Ouch!!!!

[Tom Ruflin]

Well it finally happened, my first accident in my shop other than the minor cuts. I cut he back of my left hand with a chisel while trying to remove a little nub from a peice of maple . Took a trip to the ER to get it all checked out a 2 stiches . Fortunatly LOML was home to take me to the ER and no tendons or nerves were damaged . The cut is right behind my index finger nuckle. I will be purchasing one of those kevlar gloves and try to remember to wear it when doing that kind of work in the future. I bought a SawStop cabinet saw last year to be as safe as I could in the shop, maybe someone could invent a ChiselStop .

[Jim Becker]

Welcome to the "chisel club", Tom...two years ago on New Years Day I managed to do the same thing with my nice, new, SHARP chisels... Ouch, indeed.

[David Rose]

I'm glad things came out well for you, though I doubt the stitches were fun.

I have a ChiselStop on each of my chisels. When I use them I never (yet) get cut! It is an amazing little plastic blade guard that cost nearly nothing! But it really does get in the way of cutting anything. So I have a tendency to remove it when I really need to cut something. Another thing that might help would be a 90 degree bevel. But that might make cutting difficult also, and it would be more difficult to remove.

Be careful! The damage could be substantial from even hand tools that sharp.

David

Well it finally happened, my first accident in my shop other than the minor cuts. I cut he back of my left hand with a chisel while trying to remove a little nub from a peice of maple . Took a trip to the ER to get it all checked out a 2 stiches . Fortunatly LOML was home to take me to the ER and no tendons or nerves were damaged . The cut is right behind my index finger nuckle. I will be purchasing one of those kevlar gloves and try to remember to wear it when doing that kind of work in the future. I bought a SawStop cabinet saw last year to be as safe as I could in the shop, maybe someone could invent a ChiselStop .

[Bill Esposito]

It used to be that every time I picked up a chisel, and I mean every time, I drew blood. Now I always use my vise to hold the work and I've been accident free since I made that change to my habits.

[Wes Bischel]

Sorry to hear about the accident Tom. I got three stitches in my left index finger knuckle a few months ago. More of an inconveinience than anything. Hopfully yours will be the same or less. Mine was good as new in two weeks thankfully.

Oh, and thanks for the reminder.

Wes

[Mitchell Andrus]

Same knuckle, same finger, seven stitches with a sharp razor blade - scraping glue off of a small clamp. DUH!!

Mitch

[Ted Miller]

When ever I hear about stitches in the shop all I see in my mind is my first contact with my 8" blades on my first jointer, looking at the scar on my palm right now, ouch...

[Bob Huddleston]

Took a chunk of the end of my middle finger on my left hand off with a chisel about six years ago. No real damage, just a forever flat spot. More blood than pain, until the ER doc had to numb it. Now that hurt! Also another first for my parish preist...first time he had ever blessed a middle finger!

Glad you're ok!

Bob

[Ian Gillis]

A dear old friend of mine who passed several years ago, told me that something his "manual training" teacher 75 years earlier told him which stuck with him throughout his 50 yr plus career as carpenter and general woodworker.

The pearl of wisdom was: Always keep your fingers away from the cutting edge.

Pretty basic idea, but if you apply it when assessing the risks of an approaching a task, it will serve you well. In my experience with chisels, it's as important to know where the cutting edge will be at the end of a cut as it is to know where it is at the start.

The old maxim that a dull chisel is more dangerous than a sharp one is especially true on paring or trimming cuts where the cutting edge isn't buried in the wood. The extra force need to push a dull chisel through a protruding dowel garantees that it will break loose with great speed. This is one case where if you're bracing the piece with a hand in the path of the chisel, it will bite you before you have a chance to even think about it.

Sorry if I sound preachy, but my old friend's advice has served me well as a woodworker, both amateur and pro over the last 20 yrs or so. I hope someone will read it and take it to heart and perhaps save him/herself a nasty injury.

Cheers

IG

[Rennie Heuer]

Took a small slice off my right forefinger while sharpening a chisel. Applying pressure to the cutting edge while pushing across the sandpaper - got too close to the paper and my skin rolled up under the chisel's edge. Dumb.

[Ralph Barhorst]

Well, I might as well fess up. Last Thursday I got my left thumb into the table saw blade. It took 4 stiches and is really ugly, but I did not hit any bone. How much are those SawStops??

[Ken Werner]

Well, I might as well fess up. Last Thursday I got my left thumb into the table saw blade. It took 4 stiches and is really ugly, but I did not hit any bone. How much are those SawStops??

before the accident: "too darn much"

after: worth every penny

Just my guess. I've no connection to sawstop.

Ken

[Jim Becker]

In my experience with chisels, it's as important to know where the cutting edge will be at the end of a cut as it is to know where it is at the start.

Oh, yea! Since my "boo-boo" two years ago, I've made it a point to think about the "ending point" of the pointy things before I start the cut...and hopefully ensure that said "ending point" doesn't involve the surface and below of my own flesh.

[Terek Johnson]

A couple years back, I punched a freshly sharpened chisel into my wrist. Lots of blood, a few stitches, no lasting damage, but much more tool awareness.
While reading other forum members' confessions and throwing my own in the pool, it's interesting how refreshing it feels to share a "Duh-ohh" moment with other woodworkers.

[David Rose]

Terek,

It really is nice to have a group like this where you aren't likely to be laughed at for a misteak. Well... at least not for too long. We all make mistakes. Some involve flesh, some just wood (or metal/plastic). It is relieving to be able to share them, and even sometimes to learn ways to avoid them.

David

A couple years back, I punched a freshly sharpened chisel into my wrist. Lots of blood, a few stitches, no lasting damage, but much more tool awareness.
While reading other forum members' confessions and throwing my own in the pool, it's interesting how refreshing it feels to share a "Duh-ohh" moment with other woodworkers.