Bit of a Shop Disaster

[Tom LaRussa]

Given that I'm supposed to go to Orlando this weekend to get my dratted pecan tree, I decided early this evening to fire up my chainsaw and make sure it was working correctly. I was not sure if the chain/bar oiling system was working, and some kind and knowledgeable Creeker suggested running it for a few seconds with the chain and bar removed so I could see if oil was coming out the little hole.

Okay, so, I had the chain and bar removed, and was all ready to run the test. All I had to do was open the garage door a few inches to let the exhaust out.

Well I really should have checked things a bit more carefully -- like at all -- before pressing that door button. If I had done so I would have realized that opening the door would topple the stack of 12 sheets of plywood -- plus the recently glued-up 3"+ thick lamintated top of my in progress WW bench -- that was leaning up against it.

But I didn't check.

Just hit the button without looking.

Stupid.

Really, really, really stupid.

Dumb.

Idiotic.

Moronic beyond belief.

Naturally, that entire pile of wood tipped over -- just as I should have known it would -- right onto my table saw/router/planer station, at the large end which functions as both infeed/outfeed table as well as all around assembly/work table.

Snapped both back legs off the chair I sit on while sharpening.

Broke the supports that hold up the outfeed portion of the table.

Crushed all three heavy duty casters on one side of the table, nearly toppling the station thingie itself (which has to weigh close to 600 pounds).

Threw my chain saw, a block plane, a sander, my TS miter guage, my BS fence, plus various and sundry other tools anywhere from five to ten feet across the shop.

In general, ruined my whole day.

Yeah, it could have been worse. The saw station will take some fairly major work to repair but none of my tools was actually destroyed -- just banged up a bit. The chainsaw works fine -- oil pumps like it's supposed to. (Stihl makes a tough saw!) The WW bench top lamination held.

Etc.

Still, I feel like ... um ... how do I put this on a family-oriented forum? I feel as though my entire digestive tract has been filled with the stuff that spalted wood comes out of.

********************************

The pic below shows my TS station prior to being crushed. The plywood was leaning against the right-hand end of the left-hand garage door, and hit the TS station about where the blue bucket is in the picture.

[Kirk (KC) Constable]

That sounds like it would pretty much ruin a day.

[Jason Tuinstra]

I can only echo what KC said. Sorry about your day. Sounds like your sense of hummor hasn't been lost in this though, at least not all of it.

[Bob Smalser]

Don't feel bad, Tony...from December last:

Putting together a new work truck for myself...ladder rack, work bumper with winch and vise, electric trailer brake hookup...all the usual stuff.

The truck I acquired from a friend who owns a logging company once had non-consensual, intimate contact with a skidder...requiring some minor bumper and tailgate repairs.

So I'm on my back under the truck today swapping out the trailer electrics and mounting new bumper brackets simultaneously...the brackets unusually difficult because of the trailer hitch frame in the way.

Sure enuf, the wrench slips under strain in a tight spot full of sharp corners, causing me to crush and pierce a fingernail...which bleeds like a stuck pig and my kerchief isn't handy. So I slide back and grab the bumper top with my good hand to pull myself up...placing that hand directly atop very hot electric soldering iron...



...at which time I jerk upward in pain banging my head and lacerating my scalp on the trailer hitch.

Then...of course...as I lay on the ground muttering dark oaths the soldering iron falls onto my lap.

I hate grease monkey work.

[Tyler Howell]

Tom,

I'm really sorry but Bob' You win!
Mom use to say "as long as no one was hurt".

[Gredo Goldenstein]

I know that a series of events has to occur before a big accident can happen. But doesn't it seem sometimes that once the initial accident happens that a "domino theory" takes over? It just seems like dropping a pencil on the shop floor can set off a series of events that would ruin anyones day. Let it lay there, there's more where that one came from!

[Rich Konopka]

Tom:

You have been schleprocked. It was one of the days where the cloud just follows you.

[Frank Pellow]

Sorry about your incident Tom. You seem to have the right attitude about it.

I was feeling a litle sorry for myself until I read about you episode. My accident also involved a garage door. Last night I left about 10 freshly stained boards leaning against one of my garage doors. This morning, I opened the door with the remote control in order to put out some garbage. The boards fell knocking over a bunch of stuff and even knocking the (loosly closed) lid off the nearly full can of stain. But, nothing was broken and the stin did not spill on anything of value.

[Jason Roehl]

Well, I always thought Bob&Tom were funny... Really, guys, I'm laughing WITH you. Bob, I hope you heal up, and Tom, I hope you gain a better sense of foresight from this "incident."

[Jim Becker]

Tom, we all have days like that. Thank goodness only "things" were damaged...and not you or a family member.

[Ted Shrader]

Tom -

You survived all the hurricanes, but not the worst one of all - - Hurricane Tom. But at least you weren't under all the falling timber.

On the bright side Did you want to make any improvements to your set-up? Now would be the time.

Ted

p.s You forgot: imbecilic

[Marshall Harrison]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune Tom. At least everything is repairable.

And I thought my day was ruined when my wife burned the bacon and started a fire in the microwave this morning. I've told her time and time again that bacon is to be fried in a open skillet not a microwave.

[Tom LaRussa]

Crushed all three heavy duty casters on one side of the table, nearly toppling the station thingie itself (which has to weigh close to 600 pounds).

Thanks all for helping to cheer me up from a really lousy week.

Here are a couple pics of one of the castors on my saw station after the incident. (Supposed to be rated to hold 300 lbs each.) As several of you mentioned, I'm glad I wasn't in the way.

[Chris Padilla]

Uh, Bob...pics??? Tom posted some before I could bust him...darn it!!!

Bob, inquiring minds want to know what you hurt next after the iron fell onto your lap....

I don't think I have any good ones. My father said he once drilled a screw into a stud only to hit the water pipe that was fed through it...he neglected to install one of those metal pieces to protect from such an event. Then as he was cutting away drywall, he chopped right through some romex...the very one powering his saw and light. Dad said it was a long weekend and he couldn't wait to get back to work to relax....

[Dar Lounsbury]

My neighbor decided to mount something on the living room wall next to the garage. Drilling hole thru wall and hits a snowtire leaning against the wall. BANG, now has a two foot hole in wall where the tire was.

Somedays it just does not pay to try to do things.

Dar