Is it possible that I am the only guy in the world

[steve swartz]

I would like to see Sawmill Creek create a category for those of us who have made an error while working in the shop. They could label it something like "But nobody got hurt". Maybe my post will be a reminder to someone else. So my question is- Is it possible that I am the only guy in the world who attached his Wixey angle gauge to his table saw blade to get the perfect angle only to forget to take it off of the blade before he turned the saw on?

[Jim Matthews]

The difference between those of us that make setup errors in the handtool world and the power tool world is how long we wait in the ER.
(You guys go first, so there's less cleanup in the waiting room.)

I note many of the "Big Dogs" that chime in here have shop built safety fixtures, centered around their power tools.
Have a look at Jeff Miller's kickback gizmo hanging over his tablesaw...

It looks like a plywood plowblade, designed to deflect debris away from the operator.

[Cliff Polubinsky]

Never did that with a Wixley, but I did forget to take the steel straight edge off the jointer after checking the tables. :o

[Mark Andrew]

I would like to see Sawmill Creek create a category for those of us who have made an error while working in the shop. They could label it something like "But nobody got hurt". Maybe my post will be a reminder to someone else. So my question is- Is it possible that I am the only guy in the world who attached his Wixey angle gauge to his table saw blade to get the perfect angle only to forget to take it off of the blade before he turned the saw on?

Possibly, but we're almost soul mates. I did it with my miter saw. Twice.

[Keith Outten]

Steve,

A) Every woodworker has made errors where nobody got hurt while working in their shop so the forum you are requesting would include over 82,000 Members :)
B) A very large group of us have made errors where we did get hurt, some are willing to admit their mistakes openly and some prefer to keep them a secret :)
C) I'm old enough now to have forgotten many of the dumb mistakes I have made in over 40 years of woodworking. Although I learned from my mistakes I'm probably destined to repeat the ones that are no longer stored in memory :)

If we placed all of the threads listing shop errors in one place it would probably be a very long list that would scare away those who are considering woodworking as a hobby.

[Matt Meiser]

We already have that place. Its called "Sawmill Creek" :D

[Peter Quinn]

I'm in the almost category . I've always wondered how far one of those travels when launched? As far as the separate forum, not sure that's required, but perhaps a standard tag line in the thread title would help those interested quickly assemble a data base via search engine? Not sure what the tag line would be exactly? Perhaps "rectal cranial inversion strikes again!"

[Myk Rian]

Is it possible that I am the only guy in the world who attached his Wixey angle gauge to his table saw blade to get the perfect angle only to forget to take it off of the blade before he turned the saw on?
I haven't heard of anyone else doing it.
I think the Off Topic area covers it pretty well.
Probably don't want a section titled, "Only Stupid People Post Here". :D

[Ronald Blue]

Anyone who works around machinery whether woodworking or metalworking has made mistakes that could have had serious life altering or ending results. I guess I have dodged the bullet for close to 40 years now. Some dumb luck was involved that kept me from serious injury or worse. The other thing is that rarely do we get hurt doing the jobs that we have never done or rarely do because we are cautious and alert. But the routine tasks are the ones where complacency slides in and sets us up for injury or at least a good scare. This excludes the injuries that people get trying to trim their hedge with the lawn mower or worse. They have the Darwin awards for that group. If forgetting your Wixey was still on the saw blade is the worst thing you ever do you will be fine. By the way did it survive?

[Jim Andrew]

Knock on wood first, but luckily I have had a lot of safety training, and have no recollection of ruining anything other than a board, except for one time when my son was preschool, I was setting the fence on my old Cman table saw, had my tape out measuring fence to blade, and my boy ran up and said "Ill get it for you Dad", and flipped the switch on. It cut the end off my tape. I didn't holler at my son, as I wanted him to like shop work, but spooked me a little. I told him to ask before turning it on the next time.

[Erik Christensen]

my most recent excitement was forgetting to adequately tighten the fence locking knob on my 5 hp shaper when doing a climb cut - the feeder happily pulled the fence into the expensive cutter and there was a lot of noise and flying carbide - lucky for me it was a long board so I was well back from the excitement & hoopla - all i had to do was do some filing on the fence, order another pricey cutter and change my shorts

[Kent A Bathurst]

Is it possible that I am the only guy in the world who attached his Wixey angle gauge to his table saw blade to get the perfect angle only to forget to take it off of the blade before he turned the saw on?

Not only possible - very likely.

As you were. Carry on.


:D

[wayne booker]

I made the mistake and I did get hurt. Last Nov. I was working on my Unisaw with the sled and, well, a board kicked back and smashed two fingers against the fence. Like about any such mishap in the shop it was pure laziness that created the hazard and the instant it happened I could be heard muttering to myself those famous words of common sense deficient men everywhere: "&@$? THAT WAS STUPID". Costed me one fingernail and all of my handyman pride.

wayne

[Mike Wilkins]

Does installing a tablesaw blade backwards, and wondering why the wood is smoking count?
Does working on a 240 volt plug and wiring, and failing to turn off the breaker count?
Does stubbing your toe while trying to move a piece of treated lumber on the ground count?
Does stabbing your finger with a very sharp chisel and waiting most of the night/morning in the emergency room count (still have the scar)?
I'm tired of trying to remember the episodes of stoopid I have had over the years. Too busy trying to prevent another one.
Be careful out there guys. There is always something trying to bite you.

[Jim Becker]

While at first it will always seem attractive to create additional categories for discussion, the reality is that SMC already has a broad diversity in forum areas and managing more would greatly add to the the workload of the volunteer moderators and the administrators/owners. So my suggestion is to be thoughtful about the thread titles you use and just discuss the "blunders" like other general woodworking topics here in General Woodworking or in audience specific forum areas where that is a better fit. (Turning, Neander, Finishing, etc.)

Jim
HGS Moderator

[Joshua Richards]

Valuable lesson I learned recently.

As convenient as it may seem, cutting 4 inch PVC on a band saw is a horrible idea. All was going well until it snagged and spun the pipe in the last inch of the cut and the rough edge tore my knuckle damn near to the bone.

[David Nicoll]

How about putting your thumb behind a piece of bracing and with your new pneumatic nail gun you shoot a 2 1/2" nail through 1 1/2" of wood and 3/8ths of thumb? Does that count as dumb things I've done?
Got my attention but it didn't bleed......much.
My first posting here.....but for me, it's fitting
Dave

[Myk Rian]

Valuable lesson I learned recently.

As convenient as it may seem, cutting 4 inch PVC on a band saw is a horrible idea. All was going well until it snagged and spun the pipe in the last inch of the cut and the rough edge tore my knuckle damn near to the bone.
I did that with a resaw blade on. Once.
That was damned stupid.
Works OK with a fine tooth blade though.

[Jason Hanko]

Forgot to lock the table saw fence before initiating a rip cut; I was 6" or so in (ha) when the kickback happened. Luckily it was a largish piece of 1/8" paneling, so I was well back from the blade and the ply flexed like a spring which absorbed a decent amount of the force.

I've also definitely started the drill press with the chuck key still in.

[Chris Padilla]

I've also definitely started the drill press with the chuck key still in.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Been there, done that!!!

[steven taggart]

last week I had an angle grinder separate where the head attaches to the body, and the head and sanding disk bounced off the piece I was grinding on and made a home in my T-shirt. One large bruise from the handle torquing into me, and a very small burn mark from the electrical wires shorting out. Changed shirt, and underwear, then put on the apron I should have been wearing in the first place.

[Tai Fu]

How about jamming your finger between the bandsaw wheel and the blade while turning the wheel by hand to track it?