# Should I Wear My Wedding Ring In The Shop?



## awsimons (Apr 26, 2009)

I just read acesylvain's forum topic on gloves in the workshop:

http://lumberjocks.com/topics/28966

I never wear gloves in the shop, but I do wear my wedding ring and this post got me thinking. I know people say not to wear rings around machinery. Has anyone here had an accident related to a ring in the wood shop?

My junior high principal lost his ring finger years ago when he fell off his roof and got the ring caught on the gutter as he was going down. Not cool. That's the only accident I've ever heard of dealing with rings.

Thanks!

Alan


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## DaddyZ (Jan 28, 2010)

IF you got a little to close to Power Tools, & it got grabbed, Would you regret it then ?

Your own mind is already telling you the answer.

The ring is a SYMBOL of your love for each other NOT your actual love.

Would she love you more with No Hands ?

Should I go On ????


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## Stuey (Apr 21, 2010)

I've never had a problem, but when nervous or uncertain I remove the ring. Since putting an expensive ring makes me nervous as well, my wife bought me a tungsten carbide ring. When working with machinery, I take it off and slip it into my pocket or even onto my keyring.

I have seen photos of rings "degloving" fingers when crushed down to the bone. But honestly, such accidents are likely to cause massive trauma anyway.

When in doubt, take it off.


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

no rings watches and other jewlry in a shop where mashinery is running 
including loose clothe ,gloves and long hair without hair net its simply tooo dangerus

the ring can be cought just passing the door

Dennis


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## DaddyZ (Jan 28, 2010)

Last year there was a link on LJ's somewhere of a girl who had long hair in school, at the lab her hair got caught in a lathe, BAM Killed Her !!!

Accidents are just that Accidents, but Obstacles, Circumstances, Timing can make it worse


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

Anything that can snag on equipment in the shop is dangerous! I love my wife dearly, but a ring doesn't make you married… Take the ring off, put is someplace SAFE, and get to work. Put it back on when you are done working…


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## Finn (May 26, 2010)

50 years ago when I was a young man in the USAF we were not allowed to wear rings at work ( acft. Mechanic) but we were allowed to leave them on if we taped over them to keep from snagging them on anything. I left mine home and never wear it in my workshop these days. I still have 10 fingers….....so far.


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

No jewelry (or long sleeves, neckties, gloves, long hair, ....etc.) at all in my shop for the reasons cited. 
Not an electrical expert, but I've heard that rings, or any metal jewelry can cause serious injury when working around DC.


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## Howie (May 25, 2010)

All good advise.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

I wear mine about 90% of the time but working in the construction industry has made me hyper aware of things that can go wrong so i try to take it off whenever i get that uncomfortable feeling.

Daddy,The unfortunatley ironic thing is that the young girl killed in the lathe accident was a student at Yale. I remember that one fondly.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

Shortly after I got married (a very very long time ago) I was working on the knotters on a baler (its the mechanism that ties the string around a square bale of hay). One of the knotters caught the ring and yanked my hand forward. It didn't do anything but scare the crap out of me, but I haven't worn a ring since. I love my wife, but don't need to loose a finger to prove it.


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## lysdexic (Mar 21, 2011)

When I was in the Army the danger of wearing a ring on the flight line was pounded into my head. Now i have to scrub my hands several times a day and can not wear a ring. Thus i never where my wedding ring. I only put it on for special occassions. A deglovimg injury to the finger is a devastating injury and difficult to ever recover completely. As a hand surgeon I would recommend that you do NOT wear your ring while working with machinery.


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## Sawkerf (Dec 31, 2009)

I haven't worn any rings (or wristwatches, or bracelets) for 39 of the 40+ years I've been married. I had to cut a wedding ring off of a shipmates finger when I was in the Navy. Mine went in my pocket within an hour, and I haven't worn it since then.

SWMBO used to get annoyed with me about it, but that passed long ago.


