BULLHART

Actually no. I have a very high resistance to drugs, two vicodin, or two percocet, is like popping asprin to me. But doctors are reluctant to give me more. I guess they have a hard time beleiving me. Its really is a shame to have to spend the day in so much pain with all of the medicines available. Maybe its because I splintered the bone, but it hurts really bad.

rob.hough

Travis

Ahh. That looks so painfull.

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Big Dave

I knicked my ring finger on my right hand today with the table saw. Just put a shallow saw kerf right in the end. One of those things that happens when you least expect it. The last time I did it was about 13 years ago.

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BULLHART

Nothing like a close call to make you take notice....lol

whistler

I was afraid I would find a thread like this around here .... of course I have to reply to share my war wounds. After 15 years + you would think most woodworker's will have at least one scar right ? well .. I'll list in point form to make it easier to read.

- 3 1/4" framing air nail thru my index/middle/ring finger's of my right hand. Air nailer slipped off wet lumber while nailing a closet bracket in place.

- 3 1/2" spike thru left foot (stepped on a 2x4 with protruding spike)

- 3 1/2" spike thru right foot (stepped on 2x4 AGAIN )

- 1 1/4" 18ga. air nail in thru left index finger (nail shot thru the trim on a cabinet)

-sliced tip of left thumb off (trimming dollhouse with my thumb in the way)

- 1 1/2" 16ga in the end of left ring finger (nail thru crown moulding)

- 2 1/2" air staple thru web part of left hand into a jack stud (stupidity, was rushing a job)

-right elbow 12 stiches part of the elbow missing (went thru table saw) and still hurts 2 years later.

-left forearm 24 stitches (fell off staging from about 10' my arm got hung up on a joist hanger .... messy .... )still minimal feeling 6 months later.

-killed my cell phone,co-worker missed a stud and shot a 3 1/4" nail into my cell phone which was hooked in the front pouch of my overalls. FEWF!

AND several knuckles skinned,nicks, cuts and countless close calls later I suprizingly have everything in tact. I don't know wether to consider myself lucky or accident prone. Good thing my wife is an emergency room nurse.

OH YA .. stapled my wedding ring to my finger (stupidity again) nick missing from my ring as proof.

Corndog

In retrospect you might wanna stay away from pneumatics...just a thought.

TexasTimbers

whistler . . . . . ever consider getting into basket weaving?

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Corndog

Hmmm...too big a risk of splinters. I'd say photography.

whistler

Good thing I'm a Paramedic by day

Corndog

...and a good thing you can take some good natured ribbing!!!

whistler

My wife suggested I take up something like accounting ... but after further consideration, she figures I'de just stab myself with a pencil.

So .... I'm used to it

Corndog

My wife is the same way!!!! "You'll put yer eye out!!!"

cabinetman

Here's one you wouldn't think about. Had a buddy take out his front teeth with an air hose flying apart. Talk about pneumatics...he also stapled his thumb through the bone to a cabinet. Took a while to gently get the staple out of the wood. Fortunately for him those didn't happen on the same day.

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Tweegs

How gruesome, and just in time for Halloween

Worst I've done was try to run a short across the jointer. It nosed down, kicked back and gave my thumb a nasty whack. Hurt for months.

Then there was the time I tried to make my finger a permanent part of the mailbox I was building. Set the depth on the brad nailer using a scrap of oak. The box was cedar....duh.

Boardman

Good gawd awmighty, those are some awful pics. And I had the misfortune to look at them before breakfast, which has now been postponed.

Never suffered an injury from the saws, etc., but I did suffer a major in building my shop. I had done it all by myself, including raising the trusses, etc. By that point it had become some some ignorant issue of pride of doing it unassisted, so when a guy offered to help getting the roof sheathing up there, I declined to keep my record "perfect."

While taking the first sheet up the ladder I fell off and all 200 lbs of me landed directly on my right heelbone, splitting it cleanly. Had to wear a boot type foam/plastic cast for 13 friggin' weeks. Massively sprained my ankle too so my right ankle is still bigger than the left, years later. And as soon as I could put pressure on the ball of my right foot, with the cast still on, I was back at it, building/installing the windows and doors for the shop - completely ignoring the doc's advice.

Luckily I learned the Kickback Lesson early on when I was trying to (stupidly) trim a 3/8 x 4 x 4 piece of rosewood. I was not standing behind the cut, fortunately, when the blade launched that sumbitch like a Cruise missle. It went 20 or so feet and imbedded itself halfway thru the 1/2" drywall and was only stopped by the insulation behind it. I glued the piece of rosewood just above the hole it made as a reminder. It's still there.

My brother in law told me of a guy who did that with a 6' 2 x 4 in his basement shop. It went out the shop door and speared the tube of his new 36" TV in the basement rec room.

daryl in nanoose

Well quite the stories here, kinda puts a shiver right up you spine ehhhh. I feel very fortunate that I have not done any serious damage to myself especially wood working and construction at such a young age 12 and up. I did have a piece of melamine shelving decide to pay my tummy a visit a number of years ago and was very sore for quite a while and just last year what REALLY OPENED MY EYES AGAIN was my router has no face plates on the side between the handles and base and when I turned it on ( you know whats coming) I felt the bit rub across one of my fingers. Luckily it was not the cutter edge. Well even today when I think about what could of happened I get that shiver right up my spine. It never fails, the one time you let your guard down THATS WHEN IT GETS YOU.
Be smart, be safe, and lets keep our digits.....

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furbeerl

I'm the one that had the picture of my amputated right index finger. I've noticed some of you have complained about ongoing pain after an accident and I may be able to help.

I had a lot of physical therapy on the hand after my accident. So what therapy can be done for a missing finger? That's what I thought but the therapy focused on swelling (I still have some after 1 1/2 years) and pain/sensitivity deduction. I have good insurance with a $10-$20 copay but I still ended up with $2000 in bills so this therapy is expensive.

Use it or loose it. If there is something you can't do with the damaged finger ... practice practice practice. The more you use it the more your body adjusts to it.

My big problem was the remainder of the finger was very sensitive. She used two methods to desensitize it; scar massage and a vibrator. The vibrator massager is self explanatory; use for 3-5 minutes. Scar massage is rubbing the scar with a cream for 3-4 minutes several times a day until it feels normal and this could take 6 months or more. It takes longer the older the injury. Wall mart sells several scar creams.

You can also try hot wax treatments (your wife/mom probably knows what this is). Departments stores sell wax machines to make hands look more youthful and help arthritis.

Samgee

Working with a table saw a year ago, I was bevel cutting the edge of a box lid for my then girlfriend. The lid was 2-1/4 by 8" long(3/4 thick). I was nervous about using such a big saw on such a small cut but my shop teacher said it'd be fine. I pushed through with push sticks, but it nosed down at the end of the cut and shot back at me, hitting me in the face.

Like I said in another thread, 38 stiches and a Jaw Surgery later I'm ready to start woodworking again. (thats why I'm here) And all of this before I'm 18..... *sigh

lilies34

Ouch! you must really love woodworking to even think of going back after that injury...

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