# Lost Part of a Finger



## doninvegas (Jun 10, 2010)

Let me start by saying that I have been woodworking for a little over 10 years. I had a minor kickback incident about 8 years ago that really opened my eyes. Ever since I have been extremely safety conscious and take all necessary precautions. As we all know everything in our shops can hurt us if you're not paying attention. With that being said accidents still can happen. I do a lot of pattern routing since I own an over arm pin router, I love the thing. I also love making cutting boards and I get my wood from Bell Forest. I was on their site and saw that they had pizza peel kits with a template included so I bought 3 kits. Two weekends ago, the 9th and 10th I headed to the shop to make myself some pizza peels. The first was a bit difficult and I figured that I need to remove some of the excess wood so the router wouldn't work so hard. Everything was going fine until I got to the third board. I have no idea what happened but as I was rotating the board into the cutter the wood jumped and my left index finger made contact with the bit. It happened so fast that I didn't have time to react. My wife took me to the ER to get patched up and then a trip a few days later to the orthopedic surgeon. The news was not good. Yesterday he had to amputate the top of my finger down to the first knuckle. I guess it could have been worst but I don't want to think about that. Needless to say I can't wait until I'm healed enough so I can get back into the shop to figure out what exactly happened so I can avoid something like this from happening again. 
*Be Careful Out There !!! *


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## steviep (Feb 25, 2011)

So sorry to hear this. take care and recover fast.


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

Sorry to hear about that, Don, but thanks for the post. It is reminders like this that keep me focused on safety when I'm working in the shop. Chance are great that you have helped someone avoid an injury.


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

Good thing you have Ocare…


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## FaTToaD (Oct 19, 2009)

Sorry about your finger. Hope you heal soon and get back in the saddle!


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## doninvegas (Jun 10, 2010)

I hope everyone takes a min. when they walk into their shop to remember to slow down and think things through before they fire up a machine. The only good thing is that I'm right handed so this shouldn't slow me down too much.


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## TheWoodenBoxes (Nov 12, 2013)

Tomorrow is a gift for working safe today.


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## ssnvet (Jan 10, 2012)

Thanks for the reminder to be vigilant about safety.

I made some dicey cuts on the TS this week while cutting Acrylic for the first time. I got through the session withioug any issues, but now I'm kidking myself for not stopping.

If it smells like a skunk, it likely is a skunk and ya need to step back, get some fresh air and think about what's going on.


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## Texcaster (Oct 26, 2013)

I had a similar left hand, index finger, router incident. It was about 20 years ago and I got away with a skin graft. It happens before you know it. All the best. Anybody, anytime.


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## alohafromberkeley (Oct 26, 2011)

Can't take anything for granted around cutting tools. Sorry about your injury,Don, but it does remind us to slow down and really think things through before even turning on any machine.


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

thanks for the reminder.

hope you heal quickly and get back on track.


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## theoldfart (Sep 9, 2011)

Don, sorry to hear about your hand. I almost never use my tailed router any more. I've seen too many folks badly hurt on powered machines so I've migrated to hand tools mostly. Again hope the rehab process goes quickly so you can get back in the shop.


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## Bogeyguy (Sep 26, 2012)

doninvegas, unfortunate accident. Reflect and get back to it.

DKV, where are your brains????


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## 280305 (Sep 28, 2008)

I am sorry to hear this Don. I hope that you make a quick recovery.

Thank you for taking the time to post this reminder.


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## Belg1960 (Jan 3, 2010)

Don, hope it heals quickly as I would like to hear from you in the future on how you think it happened. Sorry it happened and thanks for sharing your story as a reminder. Seeing the post was like a slap in the head wakeup call.


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## HerbC (Jul 28, 2010)

Don,
Sorry to hear about your accident.

Hope your recovery is quick and smooth.

I know this is a bit late, but it still makes sense to Be Careful!

Herb


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## bobasaurus (Sep 6, 2009)

I'm sorry this happened to you… amazing how fast accidents can happen even to experienced people. I'll try to keep your lesson in mind next time I'm attempting a precarious cut. I hope you can recover quickly and get back to making sawdust.


