Cautionary tail -

[Thom Sturgill]

I was starting to turn a plate - flattening and preparing to cut a recess for the chuck. I was using my short tool rest and as I moved toward the outside of the plate the tool came off the rest and was thrown down - right into my unshod foot. :eek::eek::eek: Eight stitches and a fractured toe bone later, I am home from the ER. I guess I'm lucky that the gouge only sliced the side of the middle toe - it could just as easily have sliced one off or gone through the main part of the foot.

I am not sure that my normal loafers would have been any real protection, and I don't own any heavy work boots, but I guess a pair is in my future now. At any rate, I've got to move back to the couch and get my foot elevated again :mad:

[Bernie Weishapl]

Thom glad everything is ok. Bummer about the gouge hitting your foot. I had that almost happen to me but had my steel toed boots on thank goodness but it did leave a pretty good mark on them as a reminder. I quit using my short rest for bowls anymore. Keep the foot up and heal fast.

[Nate Davey]

How's the gouge? Hope you heal up quickly. I don't turn with shoes on either, wife won't let me wear them in the house but should probably look at alternatives.

[David E Keller]

Ouch! I hope you mend quickly.

[Roger Chandler]

Sorry about your accident Thom. I am glad is was not worse than it was.

Things can go south in a hurry, even things we have done routinely many times before.

Thank you for cautioning us, as safety is always a concern........those sharp and spinny things can take their toll on the human body.

Get well soon!

[Curt Fuller]

Well Thom, I'm trying real hard to feel sorry for you.;) And I do, and I appreciate you posting this as a caution to turning in bare feet and paying attention to where the tool rest ends. But ...I just came in from turning with three layers of shirt under a hoodie with a pair of insulated coveralls over all that and a pair of sorel winter boots and my toes are still so cold I wouldn't have felt a gouge if it sliced into them.

Fair
18°F (-8°C)
Wind Speed: S 7 MPH
Wind Chill: 9°F (-13°C)

Turning bare foot........Sheeeeesh!

[Greg Bender]

Thom,
I guess you need to find a pair of steel toed sandles but seriously I'm glad it wasn't worse. Given the chain of events you could have lost something for sure.Rest that foot and heal quickly.

Now as far as Curt,there just is not any help for his situation.But it is a dry cold......
Greg




Mooresville,NC 66 degree's going down to 50 overnite
I don't think we have any single digits on our thermometer.

[James Combs]

Well Thom, I'm trying real hard to feel sorry for you.;) And I do, and I appreciate you posting this as a caution to turning in bare feet and paying attention to where the tool rest ends. But ...I just came in from turning with three layers of shirt under a hoodie with a pair of insulated coveralls over all that and a pair of sorel winter boots and my toes are still so cold I wouldn't have felt a gouge if it sliced into them.

Fair
18°F (-8°C)
Wind Speed: S 7 MPH
Wind Chill: 9°F (-13°C)

Turning bare foot........Sheeeeesh!

We are at just slightly lest then double your temp, maybe 30* and an hour or so ago in the shop I had thermals, three layers topside, a mask (it helps with the warmth too), ear muffs, gloves, cap and definitely NOT shoeless. So almost a ditto of Curt's Post. But hey Thom sure hate to hear about your gouge...:D and the wayward tool that caused it.:rolleyes:

[Baxter Smith]

Glad it wasn't worse but ouch! The dangers of turning in Florida!

[charlie knighton]

i wish you well

[Josh Bowman]

Thom,
I never thought about that. Thanks for shareing. Hope the foot gets better quickly.

[John Keeton]

Thom, that is just one of those dangers one doesn't consider - hope you heal soon.

JD, thought you were going to get heat in that shop before winter?!?!?;)

And, Curt, what do you do in January????:eek:

[Jeff Nicol]

Thom, We all push the limits of safety at one time or another, with me it was 28 stitches and a big headache, and yours is the sliced toe. We have seen many others with their tails of pain and stitches, there could be a users guide to what not to do when using a wood lathe written from all of SMC members points on the learning curve! Are there any good novelists out there?

They do make some nice lightweight protective toe athletic shoes that are not so heavy or hot for our southern turners like you Thom, maybe that would be the way to go, good luck with your recovery and keep your digits attached and intact from now on.

Take care,

Jeff

[Michael James]

Dang Thom that had to hurt! I'm glad it wasn't worse. 1 lapse in attention or focus and these things can happen. I hope you're up quickly and back at it!

[Marc Himes]

Wishing you a speedy recovery and no further mishaps in the future. Thanks for posting your experience so we can all learn from it.

Marc Himes

[David Reed]

Yowza! Not the type of event I had even considered. I usually turn in open toed sandals (even when it is near freezing in the shop) and never even thought of this type of event. I'm liking the steel toed sandal idea.
Heal well and quickly.
David

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Thom,
I usually wear sneakers in the shop. I mean, who would ever think a freak accident like that one could occur. I'm afraid if we protect ourselves from every conceivable danger we would wear chain mail and armor. Sorry you got hurt but fortunately, the damaged area is "far from the heart". Get better quickly.
faust

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Thom,

Heal fast and completely. Thanks for sharing with us.

I haven't worn sandals for years except when showering in a public campground shower. I normally turn in tennis shoes. I do wear non-ferrous safety shoes at work because I work on MR scanners. With my upcoming retirement, I'll consider reusing them as turning shoes.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Wow! Sorry to hear about your injury! Hope you heal quickly and completely! Thanks for sharing!

[Jim Silva]

Glad you weren't more seriously hurt.

Turning or doing any work in bare feet or sandals just doesn't make sense to me regardless of the climate however.

You can always drop something on your foot regardless of how warm it is outside. I don't think steel toed work boots are a necessity for turning but I'd never do any work without some form of foot covering. Kinda like turning without even putting safety glasses on.

Just happy to hear that it wasn't more serious.

Jim

[Jim Underwood]

Wowch! :eek: Condolences from this neck of the woods...

Keep that foot elevated, and keep us posted on your progress.

[bob svoboda]

Glad you are going to be ok. Amazing the precautions we take and the things we don't think about until something like this happens. I often turn in sandals....may have to rethink that. Thanks for the heads-up.

[Mike Cruz]

Glad things weren't worse. I can't say I'm the safest guy in a shop. I don't take all the precautionary measures all the time. But, I have to say, I don't work in the shop shoeless or with sandles... But, I've done plenty of things...once. Now I do them differently. Some of us thickheaded ones have to learn from mistakes.

Hey, think of it this way, either you get steel toes shoes, or end up with steel toes...:rolleyes:

[Mark Hubl]

Sorry to hear about your accident. Ouch! Heal fast.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Thom, I am so glad to hear it wasn't any worse than it was. I hope you heal quickly. I know what those emergency room calls can be like and I sure hope our group here sees them very little if at all. Get well soon.:)

[Thom Sturgill]

Thanks for all the get well wishes. Many of us are 'bare-footers' wearing shoes only when we must. Personally, I have a very hard time finding shoes that fit my short, wide, thick foot (I wear 4 or 5 E) and the shoes are the first thing off when I come in the door, and the lathe is in a back room. (Closed in porch)

Luckily (? due to slight neuropathy ?) this has not been too painful. Opiates do not seem to work, so the oxycodone might as well just have been the Tylenol its compounded with, and no matter what I tell a doctor, they always prescribe the same thing unless I'm in the hospital where I am monitored. I'm off to the doctors office now.