13 stitches

[David Gunn]

USE YOU SPLITTER!

I got in a hurry I guess. I was ripping a short piece of hard maple. Got almost through the cut and OUCH, KICKBACK.
Caught me right in the chin. Went to the ER and got 13 stitches.

USE YOUR SPLITTER!

[glenn bradley]

Man, I'm glad it wasn't worse. I know we all thank folks for posting these events to keep us all cautious and careful out there. Thanks for sharing and heal quick!

[Gary Herrmann]

Glad it wasn't worse. A few inches higher and it could have broken your nose.

[Matt Meiser]

Glad it wasn't worse. A few inches higher and it could have broken your nose.

A few inches higher than that and an eye :eek: Glad to hear it wasn't worse than it was.

[Sammy Shuford]

Good news is that your still kicking enough to get on the net.
Glad it was not any worse.

[Karin Voorhis]

Wow fast recovery for you!!!!! careful adn thanks for the post it keeps me upto keeping myself ready and awake....

[Jim Becker]

OUCH!

'Glad the damage wasn't worse, especially considering where you got hit and all the things that go on there in the body...

[Frederick Rowe]

Good reminder for all. Here's to a quick recovery. You should make a splitter out of the offending scrap.

[Doug Shepard]

Glad it wasn't more serious. And thanks for reminding me to get the Microjig splitter (a Christmas gift) installed on my saw before I start any more woodworking projects.

[David Weaver]

I'm a novice - started woodworking in the last 6 months, and already got a good lesson of the same sort. I was fortunate that the piece I was ripping came straight back and ripped me right below the belt line - left an internal lump for a while.

Did you see it happen at all - did the piece get away from the fence or what? I didn't see mine happen, but was lucky that an experienced woodworker was there and watching me work, so he was immediately able to point it out. It's freakin dangerous running a table saw, and a healthy dose of fear is probably always advisable.

Glad to hear it didn't hit you in the eye.

[Jerry Olexa]

Thanks for Alert!!! I now use a SPLITTER ALWAYS EXCEPT WHEN USING THE "SLED". (excuse the caps)

[Rick de Roque]

My splitter has saved my butt a number of times. Just this past weekend I was ripping a 9" wide x 5' long walnut board when the kerf closed on the splitter so tight I had to stop the table saw to release it. Must have relieved some tension in the board. Without the splitter it wouldn't have been pretty. Glad you are recovering and it wasn't worse.

Rick

[Don Dean]

Sure glad your OK. A reminder to all of us to slow down and not take short cuts.

[Sam Chambers]

Wow! I'm glad you're OK. I've experienced kickback, and it sticks with you. Now I always use a splitter and a pair of Grr-rippers, and I never reach over the blade to retrieve a workpiece until the blade has stopped.

[Frank Stolten]

I have a Biesemeyer removable spliitter that I always use whenever ripping. I know how effective it is and that gives me some peace of mind knowing that as long as I don't do something really foolish it's there to protect me. I didn't always use one until I had a really close call one day and I realized just how lucky I was not to be seriously injured.

Today, for example, I was ripping a 6" X 4' piece of alder which had so much internal stress that the board squeezed the splitter tight enough that it was a real struggle to move the board through the rip. I had to resort to driving a wedge into the far end of the board to keep the kerf open enough to finish the rip. Even in this somewhat extreme situation I felt perfectly safe with the splitter in place. Without it, I could easily be chewing on alder right now.

[John Schreiber]

I hope those 13 stiches add character to your face. A chunk of wood in the eye could have been really bad.

[Jim Summers]

Glad to hear you are ok. As others have said and I am sure you have thought many times since, dang glad it wasn't a few inches higher.

A couple have posted that they have had some rips clamp down on the splitter. One was alder and the other walnut. Do certain woods or grain patterns have tendencies to show these stresses?

TIA

[Rich Torino]

Glad it wasnt any worse... thanks for the reminder to use the splitter

[Mark Singer]

It could have been worse....I would get a set of Board Buddies.....they keep kickback from occuring