Finger Tearout! (Now with Gore)

[Tom K]

Sorry to hear your bad new wiZer.
Can we start a poll? When driving yourself to A&E whats best manual or automatic?

Regards Tom

 

[WellsWood]

Ouch! Sorry to hear about that. Hopefully there's no permanent damage, let me know if there's anything I can do to help.
Look on the bright side, as long as you've got enough fingers left to type you'll always have the forum for support and sympathy :wink:

 

[Vormulac]

Thank goodness it wasn't worse! Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

 

[wizer]

Just got back. They have booked me in for a skin graft on Friday morning. Should take 2-3 weeks to heal. Then i'll be on a physio course.

I'm trying not to get myself down over this. I just have to come to terms with being an unlucky git. No point crying over spilt milk and all that. I do believe this was an accident and not complete idiocy.

Harbo: That was the type of bit I was using (from Wealden), where you change between top or bottom bearing depending on grain direction.

Olly: I was not using a guard. Somewhere in the depths of my mind I think I have seen a guard used for this operation, but my recent research (FWW and Norm) didn't display any guards. I was using a starting pin. However, i'm not sure a guard would have been any use in this instance as my finger was dragged between the wood and the bit.

Mark: Pretty much nothing keeps me away from the internet, you should know that I may need that favour still, but not til next week now.

Thanks all for your kind words and not berating me too much

 

[OPJ]

WiZeR, this was the kind of thing I had in mind. You could probably make your own at some point and also include extraction and make it adjustable.

 

[wizer]

ah yes, I wasn't aware of that

 

[woodyone]

Ow! sounds like that hurt.
I bet you won't loss concentration next time

 

[dickm]

Sorry about the accident. Not much consolation, but we all have them, often with the simplest of tools. I severed a tendon with a pruning knife years back, but was lucky enough to do it near to the hospital that apparently had one of the best tendon surgeons in the country.
So it's best to choose carefully where you have your accident. Unlike my "incident" a week ago when I cracked the bottom of the sump on my Golf near Bicester. Only 500 miles from home.
Have a speedy recovery, and take that physio seriously - it's vital.

 

[motownmartin]

Bad luck WiZeR and thanks for flagging it up, it helps us all.

 

[Harbo]

OPJ that device looks good - I was using the same sort of cutter as Wizer (from Wealden) but trimming 40mm thick oak. The APT one only has 28mm clearance.
With a larger gap do not know if that would save fingers?
Worth having a go at making one from some acrylic though and seeing how it looks?

Rod

 

[Digit]

I made one some time ago Rod and attached it to the top of the fence so as to take advantage of the fence's dust extraction, and it does help keep the fingers out of the way.

Roy.

 

[wizer]

ahh well spotted. I was also cutting 40mm

 

[Shadowfax]

This probably won't help at all and it is too late, anyway, but I try to make it a rule that I don't touch smaller workpieces with my hands when I feed them into the cutter. I use home-made push blocks and push sticks so that I can keep my fingers clear.
They are only MDF (no, not my fingers!) with rubber drawer lining glued on the bases to form a non-slip surface like a router mat. I have made several in different sizes.
It worries me when I see people demonstrating the use of router table techniques where their fingers are horribly close to the cutters in use. If the wood disappears, in go the fingers! There is no protection if the wood gets snagged and shoots away.
Just my thoughts, anyway.

Hope you recover really quickly, Wizer. Good luck with the skin graft an' all.

SF

 

[Harbo]

This got the old grey cells stirring and I remembered I had this device which came with my S/H Rousseau router fence many moons ago (no instructions) :

Could not really figure out what it actually did and stuffed it away - will have to look at it more closely with renewed interest?

Rod

 

[Corset]

Wizer that is bad news. I had a close call about 6months ago and have been on a push pad frenzy since then. What shocked me is how fast it all happened. People say "it happens so fast" it's not until it happens to you that you understand what they mean.
Owen

 

[wizer]

Thanks guys. I can't honestly see me using this method again for a very long time, if ever. If I did then I would spend a lot more time constructing or buying guards and push blocks.

I do use push sticks, feather boards and guards on every other machine. Always wear my 'tap tap' safety glasses (now covered in blood). Hind sight and all that.

 

[DavidE]

Yikes WiZeR

I hope you heal soon - thanks for posting your misfortune it is a good reminder how quick things can go wrong.

David

 

[wizer]

For those who requested gore:


..






..

 

[motownmartin]

Oooooeeeer that is a lot worse than I imagined, its gonna take some healing, wishing you well WiZeR and hope you have a speedy recovery.

 

[OPJ]

I'm just glad the photo's not in clear focus!!! :? :? :?

I do hope it's not really as bad as it now looks though...

:wink: