Really dumb question about jointing with one arm

[Gary Herrmann]

I tore my left biceps tendon. I have 3-5 more months ahead of me before my arm is 100%. Right now, its probably 10-20%.

I'm going slowly crazy. No sports, no exercise other than riding a bike, no woodworking...

I had started rough milling boards for my son's loft bed before I tore it. A lot of 8/4 stock left to do. Some over 6' long.

So heres my idea. What if I use a kbody to clamp a board from end to end so I effectively put a handle on it. I think I can lift an 8/4 board with one arm, but I doubt I can use the appropriate touch to joint it properly.

I wonder if the kbody handle would allow me to run it over the knives to rough mill it, so I can then plane the other side. I can then put it aside and let it acclimate while my arm heals.

Undoubtedly, it will take a while to joint a board this way.

Like I said. Its dumb, but it doesn't endanger the healing of my left arm, while possibly letting me make some progress. Thoughts? Minimal comments regarding my idiocy would be appreciated.:rolleyes:

[Jim Kountz]

Wow just be careful if you try this, the first thing that came to mind was if the clamp slipped and went down in the cutter.......Well I dont even have to say how not cool that would be. Maybe some sandpaper pads or something to give some extra grip?? Just a thought.

[Doug Shepard]

I dont know what wood you're using, but I just spent the last 2 evenings edge jointing some 8/4 purpleheart around 6" wide and 7' long. I had a tough time with TWO good arms. I cant imagine working around a jointer with ONE even if the wood weighed half of purpleheart. Maybe you could go neander, with a jointer fence on the plane with very light cuts so you could push it with one arm?

[Jim Becker]

Gary, I think you're asking for trouble trying to do this without the use of both hands, both for the sake of the wood and the sake of your body. Perhaps another woodworker in the St Louis area could provide you some assistance?

[Ron Jones near Indy]

I have the same concern as Jim.:eek: The thought of a slip is enough to say not this way.

[Bruce Page]

I agree with the others. It just sounds too risky.
BTW, how in the heck did you tear your biceps tendon?

[Heather Thompson]

I do not mean to be sarcastic, but are you stupid, please allow your body to heal. I took a class for six weeks in Canada in 2005. Ron Barter was one of my instructors, he had surgery on his right wrist while I was there, he came back to the school days after and I saw him using a Clifton#4, very much in pain. I asked him if his surgeon would approve, he playfully told me to shut up. Then I asked him if his daughter had surgery on her wrist and he saw her using it as he was, what would he say? From that point on, Ron was an observer and advisor. It is better to take a short break, than regret it the rest of your life. This is just my opinion, and like a-holes, everyone has one...

Heather

[Charles Wiggins]

Gary,
Don't try it! Just sounds like an accident waiting to happen. You know how quickly things can go awry. Do you really think that if things start to happen you won't throw your bad arm into the mix and mess it up even worse? And that's presuming that you don't injure yourself some other way.

Work on designs or something really small with hand tools.

[Joe Mioux]

Do the Physical Therapy first.

I tore an anterior deltoid muscle in my right shoulder years ago in DART league (archery).

It was painful. The only thing that helped was intense PT.

Patience.

joe

[Samuel Velleca]

Gary, I rushed the rehab of a torn right bicep and ended up starting all over 3 months later....let it heal

[glenn bradley]

Don't. Speaking as someone who has torn a tendon on more than one occasion, let it heal. Any suffering you are going through right now, and I know its a lot, will pale if you re-damage yourself 2 months before you are healed. My elbow took just over a year to heal.

Not to mention it is just plain dangerous trying to work one handed. I spent a lot of time organizing small stuff, waxing tool tops, sorting screws, etc. Catch up on all those FWW articles you've been meaning to read. Organize your shop photos, vacation photos, do up that wedding album you were going to do right after the honeymoon 15 years ago, etc. Not what you wanted to hear but in your heart, you know its true.

[Thomas Canfield]

Gary,

Speaking from the experience of tearing about 70% of my left bicep loose ( I think they said 2 of the 7 attachment points were still attached) for my 62nd birthday present, and not having surgery due to not getting that determined for 18 days after the injury, you do not want to rush the recovery process and do further damage. I was very mindful of the physical therapist in starting with the 1# weights and light rubber bands and working up to 15# weights over a period of about 5 months. I now have normal use and motion of the arm, but only about 50% strength for lifting. I still remember hearing the 2 "pops" when the muscle tore loose, and do not want to hear it again so am fairly good remembering to favor that arm.

I had a previous experience about 22 years ago stretching the ligaments in my left thumb. It should have been about 3 months if I wore the brace, but that was too much trouble for a while and I did not allow it to heal. I ended up wearing the brace for a full year and still have problems with the thumb

Don't rush it. Get your pencil and paper out and plan or do the things that can be done "SAFELY" with one hand or very light use of the injured arm until released by your physician or therapist. Reinjury and cause major problems.

