Well, the tablesaw finally bit me this afternoon. I was ripping a piece
of padauk to 2.5" wide. I had my fingers hooked over the rip fence and
was pushing with my thumb and index finger. I'm still not sure what
happened, but at the end of the cut somehow my thumb slipped and caught
the back edge of the blade.

Luckily it was the back edge - it threw my thumb up and away. No bone or
nerve damage according to the hospital, but I lost a little fingernail
and a lot of the pad of my thumb. Looked like fresh hamburger.
Everything should heal OK with no permanent damage.

Maybe I should have been using a push stick. I always do if the rip is
2" or less, but wider than that I've always just pushed it through as
described above. My new rule will be 3" or less.

What's really bad is that I'm working at Woodcraft again, just for the
holiday season. I'm going in tomorrow and I can just hear the chorus of
"you shoulda' had a SawStop" :-).

P.S. I expected the emergency room to be full of swine flu patients, but
nary a one. They told me cases had been dropping off rapidly.

--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw

Larry Blanchard wrote:

Well, the tablesaw finally bit me this afternoon. I was ripping a piece
of padauk to 2.5" wide. I had my fingers hooked over the rip fence and
was pushing with my thumb and index finger. I'm still not sure what
happened, but at the end of the cut somehow my thumb slipped and caught
the back edge of the blade.


Ouch! Sorry to hear that

Luckily it was the back edge - it threw my thumb up and away. No bone or
nerve damage according to the hospital, but I lost a little fingernail
and a lot of the pad of my thumb. Looked like fresh hamburger.
Everything should heal OK with no permanent damage.


Glad to hear that it will heal OK. Best of luck for quick recovery


Maybe I should have been using a push stick. I always do if the rip is
2" or less, but wider than that I've always just pushed it through as
described above. My new rule will be 3" or less.

What's really bad is that I'm working at Woodcraft again, just for the
holiday season. I'm going in tomorrow and I can just hear the chorus of
"you shoulda' had a SawStop" :-).

P.S. I expected the emergency room to be full of swine flu patients, but
nary a one. They told me cases had been dropping off rapidly.


--

There is never a situation where having more rounds is a disadvantage

Rob Leatham

Larry Blanchard wrote,on my timestamp of 15/11/2009 2:06 PM:

of padauk to 2.5" wide. I had my fingers hooked over the rip fence and
was pushing with my thumb and index finger. I'm still not sure what
happened, but at the end of the cut somehow my thumb slipped and caught
the back edge of the blade.

Ouch! Make sure you figure out how, Larry: only way to sensibly avoid it in future.


Luckily it was the back edge - it threw my thumb up and away. No bone or
nerve damage according to the hospital, but I lost a little fingernail
and a lot of the pad of my thumb. Looked like fresh hamburger.
Everything should heal OK with no permanent damage.


Fast recovery and fast healing wishes!

On Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:06:38 -0600, Larry Blanchard
wrote:

Well, the tablesaw finally bit me this afternoon.

Ouchers! And condolences.

And thanks for posting.

Safety HAS to be a controlling factor. Keep posting the losses and
near lossese.

-jbb

Well I guess my 2" rule goes to 3" also.

Interesting, I've seen a few injuries off the top of back of the
blade. It is easy to envision pushing into the leading edge but we
don't think to much about it as we pull our hands back after a cut,
especially when repetitive.

Fast healing.

On Nov 14, 7:06*pm, Larry Blanchard wrote:
Well, the tablesaw finally bit me this afternoon. *I was ripping a piece
of padauk to 2.5" wide. *I had my fingers hooked over the rip fence and
was pushing with my thumb and index finger. *I'm still not sure what
happened, but at the end of the cut somehow my thumb slipped and caught
the back edge of the blade.

Luckily it was the back edge - it threw my thumb up and away. *No bone or
nerve damage according to the hospital, but I lost a little fingernail
and a lot of the pad of my thumb. *Looked like fresh hamburger. *
Everything should heal OK with no permanent damage.

Maybe I should have been using a push stick. *I always do if the rip is
2" or less, *but wider than that I've always just pushed it through as
described above. *My new rule will be 3" or less.

What's really bad is that I'm working at Woodcraft again, just for the
holiday season. *I'm going in tomorrow and I can just hear the chorus of
"you shoulda' had a SawStop" :-).

P.S. *I expected the emergency room to be full of swine flu patients, but
nary a one. *They told me cases had been dropping off rapidly.

--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw

Larry Blanchard wrote:
Well, the tablesaw finally bit me this afternoon. I was ripping a piece
of padauk to 2.5" wide. I had my fingers hooked over the rip fence and
was pushing with my thumb and index finger. I'm still not sure what
happened, but at the end of the cut somehow my thumb slipped and caught
the back edge of the blade.

Owwiee! :-#

Luckily it was the back edge - it threw my thumb up and away. No bone or
nerve damage according to the hospital, but I lost a little fingernail
and a lot of the pad of my thumb. Looked like fresh hamburger.
Everything should heal OK with no permanent damage.

