What have been the worst home handyman accidents you've had,or seen so far ?

What have been the worst (serious or humorous) handyman or handywoman accidents that you've experienced so far (or someone you know, or saw it happen to, got to experience) and please elaborate on what unfortunately went wrong.

Reply to
Ken
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Handyman used an aluminum ladder and was electrocuted. The city had to shut down a portion of the city's electricity to retrieve the body. It was a frightening site. I buy wooden or fiberglass ladders.

Reply to
Phisherman

A guy I used to work with was cutting wood with a chain saw. The saw hit a knot in the wood and kicked back and got him in the face. He survived but no amount of plastic surgery will help.

Reply to
Handy Woman

I missed your question, but I've done that many times. I don't recommend it unless you're really careful. On most surfaces you'll still want to either:

1) nail a brace to the wall you're working on, C-clamped or whatever to one or both of the stepladders; or 2) prop the stepladders with a long 2 x 4 from behind. I put a stake in the ground, nail the 2 x 4 to it, and clamp the 2 x 4 to the stepladder. I use two braces, one to each stepladder.

Using stepladders that way has long been a way to set up a low scaffold, but you'd better have good balance and not try to get too high with it. It does work, however. Using the braces slows the whole process down. It's a question of how you feel about broken bones.

I've also built homemade scaffolds and it's a real PITA, in my opinion. I use 2 x 4s for the verticals and 1" electrical conduit for diagonals. Never count on those diagonals to handle compressive loads; use two, crossbraced, so the load is always in tension.

The slickest solution I've used is two regular ladders with ladder hooks for a scaffold plank. I'll go up about ten feet with that, but no higher. Again, you want to nail a brace to the wall. Use a short plank or else make sure you're using genuine scaffold plank, which is undressed and thicker than framing planks.

-- Ed Huntress

Reply to
Ed Huntress

When using a chain saw I always try to position myself at an angle to the saw so that in the event of kickback it's path would be past me and not into me. I never use the anti-kickback chains as their performance is atrocious compared to the "real" chains.

Reply to
Pete C.

Was helping roof a two story house in Susanville Ca back in the 80's. Most houses there have an almost vertical roof that's made out of sheetmetal because of the snow load. I was all the way at the top, sitting down, when I started to slide. Because of the pitch of the roof I was afraid to stand up less I go ass over tea kettel. I started sliding faster and faster, all the while trying to get the roofing hammer into the sheetmetal to stop me. Alas, I had no luck at that. I go flying off of the roof and manage to land on my feet. The roof nails I had in my bag went everywhere. I am standing there shaking like a leaf and my friends father in law comes running up asking if I am ok. I was fine but I was shaking so bad I could not talk. I took the rest of the day off and went fishing. Came back that evening and found out that almost the same exact thing happened to my friend but he was not so lucky. He hit some bushes on the way down and broke his leg. The next day his fater in law hired some real roofers to due the job.

Reply to
Used To Roof

My dad always took the attitude that if you were careful, there was really no need for things like blade guards on table saws, or using pushers to feed the wood into the saw. Then he got distracted one day while cutting some thin (maybe 1"?) strips for planter boxes, and the saw hit a knot.

My first thought as he came up the stairs was that he was teasing me with a red plastic snake. Then I saw that it was blood all over his hand.

If you ever end up getting a finger (right index finger, in this case -- and dad was right-handed, and he was an accountant, and this was right before tax season) amputated, *don't* let the doctors convince you that it'll be less noticeable if they go ahead and take the knuckle along with it. They're right, but you really do want as much of the hand as possible for stability.

Reply to
Joe Pfeiffer

When I got my first saw, a neighbor gave me some safety training. The reason the blade is so far to the right, is that it's easy for right handers to keep their body to the left of the blade. I'm amazed how many people I've seen with thier body (such as face) right behind the blade. I try to explain the safety, and they keep on endangering their own lives.

The guy who gave me my orange saw had been drinking. He showed me the scar where he nearly took off his leg. He also left the gas in the saw, and the saw wasn't very useful. He went on to drink and drive. Was in a wreck, broke his pelvis, and nearly took his leg off. Again. Different machine.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

I'm left handed so my technique is a bit different.

Sad.

Reply to
Pete C.

I'm with you. It's scaring the pants off of me.

I'll tell you one thing: I'm going to make darned sure I keep my hair cut short...

-- Ed Huntress

Reply to
Ed Huntress

"Ed Huntress" wrote

Reminds me of a conversation I had with a deputy sheriff. He used to have a handsome head of hair. Until the night he got involved in an altercation with a crazed, very intoxicated woman. She grabbed his hair in a death grip and they could not pry her loose for several minutes. By that time, she had torn much of his scalp loose from his head.

The resulting injuries were very painful and took awhile to heal. They shaved his head before they did the surgery to reattach his scalp. He had to keep it shaved during the recovery. It has never been more than a half an inch long since.

He said if he retires or takes up another line of work, he might grow some hair agin. But as long as he is a law enforcement officer, he will go with a buzz cut.

Reply to
Lee Michaels

'Sounds wise to me. When I hear these stories I have to wonder why some do-gooder group hasn't done PSAs on television showing how your scalp can get peeled off if your hair is long and it gets caught in something.

Spiro Agnew would have liked those.

-- Ed Huntress

Reply to
Ed Huntress

on 9/10/2007 2:11 PM Ed Huntress said the following:

My hair has been cut so that it is no more than 1/2" long. The one tool that I use that I have the most respect for (read scared of) is the radial arm saw, especially when ripping. Somehow, the blade over the table is more respected (read scared of) than one under the table. The others, I'm just merely careful.

Reply to
willshak

That's a very good idea. . .uh. . .just tell me where you live and I'll take all those dangerous things away for you. No charge at all.

Reply to
no spam

They're in a dark and dank basement where no civilized person has been for

20 years. Even the meter-reader asks me to go read the meter for him.

-- Ed Huntress

Reply to
Ed Huntress

Yeah, I've got to stop wearing those necklaces and neckties when I'm running the lathe, too. And the charm bracelet...

-- Ed Huntress

Reply to
Ed Huntress

In message , nick hull writes

Four beers for the carpenters .. as the germans say

And dead people are the result

Reply to
raden

Short hair, no rings, no necklaces, no body metal, no ties, no wristwatches and I have all my fingers left ;)

Free men own guns - www(dot)geocities(dot)com/CapitolHill/5357/

Reply to
nick hull

That's all very well, but what about injuries sustained from electric hair clippers, especially when used in bathrooms?

Owain

Reply to
Owain

Mine are cordless.

Reply to
willshak

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