“And the most important safety rule is..
forestgirl
| Posted in General Discussion on
…..or whatever Norm’s phrase is. Wear your safety glasses! I experienced “exploding plywood” tonight, using the miter saw of all things. Super-glad I had the safety glasses on. Was cutting a very small corner off of a home-plate-shaped piece of 3/4″ ply. It’s for a jig (or was, anyway), and there was a groove running near the corner, making the ply kinda weak there. As the blade came up out of the cut, a long narrow piece of the plywood (a layer) exploded off the board and flew in several directions. Whoooooopppppeeee.
forestgirl — you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can’t take the forest out of the girl 😉
Another proud member of the “I Rocked With ToolDoc Club” …. :>)
Edited 8/23/2005 2:24 am ET by forestgirl
Replies
No harm done , this time. But I am wandering why you had to fire up a power saw to cut "a very small corner"? ;-)
Go easy, Philip, it's a trap we all fall into.
I find I get into a 'machine' groove and don't think to pick up the hand tool that would do the job quicker and easier.
But to be fair, it's not always as simple as that. Some of us don't have hand skills (and that's not a criticism, just the way the world is), and often, even for tiny bits of wood, the glass-smooth finish of a good machine blade is actually unbeatable.http://www.macpherson.co.nz
"why you had to fire up a power saw to cut "a very small corner"? ;-)" I knew where the miter saw way, would have had to look for the hand saw, ROFL!!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Glad you're OK. Were you using reg plywood or baltic ply ? I've had the same thing happen with box store ply, but never with baltic.
Brent
"Were you using reg plywood or baltic ply?" Yep, it was scrap regular ply. Once I get the design down, I'll drag out the huge sheet of Baltic and replicate. I have to make three of them, each slightly different.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Glad you were not hurt, Forestgirl. Going to the ER for some eye work isn't a pleasant experience. One other safety rule that is seldom followed is to leave the saw blade down until it comes to a stop. This could save countless nicked fingers and hands and pieces don't go flying as often, either.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
"One other safety rule that is seldom followed is to leave the saw blade down until it comes to a stop. " Yeah, I know....... Too much work with 2x4's and not enough with stuff that counts!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
W.W.A.O.T.S. (while we are on the subject): I've gotten a metal sliver in my eye while wearing safety glasses. The best guess of the doc and everyone else was that the piece was in my eyebrow or hair (I had some then!!) and came down sometime after removing the glasses. Not as bad as a high speed impact to the eye but a couple of days with a patch and some pain. The moral to this short story: safety glasses are important but not always good enough. A face shield and even a hat are on occasion the right choice. KDM
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Metal sliver in eye can be bad news. It happened to my wife a few years ago. She got it into her head to do some tile demo work in the kitchen; was not wearing glasses and a bit of drywall screw flew at her.
Apparently the bad thing is if you don't notice it; tears are oxygen-rich and steel will readily rust in a day. Then the doctor needs to dig out some of the white part of the eye as well.
She loves her 20/15 custom-wavefront Lasik-corrected vision now, I don't need to remind her anymore about the safety glasses.
"She loves her 20/15 custom-wavefront Lasik-corrected vision now." I'm gonna do that next month! Probably will be more like 20/25 since my eyes are so bad, but still! forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Did mine on Friday.
Whole new world now...The older I get, the better I was....
Did you go with 20/20 in both eyes? I'm probably going to go with "monovision" -- that's the way my contact lenses are set up. One eye for distance, one eye for close up, don't have to use reading glasses very much that way!
Of course, if you're under 45 you wouldn't even know what I'm talking about, LOL!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
well, I'm 36 this week, but I know about monovision.
No, I went for 20/20, and it's come out about 20/15 now. Still got a ways to go, only been 5 days....
I figure that i'll be only too happy to get reading glasses when the time comes. (I was worse than 20/400 before....) Even cool safety glasses are available with reading lenses built in.The older I get, the better I was....
Well, guys (you and Philip), here's the next great thing in vision correction: A replacement lens that attaches to your muscles and focuses (stretches in and out) to give you the most perfect vision ever. That means that middle-aged presbyobia can be corrected! By the time I have my first cataract, I'll be able to opt for this type of lens at a nominal extra cost and my vision will be better than it's ever, ever been!