Best wishes for a quick mend...

Maybe I should have been using a push stick. I always do if the rip is
2" or less, but wider than that I've always just pushed it through as
described above. My new rule will be 3" or less.

Y'know, I'm beginning to like the idea of those Grabber gizmos more and
more.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

Larry Blanchard said:

Well, the tablesaw finally bit me this afternoon. I was ripping a piece
of padauk to 2.5" wide. I had my fingers hooked over the rip fence and
was pushing with my thumb and index finger. I'm still not sure what
happened, but at the end of the cut somehow my thumb slipped and caught
the back edge of the blade.

The stock was 2.5" but apparently your thumb was 3" long. ;-)
Sorry to hear it. I've never contacted the blade and am super careful,
but I've had it throw things back and impact my hand. Hurts like hell.

....
What's really bad is that I'm working at Woodcraft again, just for the
holiday season. I'm going in tomorrow and I can just hear the chorus of
"you shoulda' had a SawStop" :-).

Maybe the Feds should.... ;-)

If you are married and are desirous of a new tool, it does look like a
nice piece and should be an easy sell to the wife at this point. When
I was shopping for a saw, I really liked the movable splitter and the
clean design, but the price tag was roughly double of what my Unisaw
cost and it was in public beta at the time. So I don't own one
either...

Glad you survived with all digits intact!
There but for the grace of the wooddorking gods...

Perhaps you can pick up an extra buck or two as a window display
hawking the SS. ;-)


Greg G.

"Larry Blanchard" wrote in message
...
Well, the tablesaw finally bit me this afternoon. I was ripping a piece
of padauk to 2.5" wide. I had my fingers hooked over the rip fence and
was pushing with my thumb and index finger. I'm still not sure what
happened, but at the end of the cut somehow my thumb slipped and caught
the back edge of the blade.

Luckily it was the back edge - it threw my thumb up and away. No bone or
nerve damage according to the hospital, but I lost a little fingernail
and a lot of the pad of my thumb. Looked like fresh hamburger.
Everything should heal OK with no permanent damage.

Maybe I should have been using a push stick. I always do if the rip is
2" or less, but wider than that I've always just pushed it through as
described above. My new rule will be 3" or less.

What's really bad is that I'm working at Woodcraft again, just for the
holiday season. I'm going in tomorrow and I can just hear the chorus of
"you shoulda' had a SawStop" :-).

P.S. I expected the emergency room to be full of swine flu patients, but
nary a one. They told me cases had been dropping off rapidly.

--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw


Glad it's only minor. I did the same a little while back, middle LH finger.
Wasn't using a push stick then, .......do now.

Hope it heals quickly.

diggerop

"Larry Blanchard" wrote in message
...
Well, the tablesaw finally bit me this afternoon.

Sorry you had the accident, but it sounds like you'll heal OK and
that you learned from the experience. It's a shame when something
like that happens.

--
Nonny

What does it mean when drool runs
out of both sides of a drunken
Congressmans mouth?

The floor is level.

"Dave Balderstone" wrote in
message
news:141120092259236035%dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_Sbalderst one.ca...
In article ,
Larry
Blanchard wrote:

Well, the tablesaw finally bit me this afternoon. I was
ripping a piece
of padauk to 2.5" wide. I had my fingers hooked over the rip
fence and
was pushing with my thumb and index finger. I'm still not sure
what
happened, but at the end of the cut somehow my thumb slipped
and caught
the back edge of the blade.

You dumb ****...

Luckily it was the back edge - it threw my thumb up and away.
No bone or
nerve damage according to the hospital, but I lost a little
fingernail
and a lot of the pad of my thumb. Looked like fresh hamburger.
Everything should heal OK with no permanent damage.

The nastiest cut I ever got in the shop was from a plain old
hacksaw and not from a power tool at all. I was cutting a tire
chain link with the hacksaw, holding the link in Vice Grips when I
gave a big "glory stroke." The first inch of the glory stroke cut
through the remainder of the link, with the balance across my left
index finger. It was opened up about half way into the bone.
Snow was a** deep to a 10' Indian and there was no chance of just
casually going to see a Dr. I was pretty much on my own, with the
help of the family and a neighbor.

My 12 year old son and 10 year old daughter heard me "casually
mention" my dismay at what I'd done, and came running. Once it
was obvious that I was not going to die, the kids got a lot of
entertainment looking into the wound and identifying body parts.
It was still something between spurting blood and just a rivulet
when my son turned to me and said, "Remember, Dad, pain follows
stupidity."

Later, after I'd splinted and bandaged the finger, I made certain
that he understood that speaking out like that was also an act of
stupidity. grin

--
Nonny

What does it mean when drool runs
out of both sides of a drunken
Congressmans mouth?

The floor is level.