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## doordude (Mar 26, 2010)

as a once welder, a coworker had a couple hot berries go down his glove and attached to his wedding ring, and 3rd
degree burn around his finger. to this day i don't wear my wedding except on special occasions.
p.s. i don't care how much she begs,i won't do it. it's been a happy 36 years so far…


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## cutmantom (Feb 2, 2010)

a friend of mine was working around the battery on his car and accidentally made contact with the positive terminal and part of the body, it instantly got very hot and burned his finger


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## cloakie1 (May 29, 2011)

absolutely not…for all the reasons cited above.my first wife insisted that i always wear one but the novelty wore off immediatley after the honeymoon when i went outworking on the bees, the shinyness and the sweat smell that it omitted attracted the bees to it resulting in lots of stings….the ring came off and i have never worn one since….my second wife knew better than to even buy me one.i love her to bits but i don't need a ring or a lack of finger to prove it as others have said.


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## MrsN (Sep 29, 2008)

You should take it off. 
personally I have mine on most of the time. I tend to think about the machine and what can happen. I have decided that when using my scroll saw there is very little that my ring can get caught on.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Rings are not only dangerous in the shop but also when working around horses. Get your ring caught in a horseshoe while cleaning a foot out and it will break you from wearing rings. I try to learn from others mistakes and not my own! Its less painful!


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## patcollins (Jul 22, 2010)

There is a safety poster for the Navy that reads "He told her that he would never remove it" and it shows a picture of his hand with just the bone where his ring finger is, tore all the flesh right off the finger bone.

Besides do you really want to scratch up and ruin your ring?


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## rance (Sep 30, 2009)

For the kind of work I do in the shop, I don't see it being that big of a risk. I wouldn't fault you for not wearing yours though. I put mine on 29 years ago and have never taken it off for anything. If I thought it was a significant risk, I'd tape over it. Yes, I'm in the minority.

Edit: Yes, If I were a welder, or an electrician, I'd strongly consider taking it off.


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## longgone (May 5, 2009)

I have never worn a ring or any kind of jewelry whatsoever. I do not own a ring, watch or any wearable metal.

I bought my wife an engagement ring many years ago and a wedding ring when we got married but she knows me well enough to know I would feel uncomfortable wearing any and she respects that choice.


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## Tootles (Jul 21, 2011)

When I was at school, our workshop had a poster that said "Remove your ring, not you finger".

Admittedly though, the only incident I have heard of, from the same teacher, was a truck driver who got his ring caught on a door catch when he jumped out of his cab.


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## DMIHOMECENTER (Mar 5, 2011)

Mine's so tight it would take a hook or a chisel and break skin just to get a grip or snag on it. If I were a full time welder, electrician, machinist or production worker I would remove it. Here in my shop I'll take the infinitesimal risk.


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## 280305 (Sep 28, 2008)

Here is a patent for a Wedding Ring With Breaking Device:
http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6370913/description.html

I am sure that there is a related joke having to do with other reasons that one would want to activate the breaking action!


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## lysdexic (Mar 21, 2011)

Just get divorced or better yet never get married. Problem solved. Actually ALOT of problems solved.


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## debdaz (Aug 29, 2011)

Really gloves should be worn at all times. However sometimes what I do is tape up my ring with electrical tape. Safe in knowing it will not get caught. Especially when using the plane & circular saw. You can never be too safe though. Common sense always should take over.


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## joeybealis (Jul 16, 2011)

I wore my wedding ring all the time for the first few years. Then one day i had a allergic reaction to something and ended up in the hospital for a few days. They had to remove the ring or i would have lost a finger. i have not seen the ring since, but i think it is in my wife's pocket book. She has never said anything else about it.


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## 280305 (Sep 28, 2008)

Darren,

Welcome to LJ.

*Really gloves should be worn at all times.*

Please read this thread:
http://lumberjocks.com/topics/17260


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## debdaz (Aug 29, 2011)

ChuckV…thanks for the link. At the end of the day common sense takes over.


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## Earlextech (Jan 13, 2011)

No jewelery in the shop at all!


