Well sports fans this weekend I decides to make some jigs to help in building the entertainment center so Saturday was spent building a tenon jig that I found at “Plans Now”. All in all it came out OK, there are a few things that could have been better with the plan such as calling out a 5/16 hole for a 1/4 carriage bolt. The problem is that the carriage bolts spin in that large of a hole and I didn’t even think about it until after the holes were drilled and I went to install the bolts. The next jig was a cross-cut sled fashioned after Norm’s” New Yankee Workshop one and last was a remake of an adjustable dado jig for the router. I had made one a few weeks ago but something must have changed since it cuts slightly under size dados. I figure that I must have moved the base plate or something so I put a new one together, well almost that is. The last parts to make were 2 – 10 inch long runners that allow for the adjustment of the jig. I had cut them to size and was routing a sallow dado in them for the hardware to run when it happened!
“It” was a launching of the workpiece out of the garage, the rest is a blur and I still don’t know what happened. My left had that was past the bit was covered in blood, the ends of my 2 middle fingers are shredded, part of one fingernail is gone. The only thing I can think of is that I must have jerked my hand back into the bit after the workpiece took flight. At first I thought the work piece had done the damage but I cant figure out how it could have created the kind of wounds I have. The bit was only about 3/32 of an inch above the router table so it is still a mystery to me. I will probably see the Doc tomorrow to see if there is anything that should be done other than bandages. I feel like a real DA right now because I am usually so cautious (stuff spinning that fast scares me) and I truly am at a loss as to what went wrong. Oh, and in the process I have a bruised thumb too.
Evey-one, BE CAREFUL, please.
-- Dan in Central Oklahoma, Able to turn good wood into saw dust in the blink of an eye!
10 comments so far
mot
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4904 posts in 936 days
posted 889 days ago
Ouch! I’m sorry you did this, but glad you shared it with us. I’m still trying to visualize how this happened. If I understand correctly, you were routing shallow grooves in 10” pieces on the router table?
-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)
WayneC
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6079 posts in 997 days
posted 889 days ago
Darn it. Not good my friend. Hopefully they will all heal soon.
-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov
Dano
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217 posts in 932 days
posted 889 days ago
They are 2 1/4 inches wide and 10 inches long, I was routing a groove lengthwise about 3/32 inch deep. I had done one and it did have a tendency to grab and want to shoot out of my hands but was controllable. I had made 2 passes and was on the last pass to get the width I wanted when things went bad. Never had anything like it before on the router table. Tomorrow I may do some investigating, sitting here I was thinking that I had some trash get in the collet and had taken it off to clean it, I wonder if something I did caused it to malfunction?
-- Dan in Central Oklahoma, Able to turn good wood into saw dust in the blink of an eye!
miles125
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1443 posts in 905 days
posted 889 days ago
You were actually lucky if the wound is as you described. Ive seen guys get whole fingers shredded to pieces by router bits. A slot in a board with a router bit is strictly a firm fence to hold the part against proposition. Hope youre feeling better soon.
-- miles125, Alabama.."Architecture is frozen music""
miles125
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1443 posts in 905 days
posted 889 days ago
One more note for anyone who uses dado blades for stopped slots and dados. NEVER try to bring the wood backwards on the saw table to hit a pencil mark. Turn off the saw and redrop onto the blades making sure you dont allow it to in any way move backwards. Dados get tremendous traction and will send the wood after you.
-- miles125, Alabama.."Architecture is frozen music""
Karson
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25871 posts in 1300 days
posted 889 days ago
Sorry for the injury. I hope you are able to recollect what caused the problem.
Router bits with wood between the blade and the fence are dangerous if you are not holding it the correct way. The wood should always be pushed the direction where the bit is going in the oposite direction from the wood. You never want the bit and the wood to be going the same direction because it will pull the wood out of your hands and leave nothing between you and the bit.
Good luck on the healing process.
It’s like miles125 says don’t move the wood in the same direction as the cutting tool I.E. don’t pull the wood back through the dado.
-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
WayneC
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6079 posts in 997 days
posted 889 days ago
Also are you using paddles or push sticks?
-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov
Bob Babcock
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1808 posts in 986 days
posted 889 days ago
Jeez…I got the willies just reading about it. Everytime I use my guardless tablesaw I cringe. Now I have to worry about my router too. Hope everything comes out all right.
We newbies need you experienced guys to do a safety blog. I try my hardest to work safe (at least within the limitations of the tools I have) but I could see me easily making a nasty mistake in my ignorance.
-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org
Napaman
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3495 posts in 977 days
posted 885 days ago
I agree with Bob—-that is my biggest worry…just not knowing…another reason I need to sign up for MULTIPLE classes…I am sorry for your injury Dano…I hope that since you wrote this you have seen the doctor and there is good news…as Frank would say…”Godspeed.”
Matt
-- Matt, Napa, CA...fun is beautiful...just trying to have some fun...
Dano
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217 posts in 932 days
posted 885 days ago
Matt,
I knew better and was fully aware of what a climb cut could do but I just wasn’t thinking about it. For one I was only taking about 3/32 of an inch of material about 3/8 inch wide and I never dreamed that that small of a cut could launch the wood with such speed and force. That is probably why I was caught off-guard and reacted so much as to throw my had back into harms way. Complacency will get you every time!
I did see the Doc and go back tomorrow for a follow-up. Not much to do but keep it clean and take antibiotics to ensure an infection doesn’t set in. I had a tetanus (sp?) shot a few years back so I didn’t need one this time.
-- Dan in Central Oklahoma, Able to turn good wood into saw dust in the blink of an eye!