"Larry Blanchard" wrote

What's really bad is that I'm working at Woodcraft again, just for the
holiday season. I'm going in tomorrow and I can just hear the chorus of
"you shoulda' had a SawStop" :-).

Think of it as an opportunity to sell some stuff. Just hold up your mangled
thumb and go, "If I had one of these, I wouldn't have this chewed up thumb."
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!

Good thing it wasn't too serious. And you will LEARN from it as well.

Larry Blanchard wrote:

Well, the tablesaw finally bit me this afternoon. I was ripping a piece
of padauk to 2.5" wide. I had my fingers hooked over the rip fence and
was pushing with my thumb and index finger. I'm still not sure what
happened, but at the end of the cut somehow my thumb slipped and caught
the back edge of the blade.

Luckily it was the back edge - it threw my thumb up and away. No bone or
nerve damage according to the hospital, but I lost a little fingernail
and a lot of the pad of my thumb. Looked like fresh hamburger.
Everything should heal OK with no permanent damage.

Maybe I should have been using a push stick. I always do if the rip is
2" or less, but wider than that I've always just pushed it through as
described above. My new rule will be 3" or less.

What's really bad is that I'm working at Woodcraft again, just for the
holiday season. I'm going in tomorrow and I can just hear the chorus of
"you shoulda' had a SawStop" :-).

P.S. I expected the emergency room to be full of swine flu patients, but
nary a one. They told me cases had been dropping off rapidly.


Happen to me a few months back. Just caught the tip of my thumb. I don't
ever remember moving my thumb that fast ever. Just nicked the skin and tip,
healed up very fast. I knew why it happened, I was in a hurry and was not
using a push stick.
Glad it wasn't to bad on you. But it will teach a good lesson without much
loss. It could have been a much worse lesson.

--
"You can lead them to LINUX
but you can't make them THINK"
Running Mandriva release 2008.0 free-i586 using KDE on i586
Website Address http://rentmyhusband.biz/

On Nov 14, 7:06*pm, Larry Blanchard wrote:
Well, the tablesaw finally bit me this afternoon. *I was ripping a piece
of padauk to 2.5" wide. *I had my fingers hooked over the rip fence and
was pushing with my thumb and index finger. *I'm still not sure what
happened, but at the end of the cut somehow my thumb slipped and caught
the back edge of the blade.

Luckily it was the back edge - it threw my thumb up and away. *No bone or
nerve damage according to the hospital, but I lost a little fingernail
and a lot of the pad of my thumb. *Looked like fresh hamburger. *
Everything should heal OK with no permanent damage.

Maybe I should have been using a push stick. *I always do if the rip is
2" or less, *but wider than that I've always just pushed it through as
described above. *My new rule will be 3" or less.

What's really bad is that I'm working at Woodcraft again, just for the
holiday season. *I'm going in tomorrow and I can just hear the chorus of
"you shoulda' had a SawStop" :-).

P.S. *I expected the emergency room to be full of swine flu patients, but
nary a one. *They told me cases had been dropping off rapidly.

Oooo! that hurts! Sorry Larry. Scary, I usually rip 2-3" pieces
without a dead cat. Hope you heal quickly.

Luigi

Luigi

"Larry Blanchard" wrote in message
...
Well, the tablesaw finally bit me this afternoon. I was ripping a piece
of padauk to 2.5" wide. I had my fingers hooked over the rip fence and
was pushing with my thumb and index finger. I'm still not sure what
happened, but at the end of the cut somehow my thumb slipped and caught
the back edge of the blade.

Luckily it was the back edge - it threw my thumb up and away. No bone or
nerve damage according to the hospital, but I lost a little fingernail
and a lot of the pad of my thumb. Looked like fresh hamburger.
Everything should heal OK with no permanent damage.

Maybe I should have been using a push stick. I always do if the rip is
2" or less, but wider than that I've always just pushed it through as
described above. My new rule will be 3" or less.

What's really bad is that I'm working at Woodcraft again, just for the
holiday season. I'm going in tomorrow and I can just hear the chorus of
"you shoulda' had a SawStop" :-).

P.S. I expected the emergency room to be full of swine flu patients, but
nary a one. They told me cases had been dropping off rapidly.

--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw


I had an OOPS in April, lost 3/4's of my left index finger. I have another
surgery in 3 weeks to fix a problem. I have NO idea what happened, all I
remember is being outsde the shop looking at what used to be a finger and
saying OH ****.
Just goes to show ya what happens when you have a brain fart!

"Larry Blanchard" wrote in message
...
Well, the tablesaw finally bit me this afternoon. I was ripping a piece
of padauk to 2.5" wide. I had my fingers hooked over the rip fence and
was pushing with my thumb and index finger. I'm still not sure what
happened, but at the end of the cut somehow my thumb slipped and caught
the back edge of the blade.

