Do you bleed for your work?

[ErnieM]

I know I do - just about every day. Right now I have four cuts on my right arm, one on my left middle finger, and two on my right leg - and that's just in the last week. It's rare to see me without at least one band-aid on. I've been known to come to the dinner table with a 12" long ribbon of blood dripping down my leg and I'm not even aware of it.

Most of these cuts are caused by me bumping into things, leaning up against things, walking into walls, etc. Some, however, are caused by one particular machine in my shop. If you're thinking table saw, or jointer, or band saw, or router, you'd be wrong. I have a healthy respect for these machines and use them with the care and respect they deserve. No, the machine that makes me bleed is the 12" disk sander. For some reason, I cannot seem to refrain from giving myself a manicure at least four times a year while using it. The injury to my left middle finger is last night's tangle with the rotary beast. Some skin and a piece of fingernail are the latest casualties of my carelessness. That machine gets no respect I tell you - no respect!

What makes you bleed?

 

[Jeremy Scuteri]

I have been bitten by the edges of chisels (not the cutting edge). I have since learned to break those edges, but those would get you without any warning other than blood.

 

[nn4jw]

What makes you bleed?

I wish I knew. There's certainly something in my shop that bites me almost every time I'm out there.

Actually, I'm always scraping my knuckles disassembling/reassembling stuff or knicking my arms when working in tight places. So far, thankfully, no power tool injuries.

 

[junquecol]

Being on an aspirin based pain reliever, plus my age, almost anything that contacts my skin causes bleeding. What used to be a scrape, is now a riverlet of blood. On lower leg, some times I feel wet warmth in sock before I realize I cut myself.

 

[Richo B]

Its not tools that cause me to bleed. Its scraping against rough screw heads, sharp metal and wood splinters. I used to scrape myself often on the fence of the table saw at work, especially in locking it in place with the handle. I'll be working and see blood on myself and wonder where it came from and what caused it.

 

[tarheelz]

Sanders & Chisels. They seem to get me WAY too often.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

 

[tri4sale]

. No, the machine that makes me bleed is the 12" disk sander. For some reason, I cannot seem to refrain from giving myself a manicure at least four times a year while using it. The injury to my left middle finger is last night's tangle with the rotary beast. Some skin and a piece of fingernail are the latest casualties of my carelessness. That machine gets no respect I tell you - no respect!

What makes you bleed?

My oscillating spindle got me good last weekend. Was having one of those days, just nothing going right, should have packed it in and vegetated in front of TV. But, no, needed to get some sanding done, on a timeline for show in November. Sander grabbed my glove, and spun it around the spindle with my hand still in it. Forced my hand into a tight ball, before I could reach over and kill the power. Very painful, but luckily nothing broken, no blood, and most surprising no bruise the next day.

Now my CNC, I'm constantly scraping my hand on the bits and drawing blood.

 

[danw]

Blood makes good stain.

 

[JeffP]

Believe it or not, I injured myself with my...dust collector.

Not the DC itself, but a homemade separator made from a steel trash can.

Was putting the finishing touches on it. The DC was running and the lid of the separator was detached. Had my newest Dewalt cordless in one hand and was sliding the lid over toward normal seating location to line up a hole to drill...you guessed it, the suction grabbed it and slammed it home....with my finger trapped in between. Since one hand was busy with the drill and I had "stuff" all around me with no place to quickly deposit the drill, it must have looked like a 3 stooges episode as I tried to find a way to get the lid off with one hand holding the drill and one hand stuck in the can.

As I pulled on the finger, the tiny air gap remaining for the lid that was limiting the suction got worse, so it was a classic finger trap puzzle. The harder I pulled the tighter the lid got. The can was empty so lifting up on the lid was useless.

Came a way from it with a very sore finger and a new found respect for...my own capacity for stupidity.

 

[tarheelz]

Believe it or not, I injured myself with my...dust collector.

Not the DC itself, but a homemade separator made from a steel trash can.

Was putting the finishing touches on it. The DC was running and the lid of the separator was detached. Had my newest Dewalt cordless in one hand and was sliding the lid over toward normal seating location to line up a hole to drill...you guessed it, the suction grabbed it and slammed it home....with my finger trapped in between. Since one hand was busy with the drill and I had "stuff" all around me with no place to quickly deposit the drill, it must have looked like a 3 stooges episode as I tried to find a way to get the lid off with one hand holding the drill and one hand stuck in the can.

As I pulled on the finger, the tiny air gap remaining for the lid that was limiting the suction got worse, so it was a classic finger trap puzzle. The harder I pulled the tighter the lid got. The can was empty so lifting up on the lid was useless.

Came a way from it with a very sore finger and a new found respect for...my own capacity for stupidity.

On the positive side, you probably have a FANTASTIC DC system if it generates that much suction.

 

[JeffP]

On the positive side, you probably have a FANTASTIC DC system if it generates that much suction.

Well, yes and no. It does work well, but keep in mind that the pressure between the lid and the can comes from air pressure on a large "piston". Total is a function of both the air pressure and surface area.

Even if I only have 1 psi of suction, the lid is pretty big:

area = PI * radius squared = 3.1415 * 12 * 12 = 452 square inches

Almost 500 pounds of downward force for just 1 psi. (no idea how many psi it is...but it was enough!)

 

[Bill Clemmons]

I can't recall a piece of furniture I've built in the last 40 years that doesn't have my DNA embedded in it somewhere. And that's usually how I realize I've cut myself: I see blood on the wood. By the time I see it I haven't got a clue when or where it happened. I do know splinters on rough stock seem to be a regular culprit. And sharp edges on fresh cut boards, before I ease them w/ sandpaper.

Other than that, I guess it's the shop Gremlins. I tend to blame them for a lot of things in the shop. :gar-Bi

 

[Raymond]

Splinters, not the tiny little irritating ones - those little suckers take a few days to notice; it's the large ones that draw the DNA out. I can visually inspect a board and somehow, I can get a splinter from a board that, just seconds ago, appeared to be as smooth as a highly sanded surface.

 

[Charles Lent]

I think everything that I've ever built or worked on has my DNA. It's usually not much and most of the time I have to look hard for where it came from. I guess it's sort of my "makers mark".

Charley

 

[danmart77]

Splinters, not the tiny little irritating ones - those little suckers take a few days to notice; it's the large ones that draw the DNA out. I can visually inspect a board and somehow, I can get a splinter from a board that, just seconds ago, appeared to be as smooth as a highly sanded surface.

Ray its the splinters from pressure treated lumber that cause me the most pain. I've even gotten poked with gloves on.

 

[golfdad]

I am exactly like Bill. See blood and have to look where its from. Found some Sat at the Outreach Event. Little girl asked me how I cut myself and I had no clue.....

 

[LB75]

Yep, every single one. That's how I know a project will be a success, once it has drawn blood.

 

[Gofor]

Yep, every single one. That's how I know a project will be a success, once it has drawn blood.

The above has become so common with me that when I say I have finished a project, my wife will ask "Did you draw blood?". Inevitably, if I haven't, there will be something I have missed or have to tweak, redo, etc. LOL

Go

 

[AllanD]

For any of the younger crowd, get prepared because it just gets worse. My skin is a lot thinner it seems now, especially on my arms. Most of us older folks also take aspirin for blood for blood thinning so any little wound that used to be a minor inconvenience now bleeds for a long time. Then bump into something even what seems like a light bump and the next day you have a big bruise. With many of my bruises I don't even remember hitting anything.

 

[Skymaster]

I thought I was alone. no blood, no working