hddennis Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 (edited) Sitting here wishing I could go out to the garage and get back to my Maxwell but will have to wait a few more weeks. Thought I would pass along my latest mistake in the hopes that I will cause someone to stop and rethink that decision to push yourself just a little longer instead of quitting and finishing up tomorrow. On January 5th I was working on my Maxwell and had lowered my seating position 4 inches and reassembled the wooden body and was pretty darn proud of myself as I am NOT a woodworker but not being able to find anyone had tackled it myself. After working all day I was tired but decided I would just make one floorboard before quitting. I don't know if it was fatigue, lost my balance or just plain stupidity but as I was running the board through the planer I took about 1/2 inch off the tip of my left thumb, down to the bone. Luckily I only ticked the bone and it should heal in time. Funny how I didn't have time to wait till tomorrow for this project but now I have WAY too much time! The pictures show my thumb 2 weeks after so I guess time really does heal all wounds.Remember tomorrow is another (SAFER) day.Howard Dennis Edited January 30, 2015 by hddennis (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCHinson Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Ouch. I hope it continues to heal OK for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhigdog Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 My father always harped about safety around machinery. He would say "That machine will sit there patiently waiting, year after year, for you to make just one dumb mistake.".............Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AlCapone Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 My father always said "a sharp blade and a hot torch has no conscience ". ! Hope you get better real soon ! Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Will C Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Back when I was young and dumb I cut the tip off my finger on the fan blade of a car. Never even knew it until I saw blood on the fender. Damm thing hurt for over a month. Hope you get feeling better soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rrdoubleday Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Sorry to hear of your injury, our Maxwells will wait until you heal, and spring weather for me. Take care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjamin j Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 That looks a little off maybe you should have your planer checked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleach Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 I will have to print a photo of your thumb and tape it above the feeding end of my planer when I will be planing all the boards of my deck this spring. I have an old Rockwell planer that will easily eat a whole arm.It looks exactly like this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knee-action Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 I used to work with a guy who reached under his riding mower to see if the blade was turning. Very similar injury to yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleach Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 I used to work with a guy who reached under his riding mower to see if the blade was turning. Very similar injury to yours.That guy sounds like he might become a candidate for a Darwin Award. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knee-action Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Bleach...too late. He took top honors back in 1994.:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amphicar BUYER Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 I watched a kid in my high school shop class getting ready to rip a piece of walnut, just a I yelled for him to get a push stick the hot chick walked in, he looked at her as he pushed the walnut forward and then his thumb was no longer in the way. The girl puked and chaos ensued. I put his thumb in a bag of ice and he was off to the hospital. Suffice it to say, he was not going to do well as a hitch hiker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Yaros Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 You are right, "not for the squeamish." That is nasty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rp1967 Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Several years ago we worked on the hydraulics on a wind tunnel in Virginia , we had to walk through their machine shop every day to get to the job site .There was a large sign on the wall that read THESE MACHINES DO NOT HAVE BRAINS,PLEASE USE YOURS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeke01 Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 I'm always in awe of a man who has done woodworking for many years and can still count to ten on his fingers. I hurt for you. Keep it clean, you don't want to lose more to infection. Zeke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleach Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Bleach...too late. He took top honors back in 1994.:cool:What did he do, stick his head under it to check if it was running? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleach Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 I'm always in awe of a man who has done woodworking for many years and can still count to ten on his fingers. I hurt for you. Keep it clean, you don't want to lose more to infection. ZekeIt looks like it is healing up nicely. Infection is no joke. It can get into your bloodstream and cause some real harm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Braverman Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 I am a high school shop teacher. I always preach safety. On October 7, I was ripping a board for a student on the table saw, when another student distracted me. The board jumped, and I severed three fingers on my right hand. It took a millisecond. Fortunately, my school was close to Stony Brook University Hospital, where a fantastic surgeon was able to reinstall my fingers. I had a second surgery to prepare for a tendon replacement two weeks ago, and a third surgery to replace the tendon will occur in a few months. I have not been back to work since the accident, and hopefully will return just before the end of the school year. Now I stare out the window at my barn where my projects await me until spring. Even worse, I missed Hershey for the first time in my life (I have been to Hershey every year from 1974 when I was born, until 2013). