This one's a real winner

[cwsmith]

OUCH Indeed!

That sounds nasty enough and although it could be worse, I'm sure the pain is just as nasty. I'm really sorry to hear of your accident and hope that you heal quickly and the pain subsides even faster.

The embarrassment however will last some time and be a "lesson learned"... those darn blades will bite on the first instant you drop your guard.

May we ALL be aware and learn from one more of our friends who lost flesh and blood,

CWS

[hophop]

Hope you recover and get back to woodworking soon Bruce.

[Bruce Cohen]

Thanks for all your kind words, even Don's, which is spot on. Yup, third time this year. and up to then, never had a table saw injury in about 40 years of woodworking.
If I keep going, at this rate, I'll just be an old somewhat overweight torso in the next few years.
As for protection, I did have the riving knife attached, but no Shark guard. Sorry Lee, it's kinda clumsy with a sacrificial fence attached to the miter bar of the SMT.
I also determined that one of the reasons, and I'm not copping out of being stupid, is that the shorter movement of the SMT caused me to raise the saw blade a lot higher than the stock I was cutting a miter (45 deg.) increased the probability of me passing my pinkie over the teeth (which is just what I did).
If I end up keeping the BT, which I'll do until it blows up, I think I'll get a Nobex miter saw (hand powered) to do my miter cuts on. As I use this cut quite a bit for my jewelry boxes, I'm wondering if this is a good idea.
Anyone have any experience with one of them. I hear that they're very accurate, something that I'm really not getting with the 3100. And additionally, Lee Valley sells the (of course) most expensive one with a Japanese pull stroke blade. Which I guess translates into less waste and a cleaner cut, although I'm using a Forrest II blade.

Again, thanks for your thoughts and words.

Bruce

[schloff]

Ouch! That's not cool. Keep meat away from the moving parts. I mean, after all, best case it rusts your tools when cut/punctured, dismembered. Worst case, not pleasant for anyone.

I keep giong back to the Monty Python skit with King Arthur and the Black Night. It's just a flesh wound!!!

Seriously, I hope you recover fast and come away with a new appreciation for the seriousness of complacency.

Play safe, my friends.

Dan
WestPoint, TN

[cabinetman]

As for protection, I did have the riving knife attached, but no Shark guard. Sorry Lee, it's kinda clumsy with a sacrificial fence attached to the miter bar of the SMT.

I don't have the statistics, but, if the safety devices were in place a majority of table saw injuries wouldn't happen. Think about it. The manufacturer includes a blade guard, and the operator takes it off...well...DUH. Truth is many operators don't use them. If I have an oops on the saw with the guard off, it's my own fault.

I also determined that one of the reasons, and I'm not copping out of being stupid, is that the shorter movement of the SMT caused me to raise the saw blade a lot higher than the stock I was cutting a miter (45 deg.) increased the probability of me passing my pinkie over the teeth (which is just what I did).

For the time that I've been a machine user (many hours a day, many days a week, many years), I had two close calls. One with the table saw, which was just a nick and had to get a few stitches, but nothing was cut off.

The other was with a router table, and it tried to profile the end of my thumb, but didn't succeed. Again, nothing cut off or lost, just a few stitches. Both times were my fault. Being in a rush, and not paying close enough attention. All it takes is a split second. Some people just don't have the ability to dedicate the necessary awareness. It's a concentration level that can be as tiring as the physical aspect.

Push sticks/shoes, featherboards or other guides should also be used .

.

[os1kne]

I hope that you heal soon.
I recommend giving the new version of the SharkGuard a try. I've had my SG for almost 9 years and they are really a great improvement. The new version is much better than my old one. If it saves 1 close call, it'll be the best investment that you've ever made.

[thetimbo]

I've been a nervous new guy for awhile now, and to innoculate myself when I started out, I read accident accounts and looked at plenty of photos. But I've never actually spoken to someone who's had a real accident like yours. I was wondering if you could tell me how badly it hurt at the time (and for how long afterward); for how long you may have had to take painkillers; how quickly you were able to get back to work; how long to heal. I must say that you come across as the grizzled veteran in the way you state the case so matter-of-factly. I can only imagine how traumatized I'd sound if it were me telling this tale.

[Bruce Cohen]

First of all, you can't be nervous or frightened of any power tool. That's like closing your eyes when your shoot a weapon. I found that most accidents happen either to a rank amateur, who thinks he knows it all and works that way, no one is superman. The other time it happens to someone experienced who tends to get complacent about the fundamentals of safe sawing, either not paying enough attention or not using the correct protection.

