Are your tools dangerous?

[Edward Weber]

Exactly. You just confirmed that it's inherently dangerous to operate. Like firearms, chainsaws, explosives, etc.

I do lots of inherently dangerous things. I just never blow off that they're dangerous. That, is a bad combination.

I don't quite follow your logic and I don't "blow off" safety for any tool.

I just don't view tools as being dangerous, as in being worried about injury.
I try to understand all I can about how tools work and then there is less of a cause for concern.
A tool after all, is an intimate object and only does what the operator makes it do, this is what makes it dangerous or not, IMO

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Two of my Danger Ranger spokes people are E.R. doctors. One of them says his most detested tool is the chain saw. The other says hers is the ATV.

[Mike Cutler]

Yep, all of them are dangerous. If it's fun, there's risk. It's just the way the world is.
Sometimes I work on my shotguns in the shop.
Gotta agree about ladders though. I have absolutely zero fear of heights. Ladders scare the heck out of me.
Chainsaws don't scare me, trees do. Trees are wicked fast!

All kidding aside, any tool can present a danger. You have to respect the tool, and what it can, and cannot, do.

[Bill Dufour]

The one that surprises many, including myself, is the grinder coming up to speed and the wheel exploding into shrapnel.
BillD

[Tom Trees]

The one that surprises many, including myself, is the grinder coming up to speed and the wheel exploding into shrapnel.
BillD

I've got scolded for that before, glazed wheels that is, what said to heat up the stone, which is one way for that to happen apparently.
IIRC, (don't quote me on this) some say you can hear when a wheel has a fracture, not that I've ever tried tapping one.
It kinda seems like a good way to make that happen to me...

That said, I've never even looked to see some evidence of the damage an exploding grinding wheel can do,
as I suppose it likely could be the same deal with tablesaws...some folks coming away less scathed than others.
I've read of someone cutting fillets before, and the offcut harpooning someone's thumb off, which is likely somewhat of a freak incident,
i.e not so common, nevermind an amputation.

I'd sure find it interesting to read, whether this is huge grinding wheels we're talking about, where safety goggles aren't enough,
or if indeed someone could potentially be killed by their 6 or 8 inch wheeled grinder.

Not trying to make one trawl through the net to find something, a brief recollection would do.
Cheers for posting Bill, I'll keep that in mind to stand off to one side on startup, as I can't recall that particular aspect said before.

Tom

[Bill Dufour]

Only time I almost saw it was cutoff wheel in a skillsaw. Wheel had ben dropped and a small divot taken out. Started it up and it shook a bit but not crazy. Bounded up and down in the cut. It did not smooth out just got worse and worse.
Bill D

[Michael Burnside]

Exactly. You just confirmed that it's inherently dangerous to operate. Like firearms, chainsaws, explosives, etc.

I do lots of inherently dangerous things. I just never blow off that they're dangerous. That, is a bad combination.

My sentiments exactly.

[glenn bradley]

My tools are way more safe than something like an automobile. That being said they are, of course, used with a degree of risk directly proportional to your training, experience, and personality . Many a macho dingbat has been laid low by reality infringing on his version of the world. I forget how many folks are seen for injuries from clawing themselves in the face with a framing hammer per year. A nice sharp chisel will open you up easily with no electrons involved whatsoever . . . except maybe for the overhead lights . Anyone who has worked with multi-ton machines has a serious respect for physics or has a nice obituary in their home town paper. I once nicked my finger with a cutoff wheel on an angle grinder. Six months later I did it again, same finger, same spot, showing someone how I did it the first time . . . talk about embarrassing. Know your tools. Know your self. Rely on your training and stay safe out there.

[Cameron Wood]

Screwdrivers are responsible for a lot of ER visits.

[Steve Demuth]

Most tools are not in and of themselves dangerous (in the way, that, say, a dog with a violent impulse is) - they're not going to suddenly turn on you and cause an injury out of malice or just for (their) fun. Using some tools is inherently dangerous. There is no way to use a chainsaw that does not put you at heightened risk of injury compared to not using it. How we use tools can drastically reduce the danger of injury from them, or it can dramatically increase the danger. But within that general rule, there are tools that are far easier to hurt yourself or someone else with, or which when things go wrong cause more catastrophic injuriies, and ones that are far harder or cause less serious injuries.

The tool on my place that is probably most likely to cause me a serious injury, and which is certainly most likely to kill me, is either my tractor or my chainsaw. Just so many ways for things to go badly wrong with those tools, given what I use them for. But I've never actually been injured in a way that required attention, by either. On the other, hand, my drill press has hurt me pretty badly more than once, and ditto for my pin nailer. Why? Because I am less careful with them. I do things I shouldn't, and I get bit as a result.

