Its a funny thing that we all talk a lot about table saw safety and power tools in general, but no one ever talks about hand tools. Last night I was using a japanese style saw to trim something and I used my finger to get the saw registered at the face, and whoops there went a whole chunk of finger tip (OK fine it wasn’t that bad, but ouch). It kind of reminded about the time I learned to be rediculously carfeul using chisels. I think its odd that after paying so much attention to being safe around power tools that I once on a great while let my attention lapse with hand tools. Anyone else find themselves in a similar situation. BE SAFE.
-Art K.
“there’s no such thing as a minor accident with a chainsaw”
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In the first hour of life with my new shavehook kit, I learned a similar lesson. Had laid the handle down with a triangular blade mounted, point of the triangle facing up....ooops....brushed my hand by it to reach for something and neatly, surgically almost, sliced across my hand.
Established a routine about where/how to "park" the shavehook.
Flexible flush-cut saw, cutting dowels -- finger should not have been so close, ouch! Sawblade slipped, rrrrrrip! Those ragged cuts realllllly hurt.
Over the years, I've developed a theory: the potential for hurting myself with a tool is inversely proportional to the sophistication of the tool. I've hurt myself with knives and screwdrivers more than anything else!
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" .... :>)
"Over the years, I've developed a theory: the potential for hurting myself with a tool is inversely proportional to the sophistication of the tool. I've hurt myself with knives and screwdrivers more than anything else!"
funny how that works.
-Art K.
Been there, done that!
I thought the REALLY sharp stuff was less dangerous??
They don't call it "scarey sharp" for nothing....
D
About a month ago I was in my basement where I keep my powertools - a dusty, neglected place since I have been using handtools in my handtool shop for about the last three years. I reached for a dovetail saw that was old and dull (sort of the fourth or fifth string of my dovetail saws - the good ones were all - you guessed it - in the handtools shop). I put it where I wanted to cut, pushed it forward, and - I have the benefit of mentally reconstructing this through a perception of slow motion - it leaped up into the air, quavered and shook for a nanosecond, and then, being the cheap-arsed, possessed-by-the-devil tool that it was, it fell right back down on my left index finger and established a nice kerf there. I was hard down for guitar playing for about two weeks, and what's more, to add insult to injury, not only did it get some finger, it got some fingernail, too - always a science project to get fingernails growing back to normal. Moral: don't use dull tools, just say no.
Speaking of nails (fingernails) I learned a trick from my now-retired MD a couple of years ago. Lost a toenail, due to plain stupidity, and as it grew back it wanted to curl down at the outer edges. Not pleasant. He had me gently file down the middle, upper surface (top face ) of the nail. The flattening of the upper surface released some tension and allowed the nail to grow out in more of a planar fashion.
Should have known that, given my experience with horses' hooves, but just didn't occur to me to compare my petite toe <g> with them.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 teach shop. The teacher in the next shop (woodworking) told me this story.
One day during class he heard; Ouch!, Ouch!, Ouch!. He went to find what was wrong and discovered a student using a handsaw. With each stroke he was hitting his hand and each time he hit it he said Ouch!. Live and learn? I think not.
Shop Teacher
Art -
Be it a power tool or hand tool, I've managed to keep all my body parts, and parts of body parts attached to each other with on simple guideline: No part of my anatomy is ever to be located in the path of the tool. That said, I did violate this rule once after finally obtaining a decent set of bench chisels. Having spent an hour flattening and honing the first one I had to try it out paring off a nubbin on the back of a lathe piece.
Amazing how easily a really sharp chisel will go through a 1/4" diameter piece of wood. Especially when you're holding it with your finger exposed on the opposite side.
At least with a really sharp tool, the cut is clean and it heals well.
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
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