the other day at work we were making a refit door on a kitchen above a microwave. we were running the door thur a router table when my partner caught his pinky in the bit. he is a good carpenter and a safe worker. he still really dosnt know how it happened.but from the top knuckle up it is gone. i will never forget the sound when steel meets flesh. i stopped the bleeding and got ready to take him to the hospital and he asked any thing left we can take , i looked and said nothing to take. it was ground up. just that fast it was gone .it made us relize how quick this can happen.just letting everybody out there know becareful .sometimes we get going along and might lapse for that split second thats all it takes
becareful takecare
framer
Replies
Sorry about your coworker. Thanks for letting us know what happened and making us all think more about safety. I've seen so many talented woodworkers who are minus finger joints.
I like the router table, but that's the one thing that makes me think I'd be happier with the router up top and my two hands on the handles.
I agree, Unc. But I still have an extremely healthy respect for those things. Especially laminate trimmers. They seem so innocent; the size of a palm sander with warts and so easy to take for granted. Yet one's hands are ever so much closer to that spinning piece of flesh destroying, spinning carbide.
Gotta go count my fingers again.
...........
Dennis in Bellevue WA
[email protected]
I was using a roundover bit once, and again got distracted. I only had a wee bit peeking through the base (PC 690), and wasn't being as careful as I should have. I picked up the router without turning it off to reposition the piece, and my index finger curled around the base opening and came in contact with the spinning collett. I went from confused to scared to greatly releived in about a second and a half. Now I try not to ever take my eyes off a spinning blade or bit.
Tom
Framer,
I’m sorry to hear about your partner. I recently ran into a friend I had not seen for a wile. He looked like a truck had hit him and mentioned he had an accident wile working in his shop. He was changing a bit on his router table when he got distracted by someone pulling up to his garage, after the person left he went back to work and turned on the router without realizing he never tighten the bit, the bit flew into the left side of his face. To make this story short he now has about a hundred stitches and his left eye is swollen shut, luckily no damage was done to the eye. He will be fine except for a large scar to remind him of that incident.
I now double-check every piece of equipment before I turn it on and have a knee jerk reaction when I first turn on my router; I guess I’m a little paranoid.
Be safe out there, you can never be too careful.
RickL
framer,
Sorry to hear about your coworker.
Having worked wood for almost 20 years, I feel fortunate to have all my digits. About 5 years ago, the push stick I was using slipped and caught the emerging table saw blade on a board I was resawing. My band saw was in the shop for repairs. I had all kinds of safety gear going on this cut and thought I was okay. Thought the whole thing through from start to finish, even to the point of how to stand. Didn't have any fear of anything happening. When it caught the blade it kicked it back at me and my finger continued toward the blade. Fortunately, I just caught the tip of my right index finger, neatly splitting the nail and putting a red stripe up to the first joint; didn't even take stitches. Could have been a lot worse. Just goes to show, even when you use the ultimate of safety and care, stuff happens. Always be smart, think things through and then cleanse your mind of impure thoughts. It's still a possibility.
My brother stuck his thumb through an ogee bit while routing with a jig, 15 years ago. Took 3 months to heal and he still doesn't have full feeling.
Can still count to ten without being bare foot,
Kell
Accidents like this one I hear time and time again. It happens no matter how careful you are, that is why they call them accidents. Sorry to hear about your buddy, hope he heals as best as possible.
I was running stock thru my table saw the other day when my boy opened the door and began to yell at me over the saw noise. I wouldn't budge from my attention to the cut and he kept yelling. When I was done, I turned the machine off, turned to him and laid it on, he turned around crying and went back inside - never found out what he was trying to tell me. I felt bad about it but felt it had to be done -- "Do not try to get my attention when I am in the middle of a cut". Since then I have educated them on what each tool does and what can happen when one is distracted in the middle of a cut. I guess I am partly to blame for not doing that earlier but he understands now. If he wants something now, he will stand at the door silently until I am done.
Marcello
Sorry to hear about your partner.
You may want to have a look around the shop for the slices. I discovered that router bits don't grind. They slice....... very, very thin slices......50,000 of them each minute.... appropriate-as-sections-for-histology kind of slices...... and they turn up all over after the accident. They do seem to dry out without stinking but it's an ugly suprise to find yet another cross section of your ex-finger stuck to some tool.
I discovered that router bits don't grind. They slice.......
Is this the scientific method in which you place so much stock?????
I must not sharpen my bits enough. My router just whomped off a bit of the tip, but there was this nice flap left to stitch over the end--barely shows anymore.
I wouldn't call it the scientific method - I didn't set out to prove or disprove a hypothesis, there wasn't an experimental plan and I didn't have a control group. Anecdotal observation maybe? I had the same flap experience, problem is that the nail bed got folded along with the flap so the nail points in a different direction than the finger. Not pretty, but great for scratching behind my ears.
BTW, making my second pass at Lila but so far no sparks.
This is a hazardous trade people. You can do everything right and still have an accident! Sorry to hear about these bad accidents but lets not kid each other into thinking any of us are immune. Please be safe!
One time I was using a spline bit to machine cam lock groves into the melamine cabinets that I was building. I had the bit chucked down as hard as it would go, as well as the router base, but in an instant the spline bit sheered off the 1/4" shank and proceeded to bounce around inside the cabinet about 4 or 5 times ending up sticking into the melamine in the end. . . Please read these precautions that will help keep you safe.
* Use feather boards and power feeds when possible.* Use push sticks and jigs and stand away from points of impact.* USE YOUR HEADS! * If you don't feel comfortable about something- ask.* Step away from the production aspect if your starting to get memorized.
