Yet another ‘kickback’ story…

[islandturner]

After 35 years of using a table saw, I nearly got my 'bell rung' in the shop yesterday – my first table saw 'mishap'.

I needed a strip of light colored veneer, so was ripping a 1/8" strip off a piece of rough 2 X 8 yellow cedar about 12" long. The 2 X 8 was between the blade and the fence – the strip came loose on the outside of the blade at the completion of the cut. I was worried about the strip kicking back by pinching between the blade and the blade guard, and was extremely careful to prevent that.

So the cut over, I was standing examining the strip, holding it just a few inches below my chin, when the 2 X 8 vibrated back until the bottom left hand corner slowly engaged the blade – I'd foolishly left the saw running (had another piece to run through). The 2 X 8 caught and was flung like a frisbee, hitting me in the back of my hand, driving it so hard into my upper chest, that there is a slight bruise there this morning. Then it deflected into the wall behind my work bench, smashing a small plastic parts bin. My hand took the force of the blow. With a gash on my big knuckle, now swollen almost instantly to double its size, I thought for sure it was broken. As the numbness subsided, I could tell it's okay, and I have full use of it. I was incredibly lucky – if 6" or so higher, it would have hit me in the throat or face.

A big powerful Delta, this saw doesn't have a kickback guard or blade cover – bought it second hand that way 10 years ago.

Lessons learned; never leave work unattended on the table saw top with the motor running. Always turn off the motor when the saw is not actually being used. Never stand behind the saw in the kickback zone. If possible, don't use a table saw without an anti-kickback device of some kind. I think it's time for a new one with a guard… :frown:

Scared the begeezus out of me….

 

[monark88]

I know what you mean. 5 years ago, or there abouts, I was using the table saw to cut small pieces for building up a jig for a exp. plane fuselage. I was in a hurry, and went from one finished piece to the next, keeping the saw turned on.
One piece 'kicked' on me and i grabbed for it without thinking. There went the tip end of my finger and 3 years in the offing for the finger to repair. Nerves cut takes a long time to repair, apparently. I quit the plane idea and my fishing rod building as well. I still have no feeling in the finger.
But its not needed so critical in pen turning.
Turn the saw off and take time.

 

[Woodlvr]

Glad that you are ok. HD recently replaced my table saw because of an arbor issue, when I mounted my beismeyer fence to the saw the power cord for the switch is so short that it will not mount up high enough to make it easy to turn off. I am replacing that cord as I keep missing the switch to turn it off when swinging aimlessly under the saw while trying to hold the work away from the blade. But I could just be a KLUTZ.

 

[Fibonacci]

I know what you mean. 5 years ago, or there abouts, I was using the table saw to cut small pieces for building up a jig for a exp. plane fuselage. I was in a hurry, and went from one finished piece to the next, keeping the saw turned on.
One piece 'kicked' on me and i grabbed for it without thinking. There went the tip end of my finger and 3 years in the offing for the finger to repair. Nerves cut takes a long time to repair, apparently. I quit the plane idea and my fishing rod building as well. I still have no feeling in the finger.
But its not needed so critical in pen turning.
Turn the saw off and take time.

That happened to me as well. My instictive thought as I grabbed at it was that if that piece went flying, it was going to take out the windshield on my wife's new car.

I was working on a space shutter rocker for my son at the time.

 

[underdog]

Ouch! Glad it wasn't worse.

These accidents always seem to happen to those who have been using saws for years. I tend to think it's not a matter of "if" but "when".

We all have lapses in judgement. I just hope to limit those to when I'm not running any equipment. Still... the numbness in my thumb is due to an accident with a chisel, not a power tool, so dumb can happen at any moment, and affect you just as badly.

 

[Russianwolf]

Ouch! Glad it wasn't worse.

These accidents always seem to happen to those who have been using saws for years. I tend to think it's not a matter of "if" but "when".

We all have lapses in judgement. I just hope to limit those to when I'm not running any equipment. Still... the numbness in my thumb is due to an accident with a chisel, not a power tool, so dumb can happen at any moment, and affect you just as badly.

I still say the most dangerous tool in my shop is that dang philips screwdriver. All the ones with a cord or battery I have a healthy respect for, the screwdriver..... I've slashed my hand more than a few times.

You'd think I'd learn.:redface:

 

[monophoto]

I recently retired from a 'part-time volunteer' position (ie, 24/7) as editor of a magazine for an international technical society. One of the regular features in the magazine is a column on safety that was written by a medical doctor who specializes in trauma.

Over the course of my six year term as editor, I was responsible for organizing 36 of these safety columns, and almost every one of them related a story about an accident for which the ultimate cause was that someone wasn't thinking about safety, and had casually done something that, in retrospect, was simply dumb.

The point is that it's not the complicated things that hurt us - its the simple things that we do without thinking.

Every time I walk into my shop, I try to think about the lessons that I learned from that column.

 

[mick]

Ouch! Glad it wasn't worse.

These accidents always seem to happen to those who have been using saws for years. I tend to think it's not a matter of "if" but "when".

We all have lapses in judgement. I just hope to limit those to when I'm not running any equipment. Still... the numbness in my thumb is due to an accident with a chisel, not a power tool, so dumb can happen at any moment, and affect you just as badly.

I still say the most dangerous tool in my shop is that dang philips screwdriver. All the ones with a cord or battery I have a healthy respect for, the screwdriver..... I've slashed my hand more than a few times.



You'd think I'd learn.:redface:

Nah Mike, I gotta disagree. It's got to be a flat bladed screwdriver...at least a Phillips head will stay seated better! Or it should. :wink: