Let's see some damage. - Page 5 - Woodworking Talk

drcollins804 · 01-12-2008, 05:45 PM

I was building some racks to mount the breathing apparatus in the back of our pumper and while using a chisel in a way no chisel should be used cut a one inch long slice across my left index finger knuckle. Took 5 stitches to close. Learned lots about the chisel. I got in a hurry cutting the outside of a scroll project and hit a bit of softer wood and cut about a quarter inch straight in the end of the same finger a couple of years later. Even a scroll saw blade hurts it just cuts a little slower.

mach70 · 01-12-2008, 08:50 PM

Recently I was repairing the gates at my folks place and had hold of the angle grinder in my left hand, running, and was trying to open the broken hinge that was stuck and what do you know it let go all of a sudden and my right hand banged into the angle grinder. I have a 2 inch burn/ gouge on the sdie of my hand. I am really lucky that I had a thick grinding wheel on not a cutting disc. Had I had a thin cutting disc the injury would have been much much worse.

Also at work I got hit in the chest by a pole that came off a truck I was unloading. It just missed my head. This was over a week ago now and the bruise is only just starting to appear.

Shawn

Handyman · 01-25-2008, 05:34 PM

WOW I am feeling pretty good about my self right now.

I have run my thumb into the table saw blade. Wasnt bad though, I reacted fast enough to only cut through the skin.

Stuck a big wooden splinter all the way though my right index finger right under the bone. Pulled it out and went back to work.

Stuck a splinter right under the thumb nail up into the nuckle. I took my razer knife and scraped the top of the nail off untill it was paper thin, Then used the end of the blade to cut along the splinter. After making the cut, the splinter poped right up and I pulled it out. Friends I aint going to lie, THAT HURT.

Last thing was kind of funning now thinking about it. I used my recip saw to cut a 2" pipe off flush with the ground, and then put the pipe on top of my headake rack of my truck. Went to roll up my extension cord and ran right into the end of the pipe knocking my self out. Sill have no idea how long I layed there. I sported a nice 2' circle above the right eye for a week are two.

stuart · 01-25-2008, 06:06 PM

You can wear mesh gloves that slicing machine companies offer.

say like you're chipping and use the other hand for mesh gloves - it's pretty tuff.
I wear them sometimes.

stuart · 01-25-2008, 07:28 PM

BTW I used a french knife years ago -
Out of work 3 days. Nearly took out 1/2 of my thumb.

Knot Home · 02-15-2008, 01:13 PM

Funny telling, Texas T. Good thing you didn't have a hi-lo to move that stuff around with; those things can be dangerous! Also glad you didn't scream, struggle, cry, or grunt during all of that. It wouldn't have been dignified.

Geoguy · 02-25-2008, 10:39 PM

Holy Cow!!! You guys are scary! I've only been woodworking for about six or seven years and fortunately haven't been cut by a powered blade yet. Sure, I've jabbed chisels, screw drivers, and big splinters into my hands and had a few kickback incidents (a good one to the stomach last year and one to the thumb last month) but nothing too serious. Honestly, I think I've suffered more damage from hammers and blunt hand tools.

But years ago I worked as a carpenter framing houses - that is dangerous!! Those guys must contend with powered cutting blades, nail guns, rickety ladders, slippery roofs, etc. Probably the most painful incident I encountered was when I separated my shoulder while falling off a top plate. I caught myself by grabing the top plate under my arm pits as I was going down. Twenty years later, I still can't throw a baseball. If I try to throw something, that shoulder pops out of joint and gets stuck there untill I rotate my arm in a certain manner, which allows it to pop back into place - that hurts but I'm sure it's nothing like the pain some of you guys must experience.

My hat is off to you guys. I'm reminded of the scene from the movie jaws where the crusty, old captain and the shark scientist are are sitting at the table drinking and comparing scars. You guys have the big shark attack scars - I have a couple, guppy bites.

But seriously, be safe!

bsharding1982 · 02-26-2008, 12:30 PM

I guess I can shamefully add my pictures here. This was a router table accident. Amazingly enough the finger was saved, no nail and it doesn't bend too well though. Broke the bones, cut tendon and managed to route a nice edge on my finger. These pictures still really affect me cause it very easily could have been much worse.

You know, Saw Stop needs to come out with a Route Stop (patent pending).

furbeerl · 02-27-2008, 05:50 PM

Glad they could save it. Does it still hurt when it gets cold? BTW, they saved mine too - its in a jar

I'm in the middle of making my own prosthetic finger. Would anyone like me to post pictures of it when I'm done?

What feature would you add to a prosthetic to offset the loss of the God's brilliant design?

Someone mentioned gloves. There is a time for them and not. I got to hear a bunch of stories in rehab. One of the worst for me was a finish carpenter that was ripping trim in the winter and had a loose cord on his gloves. The cord wrapped around the shaft on the table saw and pulled his had through the blade. It split his hand and wrist in half and stopped midway up his arm.

