# Hey, guys.... SWEEP!



## Charlie5791 (Feb 21, 2012)

Just a reminder to be cautious about what you're standing on. A local guy just got cut pretty horribly on his table saw. No….. not his hand or fingers….. his CHEST!

Yup…. he was pushing a plywood panel through and as he extended over his saw, his feet slipped out from under him (fine sawdust and a very smooth floor and probably the wrong shoes) and he planted himself chest-first onto the top of his running table saw.

I *THINK* he was leaned out and giving it that little extra shove once it cleared the blade to push the pieces onto the outfeed table. That's the only thing I can think of in my mind for being extended out that far.

We think about our hands all the time and lots of other things to try to keep safe. When's the last time you thought about making sure you had good footing? There are a hundred reasons that he should never have over extended, but…. had he been on solid footing, this may never have happened.

So just give it a thought. If your floor is starting to feel slippery with that fine dust on it, STOP, and take a few seconds to clean up a little. I know I will.


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## Tootles (Jul 21, 2011)

You are so right.

Firstly that sawdust on the floor can be really slippery. It's the floor mostly because I have slipped my way around various school workshops in shoes with decent rubber soles.

Secondly, your balance is important. I make a point of teaching kids that they have to think about how they are standing. It makes a huge difference to their success at using hand tools, but it is definitely a safety consideration when working on machines.


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

Thanks for the reminder. 
Man, thats a pretty graphic mental picture being sliced right down the middle.
I know I had never thought about the saw in this regard.
Like you said, always thinking of my hands.


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## InstantSiv (Jan 12, 2014)

I think I'd rather take it to the chest than be missing some fingers… That's some horrifying stuff.

Be safe everyone.


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## Tootles (Jul 21, 2011)

It has also just occured to me that a safety guard would (should?) also have prevented his injury.


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## richardwootton (Jan 17, 2013)

Is he going to be alright?


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## wood2woodknot (Dec 30, 2012)

If he was far enough forward to hit his chest, it could have been worse … it could have been his face.


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## JAAune (Jan 22, 2012)

Don't know what this guy was doing but one mistake I see with many beginners is that they stand away from the saw. This is especially true of those who are intimidated by the machines.

Keeping the floor clean is one way to avoid slips. It's also important to stand right next to the saw. My left leg is usually pressed against the fence rail and my left hand if it isn't needed to guide the board is resting on the left side of the saw table.

Being close to the saw helps maintain balance which minimizes the chance of slipping forward.


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

Good luck to him and no comment on his little mistake.


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## Charlie5791 (Feb 21, 2012)

yeah my position at the saw is right up against it and I have a paddle stop switch positioned such that as soon as the piece clears the blade I can move my left knee…. thigh…. it's not being turned off by my knee …. anyways, a little shift and the saw is spinning down.

I just heard he was reaching across the saw to "flick" the piece he'd just cut out of the way so he wouldn't push it off onto the floor when he ran the next piece through.

He cut THROUGH his sternum, but didn't go far enough to hit his heart, lungs, or major blood vessels. They had to put it back together as though he'd had open heart surgery….. which he very nearly did.


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

Stand away from the saw? stand 'right up against it'?

What does this actually mean?

I am a south paw in a right handers world. I have learned how to work every tool I ever had, and most of them were built for those less fortunate than south paws.
I even had the owner of an electrical contractor hire me, even though he swore he would never hire a left hander. He said we always twisted the wire the wrong direction.

I also play the guitar right handed, pitch a baseball right handed and use a chainsaw, hammer, hand saw, and many other tools with my right hand. 
Yes, I know many left handers can't do that, but how many right handers can work left handed?


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## Charlie5791 (Feb 21, 2012)

Dallas! I'm a lefty as well. Only left handers are in their right minds. 

And, like you, I bat righty, throw righty, play guita righty, hammering…. well that's with either. I write on paper with my left but at a blackboard I can use either…. or both.. 

I once did 2 algebra problems on the blackboard in class at the same time. One with my left and one with my right. The teacher said he'd never seen that done before hehehhe.


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## lateralus819 (Mar 24, 2013)

Odd, when i went in to get my finger taken care of from a saw, the doc said he had a guy who slipped or something and took it to the chest.

It's one thing I've always been paranoid about happening at work.


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

The one that confuses the right handers I know is when I sign my name with both hands at the same time. One is rightside up and the proper way, (Left Hand), the other is upside down and backward. I'm not sure how my brain does it, but if you orient them both the correct way they are almost completely identical. 
The only difference I can see is when one hand, pen, etc., hits a rough spot.


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## NoThanks (Mar 19, 2014)

One tip I could offer up is: 
I spray contact cement from a pressure pot, 
so every once in a while I spray a light coat over the cement area in front of the table saw and it makes for pretty good grip. 
It lasts about 3 or 4 months in my work environment.


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