I could go on but I hope that's enough.- sorry again to your friend and everyone else...Pike
Speaking of nails...when i cut my finger off and they pinned it back on, the nail didn't grow at all for at least a month while i contemplated whether the other nine would be able to take up the slack in my nail-biting regimen. I was thinking i might have to become a plumber, give up the habit, if it got any worse.
I think my love of Zen and... sent me deep into Lila--i liked it esp after the crazy woman was on the boat--but other friends have also thought it was a yawner.
Splintie, plumbers don't bite their nails and they don't lick their fingers either. This is not directed towards you or any one else for that mater, but after nearly 30 years at this carpentry/cabinetry work I can honestly say that I can still count on 8 fingers and two thumbs. I've worked with just about every power tool in almost every situation. Guards pinned back, 25ft cords, yeah all the usual nightmare stuff. Yet I still have em all and I attribute it to one simple thing... No drugs, no booze, no goofy antics and a break every two hours. Pretty simple stuff when you think about it but it works.
I still have fun at work and wouldn't think twice about nailing the boss in the porta-potty and tippin it over however, my best was when I filled the apprentices 1/2 ton truck with a ton of gravel.... He was touting his hot date and... well, I think she's still waiting.
In any case, the bottom line is that no one needs to get hurt if you just take the time to think and concentrate on what you are doing.
For the person that got upset for being interupted while trying to work. I hear you ! That is the one situation that scares me the most. But.... how can you get upset at someone that has no clue... Just let them know that this is not a good thing and that if they keep it up... Santa Claus may not show up next year and it will be their fault... LOL.
Best of luck to everyone.. I hope that safety doesn't scare you away from fine woodworking. That would be a loss far greater than a few, (none the less serious), stories about missing digits.
Edited 12/12/2002 10:45:25 PM ET by no one
but after nearly 30 years at this carpentry/cabinetry work ...........
Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought your background was computer networks?
No one said that ? LOL. See how well the nic name plays. I was having a two beers two many night last night. Gotta learn to stay away from here when I'm in that state of mind.
After working with the FAA for the last 5+ years, I've learned that there really isn't such a thing as an accident. When we write reports, we're not allowed to use the word accident. Everything that happens is an "Incident: An occurrence or event that interrupts normal procedure or precipitates a crisis."
All incidents (or accidents if you insist) are avoidable, it just depends on the operator and how much effort he wants to put into avoiding it, or if a 1/4" shank was strong enough for that operation, or if the machine guard was installed and being used, or etc...etc...
I know what you mean. Sometimes you just need to blow off steam.
I attribute it to one simple thing... No drugs, no booze, no goofy antics and a break every two hours
Well, no wonder ya think ya got ten digits--ya can't count!
Hah you got me there..... Must have been one two many after work beers. LOL.
This would be a different finger than the aforementioned flapper?
Framer,
OUCH. I sure know what it is like both to witness carpentry accidents and be inflicted of same. The blood stories I could tell... Ya know though, lately I have been thinking (Freudian free association) that present wood cutting technology may be hopelessly outdated and that maybe it is time for a paradigm shift into a new realm. Maybe all these injuries and lost digits could in the future be avoided if only some scientist (smarter than me) could invent a way to shape wood with ultrasound or lasers or microwaves or telepathy, or some new idea that would disrupt the molecular nature of wood safely into the shape desired with minimal loss of life and limb to us humans. It seems to me that current wood working technology is vastly out of sync with relative modern developments. We (the human thinkers and inventors) can send satellites,people, and robots to outer realms of space but still can't invent a table saw, router, lathe, shaper etc that will cut squarely, predictably, and safely? In the grand scheme of things, what is wrong with this picture??
I sure hope your partner is eligible for workman's comp due to the loss of digit. You are a good coworker to have been there to provide first aid and emotional support. Keep framin!!
sawick
Actually, the whole notion of woodworking machines is outdated. Read about the creation of tree products in Orson Scott Card's book Xenocide.
I can beat that and prove what many people here have thought for a long time - I'm a dumbass. I cut the absolute hell out of my thumb with a handsaw, no less, on October 29th. I had my left hand resting too close to the cut line while making a crosscut. The saw jumped the kerf on the downstroke, went straight down my thumb all the way to the bone and completely through my thumbnail which had to be removed.
If I had not been in a hurry it never would have happened. I did not lose my thumb, but something is screwed up because I can only bend it very slightly. I'm going to see an orthopedic surgeon in another month if it doesn't get better. It's pretty much useless now.
Edited 12/15/2002 5:40:30 PM ET by CHASSTANFORD
I wouldn't wait a month. I'm not a doctor, but you may have cut a tendon and time may be "of the essence". Your thumb is what makes your hand so valuable. Lose it and you've lost a large percentage of your hand.
John
I appreciate the concern. The emergency room doc. who removed the stitches after ten days advised giving it a little time. Maybe this was bad advice. X-rays taken on day of accident were neg. for bone damage. But the feeling is like something is stuck in the knuckle of my thumb which will not let it move past a certain point.
I think I'm going to make an appointment with somebody next week.
Let us know how it works out. A happy ending would be a nice Christmas present.
John
John, I haven't gone to see anybody but the thumb is about the same, but maybe there's a little more mobility - but I stress the maybe part. I'll keep you updated.
Good luck. Hate to sound paternal, but at this point I'd see somebody. Sometimes, waiting too long takes you past the point where something can be done to fix things.
Happy New Year.
John
I am quite sorry to hear that your injury is not resolving itself better. You will be in my thoughts for a full and prompt recovery.
Alan
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