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Posted: 12/14/2013 10:18:33 AM EDT
right after lunch.
I was ripping a couple of 2x4s on my uber expensive cabinet grade table saw, so I could take them to a job site and install them. A friend of mine came walking in, and stood to one side so that I could see he was there, without bothering me. I'm pushing the last one through, and just as my hand came even with the blade, I hit a little knot. The board did a little hop, and my hand followed it. Cut my thumb off at the nail bed. I shut the saw off while making a fist with the injured hand instantly. My friend's jaw dropped and he said "Whaaaaaat? Are you OK?" I said "I don't think so, let me look". I didn't like what I saw. "How can I help?" "Wait right here. I'll be back in a second and you can take me to the ER." So...I walk (real fast) across the street to the house. Walk past the wife, she's talking on the phone. Go to the kitchen, grab a dish towel and wrap my hand. Walk back past my wife and said "Go to the shop, find my thumb, and meet me at the ER." She said "". Friend drives me to the ER, freaking out because he thought it was his fault. I keep telling him it's not his fault, just drive. Wife shows up about fifteen minutes later with a tupperware container. ER gets things under control and tells me to take my tupperware to another city, as they aren't into skin grafts, or sewing severed parts back on. It's not good when you have to walk into an ER with tupperware. "Wassup?" "Well...I got this here tupperware container with something I am sort of hoping you can use..." |
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Pics of short thumb !
Hope you recover quick, feel better knowing that this happens daily across the nation. |
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Good luck, at least you don't use the tip of your thumb for a million things like the tip of your other fingers. Though your new nickname is "stubby".
Good luck Stubby, |
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To this day, the guy at the lumber yard calls me Stumpy.
He's a friend, too. No, they didn't sew it back on. I was lucky. I have full use of what's left, and the joint wasn't affected. This happened years ago. The irony? I had recently made two really cool push sticks to use with the saw. Didn't want to mess them up. |
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I feel your pain but it just took a big chunk out of the pad of my thumb. It's been 4 years and I'm just now getting a thumbprint back. It still lacks some feeling. There wasn't much to see up in my case as the tissue was gone. They just gave me some painkillers that made me feel even worse lol.
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View Quote +1000 the owners a douche but it's a good product. Well mostly ours needs the lift gears replaced after many years of use. |
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Sorry. Don't have any pics.
The safety guard for the table saw was hanging on the wall. Damn thing kept getting in the way of my sight...and stuff. I were an idiut. The only time the missing part of the thumb bothers me is when I try to button a shirt. ETA; It doesn't hurt. I have feeling in the flap they pulled over to make an end for the thumb. It's just a hassle to manipulate small buttons. I hit it with a hammer a couple of times after that. These things happen. That hurts. |
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View Quote I thought those were fake...have seen them on TV shows...did not know they were a real thing!....very cool. |
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Quoted:
I thought those were fake...have seen them on TV shows...did not know they were a real thing!....very cool. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
I thought those were fake...have seen them on TV shows...did not know they were a real thing!....very cool. It is cool technology, but the guy marketing it is a total jack wagon. When delta, powermatic and the rest turned down his idea, he tried to force them to put it on their saws by lobbying for legislative regulation. I'll never own a saw stop, even though it has very good marks. |
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I didn't feel any pain at first.
When I got to the ER, they brought me a bowl of salt water to soak it in while they were getting a shot ready and doing some other stuff. Surprisingly, it didn't really sting when I put my thumb in the water. Can't say there was any pain involved until the next day. When I woke up, OMG!!!!!! The pain pills they gave me after surgery had worn off. That's when I learned about keeping ahead of the pain, rather than waiting for it, before you take pain meds. |
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One of my co-workers had the end of his index finger cut off years ago at another job. His wife was called and was told her husband's finger was cut off. She quickly went to the hospital with little knowledge of what happened. When she entered the room she said "Is it your "whole" finger?" He said "No, it is the one next to it". The nurse in the room could not stop laughing.
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Back in the mid 70s I was cutting 4x8 panelling on a table saw. Boss's 17 y/o niece was in town for a visit. It was summer and she was wearing a sheer blouse and no bra. They were spectacular. She walked in front of me and I ran my thumb right into the blade Didn't quite cut it off but gave myself a good scar. Boss thought it was funny as shit. Niece fucked me as an apology, I think. |
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I used to work at a place that had a "saw stop" (see previous post). Too expensive to "recharge" for demos. Someone took some foam paneling that had a very thin metal face on it. Well, the saw stop really worked great. Loud noise, look of surprise on the face of the operator. Now we have something to show everyone. You have to replace the blade and some other stuff. Really neat, tho.
cap |
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My dad lost the ends of 3 fingers on his left hand with a table saw . He later built the doctor a table to help make it easier to reattach fingers.
Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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My lumber yard friend told me a story a few years after my little brain fart/accident.
