On Mon, 25 Feb 2008 09:05:33 -0800 (PST), DerbyDad03
wrote:


It's scary thinking about what the sprocket and chain with 0.5-1.0
HP behind it would do to a child's fingers...

You might be surprised how flexible a child's fingers can be.

When I was 11 YO and in Boy Scout camp, we had a "ferry" that went
across a small pond. A heavy rope was attached to one end of a
floating platform, wrapped around a tire rim attached to a tree on one
shore, back through 2 posts (front and rear) on the platform, then to
a tire rim on the other shore and back to the platform. If you were on
the ferry, you could pull yourself across the pond, or any one (or
more) on shore could pull the ferry across. When there was a bunch of
us trying to get the ferry across, we used to see how fast we could
get it moving.

One time while I was on shore with a bunch of boys pulling the ferry
as fast as we could, my feet slipped but I held on to the rope for
support. I was the last one in line and my fingers were pulled around
the tire rim, and bent backwards into the shape of the inside curve of
the rim. Hurt like h*ll! The medic said an adult's fingers would
have snapped, but I was just bruised and a few hours later my fingers
relaxed and I was able to bend them again.

That's why we should have more kids working in factories and the
needle trades, where they could be useful.

Granted, that wasn't a sprocket and a chain, which have the abilty to
puncture, but a kid's fingers just might give a little more than you
might imagine.

That said, put the opener out of reach!

Nah.