Power tool precautions

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 18 Aug 2008 9:09 am

I'm posting this thread here as I believe that it's relevant.......

We're all disturbed at the latest unfortunate accident and the response to Bobbe's recovery is heartfelt and enormous.....'cause we all love this guy......

I've seen a couple of posts by experienced woodworking/ machinist members with regard to taking precautions when using power tools......for example, do not grind aluminum or plastic on a bench grinder......good thing to know as I'm sure many of us have done just that.....

perhaps we can list a fair amount of precautions here as to avoid future accidents when using saws, drills, ginders, and any other power tool that can cause damage to the human body.......

Randy Reeves · Post by **Randy Reeves** » 18 Aug 2008 9:38 am

I'm with you Howard.

do not cross cut long material on a table saw. the radial arm saw is made for that.

Ben Jones · Post by **Ben Jones** » 18 Aug 2008 9:39 am

Was Bobbe's injury caused by kickback? i thought I read that it was.
I'd be interested in hearing any tips for avoiding kickback, it is one of the things I fear most about the table saw. So far my only real precaution against it is standing a bit off to the side of where the peice would most likely be thrown back at me and using guides sticks for small items.

Jim Manley · Post by **Jim Manley** » 18 Aug 2008 9:51 am

I bought a new table saw last year and it came with a kickback preventer(I believe that it comes on all brands of saws now)what it is is 2 steel flat pieces with teeth on them,it sits just behind the blade when the wood passes the blade it slides under these teeth and if a kickback occurs then the teeth bites into the wood.They work believe me.

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 18 Aug 2008 10:07 am

I stand to the side when using any kind of saw.....and use push sticks with smaller pieces....

I also wear shop glasses ALWAYS no matter what little job I'm doing........I'm reminded of Dave "The Dog" Reinhardt from my water skiing days of the 70s......he was a freestyle jumper, one of the best......in the off season he worked framing houses......he hit a nail on an angle with a hammer, the nail flew out and he lost an eye....he still remained one of the top jumpers........

Deluth Trading sells bifocal shop glasses which are wonderful.......for us geezers.......

John De Maille · Post by **John De Maille** » 18 Aug 2008 12:55 pm

Howard,
I'm a firm believer in taking precautions with power tools, even hand tools. I fell victim to a mindless table saw in 1989 and almost lost my thumb. They sewed it back together, minus a 1/4" in length and 1/3" in girth. It was totaly my fault. Too many years of using tools and I had become lazy and thoughtless in my application of a "POWER SAW". Not having correct knowledge of the workings of a tool has a lot to do with accidents, but, lack of precautions because of constant use of the tool causes more mishaps, I think. I will never again use a table saw without using a "push stick" and proper guards. Tools gone wild can have dire implications. Not lessening the impact, but, Bobbe was lucky it was only his hand.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 18 Aug 2008 1:16 pm

Great idea Howard.

Many accidents with power tools are caused by complacency and carelessness. Sometimes, stuff just happens. I lost my Dad, an experienced commercial power tool operator, years back to a kickback accident with a table saw. I also have a long scar on a thigh from a similar incident with a portable saw.

Always remember tools like saws, routers, lathes, planers, etc are designed for cutting and removing material. They don't care what the material is.

I just recently had a minor incident with a band saw. It won. They always do. Just a nanosecond of inattention left me with a small injury on my left index finger. It's nearly healed and it could've been worse.

I try to approach each power tool session with the attitude that it's gonna hurt me if I let it.

As stated above, everybody knows how dangerous high rpm rotating parts can be, but we often get too familiar with and used to not having problems.

