bandsaws WILL cut more than wood! fingers too!

[curtis rosche]

so i was cutting the reclaimed lumber i have into round blanks. well i was trying to touch up a line and the blade slipped off the wood and guess what? it cuts pinky fingers really well. all the way through the bone only skin holding it on. so after notifying the woodshop teacher that a bandaid would NOT work for this one, i ended up on a strecther on the way to the hospital. it didnt hurt much, it only feals like i hit it with a hammer but the pain wont go away. the only thing that grossed me out was when they cleaned it before sowing it. the guy just flipped my finger tip back as if it was a zippo lighter. i cut right through the top on the finger nail on an angle. i wish i couldve gotten a picture before they sown it up. 9 stitches in all. i guess no lathe work for a while since its on my left hand, meaning it would be the closest to the spinning wood. bummer!

[Todd Burch]

ouch !!!

[Jason Clark2]

Curtis, Sorry to hear that. I also had a near amputation of my left pinky just over a year ago. In fact it looks like you posted in my original thread.

http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=82781&highlight=left+pinky

2 surgeries to repair a severed tendon and a severed nerve and 6+ months of physical therapy and I've got about 90% of my function and about 75% of the feeling.

Jason

[alex carey]

YOWWWWZA, sure is scary, just another reason to be careful while working in the woodshop, you always gotta stay on your toes. You probably shouldn't be having your fingers anywhere near the blade. Stay safe and it's good to hear you are ok.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Curtis - sorry to hear of your mishap! What is the prognosis for recovery?

[Todd Burch]

I got a buddy that took woodshop in school (I did too). He was so stoned in school one day, that, with a fret saw (a small version of a coping saw) he cut about 1/2" down into his thumb (top middle, straight down into his nail) before he realized it. He said he was talking to a hot chick at the time, and that's why we wasn't paying attention - just sawing away.

Todd

[Brian McInturff]

Bummer:eek:. Sounds like you are in good spirits about it. Of course wait until the medicine and pain killers wear off. OUCH!! This would be some good time to get some of that reading done on different techniques you were thinking about trying out. Hope the recovery goes well!

[Alan Zenreich]

I'm sorry about your accident, I hope you heal quickly.

Perhaps one day the SawStop technology will reach bandsaws, as demo'd in the video on this link:

http://www.sawstopreview.com/sawstop-videos/sawstop-band-saw-and-chop-saw-prototypes-in-action/

[Gary Herrmann]

9 stitches. I would have thought it'd be more than that. Follow the directions given to you by the doc. Use it too much and it will get ugly quick.

[curtis rosche]

its only my little my little finger, theres not room for more than 9 stitches. my finger wasnt near the blade. i had it backaway, like 6 inches or more. but the blade didnt bit into the wood at the angle i had it. so when i pushed the peice of wood, it just slid along the blade till my finger hit it. the blade looked like it was going to cut the wood so i was pushing it a little hard and then when it suddenly slipped it just went.
sorry no pictures, i couldnt get my step dad to take any before it was stitched

[Ron Crosby]

Well, I don't think we need to see a pic of a finger before it's stitched anyhow.
People just gotta be careful around blades. But what I don't understand is why a stretcher was needed for 9 stitches on a finger.
Couldn't you walk or something? :eek: I've seen many people walk into emergency themselves with a body part wrapped up requiring the same as you.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Sorry about the mishap Curtis. Do what the doctor tells you and hope you heal quickly.

[Marc Himes]

Sorry to hear about your injury Curtis, but thanks for posting . It reminds us all to be safe. Accidents happen in a split second and we may not get a "do over". I hope you heal well and fast.

Marc Himes

[phil harold]

no pictures?

then it did not happen :eek:






but just the thought reminds me of my 4 stiches in my index finger from dad's bandsaw
*cringe*

also remember mind over matter

if you dont mind
it dont matter

if your finger hurts to much
give a concrete wall a swift kick with you bare toes, you will forget about the finger for a minute...


heal fast

[Jim Underwood]

One of the things I constantly do while running the bandsaw is think "what if" thoughts, and so far think it's paid off (knock on wood).

