# Incident with Jet Drum Sander - Gore Warning



## rod1949 (May 13, 2010)

G'day All,

I've just joined. This link http://www.woodworkforums.com/f67/incident-jet-drum-sander-gore-warning-116562/ will take you to the details of an incident I had about a month ago with a Jet Drum Sander, the purpose of which is to inform all that accidents can happen with them.

How did I do it?

Its a recently new machine for me. I was practicing some sanding.

The machine has two motors and a seperate switch for each. One motor drives the drum and one drives the in-feed table (its now evident to me there are some safety issues with this set-up). I had turned off the in-feed table and this may have put in my mind that everything was off. I then for some unknown reason put my right hand under the drum head, then the next thing I knew my fingers were jamb up in the machine. I quickly reailsed the drum was still going and reached over to turn it off. Then I tried to pull my fingers out and they wouldn't budge without pain. I thought about calling out to the Missus (but she wouldn't of heard me) to get the fire brigade but they probably would have wanted to destroy the machine, and I wasn't going to have that. So I un-did the allen key headed screw that holds the cover shut, thank christ I only had this finger tight. I flipped the cover open to see my fingures caught between the drum and a 15mm dia roller bar that sits about 6mm off the sanding drum. After a couple of goes at getting them back out I decided that I just have to gritt my teeth and go for it… to hell with the pain… and got them out.

Before I started sanding I changed the sandpaper from 80 grit to 40 grit.

The sanding drum spins anti clockwise so it just grabbed my fingers and pulled them in an up in a flash.

As I'm walking inside I'm wriggling the fingers and everthing seems okay. Gets inside says to the missus I need bandage. She comes with a bandade, she sees it and says you need the doctor. So around to the local we go. I says to the doc just needs to be pulled together and stitched. The doc says no no it needs more than that you're off to the Royal Perth.

My stay and treatment at the Royal Perth was absoultly fantastic.

This one finger typing sure buggers a person out.

See ya
Rod


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## Kindlingmaker (Sep 29, 2008)

OUCH!!!!!!!!!


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## live4ever (Feb 27, 2010)

Oh dear…

I wish you a speedy recovery and am glad the damage wasn't worse. How much longer will you be one-finger typing?

I am also wishing I had not clicked the link as that image of your fingers will probably stay etched in my memory for a while.


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## UncleHank (Jan 13, 2010)

Ouch Rod! Someone linked that here a few days after you posted it on the other site. I can't imagine how scary that must have been while your fingers were still stuck.

Can we get some after pictures to see how it healed up?

Glad you made your way over here to lumberjocks.


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## whiskeyturner (Nov 9, 2009)

the things we do to save our tools. . . . It only makes sence to us! Wives and doctors just don't understand. . . .


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## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

Wow…that's a heck of an introduction Rod! Ouch! Sorry to "meet" under these circumstances, but the reminders about the dangers of this activity are always useful. Heal well!


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## 8iowa (Feb 7, 2008)

Wow! Best wishes for a complete recovery. As for a sanding drum….......I think I'll try to learn how to become more proficient with my #4 smoothing plane.


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## closetguy (Sep 29, 2007)

So, I guess you will be suing Jet now for 1.5 mil because they don't have the Sawstop technology on their drum sanders? Make it a class action so the rest of us can join in.


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## learnin2do (Aug 5, 2010)

people tell me all the time to be more careful -eek!!


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