# Plane Iron vs Live Power Cord..DANGER!



## Dcase (Jul 7, 2010)

This may be a first..

Earlier this afternoon I was honing one of my plane irons via scary sharp method. I wet the sandpaper with mineral spirits and of coarse the mineral spirits gets all over my hands. Well I had just finished the iron and I had a nice razor sharp edge. I picked the iron up and it just slipped right out of my hands. The plane iron was now falling edge down towards the cold hard concrete floor. Right when I felt it slip I cringed with fear that the edge would hit the floor thus ruining my fine edge. The edge hit the floor all right, but thats not the only thing it hit.

I had a small shop vac plugged in sitting next to my bench and the sharp edge of the blade just so happened to land directly on the power cord. When it hit there was a pop sound and a bunch of sparks. When I picked up the iron I couldn't have been more disappointed. All that work grinding and honing down the drain. Where the edge hit the wire it burned and melted the steel. I snapped some pictures of the damage..


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## tom427cid (Aug 21, 2011)

Hey not a problem-just even up the notch and now you have a beading plane-just joking. That really sucks. I have had the cement nick once or twice.Now I opt for wood floors,at least the odds of hitting a nail are greater.
Couple of times I have left a nick,hit a da-n nail,with both chisels and planes.I leave it sorta as a reminder to check more carefully in the future.
Either that or rather than grind all that good material use the rest of the edge,just grind a bit more frequently.At least get as much use from the rest of the edge.
tom


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## DMIHOMECENTER (Mar 5, 2011)

Glad you weren't hurt.

That's one of the reasons why I just look at my planes up on the shelf where they belong while I use power tools. ;=)


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## usnret (Jul 14, 2011)

Well it was "SCARY SHARP!!!"

Atleast you can fix the cord and resharpen the blade and no one got hurt.


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

Dan welding on the edge ISN´T a part of the job to sharpen irons …..

glad it wasn´t your foot you hurt

take care
Dennis


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

I guess better it hit that cord, and not your foot. wow. ya just never know. glad you didn't get hurt.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

I see you've found one more way NOT to test the scary sharp method. I've cut live power cords with skill saws, drill bits and tin snips, but never a Stanley. I have dropped them on the concrete floor so I could start all over. Practice makes perfect!


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## Dcase (Jul 7, 2010)

I doubt it was falling with enough force to cut through my shoe so had it hit my foot I doubt there would have been any injury.

That iron was to my 5 1/2 and restored the blade and sharpened the whole bevel by hand. It took me so long. To fix it I am going to use the power grinder. I still cant believe it hit the cord and blew up the edge.


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## mochoa (Oct 9, 2009)

Wow, that sucks. Thats going to take a lot of regrinding.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

I've done that a few times, but it is my dikes that get burned up ;-(( At least it makes a good wire stripper ;-))


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## Dcase (Jul 7, 2010)

Ya, I guess the bright side is the wires will be easy to re attach. Cord is all ready cut and its a nice clean cut.


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## 280305 (Sep 28, 2008)

I am glad that you were not cut. A scary sharp iron falling edge first is a perfect set-up for the reflexes to kick in and your hand to dart out to "make the save".


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Good one David. I'm with you!


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## glassyeyes (Apr 14, 2009)

"Weird But True-" we used to collect unusual stories like this at work, and keep them in a binder to share with the newbies.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

ChuckV, You just reminded me I have done that before with things that slipped out of my hand. I will definitely try to control the reflex with things that sharp!!


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## rrdesigns (Sep 4, 2009)

That's why my shop is completely covered with interlocking foam rubber floor mats. Glad you weren't hurt. Better that the plane blade suffered than to lose a few toes.


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

Dan, maybe once you re-grind, that'll be a new sweet spot; what with the electrons all lined up and all


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## steviep (Feb 25, 2011)

"on in a million shot, doc" glad you weren't hurt.


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## Tootles (Jul 21, 2011)

Yep, that looks familiar. My brother was "playing around" with a chisel one day and managed to put it down, sharp end first, across a power cord. Big pop, chisel went flying (might have been him pulling it in reflex - though of course it might not) and a big piece out the blade. Given that he was holding it at the time, he was lucky that he was holding it by the handle. Since plane blades are all metal, just as well you didn't try catching it.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

*Tootles,* It was your brother brother's reaction threw the chisel. Any voltage with enough power to cause it to move would have ionized the atmosphere and vaporize it rather than thrown it. Your brother would have 3rd degree burns on more that half of his body and most likely be blind. Trust me, I have seen a lot of short circuits in the last 40+ years and no signs of shrapnel damage in the surronding areas.


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## Simatai (Oct 31, 2011)

Steel toe boots look better and better.


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## SeaWitch (Nov 5, 2011)

Glad you weren't hurt. Sorry about the fine edge you had…..I laughed when I read Tom427cid 's comment about the beading plane. This is why I ALWAYS wear steel-toed boots in my shop, no matter what.


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