I'm guilty of the latter. This was an extremely stupid and mindless action on my part.
You'll hear a lot of us say that if the cut just doesn't feel right, it usually isn't. STOP right there and look at what you're trying to do, you'll probably see just how wrong what you're doing is.

As to the pain, your body goes into "shock" mode and most times it doesn't hurt anywhere as much as you think it will, until later.
To me, the best part of damaging myself is the pain meds after the fact.

But DON'T dwell on any of that, you'll just sensitize yourself to disliking what is one heck of an enjoyable way to get away from your wife.

Being this happened about one week ago, my pinkie is still bandaged and is tender. I no longer have to take happy pills but I'm sork of living on Advil right now.
My wife has made me promise to stay out of the shop till they at least remove the stitches, and the pinkie stops resembling a ground our cigar.

The one think I strongly recommend is not to view an accident as the end of the world, stuff happens and its not IF, its WHEN. Just like riding a motorcycle or having your computer's hard drive crash.

The only definite thing I can say about the pain, it doesn't hurt as much as getting shot, DAMHIK.

So forget about the ER scenes and just learn to properly operate your machines and stop think of the down side, it takes all the fun out of woodworking.

Bruce

[jabe]

Hope U heal fast, take care.

[radhak]

Wow, Bruce - not only are you a grizzled veteran, you are also a psychotherapist! Very good advice there. And of course I am in awe of how by-the-way you are in describing you injury, which seems to have been pretty ugly.

I count myself in the amateurs, but my exposure to all the veterans on this board has given me a great perspective on woodworking : injuries are no fun, and hinder enjoyment in woodworking. It is better to take my time (and more) to do things right, but it is not time wasted, but time well-used. I fear getting hurt, but I fear more getting banned from my 'shop by my wife, which might very well happen if I get injured badly enough.

So - I learn from others' experience, particularly from threads like these; the next time I approach the miter-saw, I will have this added 'experience' to guide my actions there. My projects take more time to finish, but I could stand an OSHA inspection of my 'shop or the way I work any time.

And yes, Bruce is right in one count : you only get the pain and anxiety in the aftermath, much later. No point worrying about it before. Years ago, when a piece of plywood I was cutting freehand on the TS (no fence, no miter gauge) jumped back, hit me in my chest and went clattering away, I did not even know what happened till I had quickly shut the TS off and inspected myself and the piece, and then realized my heart was racing. Guys here educated me that that was a 'kickback', and I was an ass for that freehand cut (very gently, of course ). Like I said - good education! Ever since then, I've never done anything new in the shop without checking here and asking questions. Has worked till now!

[Bruce Cohen]

I'm thinking of naming my 3100 "Jeffrey Dahmer"

Bruce

But I can no longer pick my nose with my right pinkie (mixed blessing, I guess), I like to think of it as being parted out, worth more that way

[JSUPreston]

But I can no longer pick my nose with my right pinkie (mixed blessing, I guess), I like to think of it as being parted out, worth more that way

Try your left index...longer reach and more surface area to help removing the debris. At least that's been my experience.

[Stytooner]

Hi Bruce.
Sorry about the latest injury. Hope it heals soon.
I am including an image of a sacrificial fence on a slider that is still cut at the blade for accuracy, but is notched for the guard.
No need for a tall extension that the guard has to ride over.



Of course if you are cutting tall parts, then this would not be needed.

[Bruce Cohen]

Hi Bruce.
Sorry about the latest injury. Hope it heals soon.
I am including an image of a sacrificial fence on a slider that is still cut at the blade for accuracy, but is notched for the guard.
No need for a tall extension that the guard has to ride over.



Of course if you are cutting tall parts, then this would not be needed.

Lee,
Many thanks for the help, but maybe I'm getting senile, I'm not sure just what you're doing, or trying to show. I'm just helpless, maybe the Dahmer memorial "eat or be eaten" fan club would want me.

Bruce

[Stytooner]

Hi Bruce. You stated this above.
"As for protection, I did have the riving knife attached, but no Shark guard. Sorry Lee, it's kinda clumsy with a sacrificial fence attached to the miter bar of the SMT."

I thought you might have had a taller board attached that a guard would have to ride over. Just showing that you can still get a sac. fence cut by the blade and then notched out for a guard. Doing this only raises any guard the height needed to do the cut.

IOW, the stock you are cutting rather than the sac. fence would be the high point the guard would have to rise to.

Day late and a dollar short with this info