# Stupid move on the router table



## Jofa (May 14, 2013)

You know, I've been so vigilant about table saw safety and I've decided that (one day) I will own a Saw Stop. Been really good about learning all I can on TS safety.

So last night I use my router table that I haven't used in a while and sure enough, I got hurt.

Lots of mistakes in hindsight. It was one of those things where I was tired and should have stopped working. I've heard that story so many times and now I get it.

Basically I was testing out some cuts, working fast and failed to use a push block (I was making a dado cut on a piece of maple… not too deep which is probably what saved me).

The piece shot out and the end of my right middle finger got into the bit and the motion of the bit carried it around a couple of times, basically like a paper cone around a cotton candy machine.

Immediately I thought the worst. Looked at the finger and I have cuts all the way around from the last knuckle to the tip. The nail was actually shaved so fortunately, it's still there. Just a little thinner. Good amount of blood.

I'm thankful this wasn't worse because it really could have been. Also thankful for the message that I need to be very intentional with EVERY piece of equipment.


----------



## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

wow. the fact that you can type this post screams "LUCKY" !!!

glad to hear you got out of this with only 'minor' damage. this really could have gotten a whole lot worse. the router (table) is the worst damaging as it doesn't do a clean cut - it garbles everything in it's path and pulls it in deeper….

we should be mindful and careful with every tool we use in the shop - motor or no motor.

Thanks for the reminder


----------



## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

I'm so glad that it wasn't worse. Accidents can happen to anyone at anytime. Just a little lapse in attention and concentration is all it takes.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


----------



## vikingcape (Jan 3, 2013)

Wow Jofa, great to see that you are mostly ok. Hope you heal quick man. Thanks for the reminders we all need them all the time. The only times I've been cut is with hand saws (I must be a total idiot).


----------



## verdesardog (Apr 2, 2011)

We all make mistakes…good that it's not too bad!

Several years ago I had a similar accident not using a bush block on a small piece…had to get sutures in one finger. but it's all good now.


----------



## lsiberian (Dec 17, 2013)

Glad you're okay. Definitely a healthy reminder to never operate power tools tired. Another pro-tip never grab the cutting edge of a bit while installing it. I made that mistake one time and I nearly had to go to the ER.


----------



## Sanding2day (May 6, 2013)

Glad to hear that you made it through without serious injury, am actually suprised it wasn't more serious given your explanation of what happened. Certainly need to show all cutting tools *especially those moving at a gazillion rpm* their due respect… Thanks for posting the reminder…


----------



## moonie (Jun 18, 2010)

Well Jofa like the old man would say if you cant learn the easy way there's always the hard way dont fell bad your not the only one.


----------



## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Thanks for sharing and I am very glad that damage was minimal. None of us like to hear about these things, but we do NEED to hear about them so that we all re-focus our attention. Again, thanks…


----------



## b2rtch (Jan 20, 2010)

I am glad you did not get hurt too bad.
Years ago I lost two fingers in a wood shaper.
One was fixed but not the other one
I see on your picture that you play the guitar, is this going to be a problem for you?


----------



## Bullet (Apr 14, 2009)

Wow - I've been putting in some late nights too. Thanks for the wake up and be safe post!


----------



## Jofa (May 14, 2013)

Bert,
Fortunately it was my right hand which is my picking hand. If it was my fretting hand things would be really bad. I hold the pick between my thumb and index finger but I do use my middle finger when fingerpicking. The tip is ok so the big guy was watching.

I have our church's Christmas concert on Thursday night but I should be fine.

@ Sanding2day: The bit was set at about 1/4" so I got away with one. Any higher and it would have been worse.


----------



## ScomelBasses (Dec 6, 2012)

Same thing happened to me recently. I was cutting a dovetail groove and the wood shot forward, pulling my left hand into the bit. Thankfully it only shredded part of the tip on my index finger. I'm a musician, bass player, but was able to play my gigs. I bandaged it and just played through the pain. I'm good now but it was pretty damn scary. I don't care about the naysayers, I'm getting a SawStop ASAP. I feel comfortable on the table saw, use the guard on every cut possible. That said, I also felt comfortable on the router table


----------



## b2rtch (Jan 20, 2010)

Thank you Lord for the passion and ability to make things from your creation
Amen


----------



## DocSavage45 (Aug 14, 2010)

We all do dumb stuff. Some of us luckier than others. I held a small piece of wood to quickly cut something brief on my chop saw and broke my finger. I am ALWAYS respectful NOW

Charles Neil bought a Saw stop. Why? He fell asleep while trying to get a customer project finished! Lost his little finger.

Glad you can use your fingers to type.


----------



## Hinge (Oct 11, 2013)

I like the fact that whenever an LJer has an accident it gets posted. Helps to jar the rest of us out of our complacency. Get well fast.


----------



## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

Sorry to hear. Did you figure out what went wrong? Was it a feeding direction issue?