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knee-action Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Good heavens Mr. Braverman!! Best of luck during your recovery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandy Dave Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Ouch, I have had a few close calls myself. I was running a board though a table saw many years ago and my mother came down the stairs screaming like the house was on fire. I turned to look and luckily only ended up with a minor cut. She was screaming I had a phone call. Did I give her hell. The stupid phone can wait. Almost ended my Banjo and Guitar playin. Feel Better fellows. Dandy Dave! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
36 D2 Coupe Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Howard and Steve - you are the poster boys for the dangers of distraction around machinery. I've been there too, split my left thumb open on a table saw when too tired to be using it. My sincere best wishes for rapid healing and full recovery. Sadly things are never the same after such an injury. Bleach - your idea of posting copies of these photos near dangerous machines should sober up the most careless individuals. I like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hddennis Posted February 1, 2015 Author Share Posted February 1, 2015 Thanks fellows for the kind words. Steve you can't believe how much better my thumb feels after seeing your pictures! I bet we look like two sad dogs staring out the windows. Does your wife give you heck every time you try to go out to the garage? Mine does, threatens to throw my power tools away.Howard Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AlCapone Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 I was sitting on my front porch when I heard a blood curdling scream from across the street. I run over to find that the fireman / cabinet maker had run all his fingers thru the radial arm saw. He was distracted by a bird flying into his workshop. I put his fingers in my pocket and threw him in the Fargo and rushed him 10 blocks to the local hospital emergency ward. After many hours of reconstructive surgery they saved all is fingers but the little one. That was 40 years ago and he is still very thankful. The doctor said if we had not brought the fingers with us that the return trip to retrieve them would have likely rendered them useless. He told MPEG last month that other than a little numbness they are just about as good as his other hand. Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amphicar BUYER Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 There is a new device that uses the electrical conductivity of flesh to sense when flesh touches the blade and stops the blade in milliseconds (less than 1 revolution). I've seen a demo where a hotdog was pushed into the blade, it stopped so fast that if it were a finger all you would need is a bandaid to cover the slight nick. I am sure there is vide on YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Braverman Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 There is a new device that uses the electrical conductivity of flesh to sense when flesh touches the blade and stops the blade in milliseconds (less than 1 revolution). I've seen a demo where a hotdog was pushed into the blade, it stopped so fast that if it were a finger all you would need is a bandaid to cover the slight nick. I am sure there is vide on YouTube.It's called SawStop. I wish I had ordered one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AlCapone Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 There is a new device that uses the electrical conductivity of flesh to sense when flesh touches the blade and stops the blade in milliseconds (less than 1 revolution). I've seen a demo where a hotdog was pushed into the blade, it stopped so fast that if it were a finger all you would need is a bandaid to cover the slight nick. I am sure there is vide on YouTube.It should be made mandatory on every unit now produced. What a fantastic idea.Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rp1967 Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 I was sitting on my front porch when I heard a blood curdling scream from across the street. I run over to find that the fireman / cabinet maker had run all his fingers thru the radial arm saw. He was distracted by a bird flying into his workshop. I put his fingers in my pocket and threw him in the Fargo and rushed him 10 blocks to the local hospital emergency ward. After many hours of reconstructive surgery they saved all is fingers but the little one. That was 40 years ago and he is still very thankful. The doctor said if we had not brought the fingers with us that the return trip to retrieve them would have likely rendered them useless. He told MPEG last month that other than a little numbness they are just about as good as his other hand. Wayneworked with a man several years ago that did the same thing long before I knew him, but he wasn't as lucky , they couldn't reattach the fingers.we used to kid him that he was the perfect hitchhiker because he still had his thumb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Xprefix28truck Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Hope both of you heal quickly. We can never be safe enough. One of our general supervisors at work took his off with no distractions at all. He wiped the sawdust off the table with the blade running. Took his hand right over the blade...Zing.... fingers gone.