"What if... that wood splits?"

"What if... that piece pivots quickly?"

"What if... that rolls?"

"What if... it cuts faster?"

"What if... I push harder?"

"What if... I push my hand straight toward the blade?"


I'm sure there are more, but my past experience busting knuckles as a mechanic has given me a little instinct to protect my hands while pushing on something... It only takes a couple of times and you start looking ahead to what might happen if the wrench slips or your bolt came loose suddenly.

(Although I did slip up with a chisel a couple years ago and split a tendon in my thumb.)


Hope you heal fast, and begin listening to those little voices that tell you something might happen.

[curtis rosche]

the stretcher thing is because they wont let you walk into the ambulance on your own, just like how they normally wont let you out of the hospital unless they put you in a wheel chair. but they mustve forgot about the wheel chair for me.

was kinda funny, the emt asked if i wanted to be covered with the white sheet to be rolled out of the school. that would blown the minds on some of the kids at school!

[Mark Norman]

Ya do know a bandsaw is the tool of choice for butchers right;)

I almost cut off one of my fingers in high school way back when. Not it shop class but on a weight machine in gym class.

Hang in there Curtis. It'll only hurt till the pain stops:p

[curtis rosche]

some one give me a gun! the pain killers wore off and the vicadin isnt working at all. how do you sleep like this? every time i move i wake up!:mad:

[Mark Norman]

Curtis, count you're blessings. I met a guy today whose right hand was all messed up and I mean seriously messed up. I politely asked him how it happened and he said it was a gunshot wound, I commented it musta been a big gun to do that kind of dammage to which he replied " had my hand on the end of a 12 ga shotgun when it went off."

Is it throbbing? I hate the throbbing that comes with that kind of injury.

[jim carter]

i have 1 rule in my shop. keep ALL limbs more than 1/2" from ALL moving blades and you wont be cut. it has worked so far.

[Tim Cleveland]

Very sorry to hear about your accident. I did almost the exact same thing to my little finger with a gas hedge trimmer a couple of years ago. It hurt really bad for about 1-1.5 weeks, I remember the worst part was when it started itching. Try loosening the bandage and splint (I'm assuming your wearing one), that always helped cut down on the pain for me. Hope it starts feeling better soon.

NO PICS!

Tim

[Jim Underwood]

Dang. I hate it for ya Curtis. We've all done something stupid from time to time. This is one of those times we wish that no pics really means that it didn't happen.:(

[Aaron Wingert]

Thanks for not posting pics Curtis! :) Glad to hear you're doing ok given the circumstances. I slipped on the bandsaw one time and got to see down into the inner workings of my knuckle, and I remember that every time I feed stock into the saw. I bet you will too!

[David Gunn]

Sorry to hear about your accident. I hope you heal up well.

One thing I would like to ask is was your hand in line with blade? What I mean is, you said you had your hand back about 6", but was it straight in line with the blade? That's something to always watch for, keep your hands to each side of the blade. Also, never try to "force" the bandsaw to cut, always let the blade do the work.

[curtis rosche]

i was cutting bowl blanks. i had one hand pinning the peice down at the center of the blank, to the right of the blade. i was using my left hand to turn the blanks into the blade. it started at the side of the circle facing me, but 200yr old yellow pine is very hard to cut. the force to cut the wood moved my hand very fast when the blade wasnt in wood

[John W Dixon]

Curtis, sorry to hear about your accident. Hope your recovery is speedy and full. I had a nasty catch on the bandsaw the other day. I was cutting some blanks from a tree limb and it was a crooked piece, I was going slow and it caught and sent the branch flying from my hands and all I could think was how easily my hand could have been sent into the blade. I have taken to using a wooden screw clamp to put the branches in to cut them down as I can lay it flat and push it through the blade. Whats the saying, Start with ten, end with ten.