There's one doctor in WA State, I think, that's doing the procedure now. Getting the new type of lens costs about $1,000 more than the basic one when inserted in cataract surgery.
"I was worse than 20/400 before...." Yep, that's me too!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
I've heard about monovision contacts; I don't think I could get used to them. I tried progressive lenses for middle-aged presbyobia (I'm nearsighted as well), and they drove me nuts: headaches and dizziness.
Apparently the newest type of Lasik is the Custom Wavefront type. Most places don't do it, but my wife went to the Casey Eye Institute hear at Oregon Health Sciences University, and they can do it. Apparently you need a bit thicker corneas than you do for regular Lasik, so some long-term hard contact wearers cannot get it. But the acheivable correction is a bit better.
Her doctor told her about the new "bionic" lenses as well. For an extra $20K or so she could have fixed her presbyobia as well (she passed). And yes, apparently it just involves about the same routine surgery as for cataracts.
On the same subject, AAA just sent us a gift for being members for 30 years. It's a road atlas - in large print! How did they know I have trouble reading the tiny print on maps these days?
Hi Barry! The adjustment to monovision may not be as difficult as that to trifocals. Have you ever worn contacts? forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
My wife had the surgery 3 years ago. Was 20/20 for about 6 months then her eyes started going bad again. Had the surgery a 2nd time and it has held for about 2 years, but her vision is starting to revert once again. She is now wearing reading glasses which she never had to do before. Doc said the surgery fails after time quite a bit...She is however, the only person I know (out of many) who has had problems...
Oh dear, that's a drag to say the least. I'm trusting them to do a thorough exam and tell me if I don't fit the bill. Hopefully, that's a major part of it. After that, I'll just hope (again) that I don't turn out to be 1 of many! They are very up-front in there literature about complications and such -- detailed stats on what kinds of problems and what percentage of their patients experienced them. That's a good sign.
What vintage is your wife, may I ask? Please don't reveal her exact age and get me in trouble!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
She was 43 at the time. The touch up surgery was free of course, and they really did not want to do it, but it was her choice. Regardless, she is unable to have further procedures, unless of course there is some new advance in the procedure. Did not want to cause you any more concern than you most likely have...She was blind as a bat and has loved being able to get out of bed in the morning and not trip over the dogs...Best of luck...Jimmy...
"She was blind as a bat...." Me too, ROFL!! As far as her needing reading glasses, sounds like that was just around the corner anyway. When it happens, it's pretty sudden from what I recall.
Tell her when she's 65 or so and get the dreaded cataracts, she'll get that new lens (I'm sure they'll be standard by then) and have the best vision she can imagine!
I go tomorrow for my preliminary eval. Whoooopeeee.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
I'm under 45 and I know what you are talking about (44) I'll be heading to the pharmacy to get a pair of readers soon - crossword puzzle numbers are getting hard to read :-(MarkVisit my woodworking blog Dust Maker
Do you have 20/20 vision?? So you'd be enter the world of vision correction for the firs time? Get this -- my brother-in-law had 20/20 vision, was a commercial airlines pilot for 20 years or so. He simply refused to wear reading glasses, so he got the Lasik procedure to make one of his eyes nearsighted! So, he has monovision without wearing contacts! Too funny, not sure I'd go that far........forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Hi FG,
No I've been wearing glasses for distance since college. Now it's the close work that's getting to me...Reading rulers in the shop, crosswords... the good news is that I don't need to wear my "far" glasses for much other than driving.Mark
Visit my woodworking blog Dust Maker
not sure I'd go that far........Sort of like woodworking.. If it works GO FOR IT!
Hi FG,
I hope you don't mind a question that I've been wondering about for a while: Does the monovision treatment change your depth perception?
-Jazzdogg-
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
"Does the monovision treatment change your depth perception?" It didn't affect my depth perception at all. The biggest challenge was figuring out which eye to use for close and which for far. My right eye is a glutton -- the more correction you give it, the more it wants! We first tried making it the distance eye. Finally, we decided that since the R eye was the most nearsighted, we'd let it handle to close-up stuff. BINGO! Took maybe a week for it to feel totally natural.
