I'm sure I'm not the first...

[Bill in Buena Park]

I wasn't sure if this was the right forum, or Project discussions, since this occurred during a project.

Today, I learned proper placement of one's hands on the workpiece when using the 18g brad nailer - the hard way.

I loaded a clip of 2in slighthead brads into the magazine my HF 18g "Special", to pin together a box assembly of 5/8in plywood during glue-up that will be the sub-table router housing for the router table I'm building.

To get adequate pressure of the nailer tip against the workpiece, I grabbed the top edge of a side panel to which I was pinning the back panel - in other words, firing with the right hand toward my left hand.

Thinking I was shooting through the face of the backplate into the 3/4 thickness of the sideplate, I had no worry about the pin exiting the side panel face where I had grabbed it, but I thought wrong. The brad hit something about 1in in from the surface that CURVED it, causing about 3/4in to exit the panel face into my palm.

I thought I had just been grazed by the tip of the brad - then when sliding my palm off the 3/4in of exposed pin, realized my error. It makes a very clean, round entry wound. Thinking of calling this my "woodworker's body piercing".

First incident i've ever had with any nailer - just goes to show. Any other good nailer stories out there?

[Pappy]

That looks like FUN! Think I'll run out to the shop and try it before work this morning...

NOT!

Haven't done that one...yet. Glad it wasn't worse, like a framing nailer.

I also noticed the watch. Hopefully you put it back on before the picture was taken, and don't wear it in the shop.

[cabinetman]

Not too many about myself, except for shooting a brad through the nail into the thumb. Quite a few of those skews though. Had a few with employees though. Had a guy staple his thumb to a cabinet. It didn't come loose that easily (without him yellin'). Another guy stapled his Mr. Happy to a cabinet. Called rescue...there's just some things that should be left to professionals.

BTW, that watchband looks like a #630 motorcycle chain.
.

[gad5264]

been there done that. I put a 2" brad nail thru my thumb last summer and it brought tears to my eyes.

[Uncle Cracker]

Every time I use a nailer, I first get a vivid picture in my mind of nailing myself to the work. It keeps me on my toes and careful where I place my off-hand. Fact is, you don't even have to have a knot to have a blowout. Sometimes a narrow-gauge nail will simply follow the grain of the wood and exit elsewhere. Even seen a 3" framing nail dodge a knot. Keep your hands out of harm's way, even if it means slowing down to use a clamp.

[cabinetman]

Every time I use a nailer, I first get a vivid picture in my mind of nailing myself to the work. It keeps me on my toes and careful where I place my off-hand. Fact is, you don't even have to have a knot to have a blowout. Sometimes a narrow-gauge nail will simply follow the grain of the wood and exit elsewhere. Even seen a 3" framing nail dodge a knot. Keep your hands out of harm's way, even if it means slowing down to use a clamp.

Just to add to some good advice, make sure the tip is depressed firmly to the subject piece before firing. To aid in the firing direction, use as a visual aspect for the line of drive created by the upper pneumatic chamber right down to the tip.
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[jhart]

Cman - Just wondering how this guy went about stapling "Mr. Happy" to a cabinet. Drawing a very vivid picture in my mind.

As for using a nailer, have come pretty close a couple of times of my hand/fingers getting in the way of a blow out. Have to keep reminding myself to keep a safe distance every time I use them.

[cabinetman]

Cman - Just wondering how this guy went about stapling "Mr. Happy" to a cabinet. Drawing a very vivid picture in my mind.

As for using a nailer, have come pretty close a couple of times of my hand/fingers getting in the way of a blow out. Have to keep reminding myself to keep a safe distance every time I use them.

The "accident" happened as he was assembling wall unit parts on edge on the floor. He was straddling the pieces as he was "attempting" to fasten them. His tenure of employment with me was very short (boy, this could lead to a funny).
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[germdoc]

A friend of mine teaches construction at the TC. One of his students was framing a roof and nailed his foot to a board. They had to cut out the board, take him down and remove the nail with a nail-puller.

Scott told me the student never made that mistake again.

[billvan]

What kind of nails were you using? I did this twice with 23 ga pin nails. I had a lot of problems with nails curling out when using HF brand fasteners. I have since used both Grex and PC pin nails and haven't had this issue again, I'd say 98% go in straight.

That's not to say, I haven't learned where not to put my fingers!

[LCHIEN]

http://www.bt3central.com/showthread...ghlight=nailer

[Bill in Buena Park]

What kind of nails were you using? I did this twice with 23 ga pin nails. I had a lot of problems with nails curling out when using HF brand fasteners. I have since used both Grex and PC pin nails and haven't had this issue again, I'd say 98% go in straight.

That's not to say, I haven't learned where not to put my fingers!

I was using PC brads. I've had the good fortune not to have blowouts with these or the HF brand in the past, but understand the potential. I am usually extremely careful about off-hand placement and should have recognized how close my hand was to potential blowout territory.

I haven't had blowouts with my finishing or framing nailers, so lack of precedent probably contributed to my carelessness. I'll be using that visualization technique of Uncle Cracker's from now on.

[jseklund]

I haven't done that YET...but I have been using nailers for less than 8 months and only have a brad and finish nailer at this point. Good thing it wasn't a larger nail you were using!

A while back I was building a cat tree, and had to fire different sized nails into different sized pieces. I thought I had the 5/8" nails in the gun and fired off into the wood to find out that it was really a 1 5/8" nail that was left in the gun from a different piece of the assembly. Well, I went to grab the carpet and fire the next one in and the head was sticking out the other side and I squeezed down on it...didn't even wound me but woke me up.

I always think of the stories of people on here firing guns, and a story a friend of mine in HS told me from when he was painting during a summer. One of the carpenters building a deck was sitting on the side of the deck, legs hanging off, and decided he could put two boards together on his lap with a gun. Don't know what he was thinking, doing, etc- but he wound up firing a nail right through his testicle and pinning himself to the deck he was sitting on. They had to cut out the boards on the deck and take him to the hospital. OUCH.

Nail guns are scary.

[Bruce Cohen]

I

Nail guns are scary.

Only if you're afraid to use one or didn't read the instructions.

Keep in mind that more people injure themselves falling from ladders or bashing their fingers with a hammer.

Get well soon, I feel your pain, DAMHIK


Bruce

[ejs1097]

I beat you to that! you almost described exactly what happened to me. brad veered off. luckily mine was a clean entry and exit, straight through finger missing bone and cartilidge. Your's looks much more painful.