Here’s a link (I hope) to a thread in Knots about a router accident caused by climb-cutting a piece of wood. Complete with color pictures. It ain’t pretty. Ouch.
http://forums.taunton.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=fw-knots&msg=32989.21
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Replies
No pic anymore but I know what they look like.
I picked out one day a guys finger chips from a shaper. He was building raised panel doors.
My Captian asked me how I made out because the kid had left the shop and was outside. I motioned to him shaking my head no. He asked again more forcefully this time I told him in front of the patient "not good, nothing worth finding". The largest piece was about 3/16". Not much left to make a living with.
Rob
Dont click on this if you have a weak stomach!
32989.4 Not pretty to see but a good reminder!
Doug
My girfriend told me an absolutely gruesome and scary story this morning. The husband of the girl she used to work with bought a floor display table saw at Sears. DIY guy took it home and commenced using it without giving it a proper inspection to see it was properly assembeld and the blade was tight.
This honestly has me shaken up. You rarely hear of this type of table saw accident as much as knicked fingers...he commenced using it and the blade spun off and hit him in between the eyes. Apparantly as he was in the process of turning his head to side in avoidance it managed to take 4 teeth, his cheek, and the top of his ear.
A year later he won a lawsuit against sears, for selling him a tool that was in an unsafe condition.
I guess the moral here is know for sure the equipment you are using is in proper working order. Especially for DIY types who may be borrowing a tool, or using a tool they are unfamiliar with. Never assume the tool someone hands you is in safe condition without a good inspection.
Edited 12/10/2006 11:16 am ET by xosder11
Geez! That's awful. I always check my blades to make sure they're tight before I use a saw or a router.
Here is one of the pictures from that thread ...
View Image
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
youns all have to be careful out there ..... just a diyer and in the past 3 or 4 years while working on the house, i have made few trips to the hosiptal, first was a broken finger ..........got caught under a 6x6 timber.........second was a torn ligiment...guess from lifting those 6 x6 timbers my self. third was cutting my arm with a miter saw while cutting some stakes for a concrete pad..... forth was the result of cutting the tip of my thumb off while cutting drywall (at the gf's house). A couple of weeks ago a hole saw jumped out of the hole and cut the palm of my hand.....to proud to go the hospital for that but healing up nicely.....had a horse for about 10 years and that only landed me in the hosiptal once. By the way I think most of my accidents were from being in a hurry.....have learned to slow down except for the lastest accident
good luck
Dan
Virtually ever job injury I've ever had was either from rushing, or from being tired and not concentrating. I really try to avoid both conditions now, since I'm getting older and don't heal so quickly anymore.
Fortunately, I never had any real serious accidents. Just lucky, I guess.
It's good that we remind each other about these things.
The other day, I was changing a bit out of a router that I was not familiar with - a nice Bosch unit. Turned the router onto it's head to work the wrenches.
Then I noticed that I'd not unplugged the thing. Luckily, the switch was adequately shrouded, so no harm done. The bit was a pretty large bevelling unit....shudder.
I wasn't tired...but I was distracted from talking with another worker. I usually work alone, so this type of distraction is not a safety concern I consciously think about.
Then I noticed that I'd not unplugged the thing.
On a similar note, I took my PC 7519 out of the router table(mounted to an insert) to change the bit. I rested it on the table and accidently hit the on/off switch! I had a panel raiser in it, LUCKILY (and thats all it was!!!) my hand was no where near the bit otherwise........hate to think of the otherwise!
I was in a hurry and this little reminder made me stop and think every move I make is an important one, take the time to think through what your doing.
I often think that there is a fine line between me and the guy that this thread is about.
Doug
Holy smokes Doug you were lucky.
It is a fine line...been lucky each time I've forgotten to check first.
I don't look at the accident pictures though. Imagining what a pulped hand looks like, and what the realization/shock/pain must be like is lesson enough.
My last screw-up was with a roofing (hooked) blade. Got myself real good. Happened in the blink of an eye. One finger still has a buzz in it. Glad that knife wasn't battery operated.
I'm reading a book where the "on/off" button is for a bow mounted 0.30 caliber machine gun, with an entire platoon in front of the tank. Amazingly only one person was injured!
Almost 30 years ago, I was formica-ing a counter. The bit got clogged with glue, so I started pealing the glue off it while holding the router under my arm.
I accidently hit the switch, and took a chunk off the side of my thumb.
I learned that day to never do anything on a router without unplugging it.
Last week I was working on the table saw ripping 5/4 used mahogany. Working with a helper, trying to get done before dark. We were going for an hour no problems, then it started getting hard to see. I figured we had maybe 6-7 pieces, and it was a simple cut. Son of a beatch if we didn't hit three screws in three of those boards ( I used to like that blade) all because I wanted to finish that night. Couldn't see, getting tired, take a chance - BAM. We were lucky, only damage was to the blade. Routers can be better or worse, depending on what you are doing. Can't be too careful.
Don K.
EJG Homes Renovations - New Construction - Rentals
Just lucky, I guess.
Nah....it aint luck. The more I'm around guys with poor jobsite safety practices, the more I realize why it is that I haven't been injured seriously.
When you work smart, you work safe.
Oh how they pound, raising the sound, o'er hill and dale, telling their tale, Gaily they ring while people sing songs of good cheer, Christmas is here....
I do listen to the voices in my head when they start-
" Hey dummy! Yer gonna get hurt doing that"
It's saved me many times
Yea - I hamburgerized my right middle finger about 7 years ago. Wern't pretty. I'm very careful with routers these days....
Nasty pics, but I have to ask, what exactly is a climb cut?
They explain it better over on Knots further down the thread, but basically it is when you run your workpiece backwards through a router, normally a shave or finish cut on woods like birds eye maple. Climb cuts are very dangerous because the bit wants to pull the piece through and if you are not careful your hands go with it and you get eaten, the bigger the bit the worse the pull.
Edited 12/8/2006 11:37 pm ET by restorationday
I read somewhere that OSHA says that the router is the most dangerous tool that carpenters use. I don't know whether they meant more accidents or just more damage per accident. All it takes is a second or two of inattention or just getting too casual about a job that you do all the time.
BILL
I read somewhere that OSHA says that the router is the most dangerous tool that carpenters use.
Last I heard/read was that the table saw is still the no. 1 cause of injury but maybe percentage wise the router could be the most dangerous.
More table saw use then router use so stats being what they are are subject to interpratation.
Either way ya need to be careful!
Doug