# Table Saw OUCH - WARNING GRAPHIC!!



## ilikewood (Sep 27, 2007)

Table saws have to be one of the most dangerous tools in the shop.  This is a picture of my co-workers hand after a kick-back caused him all kinds of damage.  He was lucky to save his fingers, but he is in a cast for 6 weeks with tendon damage.
ALWAYS BE CAREFUL AROUND POWER EQUIPMENT AND USE PROPER GUARDS!!!

WARNING - THE PICTURE BELOW IS VERY GRAPHIC!


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## ctwxlvr (Sep 27, 2007)

ouch


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## Paul in OKC (Sep 27, 2007)

double ouch!


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## kent4Him (Sep 27, 2007)

Triple ouch.


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## Ron in Drums PA (Sep 27, 2007)

Oh man, that gotta hurt!


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## ctwxlvr (Sep 27, 2007)

my not be hurting in the pictures, shock and everything but wait till early morning after its sown up.


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## cowchaser (Sep 27, 2007)

Wouldn't have hurt me a bit. I would have passed out on the spot and couldn't feel it.


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## BigguyZ (Sep 27, 2007)

Man, that's just nasty.  I'm keeping that pic for whenever I feel hungry.  Instant appetite suppressant.


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## Geo in Winnipeg (Sep 27, 2007)

Ouch is an understatement. He's in for a lot of physiotherapy after the cast comes off. A very good reason why I have a lot of respect for power tools. I hope he makes a full recovery.


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## Firefyter-emt (Sep 27, 2007)

Dang, he won't be using that finger to pick his nose for a long time!!

I still think we should switch over to the Euro style riving knives over our gaurds, you would find a lot more of them on saws if this was the case.


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## barrels (Sep 27, 2007)

I can taste the blood

Eric[:0]


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## NavyDiver (Sep 27, 2007)

At least it didn't splinter the bone [:0] .


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## Ron Mc (Sep 27, 2007)

That reminds me....tonight is spaghetti night!

BTW....Why is the ground on the plug in the background on top instead on the bottom?


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## Geo in Winnipeg (Sep 27, 2007)

> _Originally posted by Firefyter-emt_
> <br />I still think we should switch over to the Euro style riving knives over our gaurds, you would find a lot more of them on saws if this was the case.


I agree 100%. I threw out the crappy splitter/guard that came with my Delta and replaced it with a Merlin splitter. Much better (and safer).


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## les-smith (Sep 27, 2007)

Dang.  That's why I don't have a table saw.  And, that's why I'm saving up for a SawStop table saw.


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## airrat (Sep 27, 2007)

Wow ouch

How much morphine did it take to get him to pose for the picture?   How many pictures did you have to take to get the gore 10 factor?


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## btboone (Sep 27, 2007)

Another reminder to never get comfortable with a table saw.  Always anticipate how a piece can jam or kick back.  If you aren't a bit scared of your saw, you're not paying close enough attention.  Thanks for posting Bill.  I hope he heals up well.


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## ilikewood (Sep 28, 2007)

It looks like he will make a full recovery, but it will take some time to get the mobility back in his fingers.  His immediate days of guitar playing will be slowed down for a while, but he will get to play again.

Would you believe he took this picture of his hand with his phone by himself?  Maybe there was enough morphine in him to not notice!  The one thing I didn't mention was that the piece that kicked back almost broke his other arm?  He was really lucky...except now he has a few new names at work like "Frodo".[]


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## Nolan (Sep 28, 2007)

WOW, a fine example of just how bad machinery can be on the human body


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## JayDevin (Sep 28, 2007)

your shop should investigate purchasing a Saw stop  brand saw.....welll worth the money


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## oldsmokey (Sep 28, 2007)

In 1963 I watched a guy feeding a board through a table saw.  His  left hand was on top of the board.  He cut off the tip of his left ring finger and cut into the middle finger.  
This taught me a healthy respect for the table saw.  The table saw was the backbone of my shop for many years.  I still use it a lot, but I always remember the safety rules for the saw.  
I hope this picture will do for everyone here what the accident I observed did for me.
A friend of mine was using a jointer, his hand slipped off of the board and into the blades.  He lost three fingers on his right hand.  
All of the tools we use are dangerous.  Know your tools and always think through what you are about to do.
This is a great post for everyone.