**TexasTimbers** · 02-27-2008, 06:33 PM

Yae that was sore for a while eh? Did the doc give you any vicodin or did he give you some no-count Tylenol #3. that wouldn't have been enough for me I'd have to ordered some offshore goodies for that one.

bsharding1982 · 02-27-2008, 10:03 PM

That actually just happend in November, so I only have cold weather experience with it. That would be great if it does feel better and loosen up with warmer weather.
I still gets to me when people act disgusted or freaked out when they see my finger. I'm 25 and will be like that the rest of my life.
I was on some hydrocodone, big ones, like horse pill big.

Making your own prosthetic finger? That should be interesting. You should put AAA batteries in it and a small bulb.

Do you ever feel and itch on the missing finger like it was still there? I get a little bit of that with my nail.

Capt Crutch · 02-28-2008, 11:29 AM

Holy Mackerel you guys are making me want to consider finding other hobbies...oh wait -- my other hobbies are tree falling and offshore fishing. Never mind!

furbeerl · 02-28-2008, 05:53 PM

No, I only had phantom pain for a couple weeks. Supposedly its a function of how much much you lose so legs can take years. The nerve damage to the other finger still feels weird. The stub still swells up though and its been almost 2 years.

Overarm guards should be required.

Plowboy · 03-22-2008, 03:10 PM

Okay, this thread officially frightens me and grosses me out.

mackem · 03-22-2008, 03:39 PM

[quote=bsharding1982;24832]
Making your own prosthetic finger? That should be interesting. You should put AAA batteries in it and a small bulb.

"E.T. phone home"

Butch · 03-23-2008, 08:21 PM

..those pics make me wanna sell the tools ,and take up knitting ...

as a musician, I need ALL my fingers....

you guys be careful..you're scarin' me

crapenterallday · 03-23-2008, 09:17 PM

I'm brand new to the site and after browsing around found this topic and decided I was definately in good company. I am a rough carpenter by trade and have been in it for the last ten years or so, right out of high school. Before that I worked as a finish carpenter during the summers and before that a remodeler with my parents neighbor since I was eleven. Can someone say child labor law? Needless to say I've had my share of mishaps, I'll see what I can remember. I broke my right leg twice,Once from falling through a stairhole and once from falling off a roof. I bruised and broke ribs from falling fifteen feet through trusses. Nine stitches above my left eye after walking into the forks on our lift because I wasn't paying attention,IDIOT!! Fourteen staples in the back of my head from a 4x8 sheet of osb slid off the roof (before we wore hard hats) I had a cedar sliver on the inside of my eyelid once, talk about annoying! I was in a hurry to get all of the inside walls nailed up on a house one day during a rain storm and shot a nail into the top of my right hand it went in paralell to my arm and locked my wrist. I foolishly yanked it out and kept on working. The next day my right forearm was all black and it hurt like none other. The strangest one of all is when I stepped on a galvanized casing nail and got a piece of the plating stuck in my foot. The wierd part was that the nail was stuck perfectly upright in the gravel driveway. Thats about all I can remember besides all the countless nicks and cuts and slivers and strains and everything else. I love what I do and we run a very safe company, safest in the region according to our insurance believe it or not, but it is truely a labor of love.

Marko · 03-25-2008, 11:11 AM

I run a pretty safe company too,even though I'll do my best to catch you on the first bounce......if you fall? Your fired before you hit the ground......Now! Get back to work!!

The

Management

**TexasTimbers** · 03-25-2008, 11:32 AM

My knees have been so bad lately, like the past few months, I have bruises (a couple nasty lacerations one needed stiches) because I keep falling like a 90 year old man.

My wife and I went out and logged a whack of flame boxelder trees last week. As I cut the holding strap on a big leaner and was egressing the area, my right knee wnet "POP" so loud we both heard the pop over the idling chainsaw! It was white hot pain brothers. Bone to now-chipped-something-bone.I later asked her what happened after that because I didn't remember if I fell or what. She said "No you hopped on your left like like a pogo stick just afast as you were running!"

It would have been comical if it hadn't hurt so bad. I am still gimpy and when I walk the log pile or am picking out a timber among the stacks I seem to fall abpout once a day. I turn it just slightly laterally and the pain just puts me down. It thucks actually.

Stan41 · 03-28-2008, 10:39 PM

Strangely enough, in 25 + years of woodworking I have never brought the blood with any power tool. However I have a number of times with screwdrivers, chisels, etc. The worst was one time when I dropped a Stanley #80 Cabinet scraper. The blade was sharp on both edges. Through instinct I reached and grabbed it. Caught it too, although I still don't have any feeling in my left index finger.
Stan41