jgfore Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 Well, anyone that has an IQ higher than that of the common "Rock", knows that life is full of LEARNING EXPERIENCES! Unfortunately, woodworking is full of those learning experiences. First, let me say this. My normal occupation is as a firefighter/paramedic, so I see and understand that life can change in a micro second. However, it just can not happen to me, right? WRONG. Just the other night I was finishing a garden bench that I had been working on for a WHILE (for my wife). I was just about finished and realized that one of the seat slats did not fit just right and I had to scrap it and quickly cut another. I set up the blade on my table saw, set up my miter gauge and made the cut. No problems. After I assembled it, I thought......wow....I should cut another smaller slat for the front (to cover a small gap). It was getting late and I really wanted to finish the project that night. So............I grabbed my scrap wood and cut me another piece. On this piece I would need to cut about 1 1/2" to 2" off of each end. (the slats are 2-1/4" x 3/4" x 51-1/2"). So I just ran my fence up to 2" and made the cut. The first cut, I got away with, the second one caught me. I did not set up a indexing board on the fence prior to the blade. The second piece of wood measuring about 2" x 2-1/2" x 3/4" got caught between the fence and the blade, and apparently it did not want to stay there this time. Even when a projectile that it much larger than a bullet, is traveling at Mach 240 (or so it seemed) it hurts! The block shot off of my table saw and struck me first in the wrist, and then deflecting into my chest. The hit to my wrist slit my wrist open as though I was trying to commit suicide, and the deflection into my chest fell like I had just been hit with a 20lb sledge to the chest. I was able to quickly apply pressure to my wrist and stop the bleeding since it was not arterial, just a venous laceration. There was nothing to do about the hit to the chest but, try to get my breath back and watch the redness turn to blue. Needless to say, after I wrapped my wrist and caught my breath back, I placed a indexing board on the fence, and finished making my cuts. A few very valuable lessons were learned in my shop the other night. 1. Never be in too big of a hurry to leave out safety! 2. There should never be a "QUICK CUT". 3. The old adage that says, "If you're gon-a be stupid, you got-a be tough", is 100% correct! I thought that maybe a learned lesson for me may be a saved lesson for you. Be safe! Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBaiga Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 glad you're OK. episodes 51 and 119. i find myself revisiting the safety videos again and again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikem Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 I got hit by a board the saw decided to launch a couple years ago. THAT SUCKER HURT! As above, it was doing an operation incorrectly because it was "one quick cut" and the board was only slight longer than it was wider. I should have used the miter gauge, but I used the fence. I saw the piece go crooked, and then it was in my gut. Jeff, I am glad you are okay, and know how you are feeling right now on that! -Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick2cd Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 glad you're okay. it's events like these that can make you a bit gun-shy. glad to hear you jumped right back onto the horse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry_in_SD Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 I had a mishap about a year and half ago for exactly the same reasons. I was in a hurry and trying to make that quick cut. My encounter was with the blade (minor encounter that could have been major). Only positive is it made my wife insist that I get a Sawstop. I had oblige . Of course Sawstop does nothing for kickback so I am careful never to make that "quick cut". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petersb Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 Glad to hear that you are okay Jeff. It can happen to anyone. It's the shortcuts, or quick cuts in this case, that get us into trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nateswoodworks Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 Glad to hear your ok, but Dude not a good way to start the new year!! On a positive note that is something most people only do once and now you are done. Nate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samhell Posted January 12, 2011 Report Share Posted January 12, 2011 Ouch! I've taken a few pieces to the chest too. Nowdays I never use a fence for crosscutting anything but sheet material. I got nailed the same as you, minus the bloody wrist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardnesd Posted January 12, 2011 Report Share Posted January 12, 2011 Dude, you are a man for wrapping the wrist and gutting it out to the finish. I probably would've tucked my tail and gone inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bistromathlete Posted March 21, 2011 Report Share Posted March 21, 2011 yeah, kickback can certainly be a pain! one of my worst kickbacks happened when i was squaring up a piece of plywood. i was using the fence and a miter gauge, doing everything right as far as I know and all of a sudden the handle on the miter gauge broke off and the sudden jerk made the blade catch the board and spin it back at me like a large, heavy flying saucer with corners right into my ribs (someone in the shop probably dropped the miter gauge and damaged the handle without noticing it). no major harm besides a large bruise and pumping adrenaline, but the lesson is that even if you do things "right" things can still happen, be careful and keep those fingers out of harms way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasonwpg Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Dude, you are a man for wrapping the wrist and gutting it out to the finish. I probably would've tucked my tail and gone inside. Heh, I was thinking the same thing. Way to be a trooper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB1 Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Glad to hear it was not to bad of an incident. I've had my share of them and it always happens when you think "I just need to do one little thing..." and decide to do it quick and dirty. Now I try to go for "right and safe" over "quick and dirty" still get dinged up sometimes though. The other day I was jointing some 4' long pieces and was using push blocks and watching for where my hands were in relation to the blade and still managed to get a 2" splinter in my hand when I picked up a piece to put it on the jointer. I was watching the blade and thinking about how I was going to place the blocks and wasn't really looking at the wood as I picked it up. Sometimes you can get hurt from the least expected places. Thanks for the reminder. We need them every so often. -Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susieq4131 Posted March 28, 2011 Report Share Posted March 28, 2011 Glad to hear your injuries weren't any worse. My shop is in my double car garage. I have dents in the garage door from 2 flying pieces of lumber I was cutting on the table saw, two separate times. I was lucky I wasn't standing in the danger zone. I have since bought several gadgets that help prevent the board from taking flight. Table saws have a place in the shop, but they have inherent dangers I'm not comfortable with and use with extreme caution. I'm much more comfortable with my band saw. Talking about stupid things I've done in the shop. On two separate occasions, I have gotten my right sleeve caught in the sand flee. Yes, seems I had to do it a second time, to get this lesson down pat. It just ripped them up and I wasn't hurt, but I know better than to wear long sleeves. What was I thinking???? Extremely hard on my wardrobe - and pride. SQ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Everett Posted March 28, 2011 Report Share Posted March 28, 2011 I've had my router table, while doing test cuts, launch stuff across the garage because I held the piece willy nilly, but more so because i was trying to do something in a hurry. I learned quickly don't rush! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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