BE SAFE.


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## johncrane (Sep 28, 2007)

Bill sorry too see your mate cut up like that, some time's the brain just won't save ya! he has learned the hard way .


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## Fred (Sep 28, 2007)

The Saw Stop TS will not prevent this type of damage. It will help if one's finger, hand, etc. touches the blade. Only safe operation of the TS will help prevent this type of accident.

A kickback is deadly and as we can all see is highly destructive to fingers, arms, bellies. That's why there is such a thing as a push stick. One of the best one's out there is the Gripper System.

Also, NEVER EVER stand directly in line with the end of the piece being fed into the blade. If a kickback does occur and you are to the side, well let's just say you won't be clobbered by the projectile ... which by the way is traveling about as fast as the blade is turning.

Good luck on your co-workers recovery. His little finger is pretty well mangled for the rest of his days.
I would imagine that it is definitely time for a safety review in the shop with very strong emphasis on the proper use of push sticks, blade guards, anti-kickback devices and that they be used all times. Just imagine where he would be today it that piece of wood had impaled him in the gut ... which happens far more times that you want to think about.


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## Ligget (Sep 29, 2007)

WOW! That is nasty![xx(]


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## MesquiteMan (Sep 29, 2007)

Did the damage come from the piece of wood kicking back or from the kickback causing him to hit the blade with his hand?  It looks to me that the blade did the damage.  If so, then yes, the SawStop would have prevented it.

Either way, a good drop in splitter with an overarm blade guard and push sticks will all but eliminate these types of problems.


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## drayman (Sep 30, 2007)

that is why it is illegal to have a table saw unguarded in the uk. he is very one lucky guy. one question to all, how much would it cost to make a push stick. as an health and safety official i see this far too often. take care all. regards colin.


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## Ozzy (Sep 30, 2007)

Last year I had an accident with my tablesaw but due to safety habits left over from my high school shop teacher, I still have my thumb and can use it. Here's a tip for you just in case you have one of these accidents; the white stringy looking stuff that can sometimes be hanging out of the wound, as it was with mine, are nerves. If my defense, I thought that it was just damaged skin. Don't pull it out to "clean up" the wound, as I did. My thumb healed with a descent looking scar but it still feels like I'm wearing a glove on it.


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## ilikewood (Oct 1, 2007)

Whether the injury was caused by the blade or the kickback is unknown.  It happened so fast that he can't remember and an accident investigation could not tell.  In this case, the guard was removed because the pieces were higher than the guard and it interfered with cutting.  To his defense, the material he was cutting was a special plastic.  It ended up warping with heat as it cut through and clamped down on the blade.  Of course, a push stick would have reduced or stopped any injury, and that was the recommendation of the investigating team.  We are all jus thankful he still has his fingers and can use them.


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## Johnathan (Oct 2, 2007)

Holy Crap! My woodworking mentor once told me that he didn't want to be responsible for the only grand pianist/opera singer to have the nickname of stubby, I promised if he showed me how to make pens, I'd be very careful with my tools and shop safety. So far a couple close calls but haven't lost anything - Better Knock on Exotic Wood!


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## Rifleman1776 (Oct 2, 2007)

> _Originally posted by ilikewood_
> <br />Whether the injury was caused by the blade or the kickback is unknown.  It happened so fast that he can't remember and an accident investigation could not tell.  In this case, the guard was removed because the pieces were higher than the guard and it interfered with cutting.  To his defense, the material he was cutting was a special plastic.  It ended up warping with heat as it cut through and clamped down on the blade.  Of course, a push stick would have reduced or stopped any injury, and that was the recommendation of the investigating team.  We are all jus thankful he still has his fingers and can use them.



Other than a general reminder to be careful, without knowing what happened, this event did not provide much in the way of a learning experience, unfortunately. Kick-backs can hurt. One of my first projects with my new shop put me on the floor almost unconscious with a table saw kick-back. I learned: the fence is a RIP fence, not a guide for cross-cutting; and stand off to one side. The hunk of 2x4 that hit my solar plexus put me down for about 15 minutes and infliced major pain.


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