Jointer accident

[cal thelen]

A little over a week ago I was getting honey locust ready for so some pen blanks. thought I would straighten out one edge before resawing, I learned that a jointer does not leave a thumb with a nice straight edge like does on wood. could of been much worse but puts a damper on things a little. Its almost two weeks and is healing up nicely. 33 years woodworking and this was my first emergency room visit
248642

[Russell Eaton]

Dang Cal! Hope it heal up soon!

[Mel Fulks]

yeah ,be careful. Hope they didn't keep you waiting a long time .....being a new customer!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Man! That had to get your attention immediately! Hope it heals quickly!

[Mike Cruz]

Awe SNAP, Cal!!!!!!! That must have smarted like nobody's business!!!!

Usually, when people post that they had an accident with one of their machines, I give the old "no pic didn't happen" with the wishful thought that maybe it'll go away and it really didn't happen since they didn't post. But you most certainly proved that you, in fact, made you thumb a little shorter...

So, for information and instructional sake... Did your thumb "drag" over the blades, or did something go "wrong" and your thumb dive into them?

Glad to hear it is healing up nicely...

[John Keeton]

Cal, it may be bad, but you are actually very fortunate. Could have removed a lot more flesh and bone. Have you given thought to using push blocks??;)

[Roger Chandler]

oh my!:eek: Hope you heal up soon! +1 on the pushblocks!!!

[charlie knighton]

thanks for the wakeup post, it happens very fast, glad it was not worse, thanks for sharing Cal

[Timothy Mann]

Very sorry to hear this, I hope you feel better soon.

[Alan Trout]

Cal,

Ive been there and done that. I can fully empathize with you. I took 1/2" off of my middle finger on the right hand and peeled back my index finger tissue to the first joint which severed the nerve in that finger as well. Jointers can do ugly things. All of this was in 2008 and still not much feeling in either finger. What I can say is be careful and always watch where you stick you hands. Heel up soon. I know I learned my lesson.

Alan

[Bernie Weishapl]

Hope you heal quickly. Dang that had to hurt.

[Harry Robinette]

That's not an oops.that's a down right hurt like _ _ _ _. Hope it heals up and you can get back to work.

[cal thelen]

Thanks for all the replys. Yes I count my blessings it could of been so much worse. I usually use push sticks quite a bit have a couple made up laying all over the shop. This was not a small board, I did not feel I needed a push stick. No I did not drag it through. I think, and it happened so quick I am still not sure. but i remember the board sticking I gave it a little push and I think the board cocked and my hand slipped off and grazed the blades, I keep the swing guard on so I am still not sure how my thumb found its way in there. It did not cut the bone at all but did break the the upper bone. it is healing up very nicely I think it will be shaped a little different when all said and done. I have been getting out back in the shop. I even made a pen out of the offending piece of wood already. Things are a little awkward and slower but I am still getting my fix. Thanks again everyone

[Mike Cruz]

Cal, thanks for your answers. And I know this sounds morbid, but keep that pen for yourself...in the shop...as a reminder. Considering your track record, I would say you generally aren't a careless woodworker. But, as you know (and you knew this before this incident), it takes only one time... Hey, it can happen to anyone if/when we don't use all the precautions. I'm not sitting on a high horse. Sometimes I do things I probably ought not to. Sometimes I think, "Oh, it's just one quick cut". The reality is, every cut is crutial. Every cut needs whatever safety we put in place for it. (And that is different for each person.) Every cut deserves and commands respect. You know this, I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. So, don't look at this as preaching. Woodworking is a dangerous hobby/line of work. You got bit. You know what you did or didn't do. You are back at woodworking like a trooper. Glad to hear that you are back in the shop. Thanks for posting yet another reminder to be safe. We need them...

[Donny Lawson]

Man, that's gotta hurt. I hope for a speedy recovery and always be careful.

[Cody Kemble]

Hope you heal up quickly. It is definitely a wake up call that woodworking can be dangerous regardless of all the safety measures we employ. Now to go fix the spring on the swing guard on my jointer.

[Peter Blair]

I feel your pain Cal. I myself had only one similar accident in over 50 years of wood work. "touch wood" I guess I might add, so far.

I looked up as I was passing a walnut blank for a 'bell shield" past a router. It grabbed the walnut and spun my finger through the router. May be one of the only people I know who has an Ogee on the end of his finger.

But that isn't my reason for writing. My finger lost a chunk of it's end and it was slow to heal so my Dr. recommened a skin graft and I thought that it might be a good idea. The plastic surgeon took a chunk of skin from my forearm and sewed it to the end of my finger. Sure enough it healed nicely BUT the skin is so fragile that any time I work outside when the weather is nasty or work with dirt the skin splits and bleeds and is a real problem. I sure wish I had persevered with the natural healing instead of the graft.

[Doug Herzberg]

Cal, I'm sure many, if not most of us have been there. I've had enough injuries and near misses that I almost always use a push block or other safety device. Occasionally I forget or choose not to and sometimes I get a painful kickback or another minor injury to reinforce the lesson. Glad you're okay.

Peter, I thought you were going somewhere else with your story. In the first year of law school, there's a case about a doctor in the early days of skin grafts who put some forearm skin on the palm of the patient's hand. The grafted skin started growing hair and the patient sued. It's been so long ago I forget whether it was a contract or tort case (I think contract), but what I remember is the mental image of the "hairy hand," which is how the case is known to all lawyers. I was sure you were going to say you had hair growing from your Ogee.

As to natural healing, I crushed the end of my dominant index finger between two big rocks this summer. I decided not to go to the ER. Just bandaged it up and kept working. Four days later, the doctor told me it was too late for stitches. It healed, but the scar tissue has taken away a lot of the feeling in that finger. I think I'd agree to natural healing over a skin graft where there's an option, but I wouldn't recommend leaving the MD out of the picture all together.

Hope you heal quickly, Cal.

[Dan Forman]

Cal--- Sorry to see that, did something similar about two years ago to my left ring finger, and less so to it's two neighbors. I know exactly what you mean about happening so fast that you don't really know exactly what happened. Mine too started with the front of the piece hanging up on the outfeed table too, and like yours, could have been much worse - which is what I told myself many times over the course of the healing process. Hope your healing continues to go well.

Dan

[Jerry Marcantel]

Cal, I was ok reading all the posts by the other people that responded plus the original, but when you explained in your reply as to how it happened, I felt the pain myself. It was really weird. I've had my share of injuries myself, so I know the feeling. You'll be ok if if doesn't get infected, but every time you bump that thumb, you'll definately know it, where before the injury you probably didn't notice the bumps.............. Jerry (in Tucson)