cut myself on the saw last night!

[keith ouellette]

How were you feeding the boards? Were you using featherboards? A push stick?

JW

I was using a push stick to push it through but as the board went past the blade I would keep it against the fence with my left hand. Why on earth i did not use a push stick for that also is beyond me. for now on I will. The dust in the air kept me from seeing clearly enough and the blade hit the longest finger . Luckily I was moving my hands real slow and cautious.

Now I'm wondering what could have happened if I had my left hand on the work piece and I got some violent kick back. real bad thought.

[keith ouellette]

Make sure it's clean....

I took most of the tip of my left thumb off with a chisel I was sharpening (don't ask). The urgent treatment place did a poor job and left a considerable amount of grit in it. Looked like it was healing, but hurt like hell for about 10 days. I about lost the thumb due to infection...

The hand surgeon took off the entire top again to get all the bad stuff out... Still flat on top.

Make sure it's clean....

I did. this may sound gross but that was my first thought and I would let it bleed a little and then suck on it gently to make sure there wasn't anything stuck to it. I repeated that process a number of times.

[David Keller NC]

"Now I'm wondering what could have happened if I had my left hand on the work piece and I got some violent kick back. real bad thought."

This is an excellent reason not to attempt to re-saw wood on a table saw. It doesn't matter how many times you do it without incident - safety depends on the consequences of a mess-up.

Buy a bandsaw - it will be the best $800 you ever spent. There's no doubt you can get a real nasty cut on a bandsaw if you're not paying attention, but violent kickback isn't a danger, and it's a lot more efficient - much less wood gets turned into sawdust.

[george wilson]

Don't forget,the bandsaw is the fastest cutting saw in the shop. keep your thumbs out of the path of the blade.

The thing to do is NOT be afraid of the machine,just respect it,and plan ahead as you work as to where your hands would end up if there was a sudden kickback,or if the saw blade,like a bandsaw,suddenly lurched forward into the wood. Use push sticks,but also be sure they permit you to remain in control of accurate movement of the wood. Even with push sticks,you can get severely kicked in the palm of the hand,so round the end over that you are holding on to.

[Jim Solomon]

Sure hope your feeling better Keith. Sadly I know how you feel. My "accident" was on a jointer. Jointing the edges of 1/2 X 2 1/2 cedar strips. I had 64 to do. After a monotenous number 34 I left my left middle finger slipped into the blades. I was only removing 1/16th but the blades dragged it between the blades and infeed table, whittling it down in a perfect arc. Lost 3/4 of the finger from the first knuckle. Surgeron cut a skin draft from my forearm to graft it on the mangled tip. The 1/3rd fingrnail I have left is pointing to the ring finger now. Also know what you mean by the wife,lol. Mine was in the bathtub when I asked if she could run me up to hospital, I could'nt hide it from her as it needed wrapped again from blood soaking; she darn near fainted. This wasn't due to a lack of guard as in your situation, but by repetitive actions that I should have took a break from. Now I always use guards no matter how inconveinant and take breaks from repetitive tasks on machinery. Both equally important imho. Make sure to keep it clean! Hope you heal well, physically and mentally.
Jim

[Laurie Brown]

I cut a slice off the end of my thumb like that using a chef's knife to mince garlic. Nicked and cut myself a lot in the kitchen, but never in the shop. I'm VERY careful around high-speed spinning sharp things.

When I was a kid my dad was using an old used table saw with no guards and almost cut his thumb off. My mom had to drive him to the hospital, and she was screaming and freaking out all the way out the door. That incident stuck with me all my life and made me a lot more careful around power machinery, something I'm thankful for.

[Phil Thien]

I did. this may sound gross but that was my first thought and I would let it bleed a little and then suck on it gently to make sure there wasn't anything stuck to it. I repeated that process a number of times.

Not as gross as letting someone else suck on it.

Thanks for the pics. Tell your wife the truth, otherwise you can't blame her for hiding stuff from you.

[keith ouellette]

Keith
Ouch!! but it could have been a lot worse. You didn't mention if you sought out some medical help. A trip to the doc might yield some antibiotics and instructions on how to handle the wound. Soaking the wound twice a day in a solution of antibacterial soap and warm water followed by antibiotic ointment and dressing eventually yields flesh growing back into the hole and filling it. I have personal knowledge since I "tipped" my middle finger in a tablesaw last August. I visited a hand surgeon and was glad that I got good info. It still "tingles" while typing.

I am not a doctor person. I know you are probably right but I have to be hurt really bad before I go to the doctor.

I used hydrogen peroxide and some neosporin after I sucked the dirt out. (it seems to work well for dogs)

[Wayne Watling]

Hi Keith

I feel your pain
I rarely use the scoring blade and kind of forgot it was sitting about 1/4" below the throat plate but not fully wound down. During a cut I was concentrating on keeping the piece tight against the fence and my left index finger must have slipped just below the plate until I felt a grinding type sensation and pulled my hands out of the way.
The most painful part of the exercise was the alcohol wipes I used to ensure it was clean. I also made extensive use of liquid band aid which was really good stuff, where possible I left the wound open and let the fresh air and light get to it. Basically I was very luckly and the finger is back to normal after about 2 months finger prints and all.

Take care,
Wayne


14th Dec 08 (You can see the liquid band aid on the finger here)



20th Dec 08



28th Dec 08



3rd Jan 09



23rd Feb 09

[Rich Marzec]

eewwww!

So far so good. No major injuries (knock Knock). A couple of close calls from small pieces flying off the table saw or miter saw. Damn those small pieces.

My problem comes mostly from my chiesels. They are razor sharp and my left hand keeps getting in the way. Sometimes I don't even notice until I see red on my workpiece. Metal mesh glove is my next purchase.

[Rick Fisher]

I think the safest tool in my shop is my resaw bandsaw. Its caused me to use my table saw for ripping about 80% less.

Whoever made that comment about people making mistakes is bang on. I nicked a finger last summer on a table saw due to a kickback. Scared the poop out of me.

[Rick Fisher]

Since we are posting yucky pictures..



Here is the after effect of the kickback. My hands where behind the blade when it happened but I got nicked anyhow.

This one has doh!! written all over it.



The cause was partially the blade being set too low. This also "caused" my finger to still be attached.

The other cause was fatigue. Working 5 hours in the shop in a heat wave.

I am glad you only got a warning from the saw...




The worst part of the injury is looking down and seeing blood on the table saw top and plywood. Then trying to figure out where its coming from..
Its a second of real panic.

[Dave Malen]

Keith,
Hope you heal quickly. It easy to spend other people's money. But a bandsaw is a great investment in safety. I use mine for all my thin rips. Thanks for posting . We all need reminders how dangerous our hobby can be. Feel better soon

Dave

[Craig Johnson]

I have learned never to resaw on the table saw.
Strictly a band saw operation. And I dont even have a band saw yet.
Read. Read. Read.
And work safe.

[Craig Nickles]

First let me say, I am glad to hear you are ok. Thanks for not letting your ego get in the way of sharing. You may save someone else from getting hurt.