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## tyskkvinna (Mar 23, 2010)

I take mine off all the time. There's a lot of times I don't, but those are whenever my hands aren't near something rotating very fast in any capacity.


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

I always take mine off.. Its an 8mm tungsten carbide, so its pretty big, but doesn't take damage. While I'm concerned about getting it caught in machinery, on switches, etc, I mostly do it because it leaves marks on softer woods.


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## DanLyke (Feb 8, 2007)

I don't wear a ring in the shop. When I was a kid, a friend of my Dad was wearing a ring while working on his car, managed to short the battery, ended up with a nasty ring-shaped scar.

Too much possibility for disaster. Take the ring off.


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## glue4you (Aug 11, 2011)

When I was younger I worked at my uncle's house with a jackhammer. Suddenly the damn thing got caught between the concrete and a reinforcing bar causing it to move sideways so fast that there was no way to get my hands out. My right ringfinger got trapped between the concrete wall and the jackhammer … Worst thing was the ring that had been deformed by the impact. The swelling finger left me no time to get it off. They did it at the hospital, luckily just the ring. 15 years later I still have problems in the winter as the blood flow is insufficient. Since then I know that there are some things happening you can't really expect. Best thing is: No jewellery in the shop!


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

I wonder how tungsten would react in a similar situation.. I've heard that it shatters before it bends..something like that might be the best protection.. It is, after all, almost the same hardness as diamond


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## patcollins (Jul 22, 2010)

Most hospitals do not have the necessary saw to be able to cut off a tungsten ring if need be, loss of finger is the only way if it cant be pulled off.


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## lysdexic (Mar 21, 2011)

Patcollins,
That is a really good point. We have some tricks to get a ring off but nothing really unexpected. I bet your right. The little ring cutter we have in the ER probably couldn't cut thru tungsten. An option is to use the Midas Rex ( a dremel tool on steroids) but it creates a tremendous amount of heat. Ive cut out plates with it and the adjacent tissues start to boil.


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

Then I guess one should hope that it shatters and doesn't crush


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## GSwoodworker (May 22, 2009)

I say take it off without a question. So you don't lose the finger and then you can never wear it again. I am a machinist and a woodworker, I would be taking mine on and off every day several time (just another chance for me to lose it.) I have not wore mine in years, it is put away in our safe. My wife has excepted this is who I am and what I do.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

There was a long thread about this before. The answer is not if you want to keep the finger it is on. I quit wearing rings when I was an apprentice. Told my wife not to bother getting one, but she did. So I wore it until I went back to work after the honey moon.


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## CoolDavion (Dec 6, 2007)

Last week I caught my ring on a door handle as I was opening it. 
It hurt like hell, and bent up the ring (need to get that taken care of yet).

I never wear my ring when I'm working in the shop or garage. If I got the ring caught in a machine it would be a lot worse.


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## jusfine (May 22, 2010)

I never wear my wedding ring, it hasn't fit my hand for years. Doesn't affect my committment.

Never wore it while framing or finishing, and even though I mostly "point" now on construction sites, I still won't take a chance.

About a month ago, an electrician on one of our sites was preparing to leave, lowered the Genie lift that he was working on, then grabbed the safety rail and jumped over instead of using the gate and climbing down the last four feet. His ring caught on the rail somehow, and it pulled the finger right out of the socket.

Freak accident, yes, but he won't be the same again.


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## DamnYankee (May 21, 2011)

No rings! No Watchs! No Braclets! No Loose Clothing!

As said before, the ring is a symbol. As my wife and I have both commented, there are a lot of spouses that wear their rings and don't live it, and there are those that don't wear them, but live it to the fullest.

I have seen WAY TOO MANY ring accidents to full around with it.


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## Bluepine38 (Dec 14, 2009)

As a younger man, my ring always came off and was placed in my tool box at the start of the day and put
on after I cleaned up after cleaning up at the end of the day, now I can no longer take the ring off unless
I remove some skin and callus, so I just have to be careful. I have not worn a watch since I retired, and 
make sure no loose clothing and or aprons are worn.


