new found respect

[Jason Whitaker]

As a newbie to this site and woodworking in general Ihave really developed a quick love for this wonderful activity. after yesterday, I now have a much healthier respect for the dangers associated with it. Not to be too gruesome, I was drilling a 3 1/8 inch hole with a forstner bit (didnt even know what that was until I came to this site.) and had it grag the wood and pulled it right into my hand. (wont even go into how many KNOWN safetly precautions I disregarded in the hopes of finishing something a little quicker.).

5 hours and 10 stitches later my body is sore but ego is bruised even worse. I fully have respect for you all and the information you have to share with someone like myself. I know will take a little more time to understand the safety and respect it as I now realize you do not provide it for no reason.....rather to keep incidents like this from happening.

hope everyone is having a nice weekend and finishing some great projects.

[Myk Rian]

Glad it wasn't any worse.
You can never have too many clamps.

[Bryan Berguson]

Jason,

Thanks for sharing about your accident and I hope you heal quickly. Large drill bits look like safe tools don't they! I was drilling a hole with 4" hole saw from a ladder about 15' in the air... I was lucky when the saw caught, all I did was sprain my thumb. Stupid thing almost knocked me off the ladder.:eek:

You got one of those lessons (many of us get) you'll never forget!

Bryan

[Craig T. Smith]

Jason, Glad you're O.K. I's real easy to forget safety when you' in a rush. Try to get in the habit of being safety minded when things are relaxed in the shop then when you are in a rush it will come back to you . Welcome to the creek. Happy woodworking, Craig

[Thomas Knighton]

Look at it this way: It's better to learn from a small accident than a big one. I'm glad to hear you're relatively OK. Stitches can leave a scar as a reminder to be careful. The important thing is that you went to bed with the same number of body parts you woke up with ;)

Tom

[Don Morris]

As you watch the posts on this forum you will notice the threads often with many replys are to those like yours: safety related. We're all interested in it. As soon as I see one I read it to remind myself or see what safety mistake was made so I don't make it myself. All of us have made mistakes as we have learned our skills. My shop all though just a serious amateurs, has a lot of money invested in safety equipment and devices. My son and I who use the shop vow to always practice the best safety we know how. Glad you weren't hurt worse than you were! If your in the middle of a procedure and think it looks even a bit of "unsafe"...stop. Figure out a way to make it safer. I've done that a lot. Glad I did. The times I didn't...I wish I hadn't gone forward. The hurrier I go, the behinder (or hurt) I get.

[Ted Shrader]

Jason -

Glad you experience was no more severe than it was. Let it be that, a learning experience.

Clamps are a good thing, and time is a tool also.

Heal up quick and "get back on the horse".

Regards,
Ted

[Shawn Christ]

Jason, I'm ashamed to admit I've done the same thing not too long ago in the interest of time. Good post and good reminder for all us. Glad you'll be alright.

I too am relatively new to woodworking and also this forum. The Creek is a beautiful thing - many wonderful people here. I've learned so much. Welcome aboard, and enjoy your new hobby!

[Eric DeSilva]

Your story reminded me of a friend in the HVAC biz. He was working with a new guy on the smallish size, and left him to drill a hole with an industrial 1/2" drill through a concrete foundation. Said he walked back to the truck, picked up some stuff, and was headed back towards the side of the house where they were working and heard the drill seize. The next thing he saw was his partner flying over a bush...

[Joe Scharle]

Fifty some year ago, my uncle introduced me to his cabinet shop. As we stood at the door looking out over all the big tools he said to me. "Boy, I know you've been to the circus and do you remember the tigers in the cage?". I nodded and then he said, "This is our tiger cage, watch out for 'em"

[Rick Lucrezi]

These stories seem to bring out the one ups so please understand first that is not my intention here. I just mean to share how it happens to all of us and how quick things go from good to bad.
Im a contractor who builds houses for a living. I was over the water closet drilling 2 inch holes with a wood hog. Thats basicly a a large grinder with a forstner bit. It drills very quickly. Any way the guy who nailed in the backing used two #7 nails instead of 4 #16s, so as I was drilling overhead and that with my combined weight the backer gave out and I fell through to the ground. Knocked the wind out of me so it took a second to realze that as I fell my hand was still on the trigger and my other hand caught the bit and the bit went through my hand. I still have all my fingers but there is no feeling in my index finger anymore, and most of us know how much we rely on touch to check our work. It can happen to anyone. Some day I will tell you about how my thumb was cut "off" on my left hand. Comes with pics too.

