# What Scares You In The Shop?



## papadan (Mar 6, 2009)

I try and always be as careful as possible. I have had pieces of wood thrown back at me a couple times by the table saw and I have had pieces of wood "explode" on the lathe that parts of hit me. I always wear eye protection, stand out of the line of fire, all the normal things and none of that has ever scared me or made me concernd any. There is one thing that scared me, and now I ALWAYS check before starting a project and every few cuts. That is the carbide teeth on my saw blades. I was working on a project and about half way through when something caught my eye on the tablesaw. I looked closer and found a missing tooth from my blade. I rolled it over and found 3 more teeth missing from it. Where the hell did they go? I even took my shirt and pants off in the shop and checked myself. No holes or marks, but I am still leary of my carbide toothed blades and keep a close eye on thier condition. So, what scares you the most in your shop?


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

Over confidence scares me.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

People who don't know what there doing (sometimes me)


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## Gatsby1923 (Oct 22, 2009)

Being tired but still wanting to work. Take a rest. I know this for a fact… Second to that is the table saw.


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Dan, I have more respect for my jointer than any other tool in my shop. While I use it routinely, I still approach it with a great deal of caution.


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## Brad_Nailor (Jul 26, 2007)

What scares me most in my shop is being in a hurry. Some of the most dangerous situations I have been in (and thankfully didn't get hurt from) were because I was in a hurry or thinking about something else. No matter how small, quick, easy or insignificant you feel the operation might be, it demands your full, undivided, not rushed, attention. Take the time to think about how you will execute whatever it is your doing…where will your hands be…what might go wrong….assume nothing and take everything seriously. Just the other day, I did something with my chop saw that I am too embarrassed to even say, and I am lucky I can still count to ten…and why? Because it was late in the day..I was tired…I wanted to be finnished..I thought it was a quick little cut and I could get away with what I was doing…..and before I knew it the piece was flying into the fence and then the blade and then exploding in my face with a loud smack. Needless to say after a quick digit count and a change of shorts I was more angry at myself than anything else…I am always careful, and plan out every cut I make…I always listen to that voice inside of me that says"you shouldn't try this..its too dangerous" but for some reason I didn't take the time..or listen to my safety voice….and that could have been the "time" I hurt myself. Its one thing if things go bad when you have taken every precaution and its another thing when they go bad because you were being stupid..or lazy. Sorry for the tirade…but you asked what scares me in my shop…and that scared me…and slowed me down quite a few notches!


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## drfixit (Oct 16, 2009)

Spiders!


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## woodsmithshop (Sep 10, 2008)

David, I'm with you, before I start a cut or whatever, I have this feeling that I may do something wrong, either safety wise or screw up and waste material, and I try to stop and think about it, do I want to do this? have I thought of everything? did I measure twice, correctly? just last night I cut a piece too short, it was late, and I measured wrong, so I just quit and waited for morning to start again, if I had continued it could have been worse.


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## interpim (Dec 6, 2008)

I used to watch a shop for the Navy when I was stationed in VA. most of the traffic we used to get was the occasional younger guy wanting to build a speaker box for his car. But one time a retired guy wanted to build a hope chest for his daughter and was working in the shop and had attended all of the safety briefs. I caught him at one point sliding a board forward and backward across the jointer almost like he was trying to scrub it down.


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

those sneaky machine ghosts


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## mattg (May 6, 2008)

Making that initial first cut!! I'm always afraid of cutting it too short!! Also, staining. Once I've finished construction, final sanded, and it's time for finish, I'm afraid I'm going to ruin all my hard work!!!


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## lwllms (Jun 1, 2009)

Fire.


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## KentS (May 27, 2009)

Watching new woodworkers that don't know enough to respect all the tools. We train new people often
and it usually makes me a nervous wreck. That,and confident people in a hurry.


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## charlie48 (Sep 21, 2009)

Not having a plan


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## scottj (Mar 15, 2009)

I'm with Scott Bryan on the jointer. After that the TS.


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## Rustic (Jul 21, 2008)

being in a hurry or not thinking things trhough before I make a cut


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## cranbrook2 (May 28, 2006)

What scares me are people who go into their shops unsure of themselves or intimidated by their own machines .They are the ones who usually get hurt first .
It,s fine to be cautious but it,s not a good idea to have negative thoughts about your own tools while you are using them .


