I take training courses at work all the time concerning Health and Safety. One thing that people should also be aware of while using hand tools is DON’T wear loose fitting clothing or any jewlery while using hand tools. You get a loose shirt sleeve caught in a drill or hand saw, even a Dremel and you will be in a world of hurt. Do your cuffs up tight and take off those wedding rings and necklaces.
A little off topic, but talking about power tool safety here.
To minimize kickbacks when using a table saw, It helps to adjust the rip fence so that the outfeed distance is just slightly greater (about 1/16" to as much as as 1/8") along the length of the fence. This is no quarrantee that you won’t ever experience a bind but does help tremendously. A dull blade, very narrow tooth set or ripping twisted or warped pieces will usually cause trouble.
I have develpoed so much respect over all the years using thes tools of my trade. Sometimes, I don’t even notice that precautions I have instilled and do regularly.
Push sticks, featherboards, kerfe spliters and never standing directly behind the fence are just some of these practices.
One more note on tool safety - Dremel or others - keep others away from your work area!! If you come into an area where someone is working, do not walk up to them & tap them on the shoulder or say “hey”!, 100% concentration is required with any tool - especially poweer tools!! 40+ years as a carpenter/cabinetmaker, and having all ten digits!! [swg]
This applys to oversized gloves as well. Witnessed a guy lose a finger from wearing work gloves about 2 sizes to large while using a drill press. The extra 1" of glove sticking out past his index finger caught in the 1/2" HSS bit, heard a “pop” and then all the 4 letter words in the world in both english and german.
My spouse stops at the doorway to the train room when a power tool is running. She would wait a few moments until I notice her and shut down the device.
She also knows not to cause me to bounce 3 feet when Im using a knife on very small plastic parts. Just today I used a face shield for the first time. The cost of those are cheaper than the cost of removal of FOD from eyeballs.
When I hauled steel, the tension on the breaker bar is sometimes sufficient to destroy your hand. The best you can do is let go and that bar will go flying 200 feet or more. You dont want to be hard headed and lose your hands or break bones when thrown by these *&^% things.
Sounds like you were lucky judging by those photos!
I learnt something about grinders in a saftey induction that happened on a site recently. They mentioned that a grinding disk flew apart because the disk they were using wasn’t rated for the speed of that particular grinder.
I didn’t know that grinding disks had speed ratings, and thought I’d share that while we are on the topic of saftey! Not sure if I’d use a grinder on a layout but it might help if anybody is using one around the house.
Regards,
Nige.
that must’ve hurt.
I have got a story for you that will make all of you rin out and buy saftey glasses.
Last week, while cutting some flextrack, I was sitting right near the wall, watching TV (I put a TV in my basement) I cut a piece, it didn’t go in the bucket that was on the floor, but I must’ve used too much force, because the thing hit the side of the bucket, and then hit my saftey glasses right in front of my left eye.
The moral of the story: buy saftey glasses, because cutting track isn’t something to lose your eye over!
Amen to that!
[#ditto]I second that!
Thanks for sharing your story Karl. I sure hope the hand will come back to near where it was. All things considered I suppose one could say you were “lucky”, it could have been worse but judging by the pictures, you sure didn’t look lucky. I have had occurences with my Dremel’s power switch as well. The switch is in good condition but I have had it click back on, (though not at full power) when I set it down on the bench to perform low rev acrobatics! This is an issue we should all be aware of when using a Dremel or similar power cutting/grinding tool. I like Jeffrey’s idea of using a switched receptacle for the dremel tool. In fact, I think a foot operated switched receptacle might be a wise safety feature to add to the work bench.
I have often wondered how well those diamond coated wheels cut. Now I won’t wonder any more. [:O]
Here’s a photo of the outlet switch I use with my Dremel. The text in the pic says it all.
I’ve had one disintergrate in my face as well…good thing I was wearing my glasses as it scratched my old pair. Now I work with the cutoff blade facing way away from me.
I’ve had these disks break apart but - and I suppose that the word “miraculously” belongs here - they always seem to fly off in the opposite direction.
I did, however, once come to grief with a router spinning a 1/2 inch radius rounding over bit at 26K. I had always been somewhat careless in wearing safety glasses - after all its only a short job and what can possibly happen. On this particular day, however, I was wearing safety goggles; a fragment of wood flipped out and smacked one of the lenses of my goggles and left a very pronounced mark. SOMETIMES immediately metamorphosed itself into ALWAYS and it has stayed “always” ever since.
I had a rather funny experience involving a circular saw; just as I broke through the edge of the plywood I was ripping a very small piece of wood tore away, caromed off of a wall and the ceiling and came down and smacked me on the head. It didn’t have a terrific amount of force and did nothing more than sting a little bit but I’m sure as the dickens not going to start wearing a helmet.
