_I have a big bench vise. You know, the ones that plumbers attach to their bumpers. Instead of using it to hold a piece of wood that I was attaching another piece to, I held it in my hand while attaching them to each other with a drywall screw, followed short_ly by *(&%^%&$#$!
My condolences on your totally avoidable injury.
As a retired aircraft mechanic, I follow two basic rules:
-
When doing anything that requires three hands, find and use a third hand. I don’t own a vise, but I have a drawerful of clamps, and a couple of pairs of vise-grips that earn their keep holding things down so I can saw/file/drill/screw them together.
-
Never, ever, aim anything sharp or pointy at any part of the anatomy. Cut, drill, drive screws AWAY from hands, forearms and legs.
If I mess up some part of a model or my benchwork I can always fabricate or purchase a substitute. Medical technology has yet to develop a reliable way of replacing damaged human parts with 100% serviceable like items. The only answer is to avoid damage to the original issue.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Theres nothing like screwing a wood screw into your leg as you use it as a prop to screw two small boards together. I imagine you experienced the same with your hand?
And do you know hammers were meant to hit thumbs, not pound nails?.
Super glue was designed to glue everything {including fingers to everything} BUT what you want to hold together.
Utility knives can always be used in a pinch by a surgeon as they will cut skin and muscle nice and deep when used improperly- especially with a dull blade- they cut the best.
Torches for plumbing, in the wrong hands-and sometimes even in the right hands- are designed to set wood and insulation afire.
Anyone without a degree in “agrivation” should never ever attempt to use a saw-especially while holding the board to be cut against ones leg.
AS always one should read thoroughly the instruction manual and all it’s warning before using any power tool…but do we?
And words such as &$##) and *@@#$)(!! and #$(()!@_) were designed to express one’s delight in using any tool in the haphazard manner of one’s choosing.
The list of DONT"S in the instruction manuals are growing longer and longer, but somebody actually used the tool or appliance or such in that manner to warrant a warning. AFter all, don’t you use an hot iron to press your clothes while wearing them?
Expressed opinion of the author. Your results may vary. close cover before opening message. One per customer. Void where prohibited. Do not read message while standing in shower. May be slippery when wet. MAy contain chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer or death. Do not use on or near children. Use message in well ventialated area. Message contains %(&##(( language. Message rated R for resticted
Power tools are one thing I don’t mess around with. A ‘pro’ might laugh at how I handle cutting wood on my power miter saw, after cutting through the piece and returning the handle to the rest and letting go of the switch, I pull back my hands and arms until the blade comes to a complete stop, Then I unplug it before removing the clamps - I use the provided clamps to hold each piece I cut, ALWAYS. Clamp in next piece, check blade position, THEN plug it in and make the cut.
–Randy
Galaxy.
You had me in tears reading that reply. I got another one.
Using a screwdriver for a chisel will make it better at rounding out screws later on. And that splintery, splitting plastic handle feels better in your hand than the smooth undamaged one.
There was a fellow mechanic at work that had a duh moment. After spinning the 3/4 inch nut off the bolt with the impact wrench the nut was stuck in the socket. Being an intelligent human male like most of us he stuck his finger in the nut to retrieve it from the socket. At that moment his left brain controlling his right hand pulled the trigger and threaded that nut on his finger all the way to the knuckle. After we were done laughing someone took him to the hospital. You don’t want to hear how the doctor unthreaded the nut from his finger. All I can say is it would have been less painful using the impact wrench.
Pete
Sorry you sound like moron (no offense) that worked for me for less then one day. He was cutting a piece of sheet metal for a patch panel with a power saw (not even powered sheet metal shears) while holding it in his bare hand. Please do yourself and your family a favor and don’t buy a nail gun.
How about using your finger to try and remove dried ballast from tracks?
Two weeks later, I still am applying vaseline and band-aids to my index finger.
Does a finger qualify as a tool?
Or how about trying to use a X-Acto knife to pry apart some glued pieces, only to have the parts suddenly fly apart and sinking hte knife halfway into my right index finger.
Yeah, it hurt like crazy. I think i did an easy 70, 75 mph up the stairs and into the bathroom. 15 minutes later and half a roll of T.P., i was back down stairs finishing what i had started.
I admire your willingness to share your story as a warning to others to use safe work habits.
I’m not a big fan of drywall screws except for drywalls, but I am a big fan of clamps, work benches, work mates, etc for holding the work while I drill, cut, plane, etc. For a few bucks you could make a work bench out of 2x4’s, here’s one site that has a simple plan http://www.handymanusa.com/articles/workbench.html With a few clamps to hold the work, you can avoid many accidents.
My first work bench was similar, but I used an old ping-pong table for the top.
