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I just heard of a lost digit at a shop I used to work in this AM.

Be carful out there.

And use a god dam* push stick.

+1 --- CSC reports 4000 table saw amputations per year -- two billion in medical expenses!! -- most accidents when guards are not in place. From Mr. obvious -- " no one expects an accident to happen."

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

4000!?!
"no one expects and accident to happen." Very true! But sometimes we get that little voice in out head that says this is a bad idea and choose to ignore that voice because we are just doing this one little thing, this one time, in a hurry. . . Don't ignore that little voice!

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Any idea what type of saw it was?

"Any idea what type of saw it was?"

Any idea what type of worker it was? Accidents sometimes happen to the most experienced wood workers. Being careful doesn't guarantee against accidents, but it sure helps.

As an ER doc I have seen several amputations in the last 25 years. Most recent was near amputation on dominant hand of a master cabinet maker in business for more than 30 years and was his 1st injury using a table saw. One brief lapse in concentration and.........

A good way to stay safe is to have methods that you adhere to for all your tools. Whether you are making one cut, for example, or 100's, it has to be the same, but you can't allow complacency to enter into your method.

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

Sounds familiar, I was an Orthopedist for 30 years and we saw tons of power tool accidents, I'd guess 90% were table saws and the most common thing the patient said was something like "It kicked back doc"

I see guys and women using table saws and chop saws on these beefcake carpenter home improvement shows on TV and it makes me cringe. (Not Norm)

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Table saw of course.



"Any idea what type of worker it was?"

I believe it was someone with just enough experience to think they had it figured out.

Safety can definitely be a trickster.
Inexperience is almost always dangerous but experience has the revenge effect of over confidence and complacency.

The jointer I bought 25yrs ago has, "anti Travis device" penned on the blade guard. I never met poor Travis, but his bad day has long served to reminded me that safety procedures are all born of tragedy.

Most of us know, "the rules". It's believing that they apply to us, Now, that is the trick

Constantly re-newed vigilance and a hotline from your gut and sphincter to your frontal lobe for the "little voice" of warning seem essential.

Amen to that! The only times I've been hurt in the shop have been when I've ignored the little voice. Thankfully, I've managed to keep all of my parts, but it was due to luck rather than judgement.

My granddad, who was a cabinet maker and sometimes luthier, was the most over-confident man I've ever seen with machinery. He'd get his hands as close to a table saw or shaper blade as I would to a bandsaw blade. He cut off both thumbs at one time or another--one of them twice--but always managed to find the missing digit, pack it on ice and get to the doc for reattachment. He died with two thumbs, but they were pretty gnarly.

Still was able to play the organ, sax and tenor guitar though. Luck rather than judgement. May be hereditary but I really try to listen to that little voice...

Dave

Yeah those fingers just don't grow back. I managed years ago to sever a tendon in an index finger. Mangled would be closer to the truth. I'm grateful for the skills of a very talented surgeon to give me back the use of that digit. After almost 40 years of carpentry and woodworking I can attest from personal experience how quickly bad things can happen working with very powerful machinery most being 3 phase 3 to 5 horse.
If you are distracted or just had an argument with your wife etc. better go work it out before you push the on switch. Any one who has ever used a large shaper and respects how fast those cutting knives spin knows that a great deal of time must be spent on set up before moving material against the knives. Your set up time could be longer than the actual shaping and that's fine. When you leave the shop at the end of the day with no mishaps, that is a good day. Cold steel does not respect soft flesh.
Nuff said.
Dave.


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"It is easier to fool a man, than it is to convince him that he has been fooled"
Mark Twain