# My Stupid Mistake



## RussellAP (Feb 21, 2012)

A lot of times we've been faced with a piece of wood that has to have something done to it out of the ordinary, something we don't have the right tool for, or jig, or imagination. Sometimes we just don't think about what we're doing at the moment.

Such was the case for me a couple weeks ago when I decided to use half lap on some vanity doors I was making for a customer.

I had purchased a Frued Dado set about a year back. Never used it till two weeks ago. Got it on fine, then took out my zero clearance insert that I bought at the same time. It needed to be cut out, so not really thinking about it, I grabbed a cedar 4×4 about 6" long and set it on the zero clearance insert and slowly brought the blade up.

You can probably guess the next part.

That little voice in my head caught up to what I was doing and told me to STOP just a fraction of a second too late. The blade grabbed the cedar and sent it flying into the fan across the room, destroying it and pulling my hand into the blade.

The injury went across the back of my hand and down about half of my pinkie which I thought was lost.

I was alone of course, so I wrapped the bloody mess in a wad of paper towels and went to ER.

It looked like hamburger.

The finger is broken at the tip of the joint and has a pin in it. The rest is healing up. The pin comes out Monday 3-4 days from now.

I finally don't need the pain pills anymore or maybe just one a day. Bone pain is bad.

What happened is I was so caught up in what I had planned to do, that I didn't pay attention to what I WAS doing.

Had this been a regular blade I'd have lost a couple fingers….but then if it were a regular blade I wouldn't have been doing it at all.

Anyway, I'm embarrassed about it. Took me a couple weeks to even fess up to you guys.

Don't be too hard on me.


----------



## Ocelot (Mar 6, 2011)

Yikes!


----------



## NinjaAssassin (Sep 5, 2013)

Glad you're OK Russel.


----------



## UncannyValleyWoods (Apr 18, 2013)

Holy cow man. I'm glad it's not more serious.

I had a close call with a Dado not long ago…I got through the cut without any injury but afterwards I realized what could have happened and was righteously pissed at myself.

Hope you heal up fast and tight.


----------



## SCOTSMAN (Aug 1, 2008)

Yes I understand how quickly these things can happen. I was in hospital for ten days a few years back when a woodturning accident caused me almost to lose my thumb.The wood split and disintegrated during sanding so my hand was inside the bowl when the half of the bowl which was left on the lathe brought the lathe to a screeching halt momentarilly using the back of my hand to do so.Many stitches and pins inserted into my hand and a four hour operation later (now a few years back) everything apart from a scar is now perfect .So I say good old National health service it cost me not a penny at the point of delivery and I had a private room too. Alistair


----------



## RussellAP (Feb 21, 2012)

SCOTSMAN - I wish I lived in a country with civilized health care. In America, the rich are like sharks trolling the waters not caring who they destroy.


----------



## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

It just proves the point that it's not the *tools* that are dangerous…. it's *us*! The vast majority of accidents are caused by having a short lapse in really thinking about what we are doing.

I'm glad it wasn't even more serious, and that you are healing up, Russell.


----------



## bbc557ci (Sep 20, 2012)

I feel your pain RussellAP. 20+ years ago I caught my right hand forefinger and thumb in the spinning blade of my ol' Rockwell elec. miter box. Had a metal pin in my finger for a week to 10 days. Few years after that I messed up my left thumb in the table saw. Same as you, just not paying attention as I should have been….stupid me.

I had a small const. co. at the time. After the table saw gig, my guys told me they would only let me use power saws with rubber blades …. gotta love wize azzes LOL.

Needless to say, now I do my best to THINK before I move forward on a cut using a TS and or any other power tool.


----------



## jumbojack (Mar 20, 2011)

I have been wondering where the heck you were. We 'get away' with so much stuff in our shops, I think we become complacent. I sometimes skoff at the safety gurus, but experience has taught them, and they try to instruct others not to make the mistakes they obviously made.


----------



## BigRedKnothead (Dec 21, 2012)

Ahhhh man. Sorry to hear that.


----------



## Sanding2day (May 6, 2013)

Sorry to hear about this Russell, glad that it wasn't any more serious of an injury… Unfortunate that I dont know but, what is it that should have been done differently? Lengthier chunk of 4 by 4? When I made the ZCI for my dado set I just held it in place with a push stick while raising the blade but wouldn't have even had the last second thought of issue holding it down with the 4 by 4 (just wouldn't want to waste the wood) until reading this… Will certainly keep it mind for the future…


----------



## RussellAP (Feb 21, 2012)

Dan - I think the proper way would be to clamp a piece of wood down next to the rising blade, not over it. Had I put the 4×4 to the side of the blade it would have been okay.


----------



## mloy365 (Oct 30, 2009)

Hope your hand is better soon!