So which is more dangerous? I'd still go with the tractor or chainsaw, but I can see arguing the other way, too.

[Roger Feeley]

The one that surprises many, including myself, is the grinder coming up to speed and the wheel exploding into shrapnel.
BillD

I was aught to stand aside while the bench grinder is coming up to speed. I’ve never seen a wheel fail but not being in line with it is no bother.

[Michael Schuch]

It was late, I was tired, the Philips screw driver (hand tool) slipped and went right into the joint at the base my fore finger on my other hand. Right to the bone! Instant buzzing nerve pain which has been slowly dissipating over the past day (I still get an ever lessening buzzing nerve pain when using the finger too much or putting it under too much strain... "R", "T", "F", "G", "V", and "B" can make me flinch a bit when typing them).

Yes! ... all tools can be dangerous! Some times the tools you take for granted can be the most dangerous. I remember my high school shop teacher preaching the dangers of the drill-press because students neglect to give it the respect it deserves. He had a great story about a big clump of long hair he found wrapped around the spindle of the drill press one time.

[Jerry Bruette]

The one that surprises many, including myself, is the grinder coming up to speed and the wheel exploding into shrapnel.
BillD

I've got scolded for that before, glazed wheels that is, what said to heat up the stone, which is one way for that to happen apparently.
IIRC, (don't quote me on this) some say you can hear when a wheel has a fracture, not that I've ever tried tapping one.
It kinda seems like a good way to make that happen to me...

That said, I've never even looked to see some evidence of the damage an exploding grinding wheel can do,
as I suppose it likely could be the same deal with tablesaws...some folks coming away less scathed than others.
I've read of someone cutting fillets before, and the offcut harpooning someone's thumb off, which is likely somewhat of a freak incident,
i.e not so common, nevermind an amputation.

I'd sure find it interesting to read, whether this is huge grinding wheels we're talking about, where safety goggles aren't enough,
or if indeed someone could potentially be killed by their 6 or 8 inch wheeled grinder.

Not trying to make one trawl through the net to find something, a brief recollection would do.
Cheers for posting Bill, I'll keep that in mind to stand off to one side on startup, as I can't recall that particular aspect said before.

Tom

I've never seen a grinding wheel blow up myself, but I've seen pictures it's impressive and scary.

When I was in the Navy our ship was contacted for aid to a civilian commercial ship. A grinding wheel blew up striking the operator in the head. Before we could get to the other ship they cancelled the call for aid. The person who got struck died. Even though we never saw the accident sight it was a wakeup call.

As for "ringing" a wheel before installing it, that's something that's so easy to do I think a six year old could do it and if you don't you're playing with everyone's safety. You also need to have your tool rest and tongue guard properly adjusted for safety reasons.

[mike stenson]

I don't quite follow your logic and I don't "blow off" safety for any tool.

I just don't view tools as being dangerous, as in being worried about injury.
I try to understand all I can about how tools work and then there is less of a cause for concern.
A tool after all, is an intimate object and only does what the operator makes it do, this is what makes it dangerous or not, IMO

If a tool isn't inherently dangerous to operate, no training is required to use one without injury. I don't go off saying that scuba diving isn't dangerous because I'm trained to do so. Because I'm trained to do so I KNOW it's dangerous. I wear safety equipment when downhill mountain biking, or when climbing, etc. Why? Because they're inherently dangerous activities.

I don't understand the whole point of trying to whitewash an activity as 'completely safe'. Unless you're not using the equipment. Then sure, it's "safe".

[Dave Anderson NH]

There is no question that the operators of table saws are dangerous. My point being that used when tired, used carelessly, or having your attention lag when doing a large number of repetitive motions all people can generate potential accidents. When my son bought his house and started to build up a basement shop we gave him a contractor style table saw as a Christmas/birthday present some 20+ years ago. Yes, his birthday is unfortunately December 28th. The day I helped him set it up we had a safety discussion and particularly concentrated on the dangers of ripping operations. I brought along a 4 foot long piece of scrap polyethylene from work about a foot wide and an inch thick. I made him stand in the danger zone holding a piece of plywood covering him from the neck to crotch. I used the polyfoam to induce a kickback which hit him just above the waist. I have since suggested this type of demo to friends teaching new users. It is a real attention getter and clearly shows the speed at which something bad can happen.