Some guy was using a circular saw to cut sheetrock. He was holding the sheetrock with one hand and holding the circular saw with his other hand. Cut off parts of three fingers. I still go "WTF was HE thinking?" when I think about it, but then, look up at the first post. |
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I used to visit a website that had a database of woodworking accidents (I can't find it now, but this is similar). Just reading a few once in a while kept me in a state of respect for what could happen.
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I worked at TDK fresh out of school.
One of the shift supervisors thought it would be a good idea to use line staff to help maint. mechs. to lessen downtime. I was doing PLC upgrades when I heard a cereal scream like I never heard before. Operator was told to clean and re-grease a section drive chain and figured would be quicker to run the drive in Man with a shop towel wrapped around his hand and then hand around the chain. Worked fine till the master link and cotter pins grabbed the rag and drug his thumb 1/2 way around the sprocket. Torque limiter popped about the same time I hit emergency stop. Guy freaks out before I could vault the line to get to him and he pulls back so hard he ripped his thumb off. Adrenelin is a helluva drug! I wrapped his hand, jogged the machine to get his thumb out, went to the cafeteria and got a sprite, poured out the sprite and put his thumb in the wax cup with the ice. Worst part is they couldn't re-attach his thumb so they cut off his big toe and tried to use that. It didn't take either so he lost his thumb and his big toe. I've got a few more industrial type experiences including one that fucked me up. Sorry OP |
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Quoted:
Back in the mid 70s I was cutting 4x8 panelling on a table saw. Boss's 17 y/o niece was in town for a visit. It was summer and she was wearing a sheer blouse and no bra. They were spectacular. She walked in front of me and I ran my thumb right into the blade Didn't quite cut it off but gave myself a good scar. Boss thought it was funny as shit. Niece fucked me as an apology, I think. View Quote Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Quoted:
Sorry. Don't have any pics. The safety guard for the table saw was hanging on the wall. Damn thing kept getting in the way of my sight...and stuff. I were an idiut. The only time the missing part of the thumb bothers me is when I try to button a shirt. ETA; It doesn't hurt. I have feeling in the flap they pulled over to make an end for the thumb. It's just a hassle to manipulate small buttons. I hit it with a hammer a couple of times after that. These things happen. That hurts. View Quote A MS Paint would have helped this story immensely |
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View Quote Nope.jpg Owner tried to lobby the .gov to make them mandatory on all new saws, and there are a lot more tools in your shop other than a table saw that will ruin your day. No need to get complacent with one tool. |
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I was in 6th or 7th shop class and was making a fire truck out of wood. As I was cutting a wheel out on the band saw slip, almost cut the tip of my thumb off. I got a nice little scar to remind me of that day.
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Quoted:
It is cool technology, but the guy marketing it is a total jack wagon. When delta, powermatic and the rest turned down his idea, he tried to force them to put it on their saws by lobbying for legislative regulation. I'll never own a saw stop, even though it has very good marks. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
Quoted:
I thought those were fake...have seen them on TV shows...did not know they were a real thing!....very cool. It is cool technology, but the guy marketing it is a total jack wagon. When delta, powermatic and the rest turned down his idea, he tried to force them to put it on their saws by lobbying for legislative regulation. I'll never own a saw stop, even though it has very good marks. That's exactly how I feel. It was a bullshit move. My table saw scares the crap out of me. I use a push stick whenever possible. I think I have a phobia about cutting my fingers off. |
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My brother in law nearly severed his arm with a chop saw? I could never figure out how he managed that.
ETA: on the upper arm. |
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View Quote The replacement pawls are like 90$ so don't go showing off your saw to the guys. I don't own one but I played with the demo at Rockler. Nice saws. |
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and why was it that you decided not to make the drive to the next city to have it reattached?
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My great grand father was missing two fingers completely. From what I've been told, he reached down to pick up his lawnmower by the deck, while it was running
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A buddy of mine is a carpenter...and he is missing half of his thumb and pointer finger.
Shit happens, be careful out there.
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Quoted: It's all good. I rarely start a thread. Thought I'd share a "life moment". I could tell you a story about a framing nailer, but I think we all know I'm a dumbass at this point. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: OMG...I hope you get it back on. It's all good. I rarely start a thread. Thought I'd share a "life moment". I could tell you a story about a framing nailer, but I think we all know I'm a dumbass at this point. |
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Quoted:
17 you say? Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
Quoted:
Back in the mid 70s I was cutting 4x8 panelling on a table saw. Boss's 17 y/o niece was in town for a visit. It was summer and she was wearing a sheer blouse and no bra. They were spectacular. She walked in front of me and I ran my thumb right into the blade Didn't quite cut it off but gave myself a good scar. Boss thought it was funny as shit. Niece fucked me as an apology, I think. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile Yup. I was 18. Fucking sue me. |
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