- Joined
- Feb 14, 2013
- Messages
- 989
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- 71
It was a pretty simple mistake, really. Making a lengthwise 3/8" x 3/8" dado cut on a 20" 2x4. I am normally very careful with the table saw, and especially with a dado blade. I'm almost a safety nazi at work, and it usually spills over into my shop at home. Blade always backed down when stopping work for any amount of time. Pusher employed whenever it's called for. Blade changes are made with breaker turned off at the box. Breaker is restored with the blade retracted.
Pusher was right there next to the fence - but this time, I let myself get in a hurry (too many tings on my schedule) and thoughtlessly neglected to pick it up and use it.....thinking foolishly that such a shallow cut wouldn't be such a threat. For whatever reason, the piece kicked back when I was almost done with the cut. This 3 hp saw spins really fast and will launch a block of wood like a bullet. That piece cleared the blade so quick that my hand was in it before I could react.
Without going into too much graphic detail, I think it's important to know that the blade nicked my ulnar artery. Had I been home alone when this happened, I would have been in much more serious trouble. As I was stemming the bleeding, my first thought (other than the horror and the pain) was that I simply must not pass out before I got help. Remember that when you are planning your work. My wife was a real trooper under stress - thank God.
Expediency is our enemy. My employer knows that if I am rushed I automatically slow down and raise awareness, as a habit. The company actually promotes that behavior, at the expense of local managers' stress levels. I am not such a good boss of myself at home, it seems. That problem ends right here, right now. Just as in my professional life, all work will begin only after answering the question...."what could go wrong?"
Pusher was right there next to the fence - but this time, I let myself get in a hurry (too many tings on my schedule) and thoughtlessly neglected to pick it up and use it.....thinking foolishly that such a shallow cut wouldn't be such a threat. For whatever reason, the piece kicked back when I was almost done with the cut. This 3 hp saw spins really fast and will launch a block of wood like a bullet. That piece cleared the blade so quick that my hand was in it before I could react.
Without going into too much graphic detail, I think it's important to know that the blade nicked my ulnar artery. Had I been home alone when this happened, I would have been in much more serious trouble. As I was stemming the bleeding, my first thought (other than the horror and the pain) was that I simply must not pass out before I got help. Remember that when you are planning your work. My wife was a real trooper under stress - thank God.
Expediency is our enemy. My employer knows that if I am rushed I automatically slow down and raise awareness, as a habit. The company actually promotes that behavior, at the expense of local managers' stress levels. I am not such a good boss of myself at home, it seems. That problem ends right here, right now. Just as in my professional life, all work will begin only after answering the question...."what could go wrong?"
He was bleeding a great deal. The Ranger just stood there kind of in shock. Hubby yelled at the Ranger for a 4X4 ( bandage not truck). Ranger kind of did not move. Hubby saw first aid kit in the cab grabbed it , shoved Ranger aside and I just held direct pressure to the hapless finger owner. He was now sitting down. I don't remember what happened to the sausage.