Here's a tidbit for you, demonstrates how well the brain can accept this stuff we keep pulling on it. Experiment I read about in one of my college classes: The authors adorned several experimental subjects with special goggles that turned what they saw totally upside-down. The subjects wandered around seeing the world upside-down for however long (I think it was about a week maybe?) before their brains figured it out and started feeding the "corrected vision" -- rightside-up. Too, too, tooooooo weird! When they took the goggles off, the brain had to re-adjust and go back to "normal."
Eeeeeek! I just scheduled my Lasik appointments. If I prove to be a candidate, I'll have new eyes on September 21st!!!!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
F.G. I'm so glad the subject on that experiment returned to normal!! Can you imagine if the change was permanent. I think I know some folks like that! LOL. KDM
PS: Good luck on the business deals.Kenneth Duke Masters
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NRA Endowment Member
LEAA Life Member
CRPA Member
Thanks for the info, FG!
I can think of nothing better than to awake and go through my entire day without donning spectacles except for protection!
Were I to get Lasik, I can't help but wonder how long it would take for the seemingly permanent eyeglass indentations on my nose to go away - if ever.
Give us an update when/if you proceed with your surgery!
-Jazzdogg-
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
I still have to use reading glasses for really small print, and I wear them when I read in bed at night just because I'm reading for a longer period of time. Have to say, though, in the shop the reading glasses go on and come off quite frequently. Partly because my lighting isn't very good, I suspect, but also because it's so important to be precise.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Hey FG... I wear progressive trifocals. Whats the deal on contacs where one is for far and the other one for near. Never heard of this. I'll check of course with my MD, but how has it worked for you? Thanks, Jimmy.
It's called monovision and it's as described above -- you use one eye for distance and one for close-up. For instance, before I went to mono-vision, my right eye had a -5.50 prescription, and my left a -4.something. I had close to 20-20 vision, but when the middle-aged thing set in, I couldn't read without glasses. My current prescription has -3.75 for my right eye, so distance vision in the R eye is somewhat blurry, but I can read all but the smallest print with that eye. My left eye handles all the distance stuff but has difficulty reading unless I hold stuff way far away.
So, ain't it confusicating?? No, not really. The brain gets used to it, bascially pays attention to the most relevant signal, as it were, and ignores the unimportant one in whatever the situation is. We found the best combination to even give me medium-length (computer) vision, so I do fine with that too. The big trade-off in my case is distance vision. The super-detail in distant stuff is lacking, but it doesn't bother me all that much. Maybe because my distance vision has never been perfect anyway, so the trade-off is just fine in my book.
If you want to talk to an optometrist about monovision, I'd suggest it be someone who has a strong interest in contact lens work. It can take some persistence to find the right combination of lenses. In my previous post, I mentioned that it took awhile before we figured out which eye to use for close-up stuff.
Things are quite different in the shop, though. Because precision is so important, and my lighting is sub-par, I end up using my reading glasses quite a bit in the shop.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
The subjects wandered around seeing the world upside-down for however long (I think it was about a week maybe?) before their brains figured it out and started feeding the "corrected vision" -- rightside-up. Too, too, tooooooo weird! When they took the goggles off, the brain had to re-adjust and go back to "normal."I once did that when lookin' at a Blond... Then I realized I really liked Brunettes!
Ask if Lasik is permanent or just long term. If long term, what is their definition of "long"?
If not permanent, what then is the treatment?
A bad day woodworking is better than a good day working -- yes, I'm retired!
If they approve me as a patient, it's a pretty much a life-time thing I think. Can't find the literature they gave me (probably at work) but I remember there being something about any further correction being included in the package. They bascially go in and tune it up a bit.
I'm of an age that the next thing down the road, hopefully 10 years or so, would be cataract surgery, and the way technology is going now, that'll be a welcome thing!
This surgeon and eye care group is the one recommended by my optometrist and he's very, very picky!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
FG,
Lots of luck to you.
A bad day woodworking is better than a good day working -- yes, I'm retired!
Paps,
Tell us what you think/see now of the process.I am the same as Forestgirl, i.e. contact lenses with monovision. The last time I enquired about laser treatment I was given a video to study-it seemed then that my eyes are not suitable candidates for the treatment.Philip Marcou
Philip, how long ago did you enquire? If it was more than 4 or 5 years ago, you might want to check again. Here's some general information:http://www.eyesurgeryeducation.com/LASIK_Patient_Screening_Guidelines.htmlforestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
The older I get, the better I was....
