Don't leave stuff on your power tools.

[herr_oberst]

The snowblower thread reminded me of something that happened recently.

I've been using power tools all my life. I'm sixty years old, so I guess I think I'm pretty good with the basic tools like nail guns, routers, saws, etc...This incident really threw me for a loop.

The second day of a woodworking project, I prepared to continue a roundover task with my router. I'd set the bit in the collett the day previous, so I made the assumption that I could grab it and go to work. I turned it on and immediately there was a loud bang and I looked up to see a hole in the wall in front of me. Imbedded in the hole was a 1/2" shank combination router bit. Probably weighs a quarter pound.

What had happened is that the day before, when I rolled up the tools, I put the router back in the blow-mold case and closed it and carried it inside. In the process of doing that, a spare bit had worked itself out of the little holes molded into the case for spare bit storage and landed inside the router, jammed between the collet and the housing.

When I turned it on, that loose tool shot out like a bullet and hit the wall with enough force to put a hole in plywood.

For about five minutes I stared at the aftermath, my mind reeling while I thought of what might have happened in slightly different circumstances. (I've watched Mythbusters and I've seen the damage flying projectiles can do to ballistic gel). My heart still races when I think about what might have happened.

POWER TOOLS ARE NOT TOYS. ALWAYS CHECK AND MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS SAFE BEFORE YOU HIT THE ON BUTTON!!!!

[sammyg2]

Reminds me of when grinder wheels 'splode. Bad juju.
Lots of pics on interwebs, eww.


"course, if you are wearing the proper personal protective equipment ....

[sammyg2]

[masraum]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Reminds me of when grinder wheels 'splode. Bad juju.
Lots of pics on interwebs, eww.


"course, if you are wearing the proper personal protective equipment ....

Originally Posted by sammyg2

[rfuerst911sc]

Yep power tools can bite you hard , always pay attention .

[wdfifteen]

You dodged a big one! Glad it put a hole in the plywood instead of in you!

[onewhippedpuppy]

I have a nice scar on the top of my knee from a circular saw that had a sticky blade guard. Power tools are no joke.

[dad911]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

I have a nice scar on the top of my knee from a circular saw that had a sticky blade guard. Power tools are no joke.

Yup, and my left index finger is about 1/4" shorter than it used to be.

[MBAtarga]

One of the members of our woodworking guild is an anesthetist. He sometimes takes pictures of woodworking injuries "before" surgery. One he shared a while back was of a mangled hand, with 3 partial fingers sitting beside it. The poor guy got "bit" by a large router bit when he was careless.

Note: Please - we don't need pictures of injuries to make the point in this thread!

[john70t]

I got to see what my phalange looks like from an angle grinder spinning down.
Circular saw kickback missed more than a few times.

Can't watch those guys using a band saw. Watched a guy cut through his wrist back in 7th grade.

[Hugh R]

When I worked at Disney my Boss had a collection of fake fingers in a jar of water, some had rings on, some had nail polish, when we did a power tool safety class we'd put it right on the table, every single one represented a real digit.

[sammyg2]

Had one of these on the wall of my old office fer years:

[Arizona_928]

This thread is worthless without pictures...

[Baz]

Thank you for this thread, Herr Oberst.

Wake up call...reality check....or head's up. Take your pick.

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm headed to HD to pick one of these up before proceeding with any more grinding. $13.97.

I usually wear safety glasses - but those are not enough.

[Arizona_928]

Originally Posted by Zeke

No it isn't.

My right ring finger is a little thinner now where the pad on the first knuckle is. Picked up a spinning blower after it was unplugged and the tip of my finger was eaten by the vanes. No guard. Doc said it would heal — eventually. Funny thing about fingerprints is that they come back even after all that skin and flesh is removed.

That ought to dispel the thought that you can erase your fingerprints.

No pic.

Hmm maybe I'm the weird one that is into medical gore

[porsche930dude]

Baz the HF ones are only 3 or 4 bucks. I use the full face shield aswell. Years ago I got a metal shard in my eye from grinding. Didnt wear any safety glasses at that point. Maybe a month or two later it happend again with full safety goggles. Full shield has been good but you still have to be carefull not to throw sparks up in from the bottom.

[Rusty Heap]

[Scott Douglas]

I once was helping my dad drill a hole in concrete which was 'overhead' from where I was standing. Full face shield on and a piece of rebar still managed to get in my eye when we ran into it. Didn't find out till the next day after a sleepless night. Could only feel it when I closed my eyes and my eyes rolled back. Had to have surgery to remove the shard which was very hard to see with the naked eye. I've always had a healthy respect for power tools. That was ingrained in me at a very early age, first by Dad, then reinforced by the shop class instructors in jr high.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by porsche930dude

Baz the HF ones are only 3 or 4 bucks. I use the full face shield aswell. Years ago I got a metal shard in my eye from grinding. Didnt wear any safety glasses at that point. Maybe a month or two later it happend again with full safety goggles. Full shield has been good but you still have to be carefull not to throw sparks up in from the bottom.

Thanks 930 - HF is a 1/2 hour drive each way - HD is 10 minutes, so more economical to pay a little more for the item here.

I don't do that much grinding but now that I'm semi-retired - I hope to do more!