The "safest" tools and hurrying.....

chris_goris

Chris
Senior User
I learned a couple valuable lessons last night. One, If youre in a hurry, dont be, the project will be there tomorrow. Two, the tools you take for granted CAN hurt you. Long story short, I was in a hurry to assemble something and needed to open up some holes from 5/16 to 3/8" . So I grabbed my trusty cordless drill and took to opening holes. I didnt get too far, about halfway through the first hole and yep, it grabbed, but instead of spinning the part, it threaded itself into the workpiece and feeding down through he part, right through where the palm of my hand was. It went into the my palm just between the ring and middle fingers, almost completely through my hand, but luckily it didnt get that deep. Now you may ask, why was my hand under it?. well, the pieces are wooden pulleys (decorative for a lighting project) not important, but it was the only way (expediant) to hold them. That was the "in a big hurry" problem, rather than figure out how to hold them, My hand sufficed, or so I thought. Luckily for me, there was no real damage to my hand , it grazed off important internals but my ring finger is numb and should regain feeling over time according the ER doctor. Three stitches and I was on my way home. Now i cant finish the project for 2 or more weeks, so much for being in a hurry.
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
I got in a hurry yesterday, needed to get a fire going to warm the house after we were out shopping for several hours.

I was splitting some lighter pine and forgot that the ax travels down through the wood... :D

Just a very minor skin cut, gushed a little and a bandaid stopped the flow.

Could have lost a finger though.
 

creasman

Jim
Staff member
Corporate Member
We've all been there. My worst experiences (frustration, ruined projects or physical injury) have almost all occurred when I'm in a hurry. I've tried to keep this little haiku in mind ever since I read it a few years ago:

Tablesaw Haiku
By Andrew Marold
Spinning tablesaw
A moments inattention
Where are my fingers?​

Thanks for sharing and work safe!
Jim
 

Graywolf

Board of Directors, President
Richard
Staff member
Corporate Member
We all have or will be there one time or another. I've had my share of close calls minor injuries to say the least, that could have been much worse. I count my lucky stars for the amount of times I've walked away from things that could have been far worse. And in the wise words of my dear old mom, "you need to be more careful." That's one I've heard most of my life.
 
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danmart77

Dan
Corporate Member
I got in a hurry yesterday, needed to get a fire going to warm the house after we were out shopping for several hours.

I was splitting some lighter pine and forgot that the ax travels down through the wood... :D

Just a very minor skin cut, gushed a little and a bandaid stopped the flow.

Could have lost a finger though.


This might be what you need? Be careful.
 

drw

Donn
Corporate Member
Glad you were not injured any worse than you were! I can totally understand your mindset when you grabbed the drill...we don't typically think of it as being dangerous. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
 

Bear Republic

Steve
Corporate Member
I think we have all learned at some point that trying to work fast or doing something the quick way has surprised us. Either leaving a mark or a story to learn from. Thanks for sharing.
 

Pop Golden

New User
Pop
Sometimes it's just not paying attention. The worst injury I received in the last year or so, was with a screw & driver. Had predrilled 2 holes in a frame. One was a mistake. Holding inside panel with my hand I slammed the lag screw in the wrong hole. My finger was in there. Tore the finger & finger nail up. The worst thing was I had to back the screw out to get free. It just more flesh chewed up. YES ! It hurt like heck>

Pop :eek:
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
No, that is too brutal for splitting 4 inch heart pine into 1/2 inch sticks. I use a small hand ax. Just forgot which way to hold the 1 x 2 piece.
 

bob vaughan

Bob Vaughan
Senior User
Over the years I've heard so many accident stories that began with the phrase:"I was in a hurry and....".
The story of my chopped off thumb begins that way. (1975)
I've learned over the years to be safe rather than sorry. Hand injuries take an annoyingly long time to heal.
 

DaltonEdmonds

New User
Dalton
Sometimes it's just not paying attention. The worst injury I received in the last year or so, was with a screw & driver. Had predrilled 2 holes in a frame. One was a mistake. Holding inside panel with my hand I slammed the lag screw in the wrong hole. My finger was in there. Tore the finger & finger nail up. The worst thing was I had to back the screw out to get free. It just more flesh chewed up. YES ! It hurt like heck>

Pop :eek:

My dad while he was a younger man was hanging sheetrock and screwed his finger to the ceiling while wearing his stilts. Had to have the boss change direction on his corded screwgun so that he back it out instead of continuing to tighten it down.
 

Pop Golden

New User
Pop
Yea Buddy on what Gritz said about blood on wood. You can't sand it out. It is very hard to cover up. The blasted stuff goes in the wood like a dye.

Pop
 

PeteStaehling

New User
Pete
Personally I have found over my 60 or so years of injuring myself with tools that hand tools are most often the culprit followed by hand held power tools. Machines like table saws, band saw, jointers, planers, drill presses and the like have not factored significantly. Maybe that is because the danger is obviously significant and therefore I automatically take more care in avoiding it, I don't know.

Yes hurrying is generally a significant factor, but more significantly trying to hold a work piece rather than use a vise or clamp has been the biggest factor (one could argue that is the result of hurrying I guess). Secondarily some injuries have occurred when I did use a vise or clamp, but still had a hand on or near the work piece. Using a clamp or vise to hold the work piece and putting the hand not holding the tool behind my back or otherwise out of harms way would have eliminated almost all shop injuries that I have experienced.
 

ScottM

Scott
Staff member
Corporate Member
Mine was a sheetrock knife. I was trying to cut a hole for an electric outlet in a piece of paneling. 20 years ago and the tip of that finger is still numb.
 

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