# Well, that was stupid...



## bunkie (Oct 13, 2009)

Just got back from the emergency room. As accidents go, it wasn't too major and I'll heal completely. The stupid part was that, again, I heard that voice in my head that said "you really shouldn't be doing this" right before I got bit. Literally. I was drilling some holes with a 1.5" Forstner bit freehand in a small piece of stock using (here's the REALLY stupid part) a cordless drill.

The bit dug in and levered itself out of the hole and across my left thumb ripping the thumbnail, fracturing the small bone and almost cleaving the fleshy part in two. I now have no thumbnail, about 10 stitches and a throbbing pain.

I had gotten away with this foolish procedure before. I expect that this accident was a long time in coming. I have a ShopSmith as my drill press but setting it up in drill press mode "was going to take too long and I was only drilling a couple of holes anyway". Well, I won't make that mistake again.

The added bummer is that I won't be able to play guitar for about five to six weeks which really sucks because my band has a performance scheduled for this Friday.


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## eao2012 (Jan 14, 2013)

Similar thing happened to me one time with me, bunkie (however, not as unfortunate as your accident). I was too lazy to clamp the piece down and figured since it was so small, i figured it would be easy to hold on to by hand. Well…long story short I was drilling and once the bit gripped the wood enough my grip slipped and the drill spun the small piece around like a propeller and smacked my fingers hard enough to leave a couple of blood blisters under two fingernails. Just goes to show, it's always worth taking your time to work safely even if it means you spend an extra two minutes clamping down the work piece.

Take care of yourself!


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## runswithscissors (Nov 8, 2012)

Cutting, drilling, whatever-it's the small pieces that tend to get us in trouble. I've done similar with the drill press, drilling steel. Too lazy to get the vice grips. Nothing as serious as yours, however. Hope you heal quick.


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## mbs (May 8, 2010)

my accidents usually start with "I'll just quickly….." I'm glad you'll recover. sorry to hear you'll miss your concert.


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## nwbusa (Feb 21, 2012)

I'll admit I am very cavalier about drilling, especially at the drill press. I do always wear eye protection but I almost never clamp the workpiece down. I've been lucky I haven't been bit. Hope you feel better soon.


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## redryder (Nov 28, 2009)

Thanks for not posting pictures. I too seldom clamp anything down on my drill press. (not bragging)
Hope the pain pills are working…....................


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## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

Sorry to hear about your accident, I'm glad that you're ok despite the stitches…it's funny how we all seem to have that same little voice in our heads when we're about to do something stupid…


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

double auch ! A hand held Drill ain´t a thing to be taken easy on 
heal fast
best wishes
Dennis


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

I know your pain on both sides. Early in my woodworking I thought I could hold a piece while using a forstner bit. Learned quickly I couldn't. I also played in a band for 23 years. You can't just call in sick. Hope you can work it out.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

A lot of accidents are probability problems. It is easy for us to think that if we did something once and nothing happened it is a safe practice. It is a matter of exposure, if you repeat an unsafe act often enough the probabilities will catch up to you and an accident will occur. It's kind of like running a red light, if you do it and there are no cars coming in the other direction and there is no cop to catch you, then you beat the odds. But what if you make it a regular practice, eventually you are going to have an accident or at least a citation. The problem in woodworking is to recognize what are unsafe practices before hand so as to avoid them. I think you should reward yourself and buy a drill press so that you always have it set up and will never be tempted to repeat your accident. I'm glad it wasn't any worse.


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## Momcanfixit (Sep 19, 2012)

That little voice is annoyingly accurate. Hope your back to playing in the band in no time!


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## teejk (Jan 19, 2011)

yeah Sandra but it takes a few "close calls" before that voice gets loud enough to hear sometimes!


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## bunkie (Oct 13, 2009)

Thanks for all the thoughtful replies.

I'm sitting here looking at my injured thumb and thinking hard about paying more attention to that little voice. My biggest mistake was not having enough respect for the bit and the power of the drill. I'm pretty good around my fixed power tools, they have my undivided attention.

I take full responsibility for my lack of judgement in this matter. Having said that, I feel that I need to look at the contributing factors and really think hard about what they mean for my approach to this hobby. My biggest issue that my shop just doesn't work for me. It's too small, it doubles as a hallway to other rooms and I have stuffed too many large things into it (cabinet saw, jointer, ShopSmith, tool cabinet, bench, wood and 14" bandsaw). It works when I have larger projects as I find it easier to justify the necessary planning and setup. My real problem is smaller projects (this was a wine rack). It was after work and I had a few minutes so I thought I would work on some small parts. My ShopSmith had been set up in tablesaw mode (I leave it that way as it's easier to move than the cabinet saw) and it just seemed like too much trouble to switch it over to drill press mode. I've thought about getting a bench-top drill press but that would just eat up too much bench space.

I would love to build a dedicated shop, but our house is perched on a hill top (with a killer view that my wife fell in love with) and there's just no space as most of our half acre is broken shale hillside with steep drop-offs. I'm stuck with my lower-level family room for a shop space.

One crazy thought is to sell off the big machinery, go back to having only the ShopSmith and buying more hand tools. That's what these sorts of things should do, in my opinion: require you to think seriously about your goals and real needs.


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## teejk (Jan 19, 2011)

not another saw-stop discussion!!! It would not have helped you here since it wasn't even a powered saw. go buy a 4 pack of the Irwin Qwick clamps ($18 at Menards) and use them. In drilling operations it doesn't take much to prevent the helicopter effect.


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## Momcanfixit (Sep 19, 2012)

My humble opinion would be not to make any decision while nursing hurt pride and body…. Especially if they gave you something for the pain.


