Even with good safety habits......

[Maurice Ungaro]

Just a word of caution to all of us out there who use powered tools (be it electric, pneumatic, etc.). I just got this e-mail message from my brother, who has at least 35 years experience in carpentry and home renovation. He is a stickler for safety and proper procedures.

Yesterday: 2.5" finish nail shot through (as in a missle) the work piece and flew 8" then went 1/2" into the palm of my left hand. I was dong everything right and still s**t happens. Anyway, removed nail and went back to work.

Fortunately, no serious damage was done - he is also an ER nurse, so he took care of the injury himself.

[johnny means]

Just a word of caution to all of us out there who use powered tools (be it electric, pneumatic, etc.). I just got this e-mail message from my brother, who has at least 35 years experience in carpentry and home renovation. He is a stickler for safety and proper procedures.

Yesterday: 2.5" finish nail shot through (as in a missle) the work piece and flew 8" then went 1/2" into the palm of my left hand. I was dong everything right and still s**t happens. Anyway, removed nail and went back to work.

Fortunately, no serious damage was done - he is also an ER nurse, so he took care of the injury himself.

I'm picturing the Sienfeld "Magic Lugi" scene.

[Maurice Ungaro]

I'm picturing the Sienfeld "Magic Lugi" scene.

It was actually more direct than that - straight through the wood and then through his hand which was 8 inches beyond the wood. I think he was more surprised than anything else.

He's a tough moose though. When he was 6, he fell in the woods and had a 1/2" dia. stick puncture both sides of his calf muscles (forget which leg). He then proceeded to pull it out and walk home. Yep, there were witnesses.

[Nathan Callender]

Not trying to pick a fight here, but is it considered safe to put anything in front of a nailer that you don't want nailed? I've always thought that was a no-no for precisely this reason.

[Aaron Wingert]

Not trying to pick a fight here, but is it considered safe to put anything in front of a nailer that you don't want nailed? I've always thought that was a no-no for precisely this reason.

True, but real world situations on jobsites often don't end up that way. Many of us errantly take for granted that the nail will go straight into the wood and stay there.

I once helped cut a trim carpenter off a set of stairs he was building. He was shooting 16ga nails a couple inches long and a nail hit something hard and curled around backward into his finger like a fish hook. We had to use wire cutters to cut the nail to free him so he could pull the nail out. Didn't look like it felt too good.

[Ted Baca]

Maurice, I did that a few years back with a framing nailer. Missed the bone but next day infection set in. I would recommend having it looked at as a puncture wound can be very bad. You have all the stuff that nail went through in your bloodstream now. Also if you haven't had a tetanus shot in the past 8 yrs. I would get one of theose too.

[Maurice Ungaro]

Thanks Ted, but this happened to my brother, not me. Fortunately, he is an ER nurse, and is up on all his shots. Stuff like this really makes the neander world seem more attractive every day, doesn't it?

[Matt Meiser]

Thanks Ted, but this happened to my brother, not me. Fortunately, he is an ER nurse, and is up on all his shots. Stuff like this really makes the neander world seem more attractive every day, doesn't it?

Have you ever seen the damage a hammer can do to a finger? :)

[Maurice Ungaro]

Have you ever seen the damage a hammer can do to a finger? :)

:eek:
Good point Matt! BTW, I've heard that it's pretty hard to hit your finger with a hammer if you hold it with BOTH hands! :D

[Matt Meiser]

I'm surprised that hammers don't come with safety instructions stating that you should do just that in today's world.

[Nathan Callender]

And an incorrectly used chisel will do as much damage to your finger as a table saw. Non woodworkers don't understand just how sharp my chisels really are, and I don't think they are all that sharp!

[Bob Glenn]

Have you ever seen the damage a hammer can do to a finger? :)

That why I always hold the hammer with both hands. Safety first. :p

[Maurice Ungaro]

And an incorrectly used chisel will do as much damage to your finger as a table saw. Non woodworkers don't understand just how sharp my chisels really are, and I don't think they are all that sharp!

Nathan,
When I purchased my first Japanese saw from Highland Hardware, the salesman told me to always store it with the cover on it, and never let people handle it. Sage advise!

[Zach England]

My dad worked in construction when he was in college and always talks about nailing his hand to a wall, then dropping his hammer when he tried to pull out the nail.

I once shot a small brad through one side of my finger and out the other. I remember seeing it there before I felt the pain and thinking "this is going to hurt real soon".

[Don Jarvie]

Since were all telling out stories....

While putting a piece of trim on a clock the brad nail went through the wood and curled into my middle and index finger locking them together.

I cut the nail to separate my fingers and had the wife pull each side of the nail out of each finger. Luckly I didn't hit the bone.

I keep my fingers clear now.

[Rob Holcomb]

I almost had a similar situation a couple years ago. I was using a finishing nailer and was holding one board while nailing another board to it (Butt joint style) and the nail curved out the one side missing my hand by a very small margin. Now, I expect every nail to bend and pop out the side. 99% don't but it's that 1% that will get you every time.