John

[curtis rosche]

i have had way way to many close calls with catches on the compound sliding miter saw. now that i actually cut my self i will be a lot safer. its sad that for some of use it takes a bad accident to learn to do it right

[Mark Norman]

A band saw is a kitten to the tiger that is a radial arm saw.
I'll never own a RAS. they scare me :eek: not to the point I won't use one but I'll find another tool to use if at all possible.
The compound sliding miter saw is omewhere in the middle..

[Martin Braun]

I've worked with bandsaws all my life. I still have a health respect, no matter what. I always try to stand to the side of the blade, and keep my hands close to my body and move the wood like a lever, as opposed to standing in front of the blade and pushing in. I'm not afraid of the blade breaking, because I have all the guards in place and if it does break, it will lose traction and have very little momentum.

The one tool in my shop I have the utmost respect for is the table saw with dado stack running. That is just a meat grinder waiting to happen. Free-handing with the router comes in 2nd (both hands on it at all times).

[curtis rosche]

thats kinda funny you mention that. the doctor was tellin me as he stitched it up that he had taken off 3 tiny fingertips with a router.

oh yeah, in the ambulance i found out the drive works at a cabinet making shop. like a real one, not a place that does veneer stuff. and the guy who was in the back with me owns his of furniture shop. after he got the paper info he started talkin about what i was makin

[Jerry Rhoads]

Sorry to here of your misfortune Curtis. Keep the spirit up.

We have a bowl around the house that we call a two finger bowl, even though it is four fingers high. I get a reminder every time we use it.
Thought that I finally had some time to turn.
Wood had punky spots in it, blade was dull, pushing to hard, fatique, all reasons that I should have left that bowl blank off the band saw, and went into the house.
Got to rest in the emergency room. Doc liked the thin kerfs in the bones that the e-rays showed. Said he is used to seeing table saw cuts.
They did repair them, but I could not work for a couple of weeks.
This happened about six years ago. I now leave the shop before fatique.
Keep fingers out of the line of all blades, at all times.

Remember lets be carefull out there.
Jerry

[Jack Mincey]

Curtis,
I hate to hear of your accident. After 26 years of teaching shop, I would say the bandsaw is the worst tool in my school shop for injuries. My students have had several bandad type cuts and one that had to go to his doctor. He cut the back of his thumb off about 1/3 of the way down the thumb nail. It cut the tip of the bone off as well. Beleive it or not even though we couldn't find the tip of his thumb in the bandsaw or the industrial dust collector the nail grew back and the tip healed up so that one can't see any difference in his thumbs. He made the mistake of putting his thumb in the path of the cut. Tools have to be giving respect or they can hurt you in the blink of your eye.
Heal quickly and be safe.
Jack

[Ken Higginbotham]

We should host a 'How Not to Do It' clinic as I'm still nursing my 3 table saw induced stiches on my index finger...:eek:

[Rob Cunningham]

Sorry to hear about your accident and I'm glad there's no pictures. Hope you have a quick recovery.

[Cody Colston]

Sorry to hear about the injury, Curtis. I know just how the finger feels, too.

A few months ago, I was cutting a Redbud bowl blank out on the bandsaw. I knew from experience that the green wood wouldn't produce sawdust but rather, long strings that would ball up on the lower guides.

About 3/4 of the way around the blank, I looked underneath the table and sure enough, there was a big ball of strings on the guides. So, I reached in there to pull them away. :eek:

It didn't take long to jerk my hand back! That 1/2", 3 tpi blade cut pretty deeply into the side of my left index finger. LOML happened to be in the shop when it happened and she took me to an emergency clinic after I wrapped a shop rag around it. Six stitches later I was back in the shop turning. It didn't hurt bad but a couple of days and there was no ligament or nerve damage. The medic on the rig I'm working on took the stitches out for me about 10 days later.

I've got a thin scar as a reminder and LOML gives me grief about it every time she comes in the shop.

Hang in there and be thankful the finger is still attached.

