Stupid and dangerous tool use.

[Rick Potter]

OK, How stupid am I? Well, the worst thing I can think of, that I have done, is to cut full sheets of plywood on a small table saw...with no fence. In my defense, this was 40 years ago when I was young and didn't know better. I cut quite a few sheets of plywood and paneling by just wiggling it through the blade. Thinking back, I was fortunate I didn't own a powerful saw. It was a 20 year old Atlas 9" table saw that I had picked up cheap. The thing stalled several times per cut, when the blade was pinched. Never heard of kickback till years later.

Then there were the many times I tried to drill holes in metal, on the drill press, by just holding it with a pair of pliers. I was proud of my 'safety system' when I switched to vise-grips.

Sometimes wonder how I lived through it.

So....how stupid are you??

Rick Potter

[Lupe Duncan]

Luckily nothing ever happened but I didnt use safety Glasses, I would just would Squint really tight. ;)

[Rich Engelhardt]

I drilled a hole in the side of the house once w/a .44Magnum when the cable guy's drill quit on him.

[Alan Lightstone]

I drilled a hole in the side of the house once w/a .44Magnum when the cable guy's drill quit on him.

Might retire the trophy with that one.

[Brian Vaughn]

Ummmm....Rich.....didn't I read about that in the news? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-546429/Man-accidentally-shoots-dead-wife-installing-satellite-system.html

[Bob Riefer]

The first day I ever owned a sawzall, I was cutting a barn beam. Wife walks in and asks "Honey, do you want to cut that wire on the other side of the beam?" I was about 1/2" away from cutting the 60 amp feeder to the subpanel. Yikes.

Other than that, I guess using a small table saw years ago without any earthly idea how to do so. It still amazes me that you need a license to drive, but that anyone can waltz into a store and buy a saw.

[Steve Friedman]

Ummmm....Rich.....didn't I read about that in the news? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-546429/Man-accidentally-shoots-dead-wife-installing-satellite-system.html

Brian, I started laughing when I read Rich's admission, couldn't have agreed more with Alan's response, but the link you posted made my jaw drop. Tragic. As stunned as I am that two people actually trying to do that, I now wonder how common it is. And, as a non-gun owner, I just wonder how often people use guns when doing home improvements.

Steve

[Jerome Hanby]

I think the most common use of firearms would be threatening to kill your spouse if they don't finish at least one of the projects that they have started... But, that may just be around my house.


Brian, I started laughing when I read Rich's admission, couldn't have agreed more with Alan's response, but the link you posted made my jaw drop. Tragic. As stunned as I am that two people actually trying to do that, I now wonder how common it is. And, as a non-gun owner, I just wonder how often people use guns when doing home improvements.

Steve

[Dave Gaul]

Before I upgraded my table saw to a Ridgid R4511, I had a Delta shopmaster on steel legs, the little direct drive table top style. I came into a free source of rough lumber, including 8/4+ hard maple. Was trying to rip a huge board on the Delta, no infeed, no outfeed, using a combo blade. About half way through the cut, the saw starting tipping back. Did I stop? NOOOOO I just back off enough to get the saw back on all fours, and continued the cut. It was then that I realized I needed a big-boy saw!

[Chris Fournier]

Blow torch, varsol and a 2 stroke expansion chamber. "Cleaning" the expansion chamber with varsol and "drying it out" with the torch. 16 years old and what "big bang" meant instantly.

[Brian Vaughn]

Before I upgraded my table saw to a Ridgid R4511, I had a Delta shopmaster on steel legs, the little direct drive table top style. I came into a free source of rough lumber, including 8/4+ hard maple. Was trying to rip a huge board on the Delta, no infeed, no outfeed, using a combo blade. About half way through the cut, the saw starting tipping back. Did I stop? NOOOOO I just back off enough to get the saw back on all fours, and continued the cut. It was then that I realized I needed a big-boy saw!

Um....guilty of this one as well....

[Gene Howe]

Many years ago, like 55, I was tasked to pull a rather large hedge (Boise' de Arc) corner fence post. It had been set about 3' + in the ground with a bit over 4' above ground.
My machine of choice was an Allis Chalmers WD45, tricycle front tractor. Pretty light on the front end. A characteristic that becomes highly relevant when using the 3 point hitch at the rear to pull up a post. I wrapped a log chain around the post and securely attached both ends to the rams, climbed up on the tractor, set the brake and proceeded to attempt the extraction while intently watching the chain. I didn't want it slipping off. The rams began to rise, but the post wasn't moving! It took a few seconds for my 15 y.o brain to register that something wasn't Kosher. When I looked around to the front, I saw the front wheels about 3' off the ground!!! Any more ram action and I'd have been under an upside down tractor.
After I changed my pants, I dug around the post and SAFELY pulled it out.

[Dave Lehnert]

And the winner is.......................

198094

[Andrew Joiner]

I use a table saw that is not a Sawstop.

[Jeff Monson]

I drilled a hole in the side of the house once w/a .44Magnum when the cable guy's drill quit on him.

Oh mercy, I cant top that one. I will be chuckling over that one all day. Thanks Rich

[Jim Underwood]

That shopsmith photo is downright scary. Besides the danger of the top half of the sheet falling off who knows where, I shudder at the thought of walking past a naked horizontal saw blade....
I wonder how many folks had accidents with this setup?

[Monte Milanuk]

I drilled a hole in the side of the house once w/a .44Magnum when the cable guy's drill quit on him.

How many beers in were ya? ;)

[Rich Engelhardt]

How many beers in were ya?
LOL! That's usually the way us "bubbas" do things eh?

Honestly?
I'd been on the wagon @ that point for a good number of years. Hadn't touched a drop for at least 5 that I'm sure of.

I do have to admit though, that as sensational as it sounds, the devil is in the details.
There was a railroad tie for a backstop and several feet of earth behind that. Behind all that was about 30 miles of semi frozen Lake Erie.
The slug made it through the wall of the house & stuck inside the railroad tie.

[Peter Quinn]

Shapers were nearly my undoing several times. Before I learned what a solid fence or rub collar were for, or had a clue about coping sleds, I was spinning a large setoff insert knives with the fence opened way up to allow the cutter head to spin. Heck, I had free handed copes on e router plenty of times with just a backer push block! Ripped the darn rail right out of my hands, broke the knives, bent the spindle, wet my pants, I dove left, the knives flew right, I still haven't found all the pieces.

So I got a feeder to work safer eventually, because I care about my safety. I was milling some maple door parts, and they were blowing out bad. Better switch to a climb cut, that's easy with a shaper. Stiles passed fine, most of the rails passed fine, then I got to a set of three short rails.That little voice that whispers "THIS IS REALLY STUPID DONT DO IT!" could not be heard clearly over my zelousness to finish the job which was going so well now. I never measured the distance between wheels to realize only one wheel would be touching at a time, nor did I notice the wheels were covered in slick maple shavings from climb cutting. I pushed the rails in back to back, and as soon as I let go of the last one they shot out, one two three, each slamming into the next like pool balls, and shattered into the concrete wall 25' away. Not. 45', but I still shot a wall!