Hope all is well


----------



## bbc557ci (Sep 20, 2012)

What Hinge said. Threads like this are a reminder to ALWAYS pay attention to what we are doing. Over the years I've tangled both with a table saw, and an electric miter box. The tools won both those battles. But in the end all worked out ok, after the hospital & doctor visits.

Speedy recovery Jofa!!


----------



## Momcanfixit (Sep 19, 2012)

I think we've all had that awful moment in the split second after an accident when we're trying to figure out how bad it is or isn't . So glad it wasn't worse.


----------



## tefinn (Sep 23, 2011)

I really hate hearing stories like this, but like HM said, we need to hear them. It reminds us of what we are working with and what they can do to us if we're not careful and attentive. Glad it wasn't worse and hope everything heals well.


----------



## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

Thank you for the reminder, a healthy dose of fear is alway useful but the more we work with machines the more we forget…

4 years ago my grandad was working on the lathe turning a metal shaft of somekind and the sleeve of his jacket hand got caught around the shaft (approx 2" in diametre). Subsequently his hand got caught around it and did 3 turns around the shaft before the machine stopped. He is a professional, so the lathe is the size of a F150 truck, luckily it was an old machine with a faulty clutch, so the machine stalled. If he had fixed the clutch as he had intended to a few weeks earlier, the sheer force of the machine would have pulled him around the shaft and probably pounded him to minced meat or ripped off the hand. Either of the scenarious would happen 998 times out of 1000 in these cases.

As some greater power would have it I just happened to be in the shop, using a drill press to drill 4 holes in a piece of scrap wood. The odds of me being there at that point in time are too little to even discuss. I was 6 feet from him when I heard the 3 distinct cracks and the machine stopping. Switched off the machine, released the shaft from the holder and literally rotated the shaft to turn his hand off the shaft. Much like you would rotate a dovel if you had put 3 to 4 coils of rope around it…

He broke 4 bones in his forearm and 1 around his biceps, but someone is really watching out for him. He was 77 years old when it happened. After a 8 hour surgery he recovered fully and has full use of his arm. He is now turning 81 in February and still going strong. (We did install new lights in his workshop and I don't think he works with long sleeves anymore…But there is no way we could get him out of his shop) He started working with lathes when he was 14, so he had quite a few years of practice, but these things can happen to the best of us.

That was a healthy reminder for me and I work with exclusevly short sleeves and no gloves when I work with powertools.

Thank you for the reminder and have a speedy recovery!


----------



## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

You bring up many good points. Safety with all equipment is essential. Most of our tools can hurt us. Proper caution should be used with everything we do. Rarely does rushing through a project produce benefits. Rushing usually leads to skipping safety. Tired is an issue also. Any time I find myself feeling truly tired, I shut down and leave the shop. Your mind isn't clear and your hands will pay for it.


----------



## b2rtch (Jan 20, 2010)

"It's not ability that we often lack, but the patience to use our ability" 
Amen

Some one should write a book with all the excellent quotations found in LJs signatures, there are hundreds of them


----------



## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

That is good that you did not get hurt worse than that. It was bad enough.
This is a good wake up call for those reading this!!!!
Pushers are important on the router as well as the table saw.

One thing that is important to always consider is the direction of the cut on a router table. For instance, if you are cutting a dado or dovetail and the first pass is not wide enough. You have to determine which side needs to be widened and move the fence in the appropriate direction. If you move fence away from the cutter , you will be cutting the front side of the groove and you can feed it from the right because the cutter will be cutting normally and non climb cutting. However if you move the fence toward the cutter to cut on the back side of the groove, you have to feed from the left side so as not to climb cut the piece where it can quickly pull it past the cutter and possibly get your fingers.

Always stop to think this out when moving the fence so as not to get into making an unsafe cut.

happy new year…..........Jim


----------



## Truefire (Mar 20, 2007)

Thanks for sharing and having the courage to do so. Posts like this are excellent reminders as Unfortunate as they are, for us to pay extra attention and to think things through. If we would just always use those push sticks…..I'm glad you are ok, well at the 'least' you still have that finger. Man, imagine life without it…a BIG change, but you kept yours. Thank God. Its so crazy how fast this stuff can happen


----------



## nwbusa (Feb 21, 2012)

Router table, jointer, table saw… these tools can mess you up if you aren't careful. Big time.


----------



## ColonelTravis (Mar 19, 2013)

Missed this originally, very glad it wasn't worse. I hate reading these things but I do because we need to keep this stuff in mind.


----------



## doninvegas (Jun 10, 2010)

Tell me about it. Lost parts of a finger back in November on my router table.

http://lumberjocks.com/topics/55173


----------



## woodsmithshop (Sep 10, 2008)

had some flesh chewed off of my left index finger back in Sept. by my router on the router table. it is a wake up call!!!


----------

