ian maybury
05-04-2012, 5:01 AM
:rolleyes: I had an 'educational experience' a few weeks ago while routing a very fine chamfer on the edge of the rip table I built for my saw with a 45 deg cutter, and was lucky not to do real harm to a finger. It's maybe worth pointing out the risk.
Because the cut was light the cutter was pulled right back up inside the machine so that quite a lot of the upper and largest diameter part of it was showing above the base plate. I was concerned that the router might tip over as it negotiated a corner, and so was holding it by the guide posts down near the base and concentrating on the cut.
The exposed cutter was covered on one side by the dust connection, but open on the other. It never crossed my mind that there was a risk (cutters somehow seem to belong below the base) until next thing there was a bump and I had a sore and bleeding index finger tip.
I was actually quite lucky, in that it could very easily have removed the whole tip of my finger in successive cuts. Some combination of reflexes and the impact of the cutter meant instead that I ended up with a couple of deep cuts (one probably hit bone and kicked the finger out) and blood everywhere - with only minimal nail and cosmetic damage. It's all healed up just fine with no treatment beyond sticky tape.
All's well that ends well, but I'll be taking care in future and using those prissy little plastic bits that seemed to be only for dust guarding if I can in future...
ian
Because the cut was light the cutter was pulled right back up inside the machine so that quite a lot of the upper and largest diameter part of it was showing above the base plate. I was concerned that the router might tip over as it negotiated a corner, and so was holding it by the guide posts down near the base and concentrating on the cut.
The exposed cutter was covered on one side by the dust connection, but open on the other. It never crossed my mind that there was a risk (cutters somehow seem to belong below the base) until next thing there was a bump and I had a sore and bleeding index finger tip.
I was actually quite lucky, in that it could very easily have removed the whole tip of my finger in successive cuts. Some combination of reflexes and the impact of the cutter meant instead that I ended up with a couple of deep cuts (one probably hit bone and kicked the finger out) and blood everywhere - with only minimal nail and cosmetic damage. It's all healed up just fine with no treatment beyond sticky tape.
All's well that ends well, but I'll be taking care in future and using those prissy little plastic bits that seemed to be only for dust guarding if I can in future...
ian