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

[Mike Gratton]

Thanks for the reminder.  Saftey can't be
over-emphasized!  Glad to hear that you came out of it
unharmed.

mikeg
--- Victor Hamburger <VHamburg at bellatlantic.net>
wrote:

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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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=====
Check out my carvings at
http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeeeill/


		
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