If you still don't know what happened, chances are you might do it again. I
had a similar accident 20 years ago. I "thought" it was kick back, that is
all I remember. After returning from the ER I noticed that my wood was
neatly stacked and had no blood on it. Obviously I was not cutting when I
cut my thumb. About 1 year later I almost did it again and realized at that
moment what I was doing when I cut the end of my thumb off. I was not
cutting however after a dodo cutting operation I was reaching to lift the
top fence off the TS immediately after turning the saw off. I raked my
thumb right over the top of the blade as I reached for the fence.
Fortunately this time I my thumb was shorter and I only felt the wind coming
off the top of the blade.



Luckily it was the back edge - it threw my thumb up and away. No bone or
nerve damage according to the hospital, but I lost a little fingernail
and a lot of the pad of my thumb. Looked like fresh hamburger.
Everything should heal OK with no permanent damage.

I removed the bone and flesh between my thumb pad and nail, down to the
first knuckle. The plastic surgeon on call removed my nail and wrapped my
thumb pad around the end of the newly sculpted knuckle.
Exect your thumb to feel very strange for quite a while. Things are not
going to feel like they are in the right place. ;~)



Maybe I should have been using a push stick. I always do if the rip is
2" or less, but wider than that I've always just pushed it through as
described above. My new rule will be 3" or less.

I don't and will not use a push stick. What you need to use and what I use
is this.

http://www.microjig.com/ I have 2.

Expensive, a little but dam cheap compared to what the accident just cost
you. A SawStop would not be a bad idea either. And yes the SawStop is
probably cheaper than what this accident just cost you also. A push stick
typically does nothing to prevent the back of the blade from lifting the
wood up and throwing it back at you even if it is not a kick back. You
really need to firmly hold the wood DOWN on the TS surface when cutting.





What's really bad is that I'm working at Woodcraft again, just for the
holiday season. I'm going in tomorrow and I can just hear the chorus of
"you shoulda' had a SawStop" :-).

Oops, did I just mention that?

Remember, you said it, you don't really remember what happened. You really
can't say what it would take to prevent you from making that mistake again.
Be very cautious and up your investment in better safety equipment.




P.S. I expected the emergency room to be full of swine flu patients, but
nary a one. They told me cases had been dropping off rapidly.


IMHO the Swine Flu epidemic was only a reality in the eyes of the media.
When the regular regular flu kills 75 times more people every year you know
it is all just hype. I suspect that the slow down on the media reports
probably is the reason for the lower amount of people showing up at the
hospital.

"Noons" wrote in message
...
Larry Blanchard wrote,on my timestamp of 15/11/2009 2:06 PM:

of padauk to 2.5" wide. I had my fingers hooked over the rip fence and
was pushing with my thumb and index finger. I'm still not sure what
happened, but at the end of the cut somehow my thumb slipped and caught
the back edge of the blade.

Ouch! Make sure you figure out how, Larry: only way to sensibly avoid it
in future.


Very good advice but I found that it took almosting repeating the same
mistake to realize what actually happened.

Several replies with the same description. Most all included, "I don't
remember what happened".

I can only say you cannot be too careful because sometimes what happens is
you find that you are not as careful as you thought you were. When you
consider that a machine that is turning has the potential of doing harm to
you whether you are operating it or not it helps you to realize that all of
what you know about safety is not enough.

It is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when. What are you going to do
to improve your odds.

Leon wrote:
"Larry Blanchard" wrote in message
...
Maybe I should have been using a push stick. I always do if the rip is
2" or less, but wider than that I've always just pushed it through as
described above. My new rule will be 3" or less.

I don't and will not use a push stick. What you need to use and what I use
is this.

http://www.microjig.com/ I have 2.

Expensive, a little but dam cheap compared to what the accident just cost
you. A SawStop would not be a bad idea either. And yes the SawStop is
probably cheaper than what this accident just cost you also. A push stick
typically does nothing to prevent the back of the blade from lifting the
wood up and throwing it back at you even if it is not a kick back. You
really need to firmly hold the wood DOWN on the TS surface when cutting.

I agree absolutely. If you don't have a *pair* of GRR-Rippers, drop what you're doing and
order a couple right now; do not pass "Go", do not collect $100, and don't bitch about the
price. Be sure and get the 1/8" leg assembly; they are very useful.

--
Free bad advice available here.
To reply, eat the taco.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbqboyee/

On Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:26:06 -0600, Morris Dovey wrote:

Larry Blanchard wrote:
Well, the tablesaw finally bit me this afternoon. I was ripping a
piece of padauk to 2.5" wide. I had my fingers hooked over the rip
fence and was pushing with my thumb and index finger. I'm still not
sure what happened, but at the end of the cut somehow my thumb slipped
and caught the back edge of the blade.



Y'know, I'm beginning to like the idea of those Grabber gizmos more and
more.

Upon reflection, I think what happened was that the wood started to fall
off the back of the table and while pushing down my thumb slipped
sideways. If so, the rollers wouldn't have helped, the wood would have
been past them. But I do use them a lot and like them.




