Progressively more intimidating tools.

Most of the tools I have, I'm pretty confident using it. My first worm drive Skil circular saw had so much power as it would kick as soon as the trigger is pulled and would run away if both hands were not holding on to the saw, especially cutting up the floor. Pretty lucky with the tablesaw, couple of kickbacks was all and one loose carbide tip fling across the room at lightning speed. Drill press bit bind on a workpiece and almost took my hand off. Than came the chainsaw on the last cut on a 50 foot tree where it lean backward and bind the chain. The saw was useless at that point and I had no idea where that tree was going to land . Up to that point my most intimidating operation was ripping on a radial arm saw when the tablesaw was out of commission. Now the number spot, although not woodworking, is the handheld 14" gas saw with a composite cutting blade for steel. Couple of those blades blew up on me cutting at full throttle - just like a bomb went off. With about 5 hp at 4,000 rpm in your hands, you really have to think before hand how the cut is to be made and try to anticipate at what point the blade is going to bind or the work is going to shift and avoid the line of sight from the rotating blade or chain.

What is your most dangerous tool in your homeshop?

Reply to
** Frank **
Loading thread data ...
** Frank ** wrote: ...snip tales of misadventrure...

Sounds like it would be named Frank... :(

--

Reply to
dpb

None of the tools are dangerous. It's how you use them that makes them dangerous. Look into a diamond blade for the cutoff saw - those don't explode and cut _much_ faster and last _much_ longer. Well worth the money.

R
Reply to
RicodJour

They're ALL dangerous in the hands of someone who doesn't know how to use them properly. You seem to have more lives than a cat. I'm glad that I don't live or work near you.

Before you use any more tools you should get some good training in how to use them properly and safely. Everything that you have said indicates that you don't know how to use your tools properly or work safely.

Charley

Reply to
Charley

The one which has the power on at the moment I am working !

Mark

Reply to
Markem

Famous Grouse.

Reply to
HeyBub

Not one small accident in the shop throughout your lifetime? Sounds like no one had a table saw kickback, a thin piece of wood blown up in the planer, a drill bit bind on a workpiece, a chain came off on a chainsaw, etc. - not even once, year after year working with those tools? Never had a wrench slipped and skinned you hand either? My accidents happen over a 30 year period working on of off with tools. Those are one time events. I'm careful but also lucky.

As for the 14" gas saw, you could have a new defective composite blade shatter at full throttle even without doing any cutting action. I already noticed a new defective blade on the shelf at one of the big box stores and know its going to shatter. This was no a cheap blade either, you just need to inspect it every time before you start up the saw. As for the advice using diamond blade instead of a composite one to cut steel - don't do that. I have 10 new wet and dry 14" Hilti diamond blades and none for cutting steel - they don't make one.

I know couple of old time woodworkers missing a finger or two but they work on fast moving assembly lines cutting millions of board feet of wood year after year that most of us couldn't even come close. A few lumberjacks have chainsaw cuts on their bodies and a few died from falling limbs, contractors get hurt all the time from equipment failures or due to accidents they have no control on. I wouldn't say those professionals are dangerous as accidents do happen even after proper training and safety use of tools. Even a very respected woodworker doing a TV show cut his hand and continue working on the project smeared with blood. As I remembered, some of the TV personalities, contractor and designer types had accidents as well although they didn't air it on the show. See that famous bike builder on TV doing TIG welding without gloves or eye protection, or our favorite TV master carpenter ripping wood on the table saw without a fence? I don't remember seeing a blade guard on his table saw either.

I was just hoping some of you share your strange shop accident experiences and how to best avoided it in the future.

Reply to
** Frank **

"** Frank **" wrote in news:2LidnTq0EcSI0hXbnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

*snip*

Your original post made it seem like they were all happening one after the other. That's why you're getting the reactions you're getting. I've had my share of minor shop incidences, and the best thing to do is be aware of what can happen and have a game plan in the back of your head for responding when it does.

You know... it might just be safer to use a power tool with an appropriately rated extension cord than it is to plug it directly in to the wall...

Puckdropper

Reply to
Puckdropper

That would be the tool which I haven't used before and don't feel comfortable with.

I have yet to pick up a tool without asking myself the question...whilst studying the tool.."How can this piece of gear mess me up?" "If this thing jams, where will I end up?" "What part of this tool can eat me?"

When you don't know, Frank...don't plug the the thing into the outlet.... you see, when God created powertools, He didn't know that they made a secret pact to take eye-balls and fingers and toes without permission from the rightful owners.