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## bunkie (Oct 13, 2009)

Wow. What a difference a week makes. I'm healing up nicely. I even played my gig on Friday. It's reached the "boy is that ugly" stage, but it no longer hurts and I'm even able to button my right shirtsleeve cuff. Thanks for the good wishes everyone and, above all, stay safe!


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## JGM0658 (Aug 16, 2011)

my accidents usually start with "I'll just quickly….."

That and stubbornness are usually the cause of accidents. Of course there is always the idiot who thinks knows more than you do and goes and does something stupid.

Here is my tale, although the accident did not happen to me. I was installing a pergola at a customer's house when the lady who hired me asked me if I could make her some risers for the washing machine, as the water in the patio some times reached the lower portion of the washing machine. I said I would do it gladly, I figure I would drill a 1" hole on the end grain of the left over wood and then cut the squares to put under the washing machine. Now, I knew the fostner bit could "walk" on the grain instead of biting and drilling. So I told my assistants to hold the 4×4 far from the edge. Well we tried this about 3 times and in all the bit walked and would not grab, so I told them we would do it in the shop and I would send her the risers.

A few minutes later the husband walks into the patio, grabs MY cordless drill, the 4×4 and while holding the end with one hand starts trying to drill the hole. When I saw this, I kept my mouth shut, I knew what was going to happen but I figured the idiot deserved what he had coming to him. Sure enough, the moment he starts the drill the bit walks across the end grain, bites into his hand and walks all across the back of his hand.

So a few minutes later he comes back with his bandaged hand and tells me…" I guess I should not have done that".......No ******************** Sherlock….


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## BRAVOGOLFTANGO (Nov 30, 2012)

Thanks for sharing this Bunky, takes a lot for someone to fess-up their own error, but it can help others.

I literally just got off the phone with our front desk operator who posted a lost and found of all things 1/2 a burger in a styrofoam container, haha! Think she's mad, but she didn't realize the potential for harm, a blowfly could have laid larvae in a few seconds or an Al Queda insurgent could have laced the silly burger. Aye yae yae…

Glad you're getting better sir.


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## Earlextech (Jan 13, 2011)

There is another thread going on about "why would I buy short clamps when long ones are only a few dollars more?" This thread is why! Glad to hear you're doing better. Jam out!


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## teejk (Jan 19, 2011)

jorge…you are probably still on the hook for the accident…a friend works for an electrical utility and told me that a customer had a power outage (probably a squirrel or something…it happens). He couldn't wait the 20 minutes for the crew to show up and decided to close the open "gate" on the pole with his aluminum swimming pool pole. So we have an open pole "gate" switch (gravity does not do that…they only open for a reason…in a major outage that's why they drive up and down the road…find and fix the fault, then follow the line downstream to close the gates that might have opened) and he uses an aluminum pole to close it.

I can't remember how much the utility had to pay for his injuries. I do know that one or two limbs are no longer with the guy.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

Where's Marty McFly when you need him? He could probably fill in for you.

Sorry to hear about your accident. The good news is that you heard the voice in your head casting doubt--next time you'll probably be more apt to listen to it. I hope it heals quickly.


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## JGM0658 (Aug 16, 2011)

jorge…you are probably still on the hook for the accident…

In the US, sure…..here in Mexico….no big deal….


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## bobkas (May 23, 2010)

I did did the same kind of thing about 6 months ago. I was using a drill press and drilling with an inch and a half Forstner bit with the center on edge of a board to get half a hole. I was holding it with my left hand and just like you I thought this is stupid I should clamp it down just as it shifted and pulled my left thumb into the bit. I cut my thumb nail in half and just broke skin under it. I asked my wife to take me to the emergicare and on the way said I should just glue it back together she said I was stupid and that's what they did at the clinic. Sorry you hurt yourself and I hope we both use are heads the next time we're swinging a big bit.


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## Knothead62 (Apr 17, 2010)

Let's see- you saved time by drilling freehand. How much time was spent in the ER plus travel time plus $$$? Sorry about your accident and hope the thumb heals fine. 
I cut the end of my right thumb cutting lettuce for a salad. Expensive lunch at $310!! I went to a restaurant supply and got a mesh glove.


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## rob2 (Nov 27, 2007)

Glad you are feeling better. Thanks for posting. We all need to think about safety in every thing we do.


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## pete57 (Jan 22, 2009)

I just got the tip of my left hand middle finger on a brand new PM 2000. I was thinning a board to use in calibrating a Leigh Jig I bought 1-1/2 ago, just now getting it out of the box? Anyway I have done this for over 40 years and never raise the blade through the wood, but for reason I did and it bit me good. I did put the saw in a new place and new lights so I did not have a tripping hazard with the dust collect hose. The finger will survive with just a little of the finger tip missing. The nail will heal up, but that is stupid. I did not go with a saw stop because my friend has one and it is nothing but trouble and has already cost him 3- hundred dollar blades and the piece for the saw is 85.00 times 3. I guess that I am a stupid good carpenter now???


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## woodsmithshop (Sep 10, 2008)

Famous last words, "Here, hold my beer, and watch this" we always have to be alert, the world needs more lerts.
sorry for the sick humor, just had to say it, 
sorry for your accident, hope it all heals up soon.


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## Pimzedd (Jan 22, 2007)

When that angel on your shoulder says "Don't do that" we need to listen. Of course the devil on the other shoulder says "it's just one more cut". Learned my lesson the hard way.


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## eao2012 (Jan 14, 2013)

Glad to hear you're feeling better! We all need to get slapped on the wrist (sometimes literally!) every once in a while to keep us in check


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