Jerry Maranville · Post by **Jerry Maranville** » 18 Aug 2008 1:47 pm

I feel a need to chime in here. I do alot of wood working and have always tried to use the utmost precaution for my 30+ years experience. Always wear goggles even if you wear glasses. Do not wear loose clothing, unbuttoned shirts or jackets. Always pause a couple of seconds before you start and visualize what you are about to do. Last spring, I was carefully pushing wood through a wood jointer like I've always done for years but this time, I had a pair of leather gloves with an extra long little finger extending about an inch or so further than my actual finger. My fingers were away from the jointer, but it grabbed that little finger of the glove and pulled me in. It happened quickly and I actually had to look to see if my finger was damaged. It was sad to find out that I didn't have it anymore. It was part of the shavings. Took me awhile to heal and finally get back to steel pickin. I still do woodworking, but with even more precautions. Jerry

Ben Jones · Post by **Ben Jones** » 18 Aug 2008 1:54 pm

oh man...your stories, and Bobbe's accident are my very worst fears come to fruition.

I used to teach sculpture 101 to incoming freshman at a state college in a full wood shop, metal shop and small foundry. Its one thing ot be responsibile for your own safety, that is hard enough...but to be responsible for those kids, some of whom didnt even know how to use a hammer...

We spent a full day going over each machine and learning about safety. Most listened, some did not...the things I saw

John Billings · Post by **John Billings** » 18 Aug 2008 2:13 pm

I was a union carpenter in my younger days. It seemed everyone of the older guys on the crew had some sort of permanent injury. As a guitar player, I was very conscious of my fingers. NEVER stand directly behind a skill saw! NEVER! And make holding/clamping jigs whenever possible for table saw use. I even make little jigs out of dowels to hold screws that I'm polishing the head on. I always use my drill press vise for drilling metal. And it's always fastened down to the table.
Always wear safety glasses. Even my oh-so-stylish every day glasses are safety glass. The optometrists always say that I really should get plastic lenses cuz they're so much lighter, I always tell them, "Nope! Safety glass.

Charley Adair · Post by **Charley Adair** » 18 Aug 2008 4:33 pm

DOn't turn the switch on with it plugged in.

John McGlothlin · Post by **John McGlothlin** » 18 Aug 2008 5:02 pm

I really hate that Bobbe Seymour has been the victam of such a terrible accident. Power tools of any kind can be dangerous as a cocked gun. I use to be a butcher in supermarkets and one time I thought my steel guitar playing days had ended when I was cutting pork chops with a band saw and the blade was a little dull and all of a sudden the loin just spinned and threw my finger against the blade and my middle finger on my right hand was split about a half inch deep. I was lucky it was just split and not cut completely off.

Terry Farmer · Post by **Terry Farmer** » 18 Aug 2008 5:24 pm

If a hand held power tool gets away from you, don't try to catch it before it hits the floor. I lost the first joint of my right ring finger this way. On the other hand, probably a poor choice of words, it's a real good way to make split second meat soup with a router.

Ken Lang · Post by **Ken Lang** » 18 Aug 2008 7:23 pm

As a young engineer I worked a lot on the factory floor trying to debug automatic machines that I or someone else had designed. I took off my wedding ring the first thing and always wore clip on ties. I knew one little slip could cause some real pain.

Jerry Tillman · Post by **Jerry Tillman** » 19 Aug 2008 1:20 am

I was sad to hear of Bobbes accident, my thoughts are with him and his recovery.I do not use power tools and have not since 8th grade, I,m 55.I repair and restore stringed instruments all by hand.

Donny Dennis · Post by **Donny Dennis** » 19 Aug 2008 4:42 am

Someone sent me a video of a table saw that some of you may be interested in. The blade carries a small electrical charge. This charge is continuously monitored by a digital signal processor. When contact is made the human body absorbs some of the charge causing the voltage to drop. The drop in voltage triggers the quick release aluminum brake. A heavy duty spring forces the brake into the teeth of the spinning blade. The teeth dig into the aluminum stopping the blade "cold". The blades momentum forces it to retract below the table, and the motor is automatically shut off. If you would like to see this video it can be viewed at the www.SawStop.com web site.