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## Sean (Jul 2, 2008)

thinking 2 steps ahead instead of focusing on what i have to do right now. The other day I completely destroyed my Miter fence, an OSborne EB3….had it in the slot on the TS, and i was just running a piece of ply thru the saw to trim off a bit, kick back blew it back at me…and the EB3 saved me some stitches im sure. It hit the fence and bent it back all out of shape. I hadnt even realized what i had done for a few seconds.


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## MedicKen (Dec 2, 2008)

My kids in there when I am at work for 48 hrs


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## rowdy (Dec 22, 2008)

Dust, table saw, router.


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## bruc101 (Sep 13, 2008)

My wife


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

I guess what scares me(well-not really scares me) but seriously--! Not having enough caffine and nicotine before heading to the shop. I usually sit out in the sunroom in the mornings and have 2-4 cups of joe and smokes before heading out. I've been drinking coffee and smoking for 40 years, and I'll get one serious headache if I don't get my "fix" in the mornings. And a woodshop is no place to get a bad headache, cause you can't think straight and be clear-headed!! So I make sure I have plenty before heading out. I even have a coffe maker in the shop, put on a pot, and take several breaks(bad back,too), and have more joe. I drink about 2 pots aday. After coffee, maybe a Coke(caffine,too) in the afternoon. Always drink or eat a little snack to keep you alert while in the shop. Don't over-do, and quit when tired. You'll stay out of trouble longer that way. I find they're ain't anything that won't keep until tomorrow. That's it for me!!!


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

I am ultra safety paranoid in the shop, make double, triple, quadruple sure I know EXACTLY where my body parts are, and EXACTLY where the blade is, and make sure the two never meet…

What scares the tar out of me, and something that keeps me away from working as much as I would like is distraction.


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## papadan (Mar 6, 2009)

A lot of good answers, keep them coming please.


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## bunkie (Oct 13, 2009)

Me when I don't listen to that little voice that says (in Goliath's voice) "Gee, Davey, I don't think that's a good idea".


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## woodworm (Jul 27, 2008)

Nervousness!


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## PeteMoss (Nov 24, 2008)

Glue squeeze out, seriously, I have some kind of weird phobia about it.


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## ropedog (Mar 26, 2008)

i'm not really scared of anything in the shop, all the tools in there have the potental to do real damage, and you have to respect all of them. the scarest thing for me is that i work in a one man shop, so 99.9% of the time i am here alone and if something where to happen(knock on wood here) i would have to get a neighbor for help, or make the call myself. i try not to think about it but it's always on my mind.


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## webwood (Jul 2, 2009)

taking a piece i've been working on for some time and ruining it in a split second with one bad move


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## Cosmicsniper (Oct 2, 2009)

The other day I used the router to trim some zero clearance blanks for the tablesaw, so I threw on an old, cheap bit. After the third insert, I looked in the saw dust pile I generated and there was a glowing ember making a little smoke. Of course, I doused it. But I was thinking what might have happened if I ran my DC on it…

Lots of ways yo get yourself into trouble in the shop.

As for tools, never minded the jointer much and my miter saw seems very safe (all the more reason to be alert). The router makes me think I'll get a finger wedged between the bit and the fence, especially on small pieces. Sometime I feel like the band saw blade might break and slice me in half, but that comes from watching too many bad movies. Drill press? Nah. But the table saw is the one I fear most, and consequently, I have a constant thought about safety when around it. Ironically, I have more confidence in my Unisaw than the Craftsman Benchtop saw before it.

Something about good tools makes me more confident.


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## RedShirt013 (May 17, 2008)

People coming into the shop looking for me. Who think they're being polite by not disturbing you and silently stand behind and watch over your shoulders waiting for you to finish using your tablesaw.


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## rustedknuckles (Feb 17, 2008)

Cutting a finger off, taking out an eye, Boa Constrictors and big foot.


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## hammeredon (Oct 23, 2009)

I teach woodworking for a living and two kinds of people scare me. The student who thinks thiey know everything and the adult who thinks they know everything. I know what I am doing. Don't tell me how, and I have done it that way so many times before I do not have to follow those dumb rules.


