From the article: Woodworking Safety Equipment
Every woodworker knows that it's smart to always wear their safety equipment, but many often do not do so. Why? Perhaps they forget. Maybe they think "it's a quick cut, I'll be fine." This is a dangerous habit to have.
Case in point: Once, I was replacing some screws in a door hinge, and wasn't wearing my safety glasses. A chunk of the driver bit broke off and just missed my eye. A quarter inch higher, and I could have lost my eye.
Have you ever had a close call when you didn't wear your safety equipment? We welcome you to share your story. Share Your Close Calls
Case in point: Once, I was replacing some screws in a door hinge, and wasn't wearing my safety glasses. A chunk of the driver bit broke off and just missed my eye. A quarter inch higher, and I could have lost my eye.
Have you ever had a close call when you didn't wear your safety equipment? We welcome you to share your story. Share Your Close Calls
Table Saw Stupidity
- I was building a show case using oak. I knew the blade on the table saw was dull and the guard was not true so I tried to saw about 1/8" from the guard, just holding the board. Bad mistake. The board turned and kicked back, hitting me just left of my spleen. I went to the hospital with a board sticking out of my stomach and very mad at myself. I was lucky that I had no internal injuries, but I learned that safety is the most important thing in a woodworking shop. It only takes a second to injure yourself for life. No short cut is worth losing fingers or your life.
- —Guest roynlois
Cheap tool + ignoring recommendations
- I thought I didn't need a name brand angle grinder, so I bought one of the import-store variety (4 inches). I put a 7 inch rubber disk from a sander on it. The disk had a max rpm rating on it, which I ignored. Then I turned on the tool to see how it ran. It took a second or two to wind up to its usual 10,000 rpm speed, and then in the blink of an eye the whole thing exploded. The rubber disk went sailing out of the garage door and down the street like a frisbee. The metal hub and retention nut struck the windshield of our vehicle in the driveway. The angle grinder itself, still in my hands, hand become three large pieces of smoking ruin, held loosely together by the internal wiring. The motor had ripped itself apart, and torn free from its plastic housing. Once I discovered I could still control my movement, I carefully let go and unplugged it.
- —Guest Jeff
Router table Accident
- I was putting an Ogee edge on a piece of straight grained Oak, When the wood exploded under my hand and chewed up the right side of my little finger.... Don't know what happened, or why, but I use a push block all the time now.... My little finger was cut up like a pre-cut Ham...., and the wood was in strips.....
- —Guest toconnel50
Mill work, multiple blades / jig changes
- Did a complex project recently that required me to work at a top skill level. Lucky - but I chewed off tridiagonal tip of my index and hurt to the others - severely - but full heal. My index tip however will not be the same again.
- —Guest Jessie
Can't believe I did that
- i'm in the middle of a oak strip flooring project. i would cut the new 2 1/4 strips down and finish with the table router for the tongue. i usually turn off the router to blow away the sawdust built up during the milling process. since i was down to the last few strips i decided to just wipe the sawdust away with my hand. wrong!! chewed up my middle finger. i know what your thinking "very dumb" i agree, i still can't believe i did that.
- —Guest steve
Blank moment with nail gun
- I laid my nail gun down and left it connected to the air compressor.While moving a table I knocked it off and it went off. Shot myself in the head. Lucky for me the angle caused the brad to enter my scalp and deflect, exiting about 1 inch from the intrance. I now disconnect the gun when not being used. I was lucky as it missed my eye by about 1 inch.
- —RoyLeggett
I am a blonde
- I was drilling a hole in a piece of wood with a drill press and my hair got caught in the drill, tearing a hunk of hair out. Guess I'll be tying it back or wearing a hat from not on.
- —Guest Julliet Smith
safety first
- Being a high school woodworking teacher, I am an advocate of safety in general. I enjoy reading the responses because it reminds me of the daily importance of safety. I use some of the stories from time to time to remind my students that safety requires each of us to practice everyday.
- —Guest cam
wrong way to make a stubby screw driver
- A few years ago I was moving some equipment in the shop and dropped a heavy machine on a 440v power cord. Fire flew out of the cut cord. A this point I was feeling pretty dumb about not being more careful. Then I went to the breaker panel to remove the damaged cable so I could replace it. Never occurred to me to check if the tripped breaker might still have power coming out of it. I had 2 wires pulled and was holding them in my left hand, loosening the screw for the 3rd phase when one of the wires in my hand brushed against the blade of the screw driver. Did you know the force of vaporizing a 6" screw driver blade could knock a grown man 6 feet across a room? I didn't, and I'm an engineer. I know it now. I also know that safety breakers can have their contacts weld in the on position even when they look like they are tripped. I now always break out the meter and double check before I go into a power panel.
- —Guest Michael
sawed off fingertip.
- My uncle, worked in construction for 30 years, but one day sawed a piece of wood too small for the saw....took the top quarter inch off his finger.
- —Guest norm
eye/face protection
- Cutting some dadoes with my plunge router, the cut was deeper than it should and the 6mm (1/4') bit just disappeared... I heard it falling on the floor. I was wearing goggles but since then, I consider buying a full face shield
- —Guest Ted
Safety Glasses
- Used to teach High School Chemistry and in one school we used a semi micro method. One student dropped a small bottle of concentrated sulphuric acid( battery acid) onto a tile floor where it shattered. The acid bounced up and ponto the saftey glasses and some ran down his cheeks. No eye damage only some burns on skin. So the safety glasses proved their point. I also witnessed sopme other accidents where the glasses saved the eyes.
- —Guest Gerry McAuley
Old tools
- A few years ago I was using what was once my Grandfathers homemade table saw. It did not have any safety equip on it and I was cutting a 1/4' plywood. I was not wearing a shirt (hot summer) standing right in front of my cut when the board grabbed- bounced and flew back catching me in the abs. I was lucky that I was in great shape and the ply hit flat (on edge though) and lengthwise. It left a crease on my abs that disappeared about 8 mths later Somehow it didn't spin at all otherwise it would have went through me. The lesson learned and stayed. I replaced the saw 2 days later. Now it is all about the protection.
- —Guest Ken- Canada
DIY Tool Modification
- When I was in High School shop class many years ago I was using a radial arm saw to cut some sections of plywood for a project. After each cut I was using a 12 inch metal rule to layout the next cut. I was using the radial arm saw bed as a layout table. You can probably guess what happened next. I wasn't paying attention and laid the plywood on top of the ruler prior to making my cut. Halfway though my next cut they was a godawful screeching noise and a large shower of sparks. After securing the saw I lifted the ply plywood and there it sat, a 12 inch metal ruler cut almost perfectly in half. The shop teacher kept it around for years give me full credit for the modification to the ruler. To this day I still check the work area repeatedly to ensure that it is clear before starting any power tool.
- —Derek_Loupman
Safer as a result
- I'm a relatively new hobbyist woodworker and am learning new things every day. As a result of the initial article and the subsequent posts, I now keep a dust mask, safety glasses and ear protection within arm's reach of all my power tools. It's easy to forget just how powerful those tools really are, and without the years of experience to guide me, this information has been invaluable.
- —Guest Jon Nichol
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