# Another power tool with blood on it...



## JeffP (Aug 4, 2014)

Yep, hurt myself again.

Is it just me, or are power tools just as dangerous when they are…off?

Starting to think I would only be safe in a rubber room 

Knocked a small box full of sheets of miscellaneous sandpaper off of the stool I had set it on to get it out of my way.

Was bending over and picking up the mess. First time, caught a glimpse of the drill press table coming at my head, and managed to swerve out of it's nefarious path. Second time, it missed me by a mile. Third time, need to reach that one piece that slid just out of reach….bonk.

Do they actually sharpen the edge of a drill press table, or is that just accidental?

To date, I have never actually injured myself with the business end of any power tool…and yet, almost every tool I own has tasted blood. The router got me when the wrench slipped off the collet. The table saw pinched a blood blister when assembling the cast iron. You name it, if it is hard and immovable, it has leapt and collided with my forehead…or my shin….or my elbow.

Is this a common ailment, or am I the only LJ who can't be trusted around "hard things"?


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## Clarkie (May 11, 2013)

Hey Jeff, lol, don't be so hard on yourself, just start lining the edges of all sharp objects with protective foam. A few months back the table saw took a part of my thumb, since then I have been very attentive to what I'm doing, yet, yesterday after turning a couple things on the lathe I started to drop the 1 1/2" skew chisel. Quickly trying to recover my grip, "rut ro", I raised the edge up and sliced my nose on the left side. After another humiliating walk of shame to the (wife) nurse's office I'm back at the lathe with a band aid. ARGH! Some days are better than others, have fun and make some dust.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

You realize that if this gets out into the media,OSHA will order all corners and edges to be rounded and padded with foam padding?


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## KellyB (Mar 1, 2015)

Jeff: It is the price of doing stuff. Other than your rubber room, the only relatively safe place is the chair in front of your tv, and over time, even that will get you in ways too odd to discuss here.

Just grin and bear it.

[ouch! what was that?!?]


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## hotbyte (Apr 3, 2010)

Bless your heart…


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## Dabcan (Feb 1, 2011)

My worst accident involved the underside of my cast iron bandsaw table. It wasn't sharp like your drill press table which means it still cut my head open, it just hurt a lot more as it had to tear the skin instead of slice it…

These things generally happen to me when the shop is too cluttered, or I'm working too fast. Generally when I make mistakes as well, lesson learned.


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## JeffP (Aug 4, 2014)

@dabcan, yeah, I hear you on the clutter thing. In fact, I think that leads to many/most of mine too. If I had a place for everything and everything in it's place, I feel like it would be more difficult for the tools to jump out and attack me. Or at worst, I could carefully plan my trip across the shop to avoid their treachery.

For me, cleaning up the shop usually means pushing everything towards the back of the workbench to make room to work.


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## WhoMe (Jul 9, 2009)

I feel for you. Some days I feel like I need to cut myself opening my garage door just to get it out of the way.
I'm sure we're all thankful we have these accidents versus ones while power tools are running.
Having already had a table saw accident, I'll take the little oopsies any day of the week over an accident with a running power tool.


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## JeffP (Aug 4, 2014)

> Bless your heart…
> 
> - hotbyte


LOL somehow your (clearly genuine) sympathy for my plight has reminded me of Dana Carvey's "church lady". "Well isn't that special".


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## hotbyte (Apr 3, 2010)

Hope the laugh took your mind off the pain. 


> Bless your heart…
> 
> - hotbyte
> 
> ...


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## jeffswildwood (Dec 26, 2012)

I try to be ultra safe with my power tools (after splitting my finger with a band saw)........ but….every time I get out my chisels seems I may as well quote the title of a movie….."There will be blood"!


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## builtinbkyn (Oct 29, 2015)

A shop is rife in dangerous implements whether on or off, unpowered or even non-powered. I try to not place any more obstacles in my way, in addition to those that are immovable, and clean up as I go along …... well as best I can.

When I was running jobs, I stood on the guys heads to get them to keep things manageable and safe because I knew the consequences. I have, however, violated those principles in my shop and luckily have not paid the price for doing so. I try not to place anything around me that won't be in my hands to perform the current task.

I did however, just recently, almost take the tip of my finger off with the router while it wasn't even plugged in. I should have gotten a stitch or two, but superglue, paper towel and blue tape work well too  I was removing a bit from the 1617. I guess I overtightened the collet. Using both wrenches to remove the bit, my finger got trapped between the housing and the wrench when it released. So that was two things I did wrong. Overtightened the collet and was lazy and didn't pull the motor from the base.

We all must be aware and be safe in the shop. It's easy to forget that and become careless. No rushing. No one's life depends upon what we're doing when we're making sawdust and chips.


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## TheWoodRaccoon (Nov 9, 2015)

Happens to me too! While i was scrubbing the cosmoline off my 14" bandsaw table, my index finger hit a sharp burr and sliced through my glove. Didn't notice untill i saw drops of red on the cast iron.


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## bruc101 (Sep 13, 2008)

I had an insurance adjuster tell me one time that being around and working with woodworking equipment was one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.

The surgeon that fixed my hand, after a moron granite installer dropped a top on my right hand and ruined it, said he worked on a lot chain saw and chop saw accidents and the chain saw was the worst of the worst and one of the most brutal saws in the world.


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## SignWave (Feb 2, 2010)

I cut my hand the other day picking up a stamped steel lazy susan. The edge had a burr which it turns out was quite sharp. Haven't had anything major, thank goodness, but lots of little things like this.


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## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

I dropped a 1" chisel on my knee recently. Shop towels electrical tape and Star Wars band aids did the trick.


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## TheWoodRaccoon (Nov 9, 2015)

> I dropped a 1" chisel on my knee recently. Shop towels electrical tape and Star Wars band aids did the trick.
> 
> - TheFridge


Woud you trade a Han Solo or Boba Fett for a Hello kitty? I've got some.


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## JeffP (Aug 4, 2014)

Well, that does it…now it's not even safe for me to go shopping.

Cut my thumb today cutting plastic strapping on a pallet of tile at a tile store.

I think maybe I better just stay in bed.

At least human bodies heal over time. Can you image what we would all look like if that weren't true? Brings memories of the Monti python skit with the guard who guards the bridge. "...it's just a flesh wound! In the name of the King I command thee to stop! Come over here so I can smite thee!"


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## Brendo (Mar 20, 2016)

Last November . . . on Friday the 13th, I was using my bandsaw to rough cut a burl into a round that I could mount on the lathe. I broke a big rule by cutting the burl through an area where it was unsupported on one side of the blade and wouldn't you know it, the blade caught, and tipped the burl, bringing my hand right into the blade. I was using a 99 7/8" coarse resaw blade, moving at 50 fps. I felt my hand contact the blade for just a second and when I pulled it away . . . here's what I "saw" 
















I severed my extensor tendon, dislocated and broke that finger. I had surgery to repair it and am going through physical therapy. But, given the level of damage I did to it, it has healed well. I can only extend the finger so that it is 35 degrees from straight out and making a hard fist is tough. I'm not complaining, I know I'm lucky to still have it. But when I'm being ungrateful I can complain about how it's made some stupid, easy tasks, pretty freaking frustrating. And this accident happened in the blink of an eye, cost me some self-respect, thousands of dollars, tons of lost time. Thankfully though, it cost me some of my confidence in my mastery over my tools. It has caused me to slow down, play it safe and think about what I am doing more carefully. Cause let's be honest, I'm lucky I didn't lose a thumb, or a hand, or an arm, or some other piece of valuable hardware.


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