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## mark88 (Jun 8, 2009)

me not being in the shop..lol…nah…im reall paranoid with my fathers old broken bandsaw because once the blade started falling off track i would just throw it back on n use it til it falls off again etc. but it freaks me out because when i was cutting small pieces i was almost crapping my pants because of how close my finger was to the blade with no idea when its going to fall off again. but i no longer deal with that saw thk god. now i kno how woodworkers always manage to cut sumthing off within a short period of time


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## RBWoodworker (Mar 22, 2009)

The worst for me was kickback of a piece os 1/4" scribe I was cutting.. the pushstick was too worn out to securely hold the piece as I was cutting it off a larger board.. the little tab that was holding the piece as I fed it thru the saw broke off as I was completeing the cut and the saw threw the scribe with such a force that it flew across the room (35 feet).. and went thru a piece of 3/4" solid red oak lumber.. completely thru it!! the 10 foot stick shattered upon impact, but still.. had it hit me or my cousin.. it would have been a disaster.. now I make sure that the pushsticks are new and in good shape.. and I warn anyone in the shop to NOT stand by me or the saw..

Other than that.. I'm not too afraid of anything really..I'm cautious, careful, and aware that these machines are NOT my friends and command respect at all times


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## Vincent (Mar 10, 2009)

Stacked dado blade. A lot of angry metal moving at high speed and you can't use the blade guard.


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## SnowyRiver (Nov 14, 2008)

The table saw. It used to be my friend, until I caught a kickback in the chest that nearly knocked me off my feet. I guess I cant say I am afraid of it, but I certainly think about it everytime I turn it on.


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## kolwdwrkr (Jul 27, 2008)

For me it's the thought of not being able to do the work anymore. Woodworking isn't just how I make my living, it's my life. It's a passion that I'm deeply obsessed with. It scares me that one day I won't be able to continue to do the work. Maybe I'll be hurt, get to old, lose all my stuff, who knows. I came close to losing it all once and squeezed like hell to keep it all. I need to do woodworking as much as a smoker needs a smoke, or a drinker needs alcohol. It really sounds rediculous, but that's really just how it is.


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## NathanAllen (Oct 16, 2009)

Jointer, hands down.

I have a vintage Delta open stand. The motor makes a very low pitched "thrum" that is made even more intimidating by the fact that it never alters pitch or intensity no matter how wide the stock I'm running over the cutters.


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## Kindlingmaker (Sep 29, 2008)

If it has a switch it is out to get me or a scary sharp blade… tired, rushing, being too comfortable in what I am doing…


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## pete79 (Oct 20, 2009)

The fact that my workshop is in my detatched garage. Two scary thoughts….

1. Risk of theft - if someone breaks in, the likelihood of me hearing it is less since the garage is 20 feet from the house.
2. When I'm in the workshop, my wife can't hear if I'm not doing something, or if a tool is abnormally running nonstop. This means she's not able to be as alert if something goes very wrong and I'm in need of help. We're solving this problem now with me having a walkie talkie in the shop, and one in the house - that way we can communicate if there's a need.


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## ropedog (Mar 26, 2008)

i used to be scared of someone stealing my tools until i got a 75lb red alarm. burglers hate dogs.


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## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

Breaking a bandsaw blade while in use usually causes some shatting of pants!


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## Roger Clark aka Rex (Dec 30, 2008)

My wife making her quarterly pilgrimage to the shop.
All power tools scare me enough to be very careful and use whatever safety devices are available.


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## Newton (Jun 29, 2008)

The router scares me. I don't think I will ever have the guts to use a shaper! I try, as I'm sure all of us do, to respect each tool but the things I've done when I was tired are the scariest. 
But seriously I would have to say my Mother-in-law would be the scariest thing I could ever have in my shop…...or anywhere else!


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## cstrang (Sep 22, 2009)

I am comfortable with myself in the shop, I know my limitations although I do tend to test them sometimes but I always do in the safest way possible. The real thing that scares me in any shop is other people, I know the guys that I work with are a good crew but as recently as a week ago I was walking to the other side of the school shop and bam, kickback from a table saw one of my friends was on, came about 6" from hitting me, and I was back from the saw about 10', the piece of plywood flew about 25' before hitting the edge bander and stopping.


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## woodyjim (Nov 8, 2009)

People with a lack of understanding of tools, safety, and operations scare me.

"People that think they know everything….........really tee off those of us that do!"

HA…....................ha!

There is something missing in today's world…..........WISDOM. You can get KNOWLEDGE from books and DVD's, but wisdom does not come from a book. It come from somewhere else. Mabe the "School of Hard Knocks?"


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## McLeanVA (Dec 30, 2008)

Ripping anything narrower than 4" on my cheap Craftsman contractor's table saw with even cheaper fence. Took a board to the palm 2 years ago and it forces me to think safety before turning the machine on every time.


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## closetguy (Sep 29, 2007)

Nothing in my shop scares me since I got rid of the radial arm saw. However, I have a healthy respect for anything sharp that spins.


