days when you feel youre gonna get injured.

Before I finished reading your post I was thinking of a reply advising you not to lift the arm of the saw until the blade stopped but you addressed it at the end.

My saw is the same way and when I have made cuts like that I am always a bit worried, especially if its a small piece. I always wait for the blade to stop before I lift the arm on those cuts. I have never been real worried about the blade hitting my hand but more about the blade kicking the wood at me after the cut.

As for the gloves as you all ready know you shouldn’t wear them when using the power saws. My garage shop has no heat and I have caught myself a few times this winter making cuts with my gloves on. Just a few days ago I was setting up my table saw to make a few cross cuts and I turned it on and before I made the cut I stopped and remembered to take my gloves off. I heard a horror story before about a guy getting his hand pulled into the blade because of the gloves. Its hard when its so cold but you just have to keep it in mind. I would much rather have cold hands then NO hands.

Most all woodworkers on here probably know this but its good to post stuff like this to keep us all in check. We all slip up and don’t think at times.

-- Dan - "Collector of Hand Planes"

Before I finished reading your post I was thinking of a reply advising you not to lift the arm of the saw until the blade stopped but you addressed it at the end.

My saw is the same way and when I have made cuts like that I am always a bit worried, especially if its a small piece. I always wait for the blade to stop before I lift the arm on those cuts. I have never been real worried about the blade hitting my hand but more about the blade kicking the wood at me after the cut.

As for the gloves as you all ready know you shouldn’t wear them when using the power saws. My garage shop has no heat and I have caught myself a few times this winter making cuts with my gloves on. Just a few days ago I was setting up my table saw to make a few cross cuts and I turned it on and before I made the cut I stopped and remembered to take my gloves off. I heard a horror story before about a guy getting his hand pulled into the blade because of the gloves. Its hard when its so cold but you just have to keep it in mind. I would much rather have cold hands then NO hands.

Most all woodworkers on here probably know this but its good to post stuff like this to keep us all in check. We all slip up and don’t think at times.

-- Dan - "Collector of Hand Planes"

I’ve learned to walk away before anything happens when I have those feelings….Take a break until you feel good, even if it’s for the rest of the day.

-- Childress Woodworks

”untill the blade has stopped spinning”
We should all have this posted in large letters in our shops!
Thanks

-- "Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life" Solomon

OMG !

I’m glad you’re okay. A few minor cuts … is nothing compared to what you COULD have lost !!

As I’m not shy about saying …. I’ve got a lot of trouble with my eyes—focusing, alignment, pain, pain meds, etc., etc., etc.

There are LOTS of days when I simply CANNOT be safe, or—at least—don’t feel confident in my ability TO be safe.

There are other days, too, when … I tromp down the stairs to my basement shop, turn on all the lights, and …. after a few minutes … decide that I’m not okay. I might vacuum the shop or clean up a little, but … I always head back upstairs.

It’s like my motorcycle, or my car: if I don’t feel like I’m at MY 100% ... I won’t risk my health or anybody else’s.

Heal quickly !

-- -- Neil

Sometimes no matter how safe you think you are being STUFF HAPPENS yesterday I was able to take my profile picture after a pc of quarter inch plywood came flying back at me. the gaurds were all in place and I still got it.

-- RV

When I get the feeling I walk away. I have really bad luck in general and dont like tempting fate. I also listen to that little voice in my head that says ”...... if you do this that way you will get hurt…....”

-- where is the duct tape.....

I am always very “aware” when I use saws. However, last Wednesday, for whatever reason, I caught my left middle finger under my Castle machines pneumatic hold down. The obvious reaction was to yank my hand out from under the hundreds of pounds of force of the hold down. This immediately removed the entire finger nail. The first look at the finger tip – totally flattened, folded forward and split apart at the front – made me feel very queasy. The blood started flowing in a hurry as I went to my first aid kit and wrapped it up. I pushed it all back together and wrapped it. The next day, I put a fresh wrap on it, slipped my hand into one of those knit gloves with latex rubber grippy stuff and went back to work in order to finish a job which needed to be delivered on Friday. By the end of the day, the blood escaping from the capillaries under the finger nail had completely soaked the inside of the glove . . . but never stained any wood I was working on. In addition, the glove did a great job holding the finger tip together and allowing it to start healing in the correct shape. I should’ve gotten a few stitches but, being self-employed with a $2500 deductible, seeing a doctor would’ve just been an expensive inconvenience. After a week, it is healing nicely although there are some very tender nerves exposed where it split apart on the end which hurt like heck when they get bumped.

-- I'm the Woodsman . . . the four-wheelin', tree-farmin', custom-furniture-makin' descendant of Olaf "The Woodcutter" Ingjaldsson.

I’m probably the guy Dan’s thinking about who got hurt because of wearing gloves while using a table saw. I told my story in my first blog post.

I’m glad to hear that you weren’t seriously injured this time. Hopefully there will not be a next time. If you feel that something might go wrong, stop, turn off the machine, take a break, think about what your doing and be certain you’re ready to totally concentrate on doing the task safely before you resume.

Be Careful!

-- Herb, Florida - Here's why I close most messages with "Be Careful!" http://lumberjocks.com/HerbC/blog/17090

Sometimes I get that tired and disconnected feeling when working in the shop. I feel tired and struggle to concentrate. Its like the vibes are off. Nothing seems to go right. I used to get this feeling sometimes in sports (tournament tennis) and I would attempt to force myself to concentrate and pay attention. In sports that was OK, because if I wasnt successfull I just lost. In the shop when this happens, I walk away and try it again another day. Its just too dangerous and isnt worth an accident.

-- Wayne - Plymouth MN

Spent the better part of my day sitting in the shop just talking with my buddy because I just knew something was going to happen. So….. I never turned on a machine. I finally decided to go home when the feeling would not go away and I was not going to take any chances. Pulled into my driveway and promptly ran my truck into the garage door trying to get just a little bit closer. Sometimes, its better just to stay in the lazy boy but today I would probrably have fallen out of that, Stay safe and be extra careful when you have those hunches.

-- I just don't understand. I have cut it 3 times and it is still to short.

I’m amazed that there are so many of use that have or have had the same feelings about working in the wood shop. I’m glad I read this and it just reinforces, if you have that gut feeling, walk away. I was at one time an industrial electrician and would get that sensation. No room for error!
Thanks!!

-- Jerry - Ohio

I have those days. I always tell people I have to be in the mood. (They think I am crazy when I say it BUT) I have learned to just quit working that day and do something else ! Trying to continue just makes things worse. (Cut the pieces wrong, drill holes right through, etc,etc,) Next day I go back and do the same job and its like everything just falls into place, without any effort.

-- "My mission in life - make everyone smile !"

Ditto to Mtnwild. Somedays nothng just works. :)

-- Homer : "Oh, and how is education supposed to make me feel smarter? Besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain."

I have those feelings too. I am most comfortable with my table saw so I use it for most everything. I rarley use other tools. Table saw and jointer are what I use 90% of the time. I even cut crown molding for my house on my table saw. I do get very nervous when I use other tools though like my router. I always try to pause for a moment before I turn something on and get togeather a game plan in my hand of where my hands are going to be and how I am going to make the cut. I find when I do get hurt is when I don’t pause first to get my game plan going. It took me a while to train my self to just not turn on a tool before thinking of what I am doing. Also after I am done cutting I stop to think about any close calls I may have had. The other weekend I was batch jointing on my table saw and reached over the spinning blade. I did not think much of it at the time but next time I do it I will make sure that it is in my pre-cutting pause.