[Woodcarver] A safety reminder to start the new year!

[Lon Oleson]

Good words Vic and thank you.....
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Victor Hamburger" <VHamburg at bellatlantic.net>
To: "Woodcarver" <Woodcarver at six.pairlist.net>
Sent: Sunday, January 02, 2005 9:05 PM
Subject: [Woodcarver] A safety reminder to start the new year!


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> All,
>
> I was working in my shop this evening.  While ripping a thin piece of
stock on
> my table saw, I got a not-so-gentle reminder to always expect the worst
from a
> power tool.
>
> I had completed pushing the piece of stock thru the blade, and had used
two push
> sticks to both hold it down and push it thru the blade.  At the very last
> second, both pieces of stock fell back into the blade, rather than pushing
off
> the back of the saw as I intended.  I have no clear idea how, but within a
split
> second, both pieces of wood were 15 feet behind me, and my push stick had
been
> violently wrenched from my hand, with a split down the cherry hardwood
face that
> has rendered it useless for pushing ever again.
>
> The GOOD NEWS is that I ALWAYS start the saw with my face/body out of the
line
> of the saw blade path should it catch something and throw it back
violently.
> Secondly, I ALWAYS work to one side of the sawblade path, and that is
where I
> was tonight, out of harms way.  Either piece of wood would have, at a
minimum,
> left a serious bruise on my body.  The push stick took the brunt of the
damage
> that otherwise would have happened to my hand if I had not used the stick.
>
> The only damage, other than the push stick, was the saw table insert,
which was
> severely damaged when (probably) the push stick was shoved violently
downward at
> it.  My hand tingled for a few minutes after from the shock, but that was
the
> extend of my problems.  I am very thankful that I followed my own safety
rules
> and kept my fingers away from the blade and myself out of the line of
potential
> kickback.  I can replace the saw table insert and the push stick.  The old
push
> stick will hang in my shop as a reminder of the danger of power tools.
>
> I tell you this story only because I was fortunate. I won't call it lucky,
I
> don't leave my safety to luck in the shop. I followed my rules and kept
myself
> as safe as I could, I was fortunate that nothing worse happened.
>
> For all of you who use power tools, and even hand tools in your carving,
PLEASE,
> know how they work, how they can cause accidents, and set your own set of
safety
> rules that prevents those accidents to the best of your ability.  Keep
yourself
> safe and happy in your shop, today and every day!
>
> Happy New Year to all!
>
> Vic H
>
>
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