# Phildo92027, a fellow LumberJock, was hurt yesterday



## MyronW (Sep 25, 2007)

Phildo92027, a friend of mine and a fellow LumberJock, had a kickback on the 8" jointer at school yesterday. He lost three fingers down to the second knuckle, keeping his thumb and index finger intact. He is in a lot of pain, and he will be out of commission for a while.
Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he heals.


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## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

I hate hearing things like that. Please wish him well for all of us!


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Things like this are tragic. Let him know that he and his family will be in our prayers.

Thanks for sharing this information with us.


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## lazyfiremaninTN (Jul 30, 2007)

Please pass along our words of encouragement and prayers for strength and a speedy recovery.


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## RobS (Aug 11, 2006)

That's terrible. So sorry to hear about that. Please tell him he is in our thoughts and prayers.


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## Chipncut (Aug 18, 2006)

What a tragic thing to happen, we'll keep him in our thoughts, & prayers.


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## DanYo (Jun 30, 2007)

omg ! wish him luck


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## darryl (Jul 22, 2006)

I always try to give my jointer the utmost respect, here's to wishing him a speedy recovery.


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## Brad_Nailor (Jul 26, 2007)

Wow….thats a tragedy…wish him a speedy recovery from all of us here…


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Very sorry to hear that. Our prayers are with him.


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## HallTree (Feb 1, 2008)

I am sure that he feels real stupid about this, but let him know that no matter how safe we work, these things happen and we hope that he has a guick recovery. Your a good friend for him to have right now and let him know that he is in our prayers.


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## Pretzel (Feb 23, 2008)

we will keep him in our prayers


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## Woodchuck1957 (Feb 4, 2008)

Man thats enough to make a guy cringe. Sorry to hear it. This is one of the reasons I won't sell my work for $5 an hour and niether should any of you.


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## gene (Oct 8, 2007)

We wish him all our best wishes and prayers for a speedy recovery.
God bless


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## gizmodyne (Mar 15, 2007)

That is terrible!

I have never heard of jointer kickback, how does that happen?


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## Yettiman (Mar 2, 2008)

That is indeed terrible news. My thoughts and prays are for him and his family.


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## Blake (Oct 17, 2007)

Just horrible. Feel better soon. I'm so so sorry!


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## Charles_wilson (Jan 28, 2008)

I hate to hear that.
Speaking from experience with a 12" jointer with almost the same outcome. Not a fun time at all.
Reading this brought back the pain from twenty years ago.

Wishing a speedy recovery.

Charles Wilson


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## teenagewoodworker (Jan 31, 2008)

i hate to hear when things like this happen. tell him that he's in our prayers and we hope for a speedy recovery.


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## Allison (Dec 31, 2007)

He will now be in my and my families prayers.I am so very sorry to hear this. I hope his pain will be short lived.


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## jsheaney (Jun 25, 2007)

I'm a novice woodworker and everything I know is what I learn on the Internet and what I experience in my own shop. I don't own a jointer, yet. If it isn't insensitive to ask, how did this happen? In my ignorance, I just can't picture how a kickback on a jointer leads to losing fingers.


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## rikkor (Oct 17, 2007)

Awful news. I pray to Jesus for his recovery and for comfort from his pain.


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## brownkm (Feb 9, 2008)

That's just awful - hope he & his family will bear up through this.

I'd sort of like to know how it happened too - not to be insensitive, but so that I can do my best to prevent it from happening to me as well.


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## croessler (Jun 22, 2007)

Ow!!! Having lost a finger and had it surgically reattached I have some understanding. I just pray it was his less dominant hand.

Can anyone enlighten us as to how kickback of this sort happens on a jointer?


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## MyronW (Sep 25, 2007)

Phil gave me a brief account of what happened, but I don't want to misstate it. I'll leave it to him to explain the details.


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## boboswin (May 23, 2007)

I hate it when this happens to a guy just learning the craft.

I always feel that maybe I haven't said enough of done enough to make a person safety conscious.

Wish him well for all of us.

Bob


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## MyronW (Sep 25, 2007)

Actually, Phil isn't a newbie. He was my woodworking instructor for a year at Palomar College, and we hit it off and became friends. He is a very capable woodworker.


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## Greg3G (Mar 20, 2007)

I'll add Phil to my prayer list. I can't imagine the pain he is going through right now. Please pass on my best wishes for a speedy recovery.