But a bit slower!
Helo FG,
Glad you are unscathed. I've had things "blow up" in the miter saw several times. Unually because the piece was too short to be safely suported by the fence (very dangerous) or the piece was not againts the fence solidly due to debris or akward cutting angle.
Mike
Glad you can still SEE! Keep them safty glasses handy...
As an apprentice in the metal working industry we were told one basic safety rule which still makes so much sense and is very memorable.
'Never put your finger where you wouldn't put your XXXX'
A vivid adage, but of limited utility to half the world's population (including Forest Girl).Glaucon
If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...
'Never put your finger where you wouldn't put your XXXX' OH GEEEE I loved that one!
I always got a kick out of its companion phrase..."Never stick your finger in a hole that's not 98.6."
As a physician I've had my finger in a lot of those 98.6 holes. I well remember a guy saying, as he saw me lubricating my finger:"So, that 's what digital means".
Tom
Tom, I am a large animal vet and I use my whole arm !! :-)!!
So that would be limbal, correct ?
Pull out the plug ecch time you stop using a portable power tool and don't plug more than one power tool in at a time. How many of us picked up a saber saw or drill or router etc etc. and hit the switch by mistake? Steinmetz. Stay far away from and DON'T use a foot control switch on ANY power tool!
Edited 8/12/2006 3:00 am ET by Steinmetz
Glad you're OK.Safety glasses always,always,always.I'm on guys constantly in the shop to put them on.The mistake people make is thinking because you're not engaged in a task no harm can be done-WRONG!! Imagine one of those pieces that shot off your saw hitting someone 20 feet away.....I hate the emergency room!!
I wear a face shield ever since a high-velocity chip blasted my lip and the involuntary flinch put my finger scarily close to the buzzing saw blade.
Wow, glad everything was ok. It still amazes me to see people work with out them, but they do all the time. They are cheap protection as well.
Just like Clint Eastwood says in "Million Dollar Baby": protect yourself at all times....
Just another confirmation that you should wear your saftey glasses. Last night I was ripping a long piece of pine on the table saw. When the blade hit a small knot a piece flew out of the knot and hit my glasses. Now I'm REALLY glad I had those glasses on. Saved my eye.
I'm turning 43 this year. My optometrist has been warning me that I'm going to be needing bifocals in the near future. Looks like that future is now. Stinks getting old.
I had similar thoughts, turning 43 30 years ago. About that time my mother pointed out that it beat the alternative.
Tom
Okay, had a minor ER visit this weekend and thought I'd share so as maybe to spare someone else. I'm embarassed because this is a lesson I've learned the hard way before (I guess the previous minor injuries weren't enough to get it through my head) :
NEVER USE YOUR HAND AS A VISE WHEN WORKING WITH AN EDGE TOOL.
I was nearing the final work on an impromptu wooden lock project I undertook and realized on face of one piece was rubbing. Just need a slight touch on the end grain with a sharp chisel. Holding the piece in my left hand ... you guessed it the chisel let go of the wood and kept moving on a straight line into the back of my hand. Five stiches and a tetnus shot later, I'm fine, but let my blood lose save you some - TAKE THE EXTRA TEN SECONDS TO WALK TO THE VISE.
:-(
Hey, this thread is about Lasik, not safety!; ]
Hey, this thread is about Lasik, not safety!DAMN! I SURE HOPE IT IS SAFE!
Glad your not hurt, and thumb's up for wearing your safety glasses. I wear glasses but was always forgetting to put on safety glasses over them. I mentioned this to my eye doctor and he made my regular glasses safety glasses. Not that much more than regular glasses --- and I always have them on in the shop.
Be safe,
Dennis
"Dennis" Is this THE Dennis?? Welcome back!! Jeez, you have to start all over at 1. Bummer!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Forest.. I know this is a really old pos..
My wife got a wood sliver in her eye cleaning under our Fridge.. Really.. She was OK after the surgery..
Dang... womens do strange things... She took her glasses off I'd guess???
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