[Nathan Hawkes]

Curtis, I'm so sorry to hear about your injury. Like everyone has said, and I know you know already, the bandsaw is about the most dangerous tool in a woodshop, because of the seeming ease of use and unlikely occurrence of a catch with flat stock--most woodworkers aren't cutting green bowl blanks. I've luckily (knock on wood) managed to not get cut....with a bandsaw anyway. I have had two stichable injuries to my left thumb from tablesaw kickbacks. I now use pushblocks and featherboards. The first was cutting acrylic--certain kinds kick back very badly if you're using a woodworking blade--Ive since realized that plexiglas cuttting blades are meant to have a small surface area in contact with the material being cut--it reduces the amount of melted plastic "sawdust" that sticks to the kerf--with a lot of melting, you get a bad kickback. The second was cutting thin strips of oak to cover the plywood edge of a shelf board. My left hand was 5-6" behind the blade, and I was using a block to push the stock through the saw, I was wearing insulated gloves, as my shop is outside in a shed. I've since gotten a woodstove, but don't use the saw with gloves. EVER. 8-9 stitches and missed the bone and an artery by less than 1/8". I could see it when it was sewn up.

Both times I had the blade low, just protruding from the cut, but if they were higher, I'd have lost hte thumb both times. I'll own a sawstop one day for sure.


I'm very glad that you're okay and that your finger wasn't amputated. And, coming from a guy that is still learning hard lessons from time to time, I hope this is an easy one for you! ;):D

EDIT: just wanted to say that even though I said lesson, I didn't mean to imply in any way that you were necessarily doing anything wrong; sometimes things just happen. All we can do as woodworkers is to stay vigilantly aware of where a blade is at all times.

Nate

[Reed Gray]

I got 4 stitches, 2 in 2 different fingers from pushing wood into a dull bandsaw blade. Slipped once and just barely missed, then said to my self, do it again but be really careful. Yea, right!

Good judgement comes from experierence, and experience comes from, well, bad judgement. Unknown author.

There are three kinds of men in this world. Those who learn from observation, the few that learn from reading, and the rest of them who have to pee on the electric fence for themselves. Will Rogers

robo hippy

[Jarrod McGehee]

dude that sucks. get better quickly

[Todd Tyler]

Hi all,
I am not much of a poster but i am on every day reading. Just felt i had to chime in here Curtis. The following are a couple of shots of my right pinky finger 30 days, 30 plus stitches, and one tendon re-attach surgery from a nasty shop accident. This also from a bandsaw, also roughing turning blanks. I have some very large chunks of maple I was roughing into turning stock, hit a punky spot and a toothpick sticking down left from the chainsaw at the same time and the block pivoted quite fast and my hand went into the blade. Before I knew what was going on I was driving myself to the ER. Spent the rest of my Sunday there, then the ortho doc fixed the tendon on the following Wednesday. I have had tons of pain and pt hasn't been alot of fun either. I feel for you man. Get well.
Todd
118794

118795

[Rick Prosser]

Tough break man

I have had my share of :eek: whoops :eek: before, and I will say that it has made me more careful. Learn from the mistakes (yours and others).

Good luck with your recovery.

[curtis rosche]

well. i was able to finish cutting the blanks today. the pain last night was so bad. all of the pain killers i had taken wore off

[John Fricke]

Curtis, I have a suggestion.
Leave that blank in it's current condition, (unturned) and hang it on the wall in your shop as a constant reminder that it pays to take the time to be safe. Anybody that works around machinery of any type on a regular basis has had an accident or 2. It always pays to be mindful of how quickly things can go wrong.

[Adam Grills]

But what I don't understand is why a stretcher was needed for 9 stitches on a finger.
Couldn't you walk or something? :eek: I've seen many people walk into emergency themselves with a body part wrapped up requiring the same as you.

If the kid was looking white then good first aid says too. Him passing out and smashing his head on the floor or another object could easily made the finger look good.
Adam

[Allen Neighbors]

Sorry, Curtis! Heal fast. And keep this on your mind forever. It'll make you a safer woodworker.

[alex carey]

I agree with John, when I had my accident I kept the piece of wood and I left it on my dresser.

[Jim Becker]

Heal fast, Curtis!

