ouch!

[Mike in Arkansas]

Mercy, that shore did hurt a mite. Didn't knock the wind out of me but took it away if you know what I mean. Doubled over with my back now to the table saw trying to breath while I feel like someone has stuck a branding iron in my side. All I can do is exclaim shit shit shit over and over until finally the pain subsides enough that I remember how to breath. Afraid to look at my ribs, I stagger off looking for the piece of oak that was on my saw a short while ago. I have a recollection of it flying past my head as it bounced off my side. After finding it I take a look at my ribs. A four inch break in the skin, but suprisingly little blood. Something that hurts that much you would think demanded at least a pint of blood. Glad I was wearing a light jacket over my tee shirt. Going to be one hell of a bruise. Going to have to figure out how to hide it from my wife as she will worry from now on whenever I'm using tools if she sees it. Looks like her idiot husband will be sleeping in tee shirts for a while. This was never going to happen to me. It only happens to unsafe knuckleheads and 99.9 percent of the time I am very careful. Well, that .1 percent caught up with me. Won't say what I did but was just trying to save some time by not having to go get the proper tool for the job at hand. I am grateful. Grateful there isn't a piece of wood impaled in me. Grateful it didn't hit my face (my face is my fortune you know) or it didn't blind me. It is clear God protects fools. Gentlemen I stand before all to tell you that it takes 100 percent, not 99.9 percent safe tool use. When it happens, it happens fast. You can't dodge it It's already over by the time you realize something bad just happened. Jeez, it's gonna hurt tomorrow when I move and those kitchen cabinet doors are demanding to be finished. Lets be careful out there. Mike in Arkansas who came close to being Mike in the ER or worse.

[Morris Dovey]

| Mercy, that shore did hurt a mite.

Very glad you're in good enough shape to write about it. Please be careful...

-- Morris Dovey DeSoto Solar DeSoto, Iowa USA

[sheldon.mandel]

this summer, i was crosscutting a piece of oak. I was holding it from both sides, so i didn't think it would be a problem. The short piece caught, and hit me right on the bellybutton. I didn't go down, but I doubled over real good. Shut the TS off from the crouched position. When I finally looked (is this a pattern for us?) I had a bruise the size of my hand, and a perfect .75x3 outline in blood. no skin was broken - it just seeped through. I felt ok in a few minutes, and it took 3 weeks to heal.

i saved the block of wood - it's a real conversation starter.

dammit, i was TRYING to be safe. From now on, i use the miter was - haven't had time to build a crosscut sled.

glad your ok too...

shelly

[Doug Miller]

That's exactly what made it into a problem. Hold on one side of the cut, and stand on that side. If the offcut becomes a projectile, you're out of the way. Holding both pieces ensures that you're in the line of fire if either one of them kicks back, and also, paradoxically, makes a kickback much more likely.

What did it get caught on?

[snip]

Well, yeah, but unfortunately you weren't trying in quite the right way, as noted above. Glad it wasn't any worse.

Crosscutting on the miter saw is indeed safer but the table saw is safe enough, as long as it's done right -- which means both hands on the same side of the blade, and no part of your body in line with the blade.

[Lee]

[J T]

Sat, Oct 21, 2006, 6:17pm (EDT-3) [e-mail] (Mike=A0in=A0Arkansas) doth whimper: Mercy, that shore did hurt a mite.

First rule. Always be scared of your power tools. Sounds like you let yourself get behind the blade. That's another rule, always stand to one side of the blade, just in case. If you remember to be scared, you'll proably remember to get out of line. Sounds like you also might not have been using push sticks, and/or a feather board. Most of my sawing is done using a saw sled, which makes things safer.

Don't do that again.

JOAT It's not hard, if you get your mind right.

- Granny Weatherwax

[B A R R Y]

I agree, but instead call it respect.

Driven blades, fast cars, and airplanes... Items you really want to stay ahead of. All can hurt you if you fall behind them.