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## lysdexic (Mar 21, 2011)

I spoke with one of the ER docs this week. He states that he has not come across a tungsten carbide ring yet. Regardless, he doesnt know how he'd get one off in an emergency but he is going to ask around. Another buddy informs me that you can freeze the ring and you then shatter it with a hammer. That is interesting but of questionable practicality. I don't know how cold it needs to be nor the technique required. Fingers do not like to be frozen.

This is an intriguing problem that I would like to solve now rather than at 2am in an urgent situation.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Sounds like cutting the finger off and sewing it back would be a better option that freezing the ring to shatter it. ;-))

When I was an apprentice a plumber asked to borrow my dikes to cut his wedding band off. I asked why. He told me he had hung it on a nail and it bent when it dislocated his finger. He said if he went to the DR with it on, they would be 3 or 4 hours trying to figure out how to get it off. He said if he cut it off before he went it wouldn't take long to put the finger back in its place. He said it is ruined anyway, so he couldn't hurt it. I took my ring off right then and there, never put another one on.


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## BarneyTomB (Jul 5, 2011)

Had a shipmate get his ring finger blown off when a electric line arced across his wedding band and ground. He's lucky he wasn't wearing a watch or he could have lost his whole hand instead of just the finger.


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## DamnYankee (May 21, 2011)

Ring accident

Not mine, just one I found doing a search


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## Knothead62 (Apr 17, 2010)

I wear gloves when handling lumber or plywood, etc. I get tired of digging splinters out of my hide. I do not wear them when operating power tools. I keep my ring on as I don't really get into situations where the ring would be in the way.
patcollins, Uncle Sam had a similar picture in the barracks when I was in basic training at Fort Jackson, SC.


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## Brett1972 (Nov 5, 2010)

I have it on all the time. It would have to be cut off anyway.

I am a lineman and work with hi-voltage electricity. We were always told NOT to wear jewelrey, rings included. That makes sense to me. It also makes sense to not were it around other types of machinery.

However, I wear mine all the time. I have only "heard" of stories like some that were described here, of losing your finger/hand. I'm not saying that it doesn't happen, it does. I think there are other work practices that would be the culprit to losing a finger other than just wearing a ring in most woodworking shops.

If YOU feel uneasy wearing it then take it off.

There are more accidents using machinery because of clothing than wearing a ring. Should we be taking our clothes off before going into the shop now? I don't think so. :0

And to answer your question, No I have not had an accident in the shop or at work because of wearing a ring.


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## joej (Sep 3, 2011)

Once caught a ring on a car door that was closing. It split, then re-pinched itself together with my finger pad skewered through it.

Thats enough for me to realize how bad a degloving incident would be in my workshop. No rings, long hair, no loose closing, etc are the rules now.


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## cjwillie (Sep 6, 2011)

No jewelry of any kind in my shop. I used to work with a guy that had a braided pony tail. He got it stuck up in a hand held belt sander. That sander travelled up his hair and smacked him in the head so hard it knocked him down. The dumbass wouldn't let us cut his hair to remove the sander, we had to take the sander apart. That made for an immediate change in company policy about long hair and safety in general!


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

If the pic DYankee posted doesn't convince you, then Ron White is right! LOL


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## Woodmaster1 (Apr 26, 2011)

I do not wear rings or jewelry nor do I let students wear them when working in the shop. No accidents just good precaution.


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## Newbold (Dec 31, 2013)

Sometimes you just can't wear it. I don't wear mine at work, and that's why I came up with a clasp that holds it on a key ring or chain.










Check it out...ringsafe.com

Oh, and if you watch the video
, you also see my shop, as well as some very bad safety etiquette.


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## marcuscraft (Nov 14, 2012)

Depends. Do you think you have a shot at picking up a younger woman in the shop? If so, definitely ditch the ring!

Seriously though…leave it off.


