Not To Bring Up Bad Memories Still; Have You Ever Been InJured Doing Machining?

[epanzella]

Being a contractor for thirty years has left me with a number of saw tracks and even a nice 45 degree bevel on my middle finger. I can still count to ten, though. Also got a neat little 8 inch chainsaw gash on my thigh. Not too smart but I'm tuff.

 

[savarin]

I have to share this one although its not about machining but does show how trying to be ultra safe can have the opposite effect.
In my past life I was a chef (heaps of cuts and burns there) I was teaching an apprentice how to remove coconut from the half shell without destroying the shells (we used those as serving dishes)
Use a thin flexible bladed knife and insert it between the shell and the brown hard skin of the nut, twist the blade whilst rocking it back and forth and pushing into the nut and the half nut just pops out. Easy.
I was making a big thing about ensuring all your fingers and thumbs remain below the rim for safety, staring into his eyes to reinforce the message when I slipped and the kinfe went into my thumb, hit the bone, bounced around and came out the other side.
I just looked at him and said " Else this happens" as I held my hand up with the knife hanging down stuck in the thumb.
I believe he thought it was just an awesome demonstration.
Luckily it missed every vein so there was no blood, just a hole through.

 

[george wilson]

I haven't had a serious accident,but have had cuts and minor burns. I want to caution all that the drill press is more dangerous than it looks.I was drilling a sharp cornered block of brass HELD IN A VISE,when the drill broke through and sucked the block right up out of the vise. It cut my finger on the side pretty deep. It was over 109 years before I got the feeling back on the side of my finger. Fortunately,it didn't affect my guitar playing,but I was happy when the feeling came back.

I know a student was killed drilling out an old lead block ended battery cable in school shop. It wash't clamped well,and tore loose,spun around and hit his elbow hard enough to make him double over. Then,the cable hit him in his head and killed him.

 

[Chuck K]

worst whooping i took was a 1/2" D handled drill . i had a S&D 1" bit chucked up when it grabbed
i took the drill for a ride like a Rodeo Champ before i could shut it off. i swear it nearly broke my wrist.

I know that drill well! It's amazing how much torque they have. I also flashed my eyes a while back. I was trying to finish a small welding job while the low battery light was flashing inside my helmet. I thought I pulled it off until about 3 the next morning. My worst injury had nothing to do with machining, but it made me a lot more safety conscious in everything I do. I had a paint contracting business for years. Primarily painting the exteriors of metal buildings. Very rarely used ropes and lanyards. One morning I tripped on a fastener on the gable end of a roof and went right over the end. After you've been broken up pretty bad you tend to be a little more careful.

 

[Tom Griffin]

Not many injuries for 45 years of machining.

I had to have metal dug out of my eye (sparks) twice, once not wearing glasses when I was young and stupid and once when I was wearing them. The most serious injury I had was while using a belt sander. I was sanding a small piece of angle iron and it somehow got pulled into the gap between the table and belt, along with my thumb. It ground the tip off my thumb down to the base of the nail before I could react. It eventually grew back, but it was quite painful and took a long time.

The most dangerous machine on the shop has to be the lowly drill press. I've had a few close calls on them and have seen many others who weren't so lucky. It seems like such an innocent maxhine but it can be so deadly.

Tom

 

[llarson]

I happened to be in the line of flight of a 7/8" bolt about a foot long that was put under enough tension it broke. Knocked one front tooth out and turned the crosswise. Bottom teeth looked like a picket fence someone had driven a car through, and lower lip was hamburger. Lost the teeth a few at a time over the years. When I worked at Bingham Willamette Co. in Portland, Or, they said I was "the best smashed fingernail driller" in the place. Did lots of them by using a tiny drill and turned it with my fingers.

 

[pineyfolks]

I hate to tell this but I smashed my thumb while closing the steadyrest. Blew the tip right off. I purchased that machine from my workplace and have always hated that steady even though it was my own fault. I was 20yrs old then and that sure taught me to keep my hands clear of things.

 

[stern]

Had a few injuries while "working with metal", but not many in my home shop. I have had a glob of metal from a plasma cutter stick to my eyeball (had safety glasses on cutting a hole in a stainless steel kitchen hood, but a glob somehow found its way inside and fused to the white of my eye. Had to go to the truck and use the rear view mirror and a plastic ID card to "pop it off"). A Also cut my pinky finger at the palm junction severing a few tendons (slipped and had my hand on the hood, which was sharp at the area. Took 30 stitches, then 3 weeks later some surgery to reconnect the tendons).
Aside from steel splinters in the shop, the worst I have done so far is drop a steel plate (160lb) on my hand. luckily only the two middle fingers took the force, and they seem to be ok now, although it sure feels like there are loose bits inside lol.

Seems the only times that bad things seem to happen are when your attention slips a bit, or when your trying to be so careful it borders on paranoia.

 

[John]

I was using a #1 Phillips screw driver to remove a small screw from a metal frame. The screw driver slipped off the screw and slid between my pointer and index finger entering at the web between the fingers and coming out on the top of my hand 2" away from the entry point . I missed every important structure in my hand. Very little blood. But it was odd to see my hand skewed with the screw driver.

 

[Tony Wells]

Should have had a camera handy, John. That would have made a good picture.