[Tom Sontag]

Like others have said, give it a rest. If you define yourself as a man of action, then this sedentary period will be your end, no doubt.

So it is time to reinvent Gary... as a man of deep reflective thought and creative design. Buy a sketch book and draw shapes and bowls and furniture and let your imagination soar. Search the net or local shops for ideas to inspire you. Truly try and develop your creative design skills; if you give this a fair chance and work at it, you will have a book of fertile ideas for a very long time and you will be working on the one aspect of ww'g that limits more people than any other. Really, think about it.

[Danny Thompson]

May be time for the planer sled?

[Jamie Baalmann]

I was going to ask why your son couldn't help you since it's his bed but then I saw the picture... Think if you got hurt and couldn't provide for him ....:( Not the nicest thought but maybe you'll stop and think twice...

[Gary Herrmann]

Ok, I think I probably knew the answer at some level, but its seems like my really dumb idea is, well, a really dumb idea. Thanks.

[Dick Bringhurst]

Play it smart -- Let it heal. Dick B.

[David Epperson]

I would have figured that some of the St Louis Creekers would offer to come by and save you from yourself. :D

[Jim Dunn]

Learn to make coffee and enjoy.:) Maybe with a fresh cupajoe you might cajole somebody into at least stopping by.

Besides, who is a better woodworker you? or the guy sloping coffee all around your shop while you shout directions about applying pressure with your front hand not your back hand.

Give yourself a chance to heal.

[Jim Dunn]

I would have figured that some of the St Louis Creekers would offer to come by and save you from yourself. :D

There's no saving him. He's even an NEANDER:eek:, and a spinny:D type person. Probably already got the planes out and trying a way to flatten boards one handed.

[Gary Herrmann]

There's no saving him. He's even an NEANDER:eek:, and a spinny:D type person.

You say that like it's a bad thing, Jim.;)

I guess I finally have time to learn a cad program.

[Mike Null]

Gary

Just read your post. If you can wait until next week I'll give you a morning or afternoon. My weekends are taken for the next two weeks and Friday 10/26 is taken.

I'm offering to lend a hand, skill not necessarily included.

Send a pm or call at 636 227 8028.

[Gary Herrmann]

Thanks Mike. I'm sure you're plenty skilled. The wife has our schedule pretty jammed the next few weeks. I appreciate it. If I can see some light at the end of tunnel, I'll give you a call.

[Andy Pratt]

Is there any effective way to use a power feeder on a jointer? I don't know anything about using them, and it would seem at first glance that it probably wouldn't work, but it's worth a thought. If you could figure some way to work it, this would probably keep everything a safe distance from the knives and only be frustrating, at worst, instead of dangerous.

[Keith Cope]

Gary,

I can help out as well, though probably not until after 10/29...PM me if you're still down an arm after LOYL makes time available on your schedule. That offer is, of course, pending LOML scheduling! ;) Seriously, though, I can find a couple hours almost any time as long as I am not on the road.

Keith

[Gary Herrmann]

Thanks Keith.

[Al Willits]

Creeker gathering at Gary's, free BBQ, Booze and Broa...er....pretzels...:D


Seriously having spent mote time in phyical therapy than I care, I can say wait till help comes, now would be a good time to sharpen all the pointy things you turners use...:)

Al

[James Carmichael]

Sounds like a good way to end up doing ALL of your woodworking with one arm, PERMANENTLY.

I bet there's some creekers around St. Louie who'd be willing to come over and help you horse that 8/4 stock around.

[Roger Newby]

Went thru a similar experience with a torn rotator cuff in my right shoulder. To ease the frustration of not making saw dust, I started messing around with a scroll saw my son had picked up at an auction (by the way, it was a 24" Rockwell/Delta for 60 bucks!) and got started doing intarsia, which is quite enjoyable. Just a thought of a possible way of spending your time while waiting to heal and yet not stressing your injury with large chunks of wood.

[Stephan Postmus]

Gary,

That is exactly what I have to do because I only have the use of one hand. But this is not an operation to do yourself. I have enlisted the help of my wife whenever I need to joint any boards over 2' in length. I usually stand at the cutter head of the jointer to apply downward pressure on the board as it goes over the knives and then I transfer that pressure on the outfeed side of the jointer as my wife feeds the board at a very consistant rate. I have had to figure out may different ways to complete woodworking tasks, but I have a very healthy fear of woodworking machines and if it doesn't feel safe I will devise a way to complete the task safely or enlist the help of others. Never be afraid to ask for help.

Just my $0.02.
Stephan

[Chris Barnett]

Really a bad thing about arm injuries; it seems the muscle damage continues to just go on up the arm to the uppermost parts of the body :rolleyes: .