--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw

On Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:30:08 -0500, Greg G. wrote:



If you are married and are desirous of a new tool, it does look like a
nice piece and should be an easy sell to the wife at this point.

Unfortunately, even if I had the money I don't have the space.

Perhaps you can pick up an extra buck or two as a window display hawking
the SS. ;-)


I did think of putting a sign around my neck and standing by the SS :-).

--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw

Larry Blanchard wrote:

On Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:26:06 -0600, Morris Dovey wrote:

Larry Blanchard wrote:
Well, the tablesaw finally bit me this afternoon. I was ripping a
piece of padauk to 2.5" wide. I had my fingers hooked over the rip
fence and was pushing with my thumb and index finger. I'm still not
sure what happened, but at the end of the cut somehow my thumb slipped
and caught the back edge of the blade.



Y'know, I'm beginning to like the idea of those Grabber gizmos more and
more.

Upon reflection, I think what happened was that the wood started to fall
off the back of the table and while pushing down my thumb slipped
sideways. If so, the rollers wouldn't have helped, the wood would have
been past them. But I do use them a lot and like them.




Ever go to your butcher and see the guys cutting meat using those Chain Mail
gloves. Not sure of the spelling but that could help if your fingers
weren't forced into the blade. Just wonder if anyone would ever bother to
put them on.
--
"You can lead them to LINUX
but you can't make them THINK"
Running Mandriva release 2008.0 free-i586 using KDE on i586
Website Address http://rentmyhusband.biz/

Larry Blanchard said:

On Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:30:08 -0500, Greg G. wrote:

If you are married and are desirous of a new tool, it does look like a
nice piece and should be an easy sell to the wife at this point.

Unfortunately, even if I had the money I don't have the space.

I gotcha. And empathize thoroughly. Mine gets used as a storage shelf
and assembly table more often than not.

Perhaps you can pick up an extra buck or two as a window display hawking
the SS. ;-)

I did think of putting a sign around my neck and standing by the SS :-).

Just make sure you get a cut of the commissions.
Take pictures, bloody it up a bit, shove it in wives and kids faces,
display the hospital bills. Thar's gold in them thar injuries.

Seriously, though. I'm truly glad it wasn't worse.
Tongues, on the other hand... ;-)
(Not yours, of course.)


Greg G.

evodawg said:

Larry Blanchard wrote:

On Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:26:06 -0600, Morris Dovey wrote:

Larry Blanchard wrote:
Well, the tablesaw finally bit me this afternoon. I was ripping a
piece of padauk to 2.5" wide. I had my fingers hooked over the rip
fence and was pushing with my thumb and index finger. I'm still not
sure what happened, but at the end of the cut somehow my thumb slipped
and caught the back edge of the blade.



Y'know, I'm beginning to like the idea of those Grabber gizmos more and
more.

Upon reflection, I think what happened was that the wood started to fall
off the back of the table and while pushing down my thumb slipped
sideways. If so, the rollers wouldn't have helped, the wood would have
been past them. But I do use them a lot and like them.


Ever go to your butcher and see the guys cutting meat using those Chain Mail
gloves. Not sure of the spelling but that could help if your fingers
weren't forced into the blade. Just wonder if anyone would ever bother to
put them on.

Anything that would tend to catch on a sharp blade tip sounds like a
bad idea to me. Chain mail mesh is great for long blades, but...


Greg G.

evodawg wrote:
Larry Blanchard wrote:

On Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:26:06 -0600, Morris Dovey wrote:

Larry Blanchard wrote:
Well, the tablesaw finally bit me this afternoon. I was ripping a
piece of padauk to 2.5" wide. I had my fingers hooked over the rip
fence and was pushing with my thumb and index finger. I'm still
not sure what happened, but at the end of the cut somehow my thumb
slipped and caught the back edge of the blade.



Y'know, I'm beginning to like the idea of those Grabber gizmos more
and more.

Upon reflection, I think what happened was that the wood started to
fall off the back of the table and while pushing down my thumb
slipped sideways. If so, the rollers wouldn't have helped, the wood
would have been past them. But I do use them a lot and like them.




Ever go to your butcher and see the guys cutting meat using those
Chain Mail gloves. Not sure of the spelling but that could help if
your fingers weren't forced into the blade. Just wonder if anyone
would ever bother to put them on.

Not wise to use those with a table saw--it will pull the glove off and all
the skin from your hand with it. They're fine for knives and chisels and
maybe for meat slicers, but not for saws.

I use one when I'm slicing with a mandoline--now _that_ is a scary tool.

J. Clarke wrote:

evodawg wrote:
Larry Blanchard wrote:

On Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:26:06 -0600, Morris Dovey wrote:

Larry Blanchard wrote:
Well, the tablesaw finally bit me this afternoon. I was ripping a
piece of padauk to 2.5" wide. I had my fingers hooked over the rip
fence and was pushing with my thumb and index finger. I'm still
not sure what happened, but at the end of the cut somehow my thumb
slipped and caught the back edge of the blade.



