Worlds dumbest injury

[Rod Sheridan]

A week ago Sunday I had the worlds dumbest tale saw injury.

I was ripping on the slider using a Fritz und Franz jig when my daughters kitten leapt up on the saw, right beside the blade, and it’s tail went up into the guard.

The sliding table was in the full rear position pulled back to start the rip.

Without thinking I grabbed the cat and pulled it away, it was unscathed, my left hand, not so much.

Three injured fingers, one a slight cut, two with partially amputated ends.

How I ever got my fingers in beside the riving knife and blade I have no idea, photo attached.

I saw the surgeon yesterday, no further work required, although soaking the fingers on a daily basis in Epsom salts is a great reminder not to do it again��

In a couple of weeks the stitches OEM out…….Regards, Rod

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[Mark Bolton]

Gah..... its like totaling your car not to run over a squirrel. I'd be in that camp.

Ive had many stray cats wander into the shop and one that was so loving it was unbearable but just having that animal in the shop for a single day made it clear to me that it, and my wanting to be friends with it, was far too dangerous a distraction.

People constantly tell me I need a shop cat/dog.. no dice.

I pride myself on all 10 and 10 but your story is something I would do for sure. Glad your somewhat in-tact.

[johnny means]

I've never understood how people are comfortable with animals in the shop. I have a hard enough time trying to explain all the possible hazards to humans.

[Edwin Santos]

A pet like a dog in the shop is one thing. When I reluctantly let mine in he sleeps under the workbench mostly.

But any pet on top of a saw or anywhere near the business end of a tool? Jeepers Creepers Rod

[Rod Sheridan]

I've never understood how people are comfortable with animals in the shop. I have a hard enough time trying to explain all the possible hazards to humans.


Agreed, it’s not my cat and it had never been in the shop, it just jumped up on the saw, I didn’t even know it had come in the basement…Rod

[Rod Sheridan]

A pet like a dog in the shop is one thing. When I reluctantly let mine in he sleeps under the workbench mostly.

But any pet on top of a saw or anywhere near the business end of a tool? Jeepers Creepers Rod

I read my post again, somehow. I had written “left” instead of leapt.

I had no idea the cat was even in the basement… Rod

[David Utterback]

Hi Rod,
Not so much a dumb accident which reflects poorly on you. Long time creekers know better than that. I am amazed that a cat would be anywhere near a running power tool. Most cats would hightail it not into the saw guard but to the next county. You reacted to save an imperiled animal which is quite admirable. Hope you fully heal soon.

[michael langman]

I hope you heal quickly Rod and don't have too much pain. I don't think what happened was as dumb as it was just downright awful. Thankfully it wasn't as bad as it could have been, espaecially if the gaurd and riving knife were not there.

[Frederick Skelly]

Rod,
I'm sorry you got hurt. I'm glad it wasn't even worse. I hope the pain is manageable and that you heal quickly.

I know it doesn't help with your pain, but you saved that kitten's life. That counts too, even if it's just in a small way.

Get well soon.
Fred

[Mark Bolton]

Hi Rod,
Not so much a dumb accident which reflects poorly on you. Long time creekers know better than that. I am amazed that a cat would be anywhere near a running power tool. Most cats would hightail it not into the saw guard but to the next county. You reacted to save an imperiled animal which is quite admirable. Hope you fully heal soon.

This was noy the case for yhe super lover cat that wandered into my shop. It wouldnt think twice about jumping on the saw when feeder ripping or trying to chase some chips escaping the dc. Even worse, if you were working it wouldnt hesitate to climb up your pantleg, up your back, to nuzzle around your neck. Shaper, saw no matter.

It would lay in my neck/lap while doing bids/cad work. Super sweet cat. But no way to lock it off the shop floor ans too risky even if i could.

Rods deal is an accident no shop cat.. but is what it is.

[Frank Pratt]

The neighbor's cat will often come in my shop when I am working with the OH door open. She jumps up & lays down on whatever surface I'm working at. Just a wonderful cat. But when I have to run machinery, she gets evicted.

[Wes Grass]

Dumb? No, I don't think so. Unfortunate, yeah. But as a relatively new 'cat person', I'd call it Noble. Thank you for saving that little guy. I know I'd be devastated if anything happened to my buddy that showed up at the front door a few years back.

Might have me rethinking the idea of connecting a 'catio' to my shop via an enclosed overhead 'catwalk'.

[Edwin Santos]

I read my post again, somehow. I had written “left” instead of leapt.

I had no idea the cat was even in the basement… Rod

That one word change makes a world of difference for sure.


Wishing you a speedy recovery. And glad it was not a bigger cat-astrophe.

[Brian Holcombe]

Heal quickly!

