# Router mishap - I got very lucky!



## MattinCincy (Oct 7, 2009)

Wow, I came very close to a serious (or possibly fatal) injury the other day when setting up my router. I want to tell my story so others can learn not to make the same mistake.

I was installing a brand new, 1/2" 2 flute spiral bit in my router, which I had just grabbed from under my work bench where it had been sitting on a shelf with a few other tools. I made sure it was unplugged and then proceeded to install the bit with the router sitting on it's flat top (with the bit facing toward the ceiling) on my workbench. I had removed the base to install the bit and planned on putting it back on and adjusting the bit height after I plugged it in, so I picked up the cord and leaned over my bench to plug it in to the receptacle on the wall behind my bench, not giving a second thought to the router sitting in front of me. Well, apparently the switch on the router got bumped to the "on" position at some point when it was under my bench and when I plugged it in it started up and the torque of the motor caused it to tip over towards me (and my very important bodily parts) before I could react. When I saw it happen, I tried to back up out of the way but the bit immediately found its way to the sweat pants that I was wearing and proceeded to suck itself into my groin area. This all happened with my hand still on the plug (I think) but my attention was now focused on what was happening down there so I didn't immediately unplug the router, but grabbed it and attempted to pull it away from my body, but it was completely wound up in my pants and had stalled the motor. When I realized that, I did finally unplug it and it immediately released itself from my sweats.

At this point I wasn't sure if I was injured or not - everything happened so quickly - but after a few seconds and a quick check I realized that I didn't have a scratch on me. I got incredibly lucky. For those of you who don't know, your femoral artery, which is one of the main trunks supplying blood to your body and is about the size of your thumb, is fairly close to the surface of your body in the groin area and could have easily been severed by this incident. If that had happened, There is a good chance I would have bled to death within minutes without medical treatment. Even if that didn't happen, the other possibilities for injury in that area make me shudder as well. The router tore a hole in my sweats the size of a softball, and if it hadn't been for the bit winding itself up and stalling the motor, things might have been much worse.

My lesson to myself and anyone else is to check and double check everything you do in the shop when it comes to power tools. Something as simple as a switch getting inadvertantly turned on when a tool is unplugged can lead to disasterous results.


----------



## Padre (Nov 5, 2008)

Wow…..I am glad you were not injured. Thanks for the reminder….we all need to be reminded of safety first.


----------



## cheford (Aug 3, 2009)

Wow, that could have really sucked!!


----------



## DaddyZ (Jan 28, 2010)

Brings a new meaning to Route a groove!!


----------



## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

one hell of luck in the accident
that was realy close
glad to hear you are alright
be safe and stay tuned

Dennis


----------



## ToddTurner (Apr 20, 2009)

Isnt it amazing how things happen when you least expect it? When i first read this, i thought uh oh, then moved on to the next article. Then i thought, wait i LOVE to wear my sweatpants in the garage and just about everything in the shop is about waiste high, right around man-land! Thanks for raising my awareness as i also find my self changing router bits. I always keep a close eye on the switch. 
Glad you are okay, we cant afford to loose a fellow LJ! Sorry to hear about the sweatpants too, I am sure they were your favorite pair with paint stains and all kinds of custom marking that makes them yours!


----------



## live4ever (Feb 27, 2010)

Oh man. Thank you for the reminder and glad to hear you didn't get hurt. The router being inadvertently on when I plug it in is one of my biggest fears. Glad to know my obsessiveness about checking it first isn't unfounded!


----------



## luckydawg (Mar 17, 2010)

I'd take the artery injury over the other one! hahaha!
That was a close one for ya!
Well next time I change a router bit Im wearing a cup!!


----------



## MattinCincy (Oct 7, 2009)

I've been forever changed as a result of this near miss. I take all aspects of safety in my shop more seriously now.


----------



## mark88 (Jun 8, 2009)

tip to self…wear a steel cup…gotcha! thx


----------



## Kailua_Woodman (Mar 29, 2010)

MattinCincy,

I've heard similar stories with, gladly, the same outcome.

It's important to know that when a shop injury DOES happen, there will probably be a significant disconnect between you, and the people around you, as they try to process the information that so abruptly confronts them.

The trauma for YOU is physical, but for those who are made to react to your circumstance, there is the real potential of a significant psychological trauma.

I'm glad you got away with this one, but if serious injury DOES happen to you or anyone around you, just try to be mindful of your circumstance; stay calm and render the best assistance that you can to those around you.


----------



## jasony (Dec 21, 2009)

NOTE TO SELF: Always wear sweatpants in the shop!