It is part of the origiunal sin and 8 deadly sins-package (The 8th being the staining of cherry)

Reply to
Robatoy

Well since you mentioned chain saws ...yesterday was one of those "days"......I was using a small electric chain saw on a poll extension, trimming a flowering pear tree (very brittle) along the sidewalk.....a 5inch diameter branch where the lateral leaf canopy almost reached the power line into the house, was just asking to be cut. I had cut about 2/3rds through the branch when I stopped (depth of cut or visibility really sucks with those poll trimmers) and I moved to the other side to finish the cut...as I moved (thankfully) the branch split and lunged sideways and down into the power line......It yanked the steel support cable out and snapped the mast off of the house......The wire itself stayed intact although it was now a couple of feet off of the sidewalk and not much higher across the street and obviously under great tension with a branch stretched across it.....me thinks branches of that size, at least without a helper and a rope to control the fall should be avoided with a electric poll trimmer.....Rod

Reply to
Rod & Betty Jo

"Rod & Betty Jo" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com:

*snip: branch hitting power pole*

I haven't actually tried this (never had the problem) but supposedly you can call the phone or power company and ask them to remove branches approaching wires. Paying a guy $100 to take a branch down sure seems a lot more appealing than $2000 doing "cleanup" after a homeowner had an accident.

Puckdropper

Reply to
Puckdropper

Did you get into trouble or incur extra costs from the power company?

Reply to
Lee Michaels

Never did have an accident in the shop, no not one in my lifetime and I have been working with wood for around 50 years. Now if you want to talk stupid dangerous mistakes that's a whole different matter. I have had wood explode in my face, wood come flying back at me from the table saw, wood come flying off the lathe and hitting me in the face, to many cuts and contusions to count, cuts and beat up knuckles from the drill press and a lot of small blood spills on wood. All of my "accidents" were avoidable, if I had known what I was doing, been more careful, thought things through before I acted and not been so cocky. If you want to know which tool I am most careful with and has caused the most accidents in my shop it is the flathead screwdriver. It get used improperly all the time, gets little respect and has knicked me more then once. Number two on the list is my pocket knife for the same reason.

Reply to
sweet sawdust

Good post Frank, I suppose pride has something to do with the responses you are getting. If I had to rank my major machines in order of scaryness to me (from least to most scary) it would be be: Bandsaw, planer, CMS, router.

I have had scary moments with each of them, but for some reason the router scares me the most. Just yesterday I was creating shelving units on 3/4" MDF. I was using my router with a 3/4" straight bit & straight edge to create 1/4" deep dados in the case that the shelves would fit into. Everything was going fine, and the work was going very well until I noticed that the depth stop on my router didn't seem to be holding at 1/4". I made adjustments and it kept happening. Then I noticed that my dado was not the right depth so I turned off the router to examine it, and after the router stopped turning, the bit fell promptly to the ground.

The thing is: there are a lot of variables in woodworking, if you think you are immune to accidents just because you consider yourself a careful person you need to "humble-ize" your thinking down one notch. Do this for your own safety and those who depend on you.

Reply to
Todd the wood junkie

My brain, because it's the one that lets situations develop that result in the others doing harm.

Reply to
J. Clarke

Sun, Jul 1, 2007, 10:50am (EDT-3) snipped-for-privacy@xyz.net (**=A0Frank=A0**) sorh vuevlw: What is your most dangerous tool in your homeshop?

Poxkwrknidw.

JOAT If a man does his best, what else is there?

- General George S. Patton

Reply to
J T

I am confused, you start off with,

Never did have an accident in the shop, no not one in my lifetime and I have been working with wood for around 50 years.

Then you contradict that statement with,

I have had wood explode in my face, wood come flying back at me from the table saw, wood come flying off the lathe and hitting me in the face, to many cuts and contusions to count, cuts and beat up knuckles from the drill press and a lot of small blood spills on wood. All of my "accidents" were avoidable, if I had known what I was doing, been more careful, thought things through before I acted and not been so cocky.

Can you explain the change in comments? You do realize that accidents are often the result of mistakes.

Reply to
Leon

Free of charge by the power company in my area, trim once a year. They had also remove trees and re-plant lower growing species on another area away from the power line for free too.

Reply to
** Frank **

Accident: unavoidable or unexpected event, usually of a negative nature.

All "accidents" are caused by or are the result of mistakes. If I had checked the wood and the setup more carefully the wood would not have exploded because I would not have used a bad peace of wood under stressfull conditions. If I had checked the set up of my TS fence, hight of the blade and and other TS setup and safety issues before I cut I would not have had a kick back. The list goes on and on when ever I make a mistake and do not do the proper thing with my tools, I stand the chance of an "accident' due to my mistakes. So I am saying that all "accidents" are avoidable if you don't make mistakes. When you say you have had an accident you are saying that some where along the line you made a mistake that resulted in an "accident". I am not saying that bad things don't happen in my shop I am saying that they could be avoided, and some times I learn how to avoid them through having "accidents" which are my fault. So even though I have a lot of mishaps in my shop they are my fault and are avoidable if I took the time and effort to prevent them, which I will probably never do as well as I would like to.

Reply to
sweet sawdust

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.