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## juniorjock (Feb 3, 2008)

I admit that I haven't read this entire thread. But do you know what you did wrong? or did you do anything wrong? or are you not sure what happened?


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## rockrunner (May 10, 2012)

1 1/2 years ago , when I was getting my left thumb RE-ATTACHED the doctors said most accidents happen to pros . ONE second is all it takes. I had made 599xx cuts on this saw before it BIT. Be careful out there!!!!!!!!!!


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## natenaaron (Jun 24, 2013)

Bummers. Of a the machines in the shop the router scares me the most.


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## reedwood (Jan 27, 2011)

damn….if it makes you feel any better, I'm still recovering from a similar accident, only it's my right middle finger. I saw the doc yesterday and he said it's still a fifty fifty chance I may lose the tip to the first knuckle.

I almost want to say to you, at least it's over with. You will probably heal pretty fast and have full use of the end like using a key board.

Come to think about it, picking your nose with it would be a great jobsite gag…Ha!

But I've spent 4o years as a carpenter/ cabinetmaker and I've never had a serious accident like this, until I retire and get cut building Halloween props…..unbelievable.

We were cutting points on 2×4s for stakes with a skill saw. My helper was in one of those moods where he didn't want to be there and wanted to argue about whether we should cut them on the miter box. I told him they need to be sharper than a 45 and to grab the board and hold it for me. I rotated the guard up with my right hand and made several cuts. He wouldn't hold the board like I asked and instead stood on it with his hands in his pockets while smoking. He suddenly lifted his foot to switch positions right in the middle of a cut and it jumped which made my finger slip in front on top on the base.

If I had been using my Milwaukee instead of the PC, this wouldn't have happened as there is a guard right there. The blade cut halfway through, right below my nail and destroyed the bone….as in nothing but a tiny piece left. I'll be lucky if the nail grows back normal, if I don't lose it all together.

This is the first time I've shared about it. I can't tell you how significant this is for me - a shop teacher, a preacher of safety and someone who brags about all the fingers.

I play guitar too, well, I used to. I can still use a pick I guess but it's not going to be the same ever again.

juniorjock - that is a very interesting avatar….. reminds me of the beach.


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## DeltaDaddy (Nov 15, 2013)

don- welcome to a very exclusive club. Try counting to 10 now! I can only count to 9 7/8. My "Dumb Thumb" got bit by a circular saw kick back a few years ago. All kidding aside I wish you a speedy recovery


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

BE thankful it wasn't any worse. Hope it heals up fast. Last week I had an 8' fiberglass ladder fail under me when I was up about 5 feet. I felt it going and had time to get squared away to land on my feet. I fell back against a pile of materials and slid to the ground. Only a scrape on my shoulder and a slight bruise. Very lucky I was just going up when it happened. I got up and went to the nearest store (Blue Box) and got another ladder and went back to work. Sounds like we were both lucky this month! ;-))


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## R_Stad (May 9, 2013)

Don - get well soon. Thanks for reminding the rest of us that these things happen in a split second. I'm sure you've prevented a future accident or two by sharing your story.


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## doninvegas (Jun 10, 2010)

Thanks everyone for the kind words. I guess I got my message across, that we all need a reminder once in a while to be safe not just during woodworking safety week.
juniorjock, The more I think about it I can't think of anything I did wrong but once I get back in the shop I'll take a very close look at everything and try to figure it out.
reedwood, It's been a bitch trying to pick my nose and if there was anything to save I would get a laugh doing that with the cutoff but I mangled it so bad there was nothing left to save. I played guitar back in the day. If I still did then this really would be more of a bummer then it is.


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## distrbd (Sep 14, 2011)

Today was one of those days for me that any thing I touched turned in to a mush, I almost cut my thumb with bandsaw blade, then I said to myself,if I stay any longer here ,I'll end up bleeding. so I just closed the shop and came home.

I have not been hurt in my shop yet,but many times at work though,my best advice is if you are having an off day, see or feel it coming,just drop everything and leave it for another day.