[Norman Pyles]

Glad to hear your going to be ok, Jasen. I was telling a friend of mine this week,that my shop is full of tools that will cut your arm off and then spit it back at you. Hope everyone here has a safe Christmas.

[Dewey Torres]

Jason,
Please consider your next project might be a drill dress table with hold downs like these (look all the way through the thread for more ideas):

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=97322&highlight=drill+press+table

You can crank this out in one day easy and it will last a long time...oh and you will work quicker with it which is what got you in trouble in this case.

[Sonny Edmonds]

...and then think again.
I will often "walk through" something I'm about to do, just to see if I can see anything that might happen during the actual operation I want to do.
My background and numerous safety meetings have taught me to be aware of what could happen beyond what is actually happening.
Like watching out for hand traps, if this grabs what is going to happen, and never put you hand between a rock and a hard place. :D

This time it wasn't too terrible bad. But next time could be a finger, or worse.
While you are healing up, think, then think again.
Your most valuable tool is that one between your ears.
Now then, I recommend some egg nog for medicinal purposes. Well spiked egg nog. ;) :p
Heal fast! :)

[David DeCristoforo]

There's nothing like getting smacked down to wake you up to the dangers. Sometimes a "near miss" or a "not too bad" injury can have a very positive long term effect. Also, these incidents are great for unleashing an bunch of "you think that's bad, check out what happened to this guy" stories. Makes for some great light reading on a Saturday afternoon...

[Duncan Potter]

Glad to hear it wasn't worse.

Every time I've hurt myself (thankfully not too badly yet) I've ignored the little voice in my head that's telling me to stop and think.

Always listen to the little voice.

[Bob Genovesi]

Because of doing battle with woodworking tools and loosing every time I think of how not to get hurt...

You'll heal but this time you were lucky...

Oh, did I mention that machines don't care????

[Jim Becker]

"Ouch". 'Hopefully, you'll heal fast and will find a way to clamp the workpiece more securely to avoid a similar injury in the future! ;)

[Peter Quinn]

Sorry for your lesson and I wish you a speedy recovery. I have seen drills do some pretty nasty things to people over the years. My dad has a scar on his shoulder courtesy of a hole hog with a big auger that caught a knot drilling chases for wiring, I've watched a right angle drill throw a grown man across the room off a ladder, and I know a guy with less teeth than most thanks to a bad drill press set up. If it cuts wood it can cut flesh, and if it has a big motor that spins, it is not inherently safe.

Luckily we humans heal quite nicely in spite of our fragility. I hope this incident doesn't dissuade you from enjoying the pleasures of working wood.

[glenn bradley]

Heal fast. Glad it wasn't worse. Amazing how fast that happened, huh? I predict you will become an advocate for shop safety and help guide others toward the light :D.

Seriously, we all preach safety and practice it as well. I am trying in vain to think of a time I have had a boo-boo when following good safety practices and can't. I have gotten away with not following safe practices now and again. For that I can only be thankful and say "shame on me".

P.s. Cheaper than stitches: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=64430&d=1178998854

[Jim Kountz]

Hope you heal fast, dont worry we've all been there in some capacity or another!!

[chris yount]

Sorry about your accident hope you heal quickly.
As others have said make sure you learn from your mistakes .It seems like those are some of life's best lessons.
My daughter started driving a few years ago and within the first couple of months she had a fenderbender.It wasnt her fault but I think a more experienced driver would have been able to avoid the accident.However the accident taught her more about safety and awareness in a few seconds than all my talking and her drivers ed classes did combined.
good luck,
Chris

[Rick Fisher]

Well, almost everyone has done something similar. Sounds like your beating yourself up over it, as you should. ;)

I have never lost a digit but certainly offended many of them.

[Stephen Edwards]

Reminds me of a sign that a friend of mine has in his woodworking shop that says:

"Do not use remaining fingers as push sticks!"

I try to remember that sign every time I turn a tool on.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

A guy I used to work with said his uncle had an old horse that had a lots of dings and cuts it had picked up in its life as a result to encounters with barb wire fences, etc. He called them "smart marks". You have something you can use as a "smart mark".

(I'm in the process of 'cultivating' a hefty "smart mark" on my left thumb right now :o )

[David Keller NC]

One of the better avatars I've seen on this forum was someone with a photograph of a sign posted on a large machine tool that said something like "This Machine Has No Brain - Use Yours." Sort of trite, but I remember it everytime I walk into the shop.