And in response to forum member larak’s report of his injury I might bring up that foot operated switches are available and will instantly demobilize a tool - continuing to use hand operated switches with one of these things defeats their whole purpose. One of these was demonstrated on a Tools and Techniques show on DIY network. Dynamic braking is alive and well!!! On this same show they demonstrated an electronic brake; a 10" table saw ground to a complete halt in less than a second. They are a little pricey - the electronic braking unit was running close to three hundred smackers if I recall correctly - but that’s an expense I am just going to have to make when I get back in the woodworking game shortly. It may have been on the same show but there is another unit that senses a change in resistance - like a sawblade beginning to make hamburger out of your hand - and also
That’s nothing,… ever have a table saw fire a 2x4 at your midsection?? Not fun… Had I been about 4 inches taller… I hate to think of what it would have hit.
Dremels, or at least the one I have which is supposedly multi-speed still has only 2 speeds. Bat out of he!! or off. Newer ones may have better speed control but that particular one is better helped by a seperate speed controller like a variable transformer. Those thin disks, dremel and after
That’s a good link. Let’s just make it active.
These horror stories can only reinforce the warnings to be careful when using any kind of power tool and always wear protection. Even hand tools can be dangerous. Ever had a screwdriver slip and skewer your palm? I like the comment someone made to be paranoid about power tools. I’d rather be called paranoid than “lefty” or “one-eye.” I’ve been considering buying a face shield, now I know I’m going to be buying one. Safety glasses don’t always fit comfortably over my eyeglasses.
I guess I’ll add my own horror stories to the list. Many years ago I borrowed a circular saw to cut fence boards. I didn’t know that the blade was tightened too tight and the saw hit a knot in the board. A split second later I was holding a madly rotating saw behind my head with both hands wondering what the heck had happened. To this day, it makes me nervous to use a circular saw. I’ve had a rotary rasp jump out and hit the back of my thumb. I’m sure the white string I saw in the bottom of the wound was a tendon. Fortunately, it wasn’t damaged. I had a Dremel cutoff disc break when I was cutting rail. Part of it stayed on the mandrel, part of it jammed in the rail and the rest of it hit the wall on the far side of the room and has never been found. And I too have had my router spit pieces of wood out at me when I use it in a table.
We watch these professionals using all kinds of power tools on the home renovation or carpentry programs on TV and they make it look so easy. What we forget is that they re professionals and they have been using those tools every day for years and know how to use them properly. Also note that they always wear eye and ear protection.
Finally, one other safety hint for power tools. Always unplug them before making any adjustments or changing bits or blades. If it’s a cordless tool, remove the battery.
</
As previously posted, 40+ years as a carpenter/cabinetmaker & have all ten digits - but I do have a few souvineers - a pic of a 3 1/2" pneumatic-fired nail through my thumb and a 6"+ scar on my upper leg that got a piece of the femeral artery - good thing I live 3 minutes away from a good hospital. I did scratch the cornea of my right eye while wearing safety glasses - the ones without the wrap-around!! That’s why I prefer a face shield today!![B)]
I always used pushsticks when necessary, and I usually stood behind the fence, but I wasn’t that time. It was a painful demonstration of how much power a table saw has. I couldn’t imagine the damage it could do if if it hurled something with some real mass to it.
These safety precautions apply to all motorized tools, and the point about hair, jewelry and sleeves is a good one, particularly when working with lathes and drill presses.
One of the scariest moments I had as a model maker was when our highly paid business consultant (in other words, an idiot [D)]) came into the shop while we were working late with a tight deadline to ‘cheer us up.’ His brainstorm was to shoot my supervisor in the back with a water pistol while she was working on the milling machin
That’s about the gist of it.
Yep, about 20 years ago. A thin glove was no use. Still have the scar. I went to my doctor after finishing installing the electrical panel. He gave me a few stitches and a tsk tsk look.
To everyone who posted good thoughts and good wishes - thanks. It was a learning experience. May we all learn from OTHERS’ mistakes rather than our own.
Jeffery, would you mind if I sent you a PM?
Yes, my surgeon said I was extremely lucky. Could have lost two fingers completely. Funny, I didn’t feel lucky at the time. Just took a look at the gaping hole stuffed it with a wad of paper towel and thought “Oh @#$%, this is the biggest hole I’ve ever punched into myself.” “This is gonna hurt bug time.”
And it did.
[quote user=“BlueHillsCPR”]
Thanks for sharing your story Karl. I sure hope the hand will come back to near where it was. All things considered I suppose one could say you were “lucky”, it could have been worse but judging by the pictures
Go for it.