Glad you're okay. Yikes!


----------



## Eagle1 (Jan 4, 2010)

Glad you're ok there guy..


----------



## NewPickeringWdWrkr (Feb 24, 2010)

I have a Ryobi plunge router and I can't remember how many times I've gone to plug it in and thought - "I should check the power switch" only to find it has been bumped on. Hearing your storey, I'm sooo glad that I've made that check!

Thanks for sharing and glad to hear that the worst of it was probably needing to change your shorts … I mean sweatpants.


----------



## Builder_Bob (Jan 9, 2010)

I'm sure glad this was just a wakeup call, and not a wake!

I've been doing a lot of router work lately and it isn't easy to go through the motions of ulplugging and plugging in the router when making quick bit changes. One thing that helps on a modern router is the "slow start" feature that keeps it from torquing itself off the bench.

I've often wondered how it would be to have a shielded foot switch that you had to step on to power up tools. It would provide a second way to remove power without unplugging, it would give you two handed control when powering up, and if trouble occurs it would provide a way to shut power off without letting go of whatever you're holding.


----------



## JimmyNate (Mar 24, 2009)

yikes!


----------



## Builder_Bob (Jan 9, 2010)

Hey! I must be pretty persuasive, I just talked myself into buying two of those foot pedals!

MLCS deadman foot switch. I'll let you know how they work out.*


----------



## PaulfromVictor (Mar 29, 2009)

Phew. That is scary stuff. It's scary because with all the levels of precautions we take, sometimes stuff just happens.

One time I had a router incident with the plugs. The router in my router table plugs into my safety switch, and then my safety switch plugs into an extension cord. One day the plug for the safety switch got plugged into itself somehow, and the router directly into the extension cord. I then unplugged the safety switch plug from itself thinking I was unplugging the router, when in fact the router was plugged directly to the extension cord. I plugged in the extension cord to the outlet, and the router started right up. Could have been ugly depending upon what was happening at the router at the time.


----------



## MattinCincy (Oct 7, 2009)

Builder Bob - The footswich idea is a good one and something I will consider. I wish I had a soft start router because I think you're right - it would have probably prevented this potential disaster from happening. I wonder if router manufacturers thought about that aspect when incorporating soft start into their routers.


----------



## Builder_Bob (Jan 9, 2010)

The argument against footswitches is that you can inadvertently step on it and cause big trouble. I'll see how these switches are when I get them, but I bet that stepping on them is a fairly unnatural act requiring a high lift to engage the switch. Also, you might be off balance, and you might need to move around. We'll see.

My Hitachi KM12VC 11 came with variable speed, the soft start was an unexpected benefit.


----------



## sIKE (Feb 14, 2008)

Man that was a ballsy move on your part. Glad you made it to the other side of this with your boys intact!


----------



## stevepeterson (Dec 17, 2009)

Glad you are OK.

I think the main reason for soft start on routers is to avoid the lurching when the router starts. It is probably designed to avoid throwing the router bit into the wood and might have helped out in your case also.


----------



## BreakingBoardom (Dec 18, 2009)

I had an incident similar to this the other day. When my router is in my router table, it's switch remains in the on position and it's plugged into my router table that has a safety switch which is what I use to turn it of and on. Well, I took my router out of the table to do some routing and forgot I leave it in the on position so when I plugged it in, it started up. Luckily I do have the soft start feature and luckily it was sitting flat and didn't tip or take off. I was able to quickly unplug it and switch it off before plugging it back in. Anyway, thanks for this story and reminding us all how important safety is and double checking.


----------



## SnowyRiver (Nov 14, 2008)

Pretty scary…glad you didnt get hurt.


----------



## ColonelK0rn (Mar 26, 2010)

Note to self "Put on codpiece prior to going out to shop when changing router bits."

Thanks for the reminder, and glad that you're ok!


----------



## Gregn (Mar 26, 2010)

Glad you weren't hurt. Its so easy to forget to do something sometimes. I have one router that has a trigger and another with a switch. The one with the switch even after checking the switch position I hold it in one hand while plugging it in. You never know when something will go wrong in the shop.


----------



## lilredweldingrod (Nov 23, 2009)

Are you sure the router wasn't just trying do an angiogram for you? Very good to hear you are not hurt except in your pride. Thanks for the reminder. Maybe we should all be shopping for kevlar aprons.


----------



## MattinCincy (Oct 7, 2009)

Thanks to everyone for your concern for my well being - it's nice to know that my fellow woodoworkers are kind, caring people.


----------