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## MyronW (Sep 25, 2007)

I'm kind of surprised that some of us aren't aware of the kickback potential of the jointer. My uncle suffered a hand injury similar to Phil's many years ago, so I have always been extremely careful around these machines.
Basically, a jointer kickback occurs when a knife catches the stock and flings it backwards. If your hands are above the cutter or a little to the left, the sudden disappearance of the wood will cause your fingers to dip into the knives and they will be instantly amputated. The guard is not fast enough to protect you.
The fingers are not neatly severed, either. They are nibbled off, with zero chance of reattachment.

Proper use of pushsticks will lessen the danger, but if you:

Take too heavy of a cut
Try to face joint thin stock
Joint short or narrow pieces
Use bare hands
Take off the guard
Let your knives get dull

you are at risk of a terrible injury.

Please, please be careful. The jointer is a handy machine, but it can bite you.


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## cz29 (Jan 12, 2008)

I hate to hear of something like this happening. My thoughts are with Phil.


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## croessler (Jun 22, 2007)

Myron,

Thank you for the post my family and I will keep him in our prayers


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## dalec (Oct 3, 2007)

It sends chills through me to hear about this accident.

Wishing your friend a quick recovery.

Dalec


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## sjdickey (Jan 1, 2008)

I cringe thinking about it. I wish him a speedy recovery and will keep him in our thoughts and prayers.


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## Calgirl (Sep 26, 2007)

My prayers are certainly with your friend Myron. Thank you for this safety allert…..I, too, was not fully aware of how bad a jointer accident can be.


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## JoeDusel (Mar 9, 2008)

One of the ironic things to this tragic story is that Phil is a safety conscious guy. He just replaced his Unisaw with a SawStop machine for his own shop. I must admit, when I was told about the accident it really shook me. It fact I've been thinking about it all this weekend.

Here is what happened, " He (Phil) was face-joining a piece of wood 1 1/2" thick X 4" wide and 10-12" long. He was holding a push block in his right hand and his left hand was near the front edge of the wood. As he began to make the cut, the wood kicked back and his left had was badly cut. "

This weekend I re-read the jointer section in an old book by Ian Kirby. Here is what he said in his book, Plane Perfect, "The only way to avoid injury is to stay out of the danger zone of each machine. Don't ever pass stock over the jointer cutterhead in such a way that the only thing between your hands and the knives is the stock itself. Even if the stock is 3" thick, don't do it. Now is the time to develop habits that will always keep you hands 6" away from the cutterhead no matter what the thickness of the stock."

One of the other things that Ian talks about in this book is the deficiencies of the swing guards used on the American style machines versus the stationary guards used on the European machines. This accident would be highly unlikely to have happened with a stationary guard. You would have to actually push your hand under the guard.

I hope Phil heals quickly, both physically and emotionally. He is a good woodworker and a good person.

So, put the splitter and guard back on your saw, and play safely.

Joe


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## Phildo92027 (Dec 31, 2007)

Hi all,
Phildo here. I've begun the healing process. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers…
A couple of other thoughts on the accident;
I was still thinking about the poor cut I had just completed on the bandsaw. And I was rushung to finish before my class started.
How mnay of use are guilty of not being fully in mind wiyh the machine while we are using it?
Thing time it didn't work.
Talk with ya"ll soon…


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## Phildo92027 (Dec 31, 2007)

So much fro my touch typing…
"This time" instead of "Thing time"


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## gizmodyne (Mar 15, 2007)

Get better Phil.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Take care Phil. Our prayers are with you.


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## rikkor (Oct 17, 2007)

Wishing you the best, Phil. Dittos on the prayers.


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## BarryW (Sep 15, 2007)

My best to you, Phil, and thank you for the reminder that the best tool we have is our brain…and the patience it must create…and even then we can lose.


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## rob2 (Nov 27, 2007)

We will be praying for you.


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## Splinters (Dec 12, 2006)

Our thoughts are with you….I agree with Barry and all the others…..we all need to take this as a reminder to take things one step at a time….Most all of my mistakes are when I am in too big a hurry or distracted.

Take care Phil


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## croessler (Jun 22, 2007)

Phil,

it was good to hear from you… We all pray you will heal quickly.


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## ND2ELK (Jan 25, 2008)

Hi Phil

Sorry to hear about your accident. My thoughts and prayers go out to you.

Tom


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## pyromedic602 (Feb 20, 2008)

Sorry about the accident. You have my prayers.


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## LesHastings (Jan 26, 2008)

It always happens when your in a hurry,,,,Sorry Phil,,,,,hang in there bud heal up quick.


