Official Luthiers Forum!

...and the saw won!

Every once in a while we have true to life accounts about shop safety that help us all remember that we are indeed dealing with things that can do some damage. I have a day job as well as this tonewood business, they are like two full time jobs. Well, today I was in the shop with my 7 year old son sawing up some nice figured maple into guitar and mando parts. We were just about finished with only about six or so pieces to complete (my son was at the bench numbering pieces, it is a good exercise for him and he likes to do it!) when my mind was on another issue and my hand slipped up into the moving re-saw blade. I use woodmizer bands, 1.25 inches wide, 1 tooth per inch, they are VERY aggressive. The result is a sliced tendon in one finger and the jury is out on whether or not my little finger will stay with me or not. I now have three steel pins in two fingers ( a cool operation really, I did get to watch it all)) and a mitt full of stitches. It has been 7 hours now since this happened, I had to go and have this orthopedic surgery in an adjacent town as there is no orthopod available locally. Anyway, I typically heal well so it will be what it is. Now back to my day job, I am Occupational Health and Safety Officer!!!! I have been dealing with some internal politics at the day job for the past couple of weeks that have been stressing me a bit, resulting in less sleep and less concentration on things that REALLY matter.

I hope that this little story will just be a reminder to us all that we need to stay focused on what we are doing in the shop when we are there. I am a journey carpenter, I have been a serious woodworker for over 30 years, there is barely a day that goes by that my hands are not switching on a power tool. This is the worst accident I have ever had with these machines. Again, I just want to demonstrate that none of use are immune.

Stay safe!!

Shane

_________________
Canada

Wow. That's too bad about the fingers, Shane. But it sounds like it could have been a lot worse. Good luck on the recovery!

_________________
now known around here as Pat Foster
_________________
http://www.patfosterguitars.com

That's terrible! I hope your recovery is quick & uneventful.

Shane, I wish you a full and speedy recovery. That really sucks.

Thanks for the reminder though

_________________
Mike

"The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners. Shoosh." The Stranger

Wow Shane!

I am so sorry to hear about your injury. I hope that you heal well and heal quickly. I cringed as I read your post since I lost my
pinky on my right hand back in 1989. I was doing work as a journeyman machinist and toolmaker and had a fluke accident in the shop that ended up being the result of the carelessness of another person.

You never realize how much you rely on that little finger until it's not there anymore. I hope they're able to save yours'.

Take care,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega Guitars

WOW! Thank goodness that this is all that happened, and that your son was not involved.

I guess that this is not a good time to place an order...

_________________
Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

Shane, you are being quite cool here, but let's face it, this totally sucks.

How is your son? That is quite a thing to see his daddy do.

_________________
Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Might actually turn out to be a good lesson for the boy. Pity it was so painfull for you.

I feel for you, I did a similar thing about a year or so ago. Lets hope that it turns out as well for you as it did for me - I can still order 5 beers down the pub with one hand.

Good luck with the healing and thanks for the reminder.

It's so hard to keep that concentration when you've been doing this for awhile. I've been trying to come up with some way to constantly remind myself to pay attention. Something like surveyors tape hanging from the ceiling in front of all the saws or a light that comes on automatically every hour or so. Any ideas would be welcome.

After many years of working with power tools almost every day, it's easy to get complacent. I've never had a serious kickback on a table saw in almost 30 years. In the last couple of months I've had two; one so hard it broke my push stick and the piece ripped my thumb open on the way by. Just had my mind on something else.

_________________
http://www.chassonguitars.com

That's awful, Shane. Hope everything works out well in the end. Like you say, it is what it is. Bad for you but a good reminder for us.

_________________
Ken Franklin
clumsy yet persistent
https://www.kenfranklinukulele.com

Shane,
My prayers are with you for a quick recovery and I do hope they can save the finger and get those tendons working like they should. Please keep us updated on your situation.

God bless friend,
Simon

Shane, I'm really sorry to hear this! I sure hope you can keep the pinky.
Good luck healing up and thanks for the re-minder about the danger of
power tools when we loose concentration. Man,this sucks!

_________________
Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

WOW Shane, I feel your pain.....literally. It seems as though my left fore finger and thumb are the ones that are constantly being stabbed, scraped, drilled into, and otherwise abused.

I'm glad to hear that they were able to put the pieces back together again. I also hope that you will be back at work very soon providing for your family.

In the man time, I have an unusual request. I'll PM you with the details and see if you can help.

Get well soon!
Ken

_________________
Reguards,

Ken H

Ouch! I hope you get all mended and back to full function fast Shane.

All the best,
Dave F.

_________________
Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

That so sucks Shane!! Especially for an OSHA worker! Get better fast and well Shane we all need your excellent products!

_________________
Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

Shane, this is terrible . . . I'm so sorry. I'll be thinking about you. When I was 18 someone accidently got my arm with a chainsaw. It's a strange story, but I vividly remember the first moment there, looking at it before putting my hand over it and saying, "I'm ok." It jumped around on my forearm, but everything turned out OK.

Shane,

Get well soon - hopefully with all your digits in tact.

Office politics suck big time and are such a waste of time and energy. Something like this happening puts them in their proper space in the scheme of things. Politics come and go but hopefully fingers are forever.

Did you get the bloodstains off the maple or is there a highly figured Shane DNA set available?

_________________
Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Sorry to hear about this Shane. Hope everything goes well and thanks for posting this. A bandsaw is my next tool purchase so this is a timely reminder.
Get well soon, Warren.

Hey Shane!
I hope your fingers heal well!
I know from experience, those blades can whip a slice off a nine X 24 inch spruce billet in about 6 seconds. You must have lightening fast reflexes to have only damaged two fingers!
When I start a machine that can hurt me badly, I have a little ritual I perform... I take a moment & look at my hands & think about past minor injuries & close calls. I check the work area & the floor to make sure all is clear & only then do I hit the ON button.
I have been slipping lately & not taking the time I used to on my little ritual. This is a great reminder of how quickly we can do permanent damage. Thanks to you, I'll be taking that moment again.
Good luck with your recovery!
Best Regards, Dan

Got the fingers crossed that the pinky hangs in there mate.

Bob

_________________

------------------------------------------------------
Bob Connor
Geelong, Australia

Wishing you a speedy recovery Shane.

Cheers Martin

all the very best with the recovery, and dont forget what Django could do!
steve

_________________
www.theguitarrepairworkshop.com

Shane - Keep the little finger and have a speedy recovery.

Best wishes,

Jim

_________________
Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

Sorry to hear about the sore paw, Shane.
Good luck with a full and speedy recovery.

Claire

All the best wishes for a speedy recovery Shane.

_________________
David White, Toronto

"All my favourite singers can't sing."