Y'know, I'm beginning to like the idea of those Grabber gizmos more
and more.

Upon reflection, I think what happened was that the wood started to
fall off the back of the table and while pushing down my thumb
slipped sideways. If so, the rollers wouldn't have helped, the wood
would have been past them. But I do use them a lot and like them.




Ever go to your butcher and see the guys cutting meat using those
Chain Mail gloves. Not sure of the spelling but that could help if
your fingers weren't forced into the blade. Just wonder if anyone
would ever bother to put them on.

Not wise to use those with a table saw--it will pull the glove off and all
the skin from your hand with it. They're fine for knives and chisels and
maybe for meat slicers, but not for saws.

I use one when I'm slicing with a mandoline--now _that_ is a scary tool.
Yeah that does make sense now that I've thought about it and you brought it
to my attention.
--
"You can lead them to LINUX
but you can't make them THINK"
Running Mandriva release 2008.0 free-i586 using KDE on i586
Website Address http://rentmyhusband.biz/

"Al" wrote in message
...



I had an OOPS in April, lost 3/4's of my left index finger. I
have another surgery in 3 weeks to fix a problem. I have NO idea
what happened, all I remember is being outsde the shop looking
at what used to be a finger and saying OH ****.
Just goes to show ya what happens when you have a brain fart!

My buddy asked to borrow my reciprocating saw to cut the ends off
some rafters on a shed he was building. (This is the same buddy
who patched me up when I cut the sh*t out of my finger with the
hacksaw.) The blade in the sawzall-type recip was very stiff and
had coarse teeth with a lot of set to them.

About an hour later, here he came to the house, extremely pi**ed
off at ME for lending him the saw. He had held it with his thumb
behind the hand hold and had gotten the thumb/saw between two
rafters. Then, the blade jammed in the kerf and the saw itself
began to reciprocate, rather than the blade. Each time the blade
would extend, the saw would pop back against the next rafter, with
his thumb there to "cushion" the blow.

There was really nothing to be done, other than to staunch the
flow of blood. I got my needle nose pliers and pulled off the
remains of his thumb nail. The bone tip was flattened as well as
the meat of the thumb. I simply placed a tongue depressor under
the thumb and taped it to his wrist to prevent movement, then used
gauze to wrap the thumb and more tape to "round it up." I changed
his dressing every day and today his thumb looks perfectly normal
and has full function, since he didn't get into the joint.


--
Nonny

What does it mean when drool runs
out of both sides of a drunken
Congressman’s mouth?

The floor is level.

Ever see what a man looks like after standing behind a piece of
1X6 he's ripping on a TS and leans what KICKBACK is? I saw it
happen to a niece's husband: right in the old reproductive system.
AFAIK, he's never tried using a TS again, and this was years and
years ago.

--
Nonny

What does it mean when drool runs
out of both sides of a drunken
Congressmans mouth?

The floor is level.

While dredging up the Haircut story, I came across another one I
called Spot's Tale. Perhaps you'll enjoy it.

Spot's Tale.

With a hobby of woodworking, I frequent a newsgroup called
rec.woodworking
on occasion. There, on a rainy Saturday afternoon, I recounted a
very true tale that
was both understood and appreciated by many fellow woodworkers.

Well, friends, let me recount a little tale to you that involves
my new Grizzly
shaper, a panel raising bit and an old cat that used to hang
around a sunny window
sill in my shop. His name was Spot.

For those of you who may not have yet played with a shaper, these
are big, floor-mounted tools
that can be likened to an 800 pound router. Most have
interchangeable spindles to handle different sized bits. Grizzly
sells theirs with
a very complete compliment of extra spindles of various sizes. The
spindles
have a Morse taper for alignment, but are locked in place with a
draw bolt that is
inserted up from the bottom of the female Morse and into the male
Morse component.
This locks it down into the socket, so to speak Because of this,
the vibration of a bit will
not loosen the spindle and permit it to fly out of the socket..

One particular afternoon, I'd made all of the rail and style cuts
for some
cabinet doors, and decided that it was time to see just how my new
panel
raising bit from Grizzly would work. Unlike some panel raising
bits, this
bit was BIG- over 5" across- and had a slight pitch to the three
cutting
blades to direct airflow and chips downward. Being so big, it
necessitated
me removing the 3/4" spindle from the shaper and inserting the 1".

Old Spot was my daughter's cat, and was absolutely fearless in the
shop. He
would just perch on a wide window sill in the sunlight, watching
outside for
birds or whatever else might catch a cat's attention. He simply
ignored me.
Old Spot was an indoor "house" cat. Once my daughter went off to
college,
Spot decided that he'd spend most of his days in the basement shop
with me,
since that was where all the action was. He was always a welcome
visitor
and companion. He always listened to me as I would "talk out" my
plans for
the day.