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## thesoninlaw (Jul 6, 2013)

The ring has no place in the shop. I only wear mine when we go out. My wife is cool with that-my work and my hobby make wearing a ring an unnecessary risk. I know I'm married.


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## Vincent (Mar 10, 2009)

No ring, watches or long sleeves that can get caught in the machinery. Use push blocks, feather boards and push sticks wherever possible.


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## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

When I was in grade 8, the metal shop teacher told a story about a guy who got his ring caught in the drill press…ripped his finger off and the tendon from the muscle…this was enough to convince me never to wear a ring in the shop.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

This is sobering. Although I follow most of these tips: no loose clothing, etc., never occurred to me to be concerned about my wedding ring. I can't picture my ring ever getting close to the business end of my woodworking equipment. hmmmm


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## 7Footer (Jan 24, 2013)

oh man, could've done without that pic in post #47… I don't wear mine because I always think about what happened to my Dad. Although my dad isn't a woodworker, he was in his truck shop at work, he was a mechanic back then and when I was about 10 in the early 90's he was climbing down from one of our tanker trucks and slipped, his ring got caught in the grate steps that you climb up and down the truck from, it tore the flesh right off of his finger. They took him and the remains of the flesh to the hospital and the doctors said the only way to save the finger was to have it sewn into his stomach for 9-12 months, needless to say he elected to have it amputated. It was pretty bad, I'll never forget coming home from school with my Mom and seeing my Dad lying there with a band-aid about the size of the biggest boxing glove you've ever seen and blood still showing at the end where his finger would be. Took him years before it stopped bothering him, that feeling that you actually still have a digit even though you don't, endless nerve pain.. I avoid wearing mine in the shop about 95% of the time.

Or you could be like Andy Dalton and wear a rubber wedding ring!


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## jmartel (Jul 6, 2012)

I never really thought much about it before. Guess I should take it off when I'm in the shop. I occasionally take it off when I'm climbing from the same reason, but I often forget that as well.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

I realize this is an old thread that got revived, but the information is still important.

I rarely wear my ring in the shop, and never when working with machinery. Both for safety and also to avoid damaging the ring.

Also, FYI, while you can't cut tungsten carbide ring off, there is an easy way to remove one using just a pair of Vise Grips.


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

I'm a little different.

If your finger gets close enough for a tool to catch your wedding ring you are getting entirely too close.

My wedding ring doesn't stick out past my skinn, and no I don't have pudgy fingers.

I have taken my wedding ring off twice. Both times were when I had an MRI/CAT scan. It took a good 15 minutes to remove it.

I did smash a wedding ring once…. while it was on my finger….... when my 3 yr old son slammed the car door on it.

I said darn it.
or something close.


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## Grandpa (Jan 28, 2011)

to remove your ring get some small twine and wrap your finger tightly from the ring toward the end of the finger. make the wraps tight and close. slide the ring onto the twine and begin to take the twine off from behind the ring. this helps push the ring off. us liquid detergent as a lubricant. Funeral homes us this method.


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## Richforever (Mar 19, 2008)

Years ago in the navy, we were bucking into severe seas while crossing the Pacific. You could go twenty feet up or down the ladder in one small step. Several guys ahead of me got their wedding rings caught on the hand rails and ripped out their fingers. (Getting married was never a priority for me after that.)

Be careful!


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## Knothead62 (Apr 17, 2010)

I'm with Dallas on this one.


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## 280305 (Sep 28, 2008)

How about a nose ring?

Ouch!


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

*How about a nose ring?* Probably be safer than anything on your fingers working around any kind of tools, mechanical equipment or anywhere above the ground.


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## juniorjock (Feb 3, 2008)

I think the trouble may come when your ring gets "hooked" on something. I was running a hand-fed C&P printing press in my grandfather's shop and had my ring on. He (my grand dad) went ape-********************. After an hour lecture and taking off the ring, I was back on the press.