[charlie knighton]

sorry for you accident

[curtis rosche]

for the none squimish, pictures after stitches, after being wrapped since yesterday.

http://s300.photobucket.com/albums/nn10/braves781/finger/

[Brian McInturff]

Ouch!! Well, look on the bright side. Some of the girls may feel sorry for you. Tell them it hurts(Which I know it does) but that a sweet smile will make it feel a little better. You'll be surprised how sympathetic the females will be. Take advantage of it:D.Reminds me when I nailed my hand to the underside of a board when I was about your age.:eek:

[curtis rosche]

its kinda funny when i tell them the doctor just flipped off the top to clean it

[Andrew Derhammer]

Something about the pennsylvania water. I did it just about a year ago to my thumb and got 3 stitches (thread here somewhere) And at our last club meeting in april our former club president cut all the up his pinky and was in a sling. Don't force the wood! Heal fast but don't try to get back out there too quickly. Oh just an FYI since i've gotten stitches twice on my hand once on the forefinger and once on the thumb you'll probably get some scar tissue underneath and when it gets bumped hard you'll get a nice "unique" pain from it being bumped.

[curtis rosche]

so ive been told. it also makes it alot worse since i cut thw whole way threw the bone

[Joshua Dinerstein]

Sorry to hear about this Curtis. Kind of a bummer but I am just glad it wasn't much much worse. Take care and be careful!

Joshua

[Don Orr]

I saw a mention of your injury in another post and went searching for the original thread. Man are you lucky it wasn't worse. I hope you heal up well and learn from this. I also noticed you saying you have a lot of kickbacks on the SCMS. Let the blade stop before raising it up out of the cut !

I'm an XRay tech and have seen some nasty WW injuries. Even had a guy come in once with a SECOND table saw injury. Some people never learn-hope you do.

I have a mantra I learned somewhere on the Net that I say to myself anytime I am using any kind of cutting tool-power, hand, pocket knife-anything. "where will it go if it slips ?" Applies to the tool and my hands. Only takes a second to think it and make adjustments. It has saved me many times. My worst tool injury was a dull Phillips screwdriver into the palm of my left hand-it slipped off the screw that I was pushing on very hard. Hurt like crazy, bled like mad.

Take care,

[Mauricio Ulloa]

Hi Curtis,

I'm really sorry about this...! I'm always scared about loosing any of my fingers... This can happen at any time!!!!!! The problem is that when this things happens and you look back you realized how dummy you were when you were doing it..... it happens after the fact in a second!

I hope it heals well and I hope you'll be back in your lathe again soon!

Take it easy,

[Rick Prosser]

Wow :eek: - those pictures say it all.

It looks like the stitches are thru the finger nail?

Hope you heal fast, but don't rush it.

[Tim Cleveland]

The one tool in my shop I have the utmost respect for is the table saw with dado stack running. That is just a meat grinder waiting to happen. Free-handing with the router comes in 2nd (both hands on it at all times).
A guy I know tunes a piano for a guy who ran his fingers through a tablesaw with a dado on it. They managed to get the 4 fingers stitched back on, but their about 1/2" shorter than on the other hand.

Tim

[Archie England]

Do get well, soon!!!!

[curtis rosche]

Don, what i did to many times on the SCMS was cut a peice of wood that was wide but only a couple inches long. as soon as the saw hit it it turned it and threw it. took 3-4 times before i realized why it did that

[Chip Sutherland]

10 stitches in my left thumb and 5 in my left ring finger. I am very lucky because the blade didn't get my wedding ring else I would have lost a big chunk of my left hand. I know not to work with rings on but I couldn't get it off at the time. I can now because the ER folks cut it off.

My mistake was being tired. I was just changing the blade for the next day's blank cutting. The bottom door on my Jet 14" bandsaw doesn't close well. When I went to turn off the lathe button in the back, I apparently hit the door and my finger brushed the wheel throwing my thumb into the blade.

I have a loss of sensation in my thumb on the outside which makes shirt buttons interesting. That was 3 years ago this coming Father's Day (the day before actually).