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## shiney5757 (Jan 28, 2008)

sorry to hear that, something similar happened to a friend a few years ago but he has come back very well since,tell him to always look forward there is brighter days ahead. may god be with him at this time.


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## teenagewoodworker (Jan 31, 2008)

get better soon.


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## Jim_Boehm (Feb 29, 2008)

Get better soon buddy. You are in my prayers!

You know, the Saw Stop has great technology built into it. It would be nice if they started making a complete line of machines with similar saftey stops so we will have a better chance of not having a bad injury so fast.

Just a Thought.


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

Phil - I'm very sorry for your accident. I hope that you heal quickly and this does not keep you out of the wood shop for long. You've given me a reminder why I need to stay out of the power machine shop while I've been ill.

You are in my prayers. Keep us posted on your progress.


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## saddlesore (Oct 17, 2007)

Phildo, it's good to hear that you're recovering. But, you have given us all a lot to think about, and to keep safety in mind at all times.


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## davidtheboxmaker (Dec 25, 2007)

Phil
Hope you recover quickly.
Your accident is a reminder to us all.


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

If it is any consolation, know that something good has come out of your injury. A lot of woodworkers will be a lot more careful after reading about how even a safety-conscious person can have an accident.

Get well soon!


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## DannyBoy (Oct 26, 2007)

My prayers, man. Yikes.


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## Phildo92027 (Dec 31, 2007)

Joe's recount of the incident is pretty accurate. As it turns out the piece was 16" long. Well within the "handholding range" out of the danger zone. I normally (in my own shop) use two push sticks (paddles). I used only one this time in the school shop. Apparently the kickback occurred as the pressure on the feeding push stick was let off prematurely. This allowed the cutter to reinforce it's hold on the wood and create it's own historical event. The finer details are pretty fuzzy as they tend to become. I do remember the sound though; loud and clear. It wasn't something you would want to dance too.
The injury cost me the middle, ring, and pinky on my left hand. Fortunately the index and thumb are ok.

I won't need to buy the foam "#1 fingers" at the ballgames anymore.

On a semi-serious note..thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

Sounds like you have the right attitude. Full steam ahead!


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Phil,

Glad to have you back on board. You have experienced a terrible trauma but by sharing you have helped others prevent this sort of thing from happening to them. You will never know how accidents you have prevented but even if it is only one (which would be a conservative underestimate, in my opinion) it is well worth relating the incident to others.

Good luck to you my friend and may God bless.


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## Woodwayze (Mar 20, 2007)

Hi Phil,

Please accept my commiserations and the hope you'll be able to adapt as time goes on. I can't begin to imagine the trauma; but I can send you my good wishes.

Do your best to get well soon and Blessed Be.

Regards John in UK.


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## Woodwayze (Mar 20, 2007)

Hi Joe, 
I can vouch for what Ian Kirby says. The guard on my 12" Sedgwick looks primitive but it works. The stock has to pass beneath the guard. That poses a problem in itself, as you have to lift your leading hand over the guard, to transfer pressure to the stock on the out feed side. But as you say, your hand would have to go beneath the guard to get in harm's way.

It's possible to orient the guard in the same way as the American system, but with no spring loading and a square end on the guard, it can move and will pinch the stock, preventing you advancing it. This can cause kick-back. So it's guard over the stock, everytime! My personal safety limit on length, and that advised by Sedgwicks, is nothing shorter than 4' over the cutters. 
Regards
John


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## Phildo92027 (Dec 31, 2007)

Hi all,
I'm doing pretty well. I've been going through Sawdust withdrawl. I go into the shop and breathe deep. I'm looking forward to getting to my new lathe. One finger got infected and we're dealing with that. It'll be three more weeks in stitches then we will see if it alll took.


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## rikkor (Oct 17, 2007)

Continued prayers for you my friend.


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## wirgit (Mar 19, 2008)

I'm new here and I don't know you personally, but am just sick to here this. Even though I know none of you out there personally, we *ALL* share a love for this craft that runs deep. That's what makes it personal, and why it makes me sick to hear it. You are courageous to get back to the keyboard and help us all out with your story, to potentially save injury to another. I hope our prayers and good wishes will be felt by you and support you through your recovery.

You will see the better side of this.


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## AdMarkGuy (Jan 1, 2008)

Phil,

As you can tell *ALL *your friends at LJ are pulling for you in both prayers and thoughts. May you have a speedy recovery, I am certain your love for woodworking and your craft will rise to new heights of joy and expressions of love.