On the particular day in question, I inserted the large spindle in
the
shaper, and slid on the huge panel raising bit. Being intimidated
of the
shaper in general, and panel raising bit in particular, I took
good
precautions in seeing that the bit was firmly seated and that the
retaining
nuts were tight.

Satisfied with my enterprise, I reached down and turned the shaper
"on." At
that moment, as my fingers mashed the button, I remembered two
things I'd
overlooked.

1) I hadn't switched the belt from the 10,000 RPM position to the
7,000
RPM position; and,

2) I had forgotten to insert the draw bolt to hold down the
spindle.

With the sound of a jet engine, the shaper's 5-hp motor revved to
full
speed. As it did, I watched in horror as the several pound- 5"
panel
raising bit I had fastened so securely to the 1" spindle, rose
magnificently
out of the shaper . . attached to the spindle itself. In a way, it
looked
like a cross between a Frisbee designed by a madman and some
"space toy"
that my kids might buy. Being of sound mind, I decided that the
safest
place to be at that moment was lying on the floor with my hands
over my
head. As the bit rose into the air, I dove for the ground.

Now, here's where old Spot comes into the tale-

It seems that old Spot had been "short taken" in the shop that
afternoon,
and had decided that the pile of shavings beneath the shaper was
superior to
running upstairs to his litter box. It had never happened before,
and never
happened since, to the best of my knowledge. He had either
ingested
something that didn't agree with him, or my wife may have given
him one of
his pills for hairballs. It really didn't matter at that moment. .
.. as I
dove headfirst into the shavings and their semi-liquid content.

The shaper bit and spindle sailed slowly and magnificently over my
head,
sounding like a jet engine, and crossed another 6' of shop before
crashing into a door. The door literally exploded, with one of the
panels and
style of the door shattered as easily as if they'd been hit with a
canon.

When I rose to take stock of the situation, it was apparent that
before I
could even begin to start cleaning up the damage, that I needed to
change
shirts and shower. (My good wife later suggested that I probably
should have
changed my shorts- but not because of the cat)

Spot lived another 2-3 years after that adventure, but finally
succumbed to
Leukemia one equally cold afternoon. Even now when I look out
Spot's window, I
sometimes still think I see him there, but when I see the stain he
left on
the floor of my shop, I don't miss him quite as much.


--
Nonny

What does it mean when drool runs
out of both sides of a drunken
Congressman's mouth?

The floor is level.

I have to stop reading this thread now. shudder

--
Free bad advice available here.
To reply, eat the taco.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbqboyee/

Nonny said:

While dredging up the Haircut story, I came across another one I
called Spot's Tale. Perhaps you'll enjoy it.

Spot's Tale.

snip of a good story

Spot lived another 2-3 years after that adventure, but finally
succumbed to Leukemia one equally cold afternoon. Even
now when I look out Spot's window, I sometimes still think
I see him there, but when I see the stain he left on the floor
of my shop, I don't miss him quite as much.

My first question is : are you absolutely certain it was the cat that
left that spot on the floor? Or was he just a convenient scapegoat.
You devil...


Greg G.

"Steve Turner" wrote in message
...
I have to stop reading this thread now. shudder

--
Free bad advice available here.
To reply, eat the taco.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbqboyee/

No friggin kidding, and I was one that once saw hamburger meat at the end of
my thumb.

"Nonny" told us this tall tale...

And you wonder why women don't trust us with ower tools. LOL

On Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:21:21 -0800, evodawg
wrote:

gloves. Not sure of the spelling but that could help if your fingers
weren't forced into the blade. Just wonder if anyone would ever bother to
put them on.

I have one of those chain mail gloves bought at Lee Valley. But they
are NOT and I can't emphasize strongly enough, NOT to be used anywhere
near machinery. They're to be used in the presence of knives or other
sharp manual tools, no machinery allowed.

On Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:53:06 -0600, Leon wrote:

"Steve Turner" wrote in message
...
I have to stop reading this thread now. shudder

--
Free bad advice available here.
To reply, eat the taco.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbqboyee/

No friggin kidding, and I was one that once saw hamburger meat at the
end of my thumb.

Well, now I can join that elite group :-).

--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw

On Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:22:21 -0600, the infamous "Leon"
scrawled the following:

I don't and will not use a push stick. What you need to use and what I use
is this.

http://www.microjig.com/ I have 2.

Expensive, a little but dam cheap compared to what the accident just cost
you. A SawStop would not be a bad idea either. And yes the SawStop is
probably cheaper than what this accident just cost you also. A push stick
typically does nothing to prevent the back of the blade from lifting the
wood up and throwing it back at you even if it is not a kick back. You
really need to firmly hold the wood DOWN on the TS surface when cutting.

