Scott Vigder
12-03-2006, 5:42 PM
While trying to release the cutterhead pulley on my 8" aircraft carrier, I had to position a push stick above the cutterhead and whack it with my deadblow until the pulley came off. A nice routine maintanence item could have been checked off if I hadn't inadvertently whacked my thumb with the hammer!
We've all been there. But I forgot to position the cutterhead knives below the outfeed tables so when I whacked my thumb, it went right into the corner of a knife. Imagine my surprise when I looked down, expecting to see a nicely swelling thumb ready to turn black and blue, and instead see this steadily oozing red liquid dripping from my thumbnail. Double Ouch!
Luckily I had just replenished the Band Aid box the week before. Some nice cold water and a couple tightly-wrapped bandages later, I completed the task. Tonight I'll re-wrap with some antibiotic cream smeared all over the wound (since I have small children, we seem to have a tube of that stuff in every room of the house).
So watch where you position those cutterhead knives when maintaining your jointer. And if you have a spiral cutterhead, well, use that extra long pushstick!
We've all been there. But I forgot to position the cutterhead knives below the outfeed tables so when I whacked my thumb, it went right into the corner of a knife. Imagine my surprise when I looked down, expecting to see a nicely swelling thumb ready to turn black and blue, and instead see this steadily oozing red liquid dripping from my thumbnail. Double Ouch!
Luckily I had just replenished the Band Aid box the week before. Some nice cold water and a couple tightly-wrapped bandages later, I completed the task. Tonight I'll re-wrap with some antibiotic cream smeared all over the wound (since I have small children, we seem to have a tube of that stuff in every room of the house).
So watch where you position those cutterhead knives when maintaining your jointer. And if you have a spiral cutterhead, well, use that extra long pushstick!