Donny

Doug Earnest · Post by **Doug Earnest** » 19 Aug 2008 5:45 am

Howard R, I'm curious as to why you should not grind aluminum or plastic on a bench grinder? Thanks for the tip.

Here's another one - no matter how tempting it may be, NEVER put a milling cutter in a drill press. In addition to the fact that it does a poor job (which is why I thought you shouldn't do it)the cutter may cause the entire drill chuck to come out of its' tapered fit, thereby becoming a heavy, spinning very sharp projectile!! Trust me.

John Billings · Post by **John Billings** » 19 Aug 2008 5:49 am

I think that plastic and aluminum will just gunk up the abrasive wheel.

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 19 Aug 2008 5:52 am

i hear ya Premod
i've used power tools fer years fer all kinds of things & i have always made sure that i have proper protection
be it for my eyes, hands, feet, ears & the rest of my earthly envelope
never rush, hurry or do things when stressed or under pressure - avoid that as much as possible cause that's when accidents happen
cool, calm & collected is the way to be
no matter how careful one can be, accidents happen
i'll keep knockin' on wood, since i've been very lucky so far
those hand held high speed grinders are the ones that keep me on edge
love them chainsaws tho'....

Walter Killam · Post by **Walter Killam** » 19 Aug 2008 6:30 am

As an undergraduate, I was TA for the Sculpture Lab at UNT for 3 years, and moved on to a Shop supervisory role in the DCCCD for a couple of years after that. In all the years that I taught and supervised young students on stationary power tools I never had any accidents that went beyond minor abrasions. The Secret?? KEEP YOUR HANDS AWAY FROM THE BLADES. There are safe methods to do all machining processes using jigs or push sticks. The only unavoidable accidents I have ever encountered related to machine failure, all the rest are from working too fast, or taking short cuts, and were completely avoidable. If you EVER have a question in your mind about how to perform a machine operation, get help, seek advice, save your limbs and materials.

Speed Kills.

Randy Reeves · Post by **Randy Reeves** » 19 Aug 2008 6:33 am

drill press.

remove chuck key after changing the bit and turning the power ON.

clamp even the smallest of projects before you drill.

Wayne Franco · Post by **Wayne Franco** » 19 Aug 2008 9:36 am

Two thumbs up for this thread!

Randy Reeves · Post by **Randy Reeves** » 19 Aug 2008 9:51 am

W Franco wrote:Two thumbs up for this thread!

for all those that have their thumbs....

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 19 Aug 2008 10:04 am

[quote="Doug Earnest"]Howard R, I'm curious as to why you should not grind aluminum or plastic on a bench grinder? Thanks for the tip.

In the other thread on this forum, it was advised not to grind aluminum or plastic on a grinding wheel because it will fill up the pores of the wheel which can lead to hairline cracks.....and then there's the possibility of chunks of stone wheel becoming dangerous projectiles......

"When you grind something with a low density, such as aluminum or plastic, it melts into the pores of the stone. Over time it expands and contracts at a different rate than the stone until eventually the stone develops hairline cracks, some of them inside the stone where they can't be seen. Rev the grinder up and chunks start flying off."

These are the kinds of safety tips that we also need.....the ones that are not obvious to the layman......I for sure have ground aluminum & plastic on bench grinders,....but no more......so if ya' got these tips,.....post 'em,......please

Bill Ford · Post by **Bill Ford** » 19 Aug 2008 10:19 am

"I think that plastic and aluminum will just gunk up the abrasive wheel"

John, You are dead on, it will load/ gunk up causing the wheel to be out of balance, and explode. Always use a belt sander(sander belts don't do as much damage as sawblades)Also as I stated in another post, never reuse a grinder stone/wheel, there may be cracks that you can't see. When you have to move, load, unload something heavy that may get out of control...look for an escape route before you start, that rule has saved me more than a couple of times.

oops,Howard,we were both typing at the same time, a good one to be repeated tho.
BF

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