I was sharpening a large hollow chisel the other day, it stuck on the stone and my finger went over the top edge of one of the points. My doctor was impressed!

[Dave Zellers]

First- OUCH!
Second, I agree with David U, I've been around cats my entire life andI can't believe any cat would not bolt out of the shop the second you turned the saw on.
Third, your fingers are going to be OK?

I hope?!

[John K Jordan]

I recently finished a bandsaw video, making turning blanks from log sections. In the safety section I talked about distractions: visitors, pets. I like to lock the door when I'm working on the bandsaw and the bandsaw is a very safe saw. For the tablesaw it might be good to lock the door and post a guard.

[Bruce Mack]

Hey, Rod, you did what had to be done. Not a dumb injury, it is a wound deserving a civilian Purple Heart.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Sorry to hear of you accident Rod! Heal quickly and completely!

[Brian Runau]

Glad you are OK. I don't even listen to music in my shop because I don't want the distraction. Brian

[Charlie Jones]

Glad you are OK. I don't even listen to music in my shop because I don't want the distraction. Brian

I am with you Brian. After being surprised a couple of times by family, I lock the door when using machines. Music is not for me.

[Curt Harms]

First- OUCH!
Second, I agree with David U, I've been around cats my entire life andI can't believe any cat would not bolt out of the shop the second you turned the saw on.
Third, your fingers are going to be OK?

I hope?!

I've had 2 cats that hang out in my shop. The first was a cat shaped dog, behaved very much like a dog. She was on her bench and I figured when I fired the jointer-planer up, that'd be the end of her visit. Nope, sat right there and watched me noise not being a deterrent. The second and current visitor is a typical cat, wants to stick her nose into whatever I'm doing but vacates the shop when I hit a power switch.

[Ronald Blue]

First I hope you heal quickly and with no long term issues. Sounds like you could have been injured worse than you were. Not a dumb injury at all. Dumb would be doing something that was fraught with risk and doing it anyway. This was simply a reflex reaction to save the cat that unfortunately resulted in your injury. The cat has no idea you saved it's "tail". In fact I'm sure it was miffed that you knocked it out of harms way but at that point you were dealing with your trauma. All the best and hopefully you can be back to making saw dust soon.

[Scott Clausen]

Not to derail into a SawStop promo but this was my thinking when I upgraded to saw stop. I have had a bird fly into my shop, bees attack, and random things fall or get move by the piece I am cutting. All very distracting at the moment I can least afford it. I hope the flingers are healing well.

On a more personal note I have a Maltese that is a bit nuts. I was out in the yard and fired up a chop saw and he immediately came up behind me barking and attempting to bite me. Never a good thing to have happen.

[Jason White]

Hi, Rod. Thanks for sharing this. I've often heard people say that sliders are safer than traditional American-style tablesaws, but the reality is that stuff happens in the blink of an eye for any kind of reason you can (or can't) think of. It's why I bought a SawStop. But then I lost part of a finger to my jointer a few weeks ago. And I'm sure plenty of people have serious injuries with SawStops and you just don't hear about them. Some things are just beyond our control.

Hope you heal quickly and feel better soon.

Jason White


A week ago Sunday I had the worlds dumbest tale saw injury.

I was ripping on the slider using a Fritz und Franz jig when my daughters kitten leapt up on the saw, right beside the blade, and it’s tail went up into the guard.

The sliding table was in the full rear position pulled back to start the rip.

Without thinking I grabbed the cat and pulled it away, it was unscathed, my left hand, not so much.

Three injured fingers, one a slight cut, two with partially amputated ends.

How I ever got my fingers in beside the riving knife and blade I have no idea, photo attached.

I saw the surgeon yesterday, no further work required, although soaking the fingers on a daily basis in Epsom salts is a great reminder not to do it again😀

In a couple of weeks the stitches OEM out…….Regards, Rod

462811

[Jim Becker]

I wouldn't consider that a dumb injury at all...sometimes, when we "do the right thing" we pay a small price for the greater good. 'Hope you heal quickly!

[mreza Salav]

Oh....I'm sorry about this Rod and I hope you heal fully and fast. Don't see the photos (and glad I don't see).
You are the last person I thought would report an accident but this proves (yet again) that it can happen to anybody. I always tell my family members not to enter the shop if they hear a power tool running.

[andrew whicker]

I'd probably forget about my injury in a few months, but if I saw a kitten get ____ by a tables saw I think I'd have nightmares for the rest of my life.

Heal up fast!

[Stephen White]

hey glad you are OK. Maybe consider changing saws, what happened to you is why I got a contractors sawsstop instead of a nicer cabinet table saw from one of the other brands. I figure sometime over the next 28 expected years of my life I will have something like that happen and just figured I needed every edge I could to keep all my digits.