I use push sticks (commercial plastic types or ripped wooden strips),
but for small parts, I use one of these. It's a damn sight cheaper
than a MicroJig. (I could buy _29_ of these or one GRR-Rippit!)
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=97276
Self-stick 60 grit sandpaper (ROS paper, afore I got the velcro style)
on the plastic pieces makes it hold wood a whole lot better than it
did stock from the Chiwanese factory.

'Course, I use my crosscut sled for small parts, too, with a dowel or
stick holddown on top. It keeps the precious finners away from the
sharp and spinny things.

--
When we are planning for posterity,
we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary.
-- Thomas Paine

On Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:24:02 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:

typically does nothing to prevent the back of the blade from lifting the
wood up and throwing it back at you even if it is not a kick back. You
really need to firmly hold the wood DOWN on the TS surface when cutting.

Don't featherboards vertical and horizontal fulfill that function? Or,
are you talking about something too small for a featherboard to grab?
Featherboards as in the magnetic set below I bought a year ago.
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...=1,42363,42356

"Nonny" wrote in message
A year later, my good wife STILL winces whenever she hears my dust
collector winding up in the shop. The hair has grown back and is as
pretty
as before my "trim," but the fleeting trust that my wife has for my
ability to cut
hair is certainly diminished.

Why not? Everyone deserves a second chance!

I ran one of my favourite digits ( left index) through the buzzer a couple
of months ago . .and trimmed her up about 15mm off the end.

Most painful and debilitating "little" injury I have inflicted on myself
( and I have few) and after three months I still keep the little bugger
under wraps it is so tender and sensitive with this weird nail thing going
on . . .

I feel your pain - and your "I wasn't doing anything wrong " approach . .. .
as I wasn't either when I did mine on something I had done a thousand times
before . . .
In my case the worst thing was that I was actually doing something for
myself instead of a paying client ( the new front doors for my new
shop/gallery) and to top it off -the Jarrah timber that I was running
through the jointer was 'finger jointed' as well .. . .

Fortunately in this case my insurance company were actually very good and
paid up without any problems . .

And even more scary - when finally got to the hospital 100 k away - it was
full of roughty toughty blokes with mushed up fingers . .. felt like a
brother.

In about 12 months it should be right - but the left handed nose pick is a
real bugger.

And you know what . .? .. the first thing that happens when you tell
people that you have done a finger in . . . every bugger in the world
suddenly starts telling you all about their stupid finger story . . . ..
..!!!!

Cheers Larry - its your finger story ..

Phully



"Larry Blanchard" wrote in message
...
Well, the tablesaw finally bit me this afternoon. I was ripping a piece
of padauk to 2.5" wide. I had my fingers hooked over the rip fence and
was pushing with my thumb and index finger. I'm still not sure what
happened, but at the end of the cut somehow my thumb slipped and caught
the back edge of the blade.

Luckily it was the back edge - it threw my thumb up and away. No bone or
nerve damage according to the hospital, but I lost a little fingernail
and a lot of the pad of my thumb. Looked like fresh hamburger.
Everything should heal OK with no permanent damage.

Maybe I should have been using a push stick. I always do if the rip is
2" or less, but wider than that I've always just pushed it through as
described above. My new rule will be 3" or less.

What's really bad is that I'm working at Woodcraft again, just for the
holiday season. I'm going in tomorrow and I can just hear the chorus of
"you shoulda' had a SawStop" :-).

P.S. I expected the emergency room to be full of swine flu patients, but
nary a one. They told me cases had been dropping off rapidly.

--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw

wrote:

On Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:21:21 -0800, evodawg
wrote:

gloves. Not sure of the spelling but that could help if your fingers
weren't forced into the blade. Just wonder if anyone would ever bother to
put them on.

I have one of those chain mail gloves bought at Lee Valley. But they
are NOT and I can't emphasize strongly enough, NOT to be used anywhere
near machinery. They're to be used in the presence of knives or other
sharp manual tools, no machinery allowed.
It was a thought and it looks like a bad one at that!
--
"You can lead them to LINUX
but you can't make them THINK"
Running Mandriva release 2008.0 free-i586 using KDE on i586
Website Address http://rentmyhusband.biz/

On Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:33:29 +0900, Phil Laird wrote:

Fortunately in this case my insurance company were actually very good
and paid up without any problems . .


I'm an old fart on Medicare with a private supplemental policy - at the
most I'll pay $50 or $100 (I don't recall which) for the emergency room
visit.

And even more scary - when finally got to the hospital 100 k away - it
was full of roughty toughty blokes with mushed up fingers . .. felt
like a brother.


The one here was almost empty - on a Saturday! I did get sympathy from a
ragged biker type who looked worse than I felt :-).


In about 12 months it should be right - but the left handed nose pick is
a real bugger.

They told me my thumb should start to scab over in 2 weeks. I reminded
them that I was 72 and they changed that to 3 weeks - it'll probably take
4 :-). But you're probably right about the tenderness lasting a lot
longer - a reminder not to do it again.

--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw