# unreliable tradesmen/women



## bellgard (Jan 15, 2013)

Hi all, I come from the UK an area called East Midlands. I have done DIY for the last 50 odd years. It began at school and I particularly enjoyed woodwork. Ever since then I have been learning from watching, being shown, reading and learning by doing and making mistakes hopefully never to be repeated. Having lost the top of my left thumb I would be interested to know how many DIY's have received injuries to fingers/hands when using hand/finger as a guide for a saw.


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

Your poll doesn't have the option of --Never happened---
Nor does it ask the experience level when the accident occurred---


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## Duckweather (Mar 26, 2012)

My trade school teacher told us over and over that a carpenters best reference was how many fingers he had. I still have 10 after 40+ years. He also used to say to be a good carpenter you have to eat sleep and drink carpentry. Except for some additional cellulose in my diet, I think it was very good advice.


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## bellgard (Jan 15, 2013)

Hi Mike, thanks for your reply. I think those that do a lot of carpentry have learnt over the years but I am led to believe in USA there are thousands of injuries each year many requiring hospital treatment. I have seen a very simple device for sale on the net that I would think would save many if not all of these accidents.


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## gma2rjc (Nov 21, 2008)

Last week I cut a good-sized chunk out of one of my fingers. 

I had the saw out to cut some trim boards and just when I was getting started I thought, "A slice of fresh, crusty bread and butter sounds good".

So I went to the kitchen and while I was slicing the bread, the knife jumped and bit me. It probably needed a stitch, but I didn't have time to go to the hospital.

You should think about changing the title of this thread as it really doesn't have anything to do with the content. :wink: JMO


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## funfool (Oct 5, 2012)

Really sounds borderline to spam ....
You ever cut your fingers using them as a saw guide? No sir I have never used my fingers as a saw guide.

Oh, but you have a link to a product that will avoid this from happening to idiots that use their fingers as a saw guide?
Just post the link, and we can report as spam and close the poll.


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## bellgard (Jan 15, 2013)

*reply to fool*

No I don't have such a link. 

Many DIYers DO use there finger as a saw guide with a tenon or panel saw and hence there are many injuries especially in the US

Are all forums full of people like you?
God I hope not


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## TheEplumber (Jul 20, 2010)

Lets see- I've shot myself with a nail gun, burnt my arms and fingers on hot pipes, chipped a tooth using a hole hawg that bound up and smacked me in the face, cut my leg with a worm drive, had wood specs removed from my eye, and off course, hit my finger with a hammer- but never cut my finger with a saw. Pretty lucky I guess.....:thumbsup:


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

I just figured out your question---you are referring to the use of HAND saws---and the injury caused when a saw is starting in a kerf and jump out of the cut--hits the thumb and cuts the tendon--

Used to be a big problem long ago---called that 'carpenters thumb'

Now that tendons can be reattached and hand saws are seldom used--That is a rare condition.


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

Bellgard---Would you like the title changed? I'm able to do that for you---Moderator---


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## Jim F (Mar 4, 2010)

To answer the origional question, yes I also lost the very tip of my thumb my first week with my new table saw. I learned to respect it and have never done it since. In my case it was just the fleshy part of my thumb tip, what is known as an avulsion injury. I consider it a cheap lesson as I work in healthcare and have seen many such injuries and many of those are worse than mine. The tip of my thumb heald over with not much change in appearance but it is still a little numb from the nerve endings lost in the injury.


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## DexterII (Jul 14, 2010)

Last winter, a buddy of mine told me that it's not a good idea to wear gloves while operating a table saw, meanwhile holding up the bandaged remnants of one of his fingers. Yup, never have, never will, but thanks for the tip.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

DexterII said:


> Last winter, a buddy of mine told me that it's not a good idea to wear gloves while operating a table saw, meanwhile holding up the bandaged remnants of one of his fingers. Yup, never have, never will, but thanks for the tip.



Let's say a glove is 1/8" thick. So now I'm supposed to believe it's Ok for a bare finger to be within an eighth inch of a dangerous rotating blade but not a glove. To me this was nothing short of a lack of safety skill or safety attitude but blame it on a poor glove that has no brain. Incredible.


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

I'm with Fairview on the gloves----I don't wear any when working with power tools---

The thought of a hand getting pulled into a saw by the fabric is real frightening---

Enough workers get a nick ---which would translate into a major injury with gloves on--


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## DexterII (Jul 14, 2010)

Yeah Mike, that was my point. One of the first things that I learned about operating equipment was not to wear loose clothing, and to not operate something like a table saw while wearing gloves. My comment "Yup, never have, never will, but thanks for the tip", or something like that, was all I could muster when he presented his new found knowledge as revolutionary. And Fairview, you're right, having your hand within the thickness of a glove from a powered saw blade is too close, but I wasn't there, so don't know how close his hand was to the blade; the point was that something on the glove, maybe a long dangling thread for all I know, got caught in the blade, and it took his hand with it.


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## Mort (Nov 26, 2008)

I second the no-glove thing. I got my finger sucked into the clamps of a tire machine because of my glove. I'm lucky to still have my finger tip, and a scar and slight loss of feeling remind me if that fact.


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## paintdrying (Jul 13, 2012)

I was cutting with a hand miter box the other day. As I am cutting i flashed a picture in my head that said man cuts finger with miter box. I stopped cutting and looked at what I was doing. I was safe but you really need to watch your hand placement when working with sharp stuff. I was holding the wood far enough back, but if I lost my focus I could see cutting your hand if you got to close.


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