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Causing injuries by building props

4176 Views 44 Replies 33 Participants Last post by  technom8t
Hello to all,

like Dr. Terroreyes said, I open a new thread - think it could be an interesting one.

Let me be the first:

By cutting wood with my electrical tablesaw I cut off the tip with the complete fingernail of my right thumb 3 weeks ago. Now it's gone - but I think it's ok.

I can't really remember how it happens - I only felt a short beat.

And what I also can't understand - I was using this saw over 20 years - at last it was so damaged that you had to hold the wood you want to cut really, really tight, because otherwise the saw would yank it out of your hands. And I hadn't a really good stand - regarded not what I was doing and so on.

This year I repaired it - new sawblade and so on - thought about my stand, weared gloves - and *bang* - that was it.

Now I'm learning writing and doing things without my right thumb - I think it will not compromise me further.

So what happens to you?

Let us know.

Many greetings hellowinnie (Peter) :cool:
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Me personally, nothing that major ( but I would save the tip and make a prop out of it.. LOL). but for me just the normal smashed fingers, dropping stuff on my head and falling from the ladder.
it doesn't compair but I have smashed fingers, burned my self, cut my self, and stabbed myself all in the name of haunting.
Prop

Me personally, nothing that major ( but I would save the tip and make a prop out of it.. LOL). but for me just the normal smashed fingers, dropping stuff on my head and falling from the ladder.
Yo, man I probably should have done so, but know - I had other problems that time, and if I hadn't got my lovely wife, don't know what happens too.

Next time I'll do so - Brrrr - no, no more parts and my wife said that I'm not allowed to left only a very little part of me again. She said she needs all of me.

Peter ;-)
Me personally, nothing that major ( but I would save the tip and make a prop out of it.. LOL). but for me just the normal smashed fingers, dropping stuff on my head and falling from the ladder.
wow, that's some dark humor. But it did make me laugh :D
But seriously, I'm sorry to hear of your injury. I'm glad tho that it wasn't more serious.
Popping a corner section with my 18 guage brad nailer it hit a knot and doubled back into the end of my thumb. I also have an industrial glue gun that pumps A LOT. I coated the end of my thumb with it as well, and lost all the skin with the blistering. :(

I replace or sharpen my blades (if possible) when ever I have a noticable change in cutting performance. After all that is what a cutting tool needs to do... cut.
Thumbs

Hi Winnie,

Thanks for the recognition.

I have to give you two thumbs-up (whoopsie!!) -- okay, one thumb-up -- for the great personal story.

I think that we wood-working Propaholics usually have some sense of personal endangerment with our power tools. But, the reduced caution brought on by tool familiarity, accompanied with the desire to "just get the dang prop finished" can certainly bring painful experiences. Yeah, I've pounded/hammered/hot-glued/stapled-gunned/filed/cut/painted/wood-stained/smashed/wood-splintered/bruised/cramped/squeezed a few fingertips. And now I use more caution, wear latex or leather gloves, and drag one of my sons into the garage when I REALLY need a second person to stabilize or hold something.

I think your story is a reminder to us all that things can, and do, go wrong. Now, anybody have good "prop-gone-bad" story (like the pneumatic prop that went flying through the garage ceiling)??

Thanks for sharing!
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nothing big for me just droping things on my toe, whaclking my head, little cuts with a hand saw.
Jawhorse

