Top 5 Most Dangerous Tools,

[BigWallop]

My Dad was a slaughter man and my Mum was a real stunner.

[BigWallop]

Left Hand Right Hand Brain Alcohol Any tool you use

[BigWallop]

Viagra, to go with big stick.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Heh heh - I don't have a table saw but one of those sliding compound mitre ones - a cheapy from B&Q. And you're in no doubt when you start it due to the 'kick' as it spins up. No soft start at that price. ;-)

[pete]

Tools don't even have to be your hands to be dangerous. Recently I had my nail gun plugged in to one side of a dual socket, while the table saw was plugged in (as usual) to the other socket of the pair. A few times I noticed a "thudding" sound when I switched the saw off. The first time, I thought nothing of it. The second time I thought "hmm, odd" After the third time I started to investigate ... It turned out that the nailgun was firing, on it's own. I have now discovered this effect is completely repeatable, but only on that particular double socket. It's wired the same as all the others and shows up as OK" with my mains-plug tester. Fortunately no nails or people were harmed during this excperiment.

p.s. most dangerous tool: hammer - I've caused more actual damage to myself with one of those that with any of the ones listed - probably because I treat power tools with a great deal of respect, and they tend to have safety guards.

[R D S]

Agreed, I am regularly haching myself up with these but when using power tools pay much more care/attention.

[Don]

Talking about angle grinders, this seaman did himself a mischief yesterday with one;

[BigWallop]

The Grinder hit him three times in the face? Once is enough with those things.

He was in a great deal of pain? I wonder why. I think he's a brave man to be conscious enough to feel pain during such an ordeal. :-)

[Toby]

Sounds like a bad connection in the socket to me - have you checked the terminals are nice and tight!? If so, I would change the socket if it were me!

[BigWallop]

I'd have the gun checked out. They shouldn't activate until the press guard is pushed back at the nose.

[John Rumm]

Are they supposed to be in any particular order? I would have rated a fixed table saw as more dangerous than a hand held circular saw for example - because at least with that your hands are occupied holding it!

[BigWallop]

I've watched blokes using a circular saw with one hand and the timber across their knee to lop the end off it. It could have been their knees that copped the lopping off.

Chainsaws are not a common tool in everyone's chest, and for those who don't use them on a regular basis, and forget what ever little bits of training they had, they are easy to lose control of on the simplest of jobs. My training was three weeks of forestry work, with a constant supervisor over my shoulder. I've heard you can go on one day course to allow certification on using them now-a-days. That's not right.

Nail guns are also an uncommon tool for the DIYer and semi-professional, but they don't need any training before purchase or use. They are dangerous in the hands of a novice, who thinks they are John Wayne with a six shooter.

A Hilti gun was one tool I saw literally take a mans head off. You need trained to use them on commercial sites, but not for home use. On a site where the guys were installing ventilation duct, and a youngster took the gun up a scaffold. Still couldn't quite reach the ceiling, so stood on a tool box and put the Hilti gun on the top of head to push it up tight. Pulled the trigger and bashed the top of his head in. The blast from the cartridge can be worse than a shotgun at close range. It put the masonry nail into the concrete without problem, but the recoil fractured the young lads skull just as easily.

[Dave]

I have a similar compound mitre saw ... I've noticed that it only kicks back (yes, quite violently) when the blade is not up to full speed when I start cutting, or when the piece being sawn is very small. I've had a few scrapes with the kick-back, a few times being hit in the face by off cuts ... but it is always been when I have been rushing the job. Take your time when cutting. Dave

[geoff]

In message , Rod writes

But only when she has a cleaver in her hand

[ARWadsworth]

May I add

My next door neighbours chopsaw (see previous posts)

John Holmes

Adam

[The Medway Handyman]

Is that;

1. My next door neighbours chopsaw (see previous posts)

1. John Holmes

2. Adam

[BigWallop]

Is now Eve? Ouch!!!

[robgraham]

It's interesting following a discussion of this type as all the contributors are regulars here and I imagine like myself, self-defined competent DIY'ers. The interest is that we don't fall into one of the groups that have been defined as typically having accidents with tools

- the over confident professional and the guy who shouldn't be let loose ! Are we in danger of being complacent in that we don't think we get blase like the professional and all are far too knowledgeable to be an ignorant ?

I suspect from the postings that none of those contributing have had anything more than a bang with a hammer, or snick with a hand saw - either that or someone is keeping stum. Which then raises the question as to who does have these accidents ? I've got all the power tools described in the various lists here and more, and I use them with considerable respect, but they all have power to do me a serious nasty if there is that moment of inattention, and that is what worries me.

My brother is a joiner/cabinet maker and the planer is his downfall ... and falling off rooves. Both professional hazards.

Rob

[The Medway Handyman]

I've had the tip of a finger severed & replaced due to inattention with a table saw, & three incidents with angle grinders, two very minor leg injuries & one more serious arm injury.

In terms of DIY the finger & one of the leg injuries were before I went full time as a handyman, the arm & leg injury since.

The table saw incident was due to a moments inattention, all the guards were in place & working 100%.

I have a great deal of respect for angle grinders now.

[BigWallop]

messagenews:bt0Uk.88590$ [e-mail]...

It's interesting following a discussion of this type as all the contributors are regulars here and I imagine like myself, self-defined competent DIY'ers. The interest is that we don't fall into one of the groups that have been defined as typically having accidents with tools

- the over confident professional and the guy who shouldn't be let loose ! Are we in danger of being complacent in that we don't think we get blase like the professional and all are far too knowledgeable to be an ignorant ?

I suspect from the postings that none of those contributing have had anything more than a bang with a hammer, or snick with a hand saw - either that or someone is keeping stum. Which then raises the question as to who does have these accidents ? I've got all the power tools described in the various lists here and more, and I use them with considerable respect, but they all have power to do me a serious nasty if there is that moment of inattention, and that is what worries me.

My brother is a joiner/cabinet maker and the planer is his downfall ... and falling off rooves. Both professional hazards.

Rob

But it seems that their are those who value their lives and limbs, and those who don't, so much. If working at height, I prefer to have safety first. Secure fixings to attach to. Ropes and Slings to allow movement without falls, Etc.

Working with power tools needs a lot of respect and safety awareness. The simple use of a pair of gloves and goggles can make a huge difference in the way someone actually handles the machine in the first place.

There is a place for safety that some don't think about at all. Getting over confident is, I think, the biggest cause of injury in the workplace. Youngsters learning the ropes is an old saying, and it comes from the young lads and lassies who worked the rigging on the tall ships and clippers. They were taught which ropes to hold and which to let go of. It was the first thing they learned onboard ship. That and making the tea. :-)

Today, an apprentice is left to their own devices by most companies, as far as I can see. Our guys and girls are taken out to learn the ropes by someone who has learned them and worked them for years, so knows the pitfalls of losing it on the job.

Of course we learn through little mistakes, but it's only little mistakes, not huge blunders. Yes, I admit it. I'm probably the worst HandS man on any of our sites. But it's me who pays the insurance policies, so I'm entitled to worry. :-)