Most dangerous tool in shop

[Bay Area Dave]

are you implying that I'm not already "cool"?

I don't use "u" but we MIGHT not get along anyway.

I'M KIDDING!

dave

Silvan wrote:

[Larry Jaques]

On Sat, 30 Aug 2003 15:33:51 -0400, Silvan pixelated:

Why not, for either reason?

Go for it. And since you keep replying to BAD, you deserve it. ;)

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[Silvan]

Gack!!!!

[HarryM]

I lost the tips of five fingers in 1958 to the jointer. My fault. Removed the guard to flat plane a section of a checkerboard made of 2x2 squares of walnut and maple. Now, one of these fingers is stiff, and I have cut it two more times -- table saw and router table -- because of the stiffness. I also have scars from the drill press [nothing serious, but a friend lost a finger when the bit caught in a steel bar he was drilling and became a propellor]. But then, I also have an old scar on my belly from a pet rabbit, so maybe I scar easily. harrym

[Dave Mundt]

Greetings and Salutations... Well, while I have no SERIOUS disasters to report (although I can report that it is a BAD idea to whip the cut end of a nylon rope by heating it to melting point, then, absent-mindedly starting to squeeze it with one's ungloved hand) it has been my observation that *I* (directly, and, indirectly any human) in the shop are often the most dangerous tools. And I mean that in the best possible sense. Regards Dave Mundt

[Wade Lippman]

Thank you for admitting that; I thought I was the only person dumb enough to have done it.

[Timdiana_James]

For a couple years I've been saying to folks that the shovel and spade are the most dangerous tools in my van, with a dodgy back it's just too easy and get carried away, then straighten up or get home and bang! ("you got shot...?") just get a twinge that lasts for weeks or a trapped nerve bundle of joy ;)

I do think I first got the most injuries in the shortest time from filling knives, early training from a joiner was of course an absolute ton of sanding, filling and painting, so good quality steel filling knives sanded clean for years and years, I wouldn't think it'd take more than a leather belt to get them to the point where you'd use 'em to shave. And so few of Hampshire's windows and rooves/roofs have my precious claret under the paintwork.

Most dangerous thing these days is a concrete breaker because of the possibility of weakened or thin mineral structure and possible broken fingers if you fall down with the machine, and of course the chopsaw always makes me double check I'm still fond of both thumbs. I'll probably skim a skilsaw over my leg in some Steptoesque home project, at some comedy interval in the future, if I do I'll be sure to add it to the list :D

[Bob La Londe]

Fatigue. When I reach a certain point every tool in the shop is dangerous. I try to make a hard and fast rule to never do any work after I have had one beer or anytime I've been working long enough that I start to make mistakes.

[DerbyDad03]

It looks like no one has been hurt in over 11 years.

[Max]

I have to watch myself more closely when I'm doing a repetitive task whether cutting boards down to size, jointing, routing, if I have a large number of the same operation I learned early on that strict attention must always be observed.

[Sonny]

I've been doing lots of jointing, lately.... making sure my loose sweatshir t sleeves are pulled up to my elbows. Similarly, I make sure my shirt tai l is not loose enough, such that the wind, from the spinning jointer head, doesn't draw my shirt into the blade area.... I don't have the guard insta lled over the head.

Sonny

[John Grossbohlin]

That about sums it up...

Case in point: While cleaning up my shop over the past week I came across part of a glued up panel that was destroyed by a kick back on the table saw... I was trying to finish the project in time for a show, it was late, and I was tired. I didn't reinstalled the T-Splitter as I just had to make one cut... all Hell broke loose. I haven't made a through cut since without the T-Splitter or crosscut sled in place!

[BenignBodger]

The most dangerous tool in my shop, at least judged by severity of wounds so far, is a super-sharp 1/2" chisel which I fumbled and dropped and which managed to stick itself in the top of my right foot. Luckily it was oriented to miss cutting anything critical but it sure hurt like hell for a while.

[krw]

Words to live by.

[clare]

Usually it's the only one in the shop that breathes and has a heartbeat!

[sawdustmaker]

Timdiana_James wrote in news:703df$54cfe191$cf3aab60$ [e-mail]:

A properly sharpened chisel not handled carefully.

[krw]

An unsharpened chisel used normally.

[Bill]

Agreed. That's when I start pushing too hard, getting too wreckless/careless. Especially as I work with more tools that cut really fast, I'm recognizing that I have be more careful that I used to be. I should be grateful for the numerous small cuts of my youth that taught me good lessons!

[RonB]

When i think of dangerous I don't think of the sander. Granted I have had a couple of close manicures with my oscillating drum sander. I think many will agree, as some have already, it is the table saw. I was nicked by a s pinning blade probably 5-10 seconds after I turned mine off several years a go. Stupid mistake that got me an evening in the emergency room, a chipped bone under a nasty abrasion and some antibiotic shots.

But I also discovered, also several years ago, that a wood lathe can be a s leeping dog. I mounted a glued up rather heavy piece of stock made from 2x

4 to make a simple over sized dowel for a project. I started the machine a t about 300rpm to round it up and after about ten seconds I was hit smack i n the middle of the full face shield. Thank goodness I was wearing it. I never saw the stock leave the lathe. I remember impact and a stinging sens ation. I looked down and the work-piece was draped across my arms that wer e still extended in the working position; and I realized there was blood on the shield. The piece had split out allowing it to fly out of the lathe a nd as best I could figure it bounced off of the bed and then up to the shie ld. The flexible face shield had deflected into my face striking my glasse s. The stinging sensation and blood were from the left nose-piece and the rims of my glasses scraping my nose and eyebrow. Minor abrasions but thank god I was wearing the shield. two of the four snaps that attach the shiel d to the hood were busted loose. Scared the #$@% out of me and I never mou nted another work piece without a good inspection.

Bill hit it on the head. The brain. The table saw accident was a moment of carelessness after I turned the machine off. The lathe incident might not have been avoidable. But as I said, I always check my stock carefully bef ore mounting it on the lathe.

RonB

[DerbyDad03]

How many folks would consider a bar clamp to be a dangerous tool?

When I was building my deck many years ago, I wanted to get a visual of wha t the stair railing would look like. There is a landing about 5 feet off th e ground and I wanted to attach the bottom rail to the posts to see how hig h off of the stair treads I wanted to put it. The closet clamp I had handy was a 36" bar clamp, which I attached to the post with the bar sticking out into the yard.

I stepped back to the side of the steps to look at the rail, decided I want ed it in a different position and started walking towards the landing. My e yes were focused on the clamp where it held the rail to the post and I didn 't see the 3/4" x 1/4" end of the bar that was sticking out into the yard. About 2 feet from the railing my head snapped back as the end of the steel bar cracked the lens of my safety glasses, slid up and gouged my forehead.

The end of the steel bar hit the lens dead center. Had I not been wearing s afety glasses it probably would have pushed my eyeball back into my head.