Accident Free, No More

[Dick Parr]

Well 15 years of no accidents in the shop has come to an end. Was in a hurry, for no reason and didn't keep my hands and fingers out of the line of the BS blade. Was trimming some off of a lop sided blank and was telling myself to move my hands out of the way and it was to late. Blank slipped around the blade and got my little finger on the left hand.

Maybe should have gone in for some stitches but instead used a couple of butterfly bandages and finally got the bleeding to stop. Didn't make it to the bone but almost, caught it just between the nail and the first knuckle. I just knew I took the tip off because the glove I was wearing was cut most of the way through with blood coming out. I am also lucky that I have pain killers for my arthritis because I sure did need them within about 15 min., the throbbing is getting better after 9 hours.

I got lucky and will only be away from woodworking for a little while, cause it could have been a lot worse. And the funny thing was that just before and while it happened I was thinking of what Bill said in his video about keeping your hands out of the line of the blade. He is right.

That glove I use for turning will be attached to the BS for a reminder to slow down every time I pass it.

[Mark Singer]

Dick,

i am really sorry to hear that! It can happen to any of us. Handg in there and recover soon.

[Don Henthorn Smithville, TX]

Could have been worse, but then probably could not have been. I was probably sixty-five before I finally learned to always listen to that inner voice that says very plainly, CAUTION. You are healthy and it will heal fast. Keep listening for the warning voice.

[John Miliunas]

Yikes! Glad it wasn't any worse, Dick! Yes, even the BS can bite! Thanks for that reminder and next time, go at it a bit slower and PAY attention! Keep an eye out on the wound, too. She starts getting too red and you'd better have the Doc. check it out!

[Byron Trantham]

Sorry Dick. FWIW, I put my thumb in the path of TS last November so I can relate to how quick these things happen. Hope you heal fast.

[John Shuk]

Dick,
Sorry to hear about the finger. Thanks for talking about it. It's nice that you at least had some proper first aid supplies to deal with it. Butterflies work wonders. Heal quickly.
John

[Jerry Olexa]

Dick, heal quickly. Be careful if any inflamation, see a Dr . Take it slow, easy for a while..

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Dick, Sorry for your accident and your pain. I hear that inner voice when working on the BS. I get it when I don't use a push stick when I round turning blanks. When I do them just using my hands I get that bad feeling I'm going to get hurt.

Especially for the smaller blanks there doesn't seem to be enough control of the piece. I use the push stick that came with the BS. Heal fast and get back to making sawdust. Alan in Md.

[Ted Shrader]

Dick -

Sorry to hear of your mishap. Take care, keep it clean, and heal fast!

Ted

[John Weber]

Dick,

Ouch, my worse accident was with my band saw, about 8 stiches in the palm. I about passed out when you could see so much open flesh (the palm is a bit meaty). All is well now, but it took awhile to use the saw again. I hope you have a speedy recovery.

John

[Keith Christopher]

You know I always say the bandsaw is the one piece of machinery that I most often catch myself slacking on. I keep reminding myself it's still dangerous. Thanks for the info and heal quickly.



Keith

[Ken Leshner]

Dick,

Hope you get better real fast. I had a similar injury about 6 months ago. I was using a circular saw and the dust hose got hung up on a clamp. I tried to use my pinky to free the hose and ... well, you know. I needed 5 stitches, x-rays, tetanus shot and a visit to a hand surgeon. But, the finger healed pretty fast and now you can hardly see the scar.

[Jim Becker]

Dick, sorry to hear about your accident. I do hope you'll reconsider not going into the ER or to your Doc. It's not just a matter of stopping the bleeding, but also being sure the wound is clean to avoid infection. I really hated going to the ER on New Years Day after my little close encounter with a very sharp chisel, but today, I'm glad I did. It healed faster and cleaner as a result...and I had a much needed tetnus booster, too. The nurse/practitioner who sewed me up related that she had a similar cut when she was in college in a similar place and elected not to get it sutured. It took over a month to heal. Other than a little redness and dry skin, my thumb is back to "normal" as I write this.

[Kirk (KC) Constable]

I got nicked by the bandsaw once while working with a dull blade. Pushing the piece too hard, and when the cut was finished, along went my hand. I managed to stop before it was serious, but I did get cut. Had the blade been sharp, I wouldn't have been pushing so hard.

KC

[Frank Pellow]

Sorry about your accident Dick, and I am glad to hear that it was not worse.

One thing that we seem to get at Saw Mill Creek, is a monthly reminder about a real life experience that reminds us to work safely. This is the first such report that I recall that involves a bandsaw and, as such, it is very timely for me becuase my first ever bandsaw arrived yesterday.