Heal Fast


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## Phildo92027 (Dec 31, 2007)

Thanks to all for your prayers and best wishes.


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## Phildo92027 (Dec 31, 2007)

To all Jocks,
Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and best wishes. I am back working in the shop. Some ways of doing things have altered a bit, but I'm getting things accomplished. It's great to smell the sawdust again


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## lazyfiremaninTN (Jul 30, 2007)

Welcome back to the shop brother, have fun and be careful.


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## jockmike2 (Oct 10, 2006)

God Bless you buddy you are in my thoughts and prayers thats a horrible thing to happen. My brother lost 3 fingers in a press accident. I can empathize. mike


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## Grumpy (Nov 9, 2007)

Very sorry to hear the sad news Myron.


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## ShannonRogers (Jan 11, 2008)

Bless you and glad to hear you are doing better. Welcome back to the shop. If nothing else you have made us all stop and take stock and slow down. Keep mending, I'm thinking about you.


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## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

wow…soooo glad you are doing ok…good to see the dust…shavings…


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## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

God bless you and thanks for sharing your story that will help save countless others from harm !!!!


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## darryl (Jul 22, 2006)

sorry to hear about the digits. 
good to hear you are back in the shop.


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## jcees (Dec 31, 2007)

This is *EXACTLY *why I haven't bought a jointer yet. I have seen my share of injuries due to all kinds of woodworking machines and the worst and most disfiguring has been wrought by the jointer. I think I'm a Luddite with respect to that machine. I know that it's not possible or feasible for many but I'll take a well-tuned #8 plane, a set of winding sticks and the sweat it takes any day over losing my digits to a labor saving device.

So sorry for you loss, Phil. It's good to see you back on the horse.

always,
J.C.


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## USCJeff (Apr 6, 2007)

Just now finding this thread. Sorry Phil. You sound like a glass half full type of woodworker. For what it's worth, it's a sober reminder to me that my machines are designed to cut almost anything in their path. Hopefully it'll make me more conscious of repetitive task's danger.


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## pashley (Mar 22, 2008)

Something similar happened to me a week ago; I stupidly tried to joint a corbel, about 2 inches wide be 3 inches long. The front of the piece angled downward into the spinning blades enough to kick it back out of my hands. Banged my hands pretty good, but no cuts, thanks be to God. You bet I learned my lesson.

I'm very sorry about your accident, Phil. If it's any consolation, you've probably saved at least one of us a similar injury, thru awareness (I hope you know what I mean, I'm not trying to be inconsiderate).

-Patrick


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## Jim13 (May 23, 2008)

Sorry Phildo92027. Hope you can continue doing the skill you cherish most for many many years to come!


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## TreeBones (May 21, 2007)

Sorry to here about this. I wish you a speedy recovery and hope this lengthy post provides for a safe future to all woodworkers who read it. Your loss is never the outcome we expect from time in the shop and from this point forward I hope it will help prevent others from suffering a similar incident. I myself will usr greater caution and pass this information on to all I work with.


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## mart (Jun 23, 2008)

Phil,

I lost the end of my middle left finger to a table saw about 10 years ago. It took a while for me to get back on the saw but the jointer is one tool I worry about every time I use it. I could easily see how it could happen. My wishes for a speedy recovery.

Mart


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## conbillb (Jul 29, 2008)

Hi Phil, my name is Bill and am fairly new here. I just posted on this forum and then read about your accident. I want to wish you well man and to thank you for what you've done for me before I fire up this old jointer I bought. I am now thinking " what if " my hand slips or there is a kickback or I am not thinking correctly about the task. Sharing your terrible experience with us has helped me just when I needed it the most, just starting out again after 35 years away from any woodworking, and from reading all these posts, you have helped more people to think of safety first than anyone could have any other way. Take care and sincerely thanks, I'll be thinking about you, Bill.


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## alanealane (Oct 1, 2007)

Glad to hear the recovery process has gone as well as could be expected.
I was initially skeptical when I heard of the new Joint-Mate power feeders, but after discussion with one of the developers/testers of the product, and after hearing this experience, I'm pretty sure it would be a wise investment. See the post here.

Take good care!!


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## Kaytrim (Aug 11, 2008)

It's stories like this that make me glad that I use hand planes. I can commensurate with you a almost lost a thumb to my drill press last February. I got off lucky to only have a split down the middle of my nail now. Glad to hear you are back on your feet and in the shop. Try not to over use that hand until things heal a bit more but do what you can and be extra careful from now on.


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