Hope your recovery goes well!

[Jacob Mac]

You have the instincts of a kind man. Hope you get better soon.

[George Yetka]

Glad you made it out and you dont have a stumpy tailed cat. I saw a video of a cat this morning touching an electric fence with its tail. It doesnt look like it was really hurt but it ran so fast it blurred in the video, I would have thought the cat would have done the same when the saw went on. I dont have a pet problem in my shop I would have to physically carry my dog out in the garage to get her there. 13 year old english bulldog, very lazy.

[John TenEyck]

Let me add my get well wishes, too, Rod. It was just instinct to save that cat but a noble act nevertheless. The first cat I had as an independent adult loved to lay on a bench in my shop and watch me work. Power tools didn't bother him at all. He'd just lay there and watch, sometimes even go to sleep. I figured he'd get deaf over the years but he was a good shop buddy until I caught him peeing on a couple of my machines. He was banished from the shop for then on and I've never let another in, and there have been quite a few to choose from.

I have a door to my shop that's always closed. Keeps cats and people out.

All the best for speedy and full recover.

John

[Alan Lightstone]

Get well soon, Rod. So sorry to hear about that episode.

It was not a "dumb injury". It was just a crazy bit of bad luck from a noble gesture. It isn't like you said, "Y'all watch this!! Hold my beer."

I've seen many, many crazy things happen to people who were minding their own business and had insanely bad luck. The javelin catcher comes to mind. Or the woman lying in bed when she was struck by a meteorite (World's unluckiest woman. Google it for pictures). But there were tons of others. Trauma staff all have great, barely believable stories that are all true.

I've become a dog person over the years but had a cat that would wake me up at 4:00am every morning to go out by walking on my chest, then turning on the clock radio. God I hated that cat.

For years afterwards, if someone at work would start talking about cats, I would say, "Do you love cats? Because I've got a great recipe for them. The real secret is braising, followed by slow cooking." That would usually stop cat conversations.

I never let the dogs in the shop. Always scared me too much. Now even more so.

[Jeff Bartley]

Heal well Rod! Definitely a noble act to save that cat! I can’t even imagine what could have happened had you not grabbed it sooner than you did. Good on ya!

[Jeff Bartley]

Also, my family sends their well-wishes too! I just relayed the story to them.

[Rod Sheridan]

Also, my family sends their well-wishes too! I just relayed the story to them.


Thanks Jeff, I greatly enjoyed meeting your family….Rod.

P.S. The dog just got neutered and we’re home alone as Diann is in Quebec babysitting our daughters pets.

The two of us are commiserating over stitches and the injustices of the universe.

[Tom Bender]

We had a cat that loved to be vacuumed! She was deaf as a post.

[Richard Hart]

I would do the same as I would do since my love of animals far, far exceeds that of people. 99% goes toward animals except for my wife. <g>

I almost hit a black Lab that ran in front of the truck, almost under the wheels. Fortunately it was in a neighborhood so I was creeping. I yelled at the stupid dimbulb "owner."
If I ever hit a dog I think I'd be spending time in the psych unit.

Neighbors across the street had a fire at 0200, blessedly I'm a night owl and called 911, got pissed at the dispatcher for 20 questions instead of jumping into action, ran over in my jammies and got two of their dogs out-they have *five. * Everyone was OK. Belly landed in the ER for smoke inhalation. I'd do it all over.

Not trying to hijack the thread, just making a point. You did good! May you recover well without complications and you have my best wishes... sending good thoughts and white light your way! Karma will be very kind to you. :cool:

I always keep everyone, especially Fat Boy (nickname) out of the area and I keep doors shut.

Take care

Rich

[Richard Hart]

Glad you are OK. I don't even listen to music in my shop because I don't want the distraction. Brian

Extremely good point... I have ADHD so it's like going through a 747 checklist before I use any power tool. Medication? Tired? Distracted? Pissed/argument with my wife? Overhungry? (especially) Any of those in the affirmative = fail, and I wait until the right time. The radio goes.

[Mark Bolton]

The two of us are commiserating over stitches and the injustices of the universe.

Dont beat yourself up about it or get down in the dumps. Easier said than done.. but

[Eric McCune]

Hope you get better soon, Rod. You have provided excellent safety advice over the years that I think of often. I pretty sure you once said, that there is always a way to do something safely. You can always find a way to do it with the appropriate guards in place. I'm glad your guard was in place when this happened.

[Rod Sheridan]

Thanks Eric, fingers are almost healed externally, it doesn’t hurt now when they get their daily soaking in Epsom Salt and water.

The stitches come out next Tuesday, cannot imagine what would have happened without a guard….Regards, Rod