Enjoy
Paul
Drywall screws are rather weak and not good for building benchwork. Even with pilot holes I had problems with the heads shearing off even before the screw is completely driven in the wood, and this is plain old soft pine lumber. Then out come the vice-grips to unscrew the partially threaded in screw. Real pain in the behind. I instead use deck screws, much stronger and haven’t had one shear off yet.
–Randy
Everone here has had some sort of accident, from a slight cut or a black thumbnail from a misguided hammer, to more serious mishaps requiring a doctors care.
As a railroad machinist I felt fortunate to have all my body parts still intact when I retired. Of course having saftey drilled into what little grey matter I had helped and staying focused to the task at hand was paramount.
My son in law had a slight owie from a power tool, a bit comical afterwards, but at the moment of impact was a bit painfull. He asked if I ever did anything like that, I stated with tongue in cheek…Ahhh Brent…I think that was covered in the instruction manual…You know…That small pamplet was not put in the box to keep all the parts from rattling.
Experience is a great teacher.
Be safe…enjoy
I AM coachable… The vise now gets used on a regular basis. The upside to all this is… I have to keep my workbench clear to get to the vise to use it.
Actually, it WAS a deck screw (the kind with the Torx head).
And don’t forget - screwdrivers are great for distributing paint everywhere when opening a tin, giving really original patterns for backdrops !
Seriously, when power tools are not immediately in use, then unplug them - saves a lot of accidents by accidental starting. Also labelling each plug with the name of the tool it is attached to avoids confusion.
Like mobileman, not enough hours in the day to do all I want to even though I’m retired, so I’m not going out job hunting !
Dennis
I worked in a kitchen at a reception hall when I was in high school. We had a manager there that nobody liked, he was really cocky. Once in a while he would come out of his office to “help” us with the larger parties. One day he was running the meat slicer (think table saw) and he cut his thumb. No big deal, it had happened to others. He went to the hospital and got stitched up. The next night he was using the slicer again and one of the dishwashers asked him how he got the stitches. He proceded to show him by placing his other thumb near the blade (to re-enact the incident). His thumb got too close and he sliced this one too. Back to the hospital. He came back with both thumbs bandaged now and from then on he earned the nickname “thumbs”.
While soldering my feeders wires last week, I learned which end of the soldering iron NOT to grab.
The bit about the manager and the meat slicer brings back disturbing memories of a cousin of mine. Back when she was about 18 or 19, she was working in the cafeteria at a discount store. Manager insisted she start grinding up some more beef for the chilli or sloppy joes, but figured she was old enough to do it without instructions. Didn’t want to be bothered when the grinder jammed. Told her to just push the meat through. As a result she now has a thumb and a rather scarred index finger on the remaining half a hand.
Happily, she basically has overcome the disability, and even the predjudices that make getting decent employment difficult, and has managed to earn a reasonable living for the last 35 or so years. A significant number of young people in that situation don’t.
But, as far as why we don’t use tools properly? Many reasons! Just from my own experience, using tools ranging from dental floss to Bridgeports and machine lathes, and repairing 3 V to 480 V electrical machinery, (and, keeping all my body parts intact, albeit with many scars) sometimes we mistakenly think the tool operation is simpler than it looks, we don’t feel we have the time (personal feeling at home, or job pressures from the Better, Faster, Cheaper or Need for Speed business philosophies at work), or the “Men Don’t Need No Flippen instruction sheets,”, or just not wanting to be bothered finding or buying the right tool for the job. Or even asking someone for instruction. Then there are distractions, such as a phone call while doing something, or a wife or other family member demanding attention while you are trying to do something, or listening to radio or trying to watch television while using tools. Sometimes, not being smart enough to use the tools, like an incident at my former employer where a department manager, not authorized to use anything in our prototyping machine shop, was cutting some metal parts with a cutting torch, (G job) and not quenchin
I actually stop for directions… my wife teases me that she thinks I’m “getting hormonal”…Whatever, all I know is, it saves on gas…
Ahh yes the fond memories these make, later down the road. Been there done that. also right leg with skill saw or is it lack of skill saw? dull razor knife cuts are my specialty. also spraying myself in the face with various chemicals. all in the name of get’r done. latest one three weeks ago just pulled stitches out a week ago. looking around now for something else to poke,stab,cut,embed,or otherwise inflict harm unto mineself. Well gotta go find something to stab myself with, ya’ll hav fun now heer!!
I’ve been known to stop and ask directions. Scared the living daylights out of one of my brother-in-laws when he was visiting us. My in-laws, and of course my wife, are from a South American country that used to be known for Military Police all over the place, police brutality, and in general where people didn’t trust the police. One day, on an out-of-town trip, I actually stopped a patrol car and asked a cop for directions (I had a cousin on our local PD for almost 35 years. Great guy.) Thought I was going to have to clean the car seat.