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## REO (Sep 20, 2012)

I knew a guy…....this happened to me…..lots of stories, lots of opinions, sawstop, festool, lieneilson. it boils down to staying sharp around tools and aware of dangers that can arise.In anything you do there is risk. Properly planning tool use and reducing dangerous circumstances. some times it is a good thing to wear gloves even in the shop useing power tools!. accidents do happen dispite peoples belief that ALL accidents are preventable. I would agree that they all are if your not doing anything. Everyone has seen car accidents most have been in one, they still drive. If you are close enough to get a glove or ring caught in a piece of equipment you are probably too close anyway. the ring getting caught is the by product of an accident in any case. I know two people who are alive today because their rings got caught sliding off a roof both still have their fingers and didn't even have to visit the hospital. I know one that got stuck between the pos post of the battery and the frame on a bobcat and lost his finger as a result. How many people do we know on this cite that are missing fingers that got in the table saw often the story begins with "I made a mistake" or "I screwed up" or "the other day I did something dumb". tools are dangerous!but we still use them and there isnt a crusade to go back to handsaws. Just recently there was a post actually more than a couple where stories blamed the gloves for getting someone hurt. obviously it was a bad combination but in most cases I feel that the person would probably have been injured anyway. It'll probably get me in more hot water than I am already but that's like blaming a gun for shooting someone. Often it is "the perfect accident" that leads to an injury, getting in a rush, mind on something else,distractions, fatigue, lack of knowledge even when we have run a piece of equipment for years! Yes there are endless possibilities for getting hurt even seriously.

titanium ring stuck? stick it in a vise and crush it. It will shatter long before anything else gets close to getting damaged.


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## BigYin (Oct 14, 2011)

I wear my wedding ring on a gold chain round my neck, inside my shirt.
Ive worked in heavy industry/construction all my life, and always have bare arms, no watch, no rings.
The cold dont bother me and I still have the correct number of fingers.


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## patcollins (Jul 22, 2010)

No No No

Warning *DO NOT CLICK THE LINK BELOW IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH*

http://message.snopes.com/showthread.php?t=49184


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## jim65 (Feb 8, 2013)

Depends on what I am doing but I normally take it off to work, mostly because it gets beat up but it is much safer without. Always take it off for turning.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

The "I'm safe enough" guys remind me of a kid I went to high school with. He got caught up in a post hole digger running off the PTO of a tractor. 19 years old and nothing to bury. All they found were bloody rags. Fortunately, most WW injuries will be a lot less severe.


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## MacB (Nov 28, 2013)

I skimmed over many of the replies. Here're are a few comments based on the question whether to wear a ring in the workshop (which I assume is a wood working shop):

I didn't notice any woodworking/ring injuries cited above. I'm sure its possible to catch something on a wedding band and something on a saw or sander, but very unlikely.

If I was doing something so dangerous that my ring on my finger might catch on something, I wouldn't have my hand there in the first place. Accidents happen whether there is a ring or not. The question is does it increase the risk. In my case I think not.

I've worn my wedding band for years in my cabinet shop and really can't think of a scenario where it increases my risk. Lets think about it in action. I use my table saw. My finger shouldn't be that close to the blade to catch ring. Planar…wood won't catch on my finger unless I feed my fingers thru the infeed roller which I shouldn't do anyway. Miter saw…fingers should be kept clear of blade. Edge sander…fingers kept well clear, including loose clothing. I think these examples show how in a WOOD WORKING SHOP wedding bands would not make a difference in increasing the likely hood of injury.

I could see it making a difference with general carpentry or being a mechanic. So again I'm referring strictly to the original posters question. Please no hating for being in the minority here.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

*Alan: "...My junior high principal lost his ring finger years ago when he fell off his roof and got the ring caught on the gutter as he was going down. Not cool. That's the only accident I've ever heard of dealing with rings…."*

While descending a vertical ladder on a ship while in the Navy, I found myself literally hanging from my ring finger when it got caught on a metal edge. I managed to catch myself without any permanent damage, though was quite sore for a long time. I quit wearing them any time I was working on ANYTHING.