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edhd58 Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 We have the Saw Stop saws where I work, they have saved several people from bad accidents. They do work just like the hot-dog demo says it does. Gentlemen, best wishes for a speedy and uneventful recovery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne sheldon Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Ooh that hurts. I preach "be careful" often. I have for years at work, at home, and on the MTFCA forum. (By the way hddennis, would you want me to pass this on to your friends there?) Amazingly, as much exposure to potential amputation as I have had, I have never lost more than a moderately deep cut. I still have all ten clear to the ends. I am careful, and I want others to be also. Not only do I do the work in my own shop, work the hard way without the proper tools, etc, some of my earning a living for years involved underground construction, drill rigs, trenchers, you can imagine what some of that stuff could be like.Steve Braverman & hddennis, Thank you both for sharing your mistakes here. We all need a reminder from time to time. And I know it is not always easy to tell the world "I screwed up". So again, thank you. And do continue to heal well and fast. Do also be careful about infections. Not only do I have dozens of stories to illustrate work safety? A couple of them turn out badly due to infections.Do drive and work carefully, And enjoy, W2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleach Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 It should be made mandatory on every unit now produced. What a fantastic idea.WayneI don't fully agree with making a feature like this mandatory unless perhaps if they are used by employees. I know someone who lost three of his fingers from his left hand when using a chop saw. He was employed by a wood working company and was working on a job site when it occurred. He, like many, had the accident when he got distracted. Unfortunately his severed fingers could not be reattached. I don't recall whether it was due to the time it took for him to get to the ER or for the fact that he also spent over two hours waiting to be seen by an ER doctor. To make matters worse he was not even offered any pain medications while he was waiting. His employer immediately disposed of the tool and replaced it with one of the automatic devices. Sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 OUCH. I feel for both of you. Hope you get back on the mends soon. Additionally always wear safety glasses. I still have good sight because I was wearing glasses when a tire failed. Very lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wmsue Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Just a few comments:I started my teaching career as a shop teacher in 1978. Did that till 95 when I switched over to Visual Arts (drawing, painting, ceramics, photography, and now add computers). Had a few accidents along the way and wish you both the best of care and luck in healing. The healing process in our hands hurts so much more that other parts of the body, not sure why, but it sure does !!!I switched from shop to art because my administration insisted on having 30 kids in every class. I felt a lot safer with 30 kids in an art class than 30 in my shop class (freshman especially). I live about 40 miles from where I teach. From time to time the kids will take a 'road trip' out to my house to learn some things that we no longer teach at our school. Read an article a few months ago about a man who was hurt using a new table saw that he purchased. He sued the manufacturer after getting hurt because it did NOT have the Saw Stop feature and he got hurt. The court ruled that the manufacturer should only make tools that have the latest and best safety features. I think the saw stop feature adds about $250 to the cost of the saw. Once the Saw Stop is activated, it's time to buy a new saw. The case is now in the Appeals court.Take it slow and let the healing process work.Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luv2Wrench Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 (edited) As per safety glasses... that has become a LOT easier to remember to wear these days as I need my Reading/Safety Glasses to be able to see!! Edited February 2, 2015 by Luv2Wrench (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Mack_CT Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Hope both of you guys have a full recovery. Reminds me of some time I spent in a sales position calling on the wooodworking/cabinet making trade. The vast majority of my customers had a digit or two missing.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I'm surprised I still have all my digits after 30+ years of woodworking. Twice I've been injured. Once by a router and once when I broke my thumb when a piece kicked back while being run thru a jointer. Both times I was stupidly trying to work with a piece of wood that was too small to safely do what I was trying to do. I did badly break my right arm crank starting a '28 Autocar but that's a different story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john2dameron Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 That guy sounds like he might become a candidate for a Darwin Award.Or become a politician. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Wow! I know both of you guys, so sorry to read this. Hope the recovery period goes well. We kept looking across the isle at Hershey wondering were you were Steve, now I know. Years ago I was in a shop when a heated discussion was underway with an auto body guy and Bugatti GP car owner. Both of them were pointing at some feature that the owner wasn't happy with. Both of them had half of an index finger, maybe I'm sick, but it seamed funny at the time. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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