BTW, anyone ever see this thing advertised on TV? Looks AWESOME!! It might replace the need for a second person during Prop building.
Well, I was up in the attic hooking up a gang box to run a light down in front of my entry door. Being a fan of Tim Taylor, I felt no need to turn off the power. I had done electrical jobs before with no issue. This job however has left a mark. You see up there I am in a contorted position and am working on my back with the wires above me. I clipper them off, one at a time with insulated cutters. When I got to the last one the side I was holding was the now dead side once the wire is severed. The wire that was still hot then allowed nature to take over and fall gracefully to my left cheek. Now this is in Arizona mind you and the attic is currently at about 140 degrees. needless to say I was sweating a little bit. Once the wire made that first touch, like the painting of God reaching out to man, there was a spark! Then it danced around my sweat covered face until I was able to grab it.
Aftermath is, now I have no feeling in my face on the left side. yes this just happened today. Feeling is slowly coming back but I now will throw the breaker here on out. All for a cheap hanging light from Walmart. Lol
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Well, I was up in the attic hooking up a gang box to run a light down in front of my entry door. Being a fan of Tim Taylor, I felt no need to turn off the power. I had done electrical jobs before with no issue. This job however has left a mark. You see up there I am in a contorted position and am working on my back with the wires above me. I clipper them off, one at a time with insulated cutters. When I got to the last one the side I was holding was the now dead side once the wire is severed. The wire that was still hot then allowed nature to take over and fall gracefully to my left cheek. Now this is in Arizona mind you and the attic is currently at about 140 degrees. needless to say I was sweating a little bit. Once the wire made that first touch, like the painting of God reaching out to man, there was a spark! Then it danced around my sweat covered face until I was able to grab it.
Aftermath is, now I have no feeling in my face on the left side. yes this just happened today. Feeling is slowly coming back but I now will throw the breaker here on out. All for a cheap hanging light from Walmart. Lol
I've done something similar but that was too effin funny! LOL
Yep saw are unforgiving ! I had not had and power tool accidents but lots of kluts accidents worst was falling on a nail in the attic that went in my wrist and out the otherside while running wire for fans/lights. Now I have a new neighbor who works for CAL OSHA so this year I get alot of visits when the table saws out an running lol all friendly reminders about SAFETY an PPE. SO PLEASE BE SAFE FRIENDS AND THINK IT THRUOGH!
nothing big for me just droping things on my toe, whaclking my head, little cuts with a hand saw.
just got eletric SHOCK!! lol i really did tho
I think I have had more stupid stuff happen to me as a result of working late in the garage after a few beers. Last year I stapled my thumb and four-finger together with a power staple gun....I don't think it hurt quite as much as the hot wire in the sweaty cheek, but it was close. This year I put the tip of a jigsaw blade into my big toe.....Lesson to be learned; don't wear thongs while working with power tools and alcohol. It's almost as bad a drinking and driving but your more apt to end up in the hospital, rather then jail. Oh yea...make sure your not standing over your pneumatic pop-up when you activate it. Dry ice down the back of your pants can be worse then the front. To be safe, invite your friends over to connect anything electrical.
Ugg. I always fear that. My uncle chopped off all the digits on his left hand a while back. Luckily they where able to put them back on. Personally I still have all 10, but I came close this year. Tried to cut a thick piece of rope with my chop saw. Man was that a stupid thing to do.

I hate table saws and opt for skill saw. Even if my lines are not as perfect as a table saw, at least I know I have a bit more control with the skill saw.
Close call.

I have been working on my 3 axis skull design. I was trying to cut some delrin on my chop saw. Blade grabbed the stuff right out of my hand and drove it into the garage wall. Sounded like a gunshot. I have learned to be very careful in which direction the rotation of a saw will drive material. And for 14 bucks you can get a great blade from Home Depot for your table saw. Most injuries do occur from dull blades.
My injuries, so far, from this year have been minor. I cut my index finger on my left hand with a utility knife. Being the trooper that I am. I washed it, bandage it, and went back outside to finish before going to the hospital for a couple stitches. I also had a mystery cut to my leg. I felt some wood debris hit me in the shin but failed to look at my leg for several hours. When i did I had dried blood on my leg from a minor but two inch cut.

After using the circular saw I always cut my fingers. Good tip not to wear flip-flops while building.
My best (and dumbest) this year so far was touching the screw on the end of the arbor on my dremel after I had been sanding with it for several minutes because it had come loose. Needless to say I have the perfect burned imprint of a small phillips head screw right in the middle of the fingerprint of my index finger in my left hand.....:rolleyes:
It's a Halloween tradition for me to Nail Gun myself at least once...It's always fun to squeeze the large splinter out of the hole a couple of days later.

That and a couple of Duct tape covered cuts are ususally the aftermath of a prop building session...

RandalB
ever build a horse???
Well I am doing just that and even though it is made of plywood, lots of screws and wire it still kicks. Dang thing was hung from the kids swing set by scrap copper wire. Well, the copper wire broke and the horse jumped and kicked me in the shin. Wow! I saw bone. Cool when it is fake and on a bucky but not me...geez My daughters witnessed it with mouths open saying 'Mommy, your bleeding now, the white has gone'. ( I needed to lay down for fear of passing out thinking my shin bone was exposed)
Stapled palm of hand, touched screw head after stripping it with electric drillbit burning my fingers, lots of slivers (big ones too), stood on a wooden wire spool with a cardboard center after it had rained=wet cardboard collapsed sending me flying. OH the list goes on but all in the fun of prop building:)
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