----------



## Sanding2day (May 6, 2013)

Makes sense Russell… Thanks, and here is to a speedy full recovery…


----------



## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Russell-We all make mistakes … some just hurt more than others. I have had a few nasty accidents (took a chunk out of my forearm on the live center on the lathe a few weeks ago), so I sort of feel your pain.

I have been watching Izzy Swan's videos on YouTube … he has the word *THINK* stenciled and posted all over his workshop. I'm beginning to think I should follow his lead and post some reminders to myself to THINK before I do anything!


----------



## Bob817 (Nov 17, 2011)

Sorry Russ hope you heal fast, That's why it's called an accident, we all have one of those days, glad it wasn't worse


----------



## todd1962 (Oct 23, 2013)

Glad you're OK. I think it is good for folks to post when they have accidents. It is a good reminder for the rest of us and the confession burns it in your memory! I think about how many times I've gotten away with stupidity…


----------



## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Russ, we DON'T want any pics of this regardless of the standard "no pics-didn't happen".
Get well soon old man.
Bill


----------



## Picken5 (Jan 12, 2011)

Ouch! And ouch again! Sorry to hear that Russell - but I'm glad that you're going to be OK. I know a fellow or two with missing digits from messing with power tools - and I'm glad I won't be adding you to that list.


----------



## blackcherry (Dec 7, 2007)

Sorry to hear the news, hope you heal fast and get back at what you love to do that's work with wood. Thanks for sharing your experience with us all may it help us all to be more careful and not take these power tools for granted. Best wishes to a fast recovery…BC


----------



## 280305 (Sep 28, 2008)

I wish you all the best as you recover Russell.

Thank you for taking the time to remind us all to keep safety always in mind. What you say here is very important:
What happened is I was so caught up in what I had planned to do, that I didn't pay attention to what I WAS doing.

When I took a woodworking workshop, the first sentence on the safety rules for each machine was "Be engaged."


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Wow Russ That's awful darn scary,I'm glad you came out of it with out worse injuries . Thanks for sharing this as others have said it helps the rest of us keep focusing on what we are doing and not what we are going to do. Heal up quickly buddy.


----------



## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

Ouch, it hurts just reading about it, man you got to be more careful! I hope you heal soon.


----------



## JohnO1955 (May 16, 2012)

That bites….literally - did a similar thing to my left index on a dado blade this July (7/11 not lucky for me)- luckily only chunked it up a bit and nipped the bone off, they were able to sew it up…still is a little numb….the next time I used that blade I grew a new respect for it!

Heal well….


----------



## kdc68 (Mar 2, 2012)

Terribly sorry about your injuries Russ. We all become complacent. It takes an accident or near miss to bring us back in check. Hope you make a full recovery

*Everyone please view the You Tube video in this link titled Kickback on Camera*

http://www.finewoodworking.com/item/110541/you-cant-beat-the-physics-of-kickback


----------



## HerbC (Jul 28, 2010)

Russell,

Sorry to hear about your injury. I know how quickly things can go sour. And when I had my stupid mistake moment, I too used a roll of paper towels wrapped around what seem like hamburger and made my way to the ER by myself.

Hope you have a good and rapid recovery.

BTW, I really meant it when I said:

Be Careful!

Herb


----------



## paxorion (Oct 19, 2012)

Russell - wow I am so sorry to hear that. I sincerely hope you have a good recovery.

I've never used a stacked dado before so I can't to visualize how it happened. It sounded like you were cutting the ZCI for the first time, and the 4×4 cedar wasn't clamped down?


----------



## retfr8flyr (Oct 30, 2013)

Sorry to hear about your accident but glad it wasn't any worse.

Earl


----------



## RussellAP (Feb 21, 2012)

Paxorion, I just held it in my hand right over where the blade came up.


----------



## tefinn (Sep 23, 2011)

I just saw this post Russell. Sorry to hear about what happened and hope it all heals up fine. I live and work alone, so I'm always second guessing what I'm doing while working in the shop.


----------



## paxorion (Oct 19, 2012)

Russell - Gotcha, and again I am so sorry to hear about the incident


----------



## gsimon (Aug 12, 2012)

Glad to hear you're healing up physically and with all the great support and sharing on this site the ol' ego will be back too. I was thrown across the room once with a stick of 2×4 kicking back and hitting me in the midsection like a bullet.
It shakes you up for awhile
All the best
Greg


----------



## Blackie_ (Jul 10, 2011)

It's stories like this that help keep the rest of us mind set on what we are doing and what can happen if we don't, hope all comes out good Russell, and glad you're OK.


----------



## Blackie_ (Jul 10, 2011)

Here's an article and video that I'm sure most of you have already seen but it resurfaced in my email this morning from fine wood working Mag and was coincidental to Russell's mishap.

You Can't Beat the Physics of Kickback


----------

