh wound.

Been there w/ a faulty brad gun that would fire 2 in succession. 2nd one hit the first and went through the finger. You are right about the pain taking it off the brad. But it also hurt like hell, the next few days.