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## GFYS (Nov 23, 2008)

I fear poor reception on the radio and no talk show! The deafening ringing in my ears and talking to my self would drive me CRAZY! You knew that huh…go ahead, say it…I know you want to.


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## Brian024 (Feb 2, 2009)

Not having the proper machine to do something and then having to do a risky cut on the RAS which scare me enough already..


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## gorDAN3 (Oct 20, 2009)

The things that scare me most are that I stop being respectful of spinning sharp objects, that I work tired or that I work rushed. As I sit here thinking about it, I know that spinning blades, etc are dangerous and deserve respect, I know not to rush and I know not to work tired. But just as a drunk forgets that he/she is under the influence before driving, I worry that one day I will be tired or rushed or loose that awareness of risk.


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## mtkate (Apr 18, 2009)

Not having thought something through, doing it, and then thinking "why did I not think that through". I am smarter than that. Or am I?


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## 12point (Jun 25, 2009)

band saw blade coming off while im notching a 2×4 at a slight angle and it kicking back and slamming against my finger (happened tuesday,,,ouch)


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## Dano46 (Sep 21, 2009)

Right now the thing that scares me the most, is my grandson, a freshman and is in his first year of shop. He calls me quite often and tells me "I used the jointer today", "We are going to use the table saw tomorrow." Grandpa replys "do you use a push stick?" "Yeah" "Do ya know about kick-backs?" asks grandpa. "Yeah." "Be careful Pal." I tell him.
I don't know the instructor. Guess he is good and Safe. Hope and pray that he is anyway.


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## dustygirl (Mar 11, 2008)

People coming into the shop when I'm using a saw and not letting me know they are there.How dumb can some people be?


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## gabill (May 24, 2009)

A good cabinet maker by day woodworker at night friend lost three fingers on one hand. He was a pro in every way, top of the line tools and great shop to work in--if it can happen to him it can get anyone. He is still a good cabinet maker, just a bit slower. I have to ask him what he thinks about the sawstop equipment. All you can do is do your best to protect yourself on all of these machines.NO ONE should walk up behind a man operating a ts and stand there--that's trouble in many ways. Sorry about running on like this.


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## jackass (Mar 26, 2008)

*I bought a new miter saw, 10" with 40 teeth, very powerful, the space between teeth is too far at 10", as I started a cut and began lowering the blade, the teeth got caught as I inadvertantly lowered it too far and pulled the trigger a little too late. Bang, it caught the piece I was cutting and violently bent the fence and threw the wood across the room. I immediately bought a 10" 90 tooth blade. Some of the crap manufacturers put on new equipment is shameful. No injuries. I use this type of saw frequently, so be careful.
Jack *


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## Xtreme90 (Aug 29, 2009)

My brother in law. Lol! Anyways pretty much every tool I'm very aware of what I'm doing. Not that any woodworking tool doesn't but when I fire up a 220v 1200lb 3hp jointer or a 5 hp planer/ band saw and soon ts the low growl reminds me ya better know what your doing.

Quick story my grandfather worked in a big woodshop for When Kodak needed it. He was a mechanic for all the shop tools, making sure they were at peak performance. One day he watched a fellow run a sheet of plywood thru the tablesaw and without having the proper extension for the fence he started to pinch the blade. Instead of the 5hp saw just stalling it started picking up the sheet of wood with the guy and actually threw the guy with the piece of wood back off the saw.

U all have excellent points, keep posting.


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## rustedknuckles (Feb 17, 2008)

In the boat shop I used to wok in, I saw the foreman run a thin sheet of brass through the table saw, the blade started throwing its carbide teeth, one took him through the cheek, in and out, took a chunk of tooth with it, another lodged in his arm. I guess you could say I'm leary of carbide toothed blades.


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## cstrang (Sep 22, 2009)

Oh! just thought of another tid-bit to add to this one lol, I am always weary around the moulder,I know someone that was working near one when the "new guy" decided to fire it up without checking the knives, suffice to say one of the knives was loose and less than a second later it went through the foreman's shop coat (thank god it didn't go through the foreman) through a thin piece of melamine and imbedded itself into a cinderblock wall about 40' away… I think just about everyone there that day needed a new pair of shorts and the "new guy" needed to find a new job.


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## rhett (May 11, 2008)

The X variable. You can know your tools and keep sharp blades on everything, but you can't control when someone decides to drop in on you in the shop.


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## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

My table saw.


