Have you ever done this?

[Scott Berg]

Hate to admit this but hopefully I am not the only bozo to do this.

So I decide that I needed to get off of the couch and work on finishing up a garage cabinet project that I am working on for a friend of mine. Cut some dados then switched out the blade and did some ripping of plywood that I am using for the drawers. I am cutting away and cannot believe the amount of tearout and woodchips flying off of the saw. Got the DC hooked up so that's not the problem. I am swearing to myself that I will never buy this type of plywood again, what junk. Might be time to get the blade sharpened too I figure, seemed ok this weekend. Finish up my cuts and as I shut off the saw, a thought occurs to me............(can you guess what the problem is?)


I notice that I put my tablesaw blade is in backwards!:eek: :eek: :eek:
No wonder the ripping is going so terribly and the wood is tearing out and the wood is burning a little. After I give myself 10 Homer Simpson "DOHS", I install, no I reinstall the blade and do some crosscutting.

During one of the cuts, I get kind of lazy and as I move the cutoff to the side it kicks back to me and misses.

OK, I get the hint. I turn off the tools and go inside to relax for the night. Althought now I am really wide awake thinking about everything that could have happened.
So, sound familiar??

[Steve Cox]

While I haven't made your exact mistakes, I have enough of my own to qualify me for the Homer Simpson prize. Just be glad that you weren't hurt and think long and hard about what happened so that you never make the same mistakes again or let yourself go out to the shop when you are in the same mental state.

[Cecil Arnold]

Scott, two words come to mind; tired and complacent. I would bet that one applies. I'll bet that if you were cutting some $100+ a sheet ply it wouldn't have happened, unless you were too tired to be working in the shop. It's happened to most of us at one time or another, and my kickback almost gave me a curcumcisem.

[Vaughn McMillan]

Guilty as charged on the backwards blade thing. Fortunately, I was ripping some 1/2" UHMD plastic, and I noticed it after the first cut. My couple of kickback moments have been uneventful but eye-opening. I think Cecil summed it up nicely about being either tired or complacent. Either is a bad idea aroung sharp and/or fast things.

- Vaughn

[Scott Parks]

You know what I think the problem was? It was too cold here to be working out in the shop today. (Unless you've got heat). You were trying to work so fast to get it done and stay warm.... I can't wait for warmer weather to spray some laquer....

I almost made a similar mistake the other day. I set up my tablesaw with a molding head. As I was trying to set up the height and fence, I kept thinking to myself that "isn't the cove supposed to be facing the other way". I almost turned the saw on a couple times, but something wasn't quite right. I've used that set a lot, but somehow "DOH" I put the cutters in backwards... OOoops...

[Scott Donley]

[quote=Scott Parks]You know what I think the problem was? It was too cold here to be working out in the shop today. (Unless you've got heat). You were trying to work so fast to get it done and stay warm.... I can't wait for warmer weather to spray some laquer....

I just had to ask, you do know it is November:) Hope you are not in a hurry to spray that laquer !

[Tyler Howell]

Scott,
It is at that time that I go get back on the couch.
Play safe.

[Rich Torino]

Nope, never done anything like that.....You are the only one.....

[Jeff Sudmeier]

I have put one of the chippers in my dado set in backwards 3 TIMES!! Twice in a row no less!!

So yes, there are others out there :(

[Maurice Ungaro]

Put the resaw blade bacwards on my bandsaw (teeth pointing up, not down) - kept wondering WHY I had to push the wood into it so much. D'OH!!!

[Steve Clardy]

I don't try to remember my doofus mistakes. But I do. Lol

[Scott Berg]

Thanks guys, I don't feel as stupid, just a little. Believe me, I hesitated to even post this but thought it would serve as a reminder to how dangerous woodworking can be.

Yep, I was tired after a long day at work, and yes it was cold in the shop. I kept telling myself to go out and make some progres on the project so I wouldn't be rushing at the last minute. Trust me, I don't think I will put another blade on without looking at it to make sure its on right!

Thanks for the support. Love this place.

[lou sansone]

wow

honestly I have not done that, but I am suprised that you were actually able to cut anything.. it did give me a laugh though.. I have done other stupid things just not that type of stupid thing

lou

[Tom Conger]

Still being new to woodworking, all of my tools, except for maybe my tape measure, scare the hell out of me.

I am always sure to exagerate everything I do before turning on the router or table saw. Check the area, make sure everything is tight, make sure I have cleaance around the tool for where the board will end up, possiblility of kickback, my positioning, etc.

Now what I don't seem to do, is make sure I am cutting the right darn board. Can't say how many times I have made the perfect cut, on the wrong board....

[Scott Coffelt]

I still have the mark from my one major kickback. It left a lasting impression.

But yes I have done some stupid things, so far only the one kickback accident though. I have had two other near misses and those resulted in me not visiting the shop for a few days while i thought about what could have happened. Thankfully, they were near misses.

[Joe Scarfo]

I remember installing a dado backwards once and couldn't figure out why the cuts were so hard. I was quick to figure it out though....

HOWEVER... I have learned a very critical lesson or two and pay more attention to my instincts.

I was going through a divorce and always looked to woodworking as my intellectual relaxing station. I could not get my thoughts away from the more serious problems at hand.. and simply started to get to work.

I pulled out the trim router... fired it up.. I felt the bit rubbing againt my pinky... One mircro inch further and who knows what damage would have happened.

Now I NEVER enter that woodshop without full concentration on what is taking place. NEVER. A few times, I've walked out only to turn around and go back into the house...

If you're not focused, let's not be out there...

Joe

[scott spencer]

Knock wood...I've done it, but so far haven't left it on long enough to tighten the arbor nut and cut anything with it! :D

Did sumpin stupider recently....after having a bum EB-3 for nearly a year, finally got some parts from Excaliber to fix it, and I sliced into the middle of the fence in about a week! :eek: D'oh! :o :( Oh well...what ya gonnd do? ...still got 10 digits and woke up on the right side of the dirt today!

[Matt Crew]

Still have the scar from the chain saw that nicked my left index knuckle while trying to cut up some broken branches in the backyard.
I still look at it and tell myself I'm lucky to still have that finger. Or that hand for that matter.
So yah. Been there, done that, tried to learn from it.

[Andy Hoyt]

I have about an ounce of bondo in my right femur thanks to a pencil jambed into a circular saw blade guard. Yup, I put it there.