# The little things can hurt you



## boman47k

"If you have never made a mistake, you haven't done much"

Amen to that! I am very lucky to still have all my fingers. Git scars to prove it. Got one finger that I am still not convinced is rounded exactly like should be on the tip. (bandsaw)
Also, I have learned the hard way to never raise a table saw blade higer than I absolutely have to. I should say I normally know better, but it was just one those small tasks that need done. I was building a window stool. Reached over the pice of work to turn it or something. Bam! Felt like a baseball bat hit my thumb. I admit I dreaded looking at it. Luckily, it just need a few stitches. If the blade had been properly set, would not have been near as bad, may not have even happened. So yes, do be careful at ALL times when using power tools.

P.S. For on thing, I should have been using a push stick for this work.


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## fgabriel09

I was weedeating once and had a sizeable chuck of brush hit my eyelid...I had just linked or else I would not be a happy camper! You can't be too careful with things like that. :thumbsup:


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## McGaw

At age fifteen you think you know everything, well i had just bought a new compressor i was trying out the nailer after supper and "knew" the hose wasn't connected to the compressor. pushed the safety up with my thumb and pulled the trigger looked down and theres a 2" nail through it. Went into my Mom who thought I was kidding, rushed to the hospital, and there wasn't any blood, as a nurse she was positive it was through the bone, so after six hours I had to go and have surgery to have it removed. Long story short, my thumb is paralized, o and I also missed 2 weeks of football, lol. ALWAYS make sure you disconnect hoses when not in use, and never mess around thinking your invincible.


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## End Grain

I wear a Victorinox Swiss Army Officers watch with the heavy metal bracelet on the job and have been for years. I know, it's a fairly expensive watch to wear for work but despite all the scratches, it's been my best bud over the years and through thick and thin.

One time, I was closing down my Werner version of the Little Giant ladder from it's highest stepladder position and very stupidly - no other way to describe this - pulled the first locking pin and then put my hand in over the rung with my wrist directly in line with the rung above so that I could change hands and pull the other lock pin. Naturally, this let the top section of the ladder come down freely and wham! the rung with the weight of the top section crushed down on my wrist bending it over and down. I thought I had broken it for sure. But, because my watch and the metal bracelet were so well made, they absorbed the brunt of the impact, held back most of the weight and force and although the pins in the watch bent and the bracelet eventually snapped out, I got just a bad bruise and a few scrapes on my wrist.

You can be sure that I'm much more careful now whenever I use that ladder.


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## perpetual98

Several years ago I was working with my friend who modifies metal electrical boxes. Using a jigsaw to cut through steel always irritated me because of all the little pieces of metal that would fly up and actually burn my lips because they were so hot. It got to the point that I would wear a full face shield over my safety goggles. Don't ask me how it happened, but one time a smokin' hot tiny piece of metal made it's way past the face shield, past the goggles to melt right into my eyeball. Of course we usually worked weekends so it was a trip to the emergency room the next day when my wife couldn't handle how red and irritated my eye was. They had to use a little dental pick looking thing to get the piece out of my eyeball, but since it was metal, it had started to rust. I had to then go to an eye doctor a couple days later and they used what I would call a tiny Dremel to grind the rust from my eyeball and then the eye just heals from there. 

Ended up costing me close to $1000. Needless to say, I don't help him much any more since he didn't offer to help me pay my medical bills. lol


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## 220/221

> I admit I dreaded looking at it.


I do that a LOT. Ignorance is bliss.

I just grab it quickly/tightly, wrap it up with electrical tape and deal with it later. 

It is generally not as bad as I thought.


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## mt232

*Top Dead Center*

Did you know that when you are trying to pull a nail out with a crowbar you should move your body, not just your arms?
My father-in-law was working with me and couldn't get a large rusty nail out....he's hates the thought that I can do anything he cannot, even though I am 18 years younger, 4 inches taller, about 60 pounds heavier and much more active. Well I forgot to move my whole body and the nail gave suddenly.........I have a dent that marks top dead center in my forehead and got a concussion, 6 stitches and a plaque from my father-in-law.


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## jogr

mt232,

It's a great thing to work with your FIL. Great bonding experience. I learned a lot from mine and wish he was still with us. Your FIL will no doubt raz you about your head thumpin but be sure to enjoy every minute of it. Time flies too fast and someday you won't be able to share those experiences with him.


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## provideurself

Yes for me safety is the first step on the workroom. Yah some simple things can really hurt a lot.


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## rsmith1024

One thing I always stress to my kids, and anyone I work with in general for that matter, is balance. No matter what you are doing, make sure you have yourself in a stable position and your not tipping or rocking around. 

When I was 14 I was helping my old man put up some siding on our second story. I was messing around on the latter to try and get one of the "tricky spots," well I slipped and fell 10 feet onto my back and to top it off the momentum smashed my hand through a window (it was not pretty!). 

So lesson learned, take your time and stay in balance!


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