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## Cato (May 1, 2009)

working with all saws and routers gets my attention. I always leave safety guards on, which is why I only rip on the table saw.

I also have made the most mistakes, usually late in the day when some fatigue starts to set in and you start to get in a hurry to finish. I have learned to back off and turn off the tools and either clean up or review my plans and work completed.


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## ShawnH (Mar 30, 2007)

Clowns..you don't know if they are really smiling or if they are just putting on a happy face. Dolls run a close second. It was tough to go to my grandmas house as a kid, she collected dolls and they were everywhere.I am always afraid that my lathe will yank the tool out of my hand and send it hurling across the room, or worse yet, bury the tip in my chest.


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## mtkate (Apr 18, 2009)

Oof. A clown in the workshop? <shudder>


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

my 13" diameter raised panel shaper cutter scares me everytime


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## mtnwild (Sep 28, 2008)

Only the thought of losing my shop scares me. I know how quickly things can change. Fire, theft, economics, health, man oh man, I really love having what I have and to lose it is the scariest thing. What would I do? I can be broke and still make something and enjoy where I am.


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## woodsmithshop (Sep 10, 2008)

AMEN, to that Jack


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## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

Dying before I use up all my wood.


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## miles125 (Jun 8, 2007)

If i'm scared that means i'm inadequately prepared for what i'm about to do. I step back and rethink at that point. Machinery should be respected but never feared.


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## WhittleMeThis (Mar 1, 2009)

Using big power tools while being overly tired and/or rushing


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## willyb (Nov 10, 2009)

I got a radial arm saw from my mother in law it was my father in laws before he died. It was still brand new in the box, so I took it home and set it up. That was my first big woodworking tool, boy was it cool. I didn't realize at that time HOW DANGEROUS. A couple of months later my daughter and I started to make a deck in our back yard.
Everything was going great until I needed to cut a 6" x 10 foot board down to a 4" x 10 foot board. So I thought this will be great I can use my new Radial Arm Saw and just rotate the head and trim that baby down in no time. Well I sure most of you know what a did. I fed it the wrong way and instead of it cutting the board, the blade grabbed that board and shot it out the side of it and hit my garage door before I could even blink. I was feeding it in the wrong direction. What really scared the Hello out of me was my daughter was just standing where the board went, she had just moved to get something. That was it for the radial arm saw, I never used again for a good year. Now when ever I use it I make sure of which way that blade is turning.
But in all fairness that was really before I new how dangerous woodworking tools can be. Now before I use anything I definitely think twice before doing something stupid. I try to listen to that little guy sitting on my shoulder telling me "That's really not a good IDEA!


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## Jcpilot (Jan 6, 2008)

Table saw has my full attention. I had a router fly out of my hands once with a 1/2 inch spiral bit buried three inches deep in a mortise.


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## lilredweldingrod (Nov 23, 2009)

I hate for some one to interupt my train of thought. I guess I'm so anal, I really get into whatever I do. If I get an interuption, I stop whatever I'm doing, unplug all equipment, get a cup o coffee and wait for the interuption to go away. Come to think of it, I can't chew bubble gum and walk most time. Hmmmmmm

When the grand kids are about, I just knock off until nap time. Oh yeah, every one talks bad about Harbor Frieght, but they have these "druveway allert" motion detectors. They work great to announce to you when someone is about to interupt or if you are in the house and you have someone trying to find a new home for your tools.


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## jockmike2 (Oct 10, 2006)

I've been working the Lathe for a few years now, but every time I get something big spinning on it I get uncomfortable. I use my saftey equipment and I know that everything is tight but I know things can still go wrong and wood can break and metal fatigues and you just never know. I don't know if it's because I use that machine the most or what. But I'm always aprehensive running that lathe. I don't feel that way on any other machine.


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## chuck66 (Aug 21, 2009)

the voices in my head.


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## Mcnervy (Nov 25, 2009)

3/4 wide dado blades

When wood pinches my table saw blade like eariler today 
I was ripping zebra wood, Blade guard on , safety glases on , using a push stick
Before the wood made it past the back of the blade it clamped on the blade and stopped the saw dead
blew the breaker and scared the piss out of me.

Jointing boards of any size

Getting mitered corners to clamp up


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## GaryC (Dec 31, 2008)

Chickens! Sorry little suckers wander around the barn, then into the shop. Usually happens when I'm using the TS or Jointer. Can't stand them getting in the shop. They are too messy. Takes my attention away from what I'm doing.


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