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

Hope you are back in the shop soon - take care


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## Pimzedd (Jan 22, 2007)

Don, now you can fool kids by showing them how far up your nose you can stick your finger. I know as I lost a similar amount on my index finger in a plastic molding press.

Be sure and let us know what conclusion you come to. I am a retired "shop teacher" an still train teachers how to teach safety in the classroom. All stories are good for me to add to my knowledge base.


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## HerbC (Jul 28, 2010)

DeltaDaddy,

My baby daughter teases me that now I can get a 10% discount on a manicure…

Herb


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## ScottyH (Nov 19, 2013)

Time for a safety stand down…to many work place injuries this week.

Hope you heal up quickly.


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## longgone (May 5, 2009)

Sorry to hear about your unfortunate accident Don…


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## jbald (Dec 11, 2011)

Pin router accident about twenty years ago. Reverse flap procedure to close wound extending from base of thumb (nearly lost it). Skin graft harvested from thigh. Ambulance ride and 5 days in hospital. Months of recuperation. I'm embarrassed by it all but lived to tell about it. 
.


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## dansnow (May 8, 2013)

While mine was a table saw, not a router, I too lost some of my thumb 10 days ago. In my case I have no one to blame but myself. I've used a table saw for years without incident, except for a kick back last year that missed me. This time I was trimming the end of a board to get rid of some splits and knots before running it through the planer. Made the cut fine, but instead of clearing the waste with my handy push stick I used my hand. Felt a little slap on my thumb, but when I looked I realized a band-aid wasn't gonna fix it. Bottom line is I removed a piece about 1/4" wide and 1/4" deep running from the last joint out around the tip of the thumb, nicking the end of the bone in the process. All because for a split second I wasn't thinking safety.

You're right, *Be Careful Out There Folks*, these machines will bite, hard, if you don't respect them. Don't fear them, but respect what they can do, and use the safety equipment.


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## doninvegas (Jun 10, 2010)

10 days after surgery I returned to the scene of the crime. I looked over the board with template still attached and saw that the cut started at the corner of the board. That is something you (I) never do. The only thing I can think of is that I had the board on the router table too close to the bit, turned on the router and when I put my left hand on the board it touched the bit and of course it grabbed the corner and took my hand with it causing the accident. So my conclusion? Operator error. Going forward I will keep the board off the router table until I turn the router on, place the board on the router table a safe distance from the bit, make sure it's positioned correctly and I have a firm grip on it and then start the cut. 
Live and learn.


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## Pimzedd (Jan 22, 2007)

Thanks for the update. Hope it is healing well.


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## dansnow (May 8, 2013)

Thanks for the update and info. I think of all the tools in my shop the router scares me the most with that tool bit spinning like a demented banshee. Especially when it grabbed a small piece and threw it across the shop. I'm now very cautious around it, and will add your input to my safety procedures around it.

Hope you heal quickly and well.


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

Thanks for the post Don,
Sometimes I wonder how I am still alive with all the foolish things I have done in my life. Climbing mountains in Alaska with no path and a .45 caliber that would scratch a grizzly. Getting to Alaska via 9000 miles of travel on a bike in 9 days, Climbing mountains bordering Russia (USSR then) and getting lost; and found, taking unnecessary chances while doing woodworking and building a log house not knowing how to operate a chainsaw and so on. It really brings it home to think of all the reasons why I am not yet dead. And it makes me the happiest man in the world to be alive and well. I have seven broken ribs that was never looked at by a Dr. Broken elbow and shoulder socket joint and 9 bulging disks as the result of all that foolishness. I should have gone to the ER for every one of those injuries. On the lighter note, I had a friend whom had 6 finger in one hand; wonder if he would have been happier if he had your problem… Thanks again and peace.
Mahdee


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

These posts do cause some of us to be even more aware. Today I was ripping a few pieces on the TS. I kept thinking of my fingers and all the LJs who have posted minor accidents lately. Glad you are getting better and were able to determine the cause.


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