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.
I posted a question earlier about the feasibility of using two step ladders and a board for scaffolding... I think I've changed my mind about trying that ;)
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.
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.
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.
'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.
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.
In the UK if we had the right to carry a gun and be immune to defending ourselves against a mugger with a knife, or a burglar in the house, then I am all for it.
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