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## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

I agree with pretty much everything that MacB posted above me. If I'm getting my fingers THAT CLOSE to a saw blade or other spinning tool, I'm probably too close anyway.

My ring accident didn't happen to me but I did watch as my brother did it. We were putting a new battery in his pickup. He put the positive lead on first, and tightened it with a wrench. When he was tightening the negative lead the wrench was just long enough to touch the hot lead and his wedding band was also touching the wrench.

That ring was GLOWING RED HOT in less than a second! He jumped back and I thought he had been electrocuted or something. He was writhing all around on the ground screaming like a banshee. (I didn't know weather to ******************** or go blind with fear that he was dying) He finally came to a stop and I could see he had somehow managed to pulled the ring off. Made a hell of a burn on his finger but luckily the skin stayed on his finger. Today (30+ years later), his finger still has the deep scar imprint of his wedding band burned into it.

And oh Yeah patcollins… I didn't heed your warning and I clicked… YIKES!


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## Newbold (Dec 31, 2013)

Nose ring? actually, if you think about it…that is probably the safest thing to wear in the shop! if you are getting your nosering caught in the table saw…..you are using the table saw wrong!

BTW….Just realized that my previous post looks way too much like an ad. sorry about that…just wanted to let you guys know about a solution to this actual problem.


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## Earlextech (Jan 13, 2011)

MacB said "If I was doing something so dangerous that my ring on my finger might catch on something, I wouldn't have my hand there in the first place. Accidents happen whether there is a ring or not. The question is does it increase the risk. In my case I think not."

Guys, let's be clear. It's not that wearing a ring increases the risk. It's that wearing a ring and having an accident increases the damages. Stay safe.


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## basswood (Dec 18, 2013)

I had my ring scarf jointed by a goldsmith. If a ring is dangerous in a shop, it is dangerous about anywhere, with the kinds of things I do.

The scarf joint was designed to fail and the ring break in two before any significant damage could be done to the wearer.


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## None999 (Jun 1, 2012)

More than half of my 20+ years in the USAF was in aircraft maintenance where rings, watches, and chains are a big no-no. I've seen posters and pics of finger degloving injuries, including one that pulled tendon nearly back to the elbow. Removing my ring is nearly automatic now and I retired almost 15 years ago. Heck, I even take it off to mow the yard.


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## nicholasrhall (Aug 19, 2012)

I don't doubt that wearing a ring poses an unnecessary risk in the workshop. That said, in the last two years of viewing posts and pictures, I've seen maybe 1 tablesaw guard installed. So my 2 cents would be that before you start worrying about ring diameters, and alloy compositions, consider reinstalling the piece of safety equipment that is 100times more likely to preserve your finger or hand. I bet if you asked an ER Dr or hand surgeon how many finger/hand injuries he sees per year from a tablesaw he'll answer in the hundreds; if you ask about woodshop injuries caused by rings he'll say at most a dozen.

After you've reinstalled your tablesaw guard, take your ring off and put it somewhere safe like the other 81 folks correctly pointed out.

I'm just saying…


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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

Based on you avatar I don't think you should be married!

I do not wear mine not because of my shop but my work in electronics because, as we all know, metal conducts electricity and heat!

So because of that I don't wear it in my wood shop either … just a habit now!


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

Oh how i hate these gnarly topics. But I go meticulously through all the posts anyway, because even though i don't particularly enjoy the pics and descriptions, I NEED to read them..

Having said all that, after my stupid tax last week (taking the stich out today, whee!!) I agree with the previous posters who say that when your hand is close enough that the ring could get caught, your hand is entirely too close. I keep my hands way clear of the tools now and I keep gloves off when I operate a power tool.


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## Pono (Mar 10, 2012)

yeah sometimes theres really hot women that come in and you have to look your best.but then i realize i look like a monkey and im happy for my wife but other then that i love my ring finger no need to add danger to it other then the contract it bound me to hahahaa


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