OUCH! LOL!
Being a machinist for most of my working life, You'd think I would know better. I've worked with engine lathes capable of spinning chunks of steel weighing hundreds of pounds, capable of turning a half inch or more from a diameter in a single pass using incredible horsepower, to automatic machines that spin thousands of RPM's that could systematically tear a person from limb to limb if caught off guard, to saws, shears, and presses that could remove digits quicker than Peg Bundy could eat a Bon-Bon. So far, short of a few sobering close calls over the years, I can still count to 21. So, my doscile little rod lathe powered by a puny lil 1/15th hp sewin machine motor should be pretty harmless right? Yea RIGHT!!!
Today I gripped up a deckhand rod with cork tape. As usual, I spun the rod in the machine to trim the end of the grip nice and square. I usually use a box cutter, but have occasionally used single edged razor blade to do this. I didnt see my box cutter in the general area, so I decided what the heck, and sucombed to the taunting little voice of the shiny brand new Stanley #9 single edge sitting just an arms length away....."use me" it beckoned...."you dont have time to hunt down the big safe box cutter with the egronomic rubberized grip...." Today I was reminded why I started using box cutters. I lined up the blade to my mark, stepped on the gas, and burried the blade into two layers of cork tape....and BAM! The blade grabbed in the sticky adhesive backing and litterally pulled the blade out of the steel back....and of course what comes around, goes around. Unfortunately for my thumb, this time it came around several times with blinding speed before my thumb decided it wanted get out of the way. Fortunately for my thumb it was the dull backside of the blade (without the steel back) that did the damage. If the blade were turned around....well...you'd probably be reading this without spaces between the words...LOL!
Its amazing as a rodbuilder how important my right thumb is as a tool...this is really a minor injury, but has rendered me near useless for the day, at least for wrapping. Two small shallow slices, and one deeper, closer to a puncture than a slice, where the corner of the blade stuck into the bone. Not enough for stitches...just in the wrong spot. I did the super glue trick this morning, looks good to go...just sore.
Moral #1of the story: Never under estimate any moving machine, no matter how benign it may seem. Once you lose respect for a piece of machinery and become complacent, thats when it will lose its respect for you, and bite you.
Moral #2: Use the right tool for the job. The wrong tool will ultimately injure you, or your project.

Scott

I hear you Scott ,hope the thumb heals soon,
I just recently learned a new repect for my table saw that I seemed to have forgotten somehow. It was all about a narrow cut where the gates locking arm was too close to the blade height adjustment to lower the blade, too many hours burnt at both ends of the candle and whole lot of stupidity. Yes instead of unlocking the gate, moving it aside and resetting the measurement after the blade height was correct I grabbed a push stick. I was being careful with the right hand pushing the material through the blade but then the left hand forgot what the right hand was doing in being careful and was holding the material down while sliding into the blade. I feel very lucky it was not worse because it happened in a split second and even with what relexes I have left I got a pretty good chuck taken off the end of my thumb. Of course the first thought that came to my head was how am I going tie knots on the fishing trip tomorrow. So yeah getting dressed and even taking a shower was a bit different for a while.
It's like none of the figures are really any good at anything without the thumbs.
Yes complacentcy = Injury



Tight wraps and lines,
Wylie

Roger That!

Power or Hand tools SAFTEY! SAFTEY! Beware or be square! (knuckles that is)

I hope you heal soon! Also looking forward to the "Tiger Wrap" article! LOL!

P.S. what the heck is a tiger wrap anyway?

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

SCott,

Thanks for the details and the psycology behind what happened an important lesson for us all. Appreciate you having the guts to share your tale. You are so right when it comesto the complanencey bit. I shudder to think about some of the practices I have been usin g of late. Time for a serious re-think.
Cheers and I hope you heal very quickly.

Mike O.

SCott, I did the exact same thign cutting EVA a few years ago, probably posted it on the old Guild board. I've also had a loose shirt catch on a spinning grip and twist up and yankk my arm to teh grip, my skin was in the twisted shirt and I had a really odd looking tornadoish bruise. I also had my long hair catch on a spinning grip and yank my head down to the grip.

Anytime I use a razaor blade to cut a flush edge, I use a Vise grip & tool rest. I learned that lesson. Unfortunately, I know there are MANY lessons I havent' learned, which I'm sure someday I will.

Billy,

You raise an important point there. Here we all are recommending lathes and the such like and maybe to Ruckie rod builders who most prbably will not have had the benifit of an Engineering Apprenticeshoip with all the safety training that comes with it.

Moving shafts are incredibbly dangerous.

Ok so here are a few safety tips. Not exhaustive by any means.


Long hair should be tied back in a pony Tail.

No ties should be worn. Tucked in does not count either.

No long cuffs on shirts or cow gowns.

Always wear safety goggles,

Always work in adequate light.

Always use the correct tool for job.

Never ever leave a chuck key in the chuck.

Never use a file on a lathe that does not have a handle properly fitted.

Don't work with blunt or damaged tooling.

Don't attempt tasks which are beyond your capability

No kids or pets should be in the vacinity

Ok That;'s enough for now. Safety should be included ithink in the Library as a matter of from.

Cheers

Mike O.

Billy Vivona Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
[ I also had my long hair catch on a spinning grip and yank my head down to the grip.]

So that explains the weird beard!


Thanks Scott! Never hurts (well, sometimes it does) to be reminded to be careful.

Hmmm....I just happent to have a sewing maching motor laying around.

Care to post pictures of the lathe?

Derek


Derek L. McMaster
Rohnert Park, CA

Born to Fish, FORCED to Work

Mike - good post. I was "giving advise" on a local board concerning turning wood grips. The guy was using a hand drill and all-thread. After posting a piece of on "advise" on how to speed up the process using a SurForm, it dawned on me that if he was improvising with the tools, he might also be improvising in other areas. I asked in a follow-up post how he was steadying the all-thread and if if was using goggles and a face mask. Sure enough he was holding the drill WITH NO EYE PROTECTION! I wrote back immediately that no more advise was coming until I knew he was taking the necessary safety precautions. I just hope there aren't any plaintiff attorneys monitoring the board.

btw, who wears ties in a rod building workshop :)

The outer corner of a 3 jaw chuck can easily remove the skin from a knuckle in the time it takes you to realize you touched it. Ralph

If at first you don't succeed, go fishing, then try, try again.

A few weeks back I opended a brand new blade for my Stanley knife (like an exacto) razor to trim some thread prior to tying down. I layed the Stanley knife down beside my left hand. I continued to tie down and wanted to inlay another thread. In reaching for the spool of thread I accidentally knocked the Stanley knife with my arm and without thinking about the action, I caught the knife with my left hand. You guessed it. With the blade being brand new it sliced me that quickly and painlessly that I didn' t realise I'd been cut until I started dripping red stuff onto the floor and bench. The wound wasn't too bad but did cause me some problems for a few days. Every now and then we all get a little "wake up" call to be careful with what we do. If we didn't have accidents now and then we become complacent which again leads to more accidents or worst case, serious accidents.

Steve,

We can be pretty stuffy us Brits. Some of us older Guys self even wear ties going down to the pub for a quick pint. Also I bet on occasions someone is tempeted to fit in a bit of quick turning whilst the wifey is not around maybe when they just got in from the day job wearing that dam tie. Especially dangerous under those circumstances where work is done in a guilty rush. Been there done it scrapped a couple of decent suits to in the process. Daft as it sounds when I was an Apprentice it was company rules that we had to wear a kneck tie at all times. This cut across all the safety training we got at college and from the old boys in the machine shops and tool room. Did I say Tool room , we have very few left as yes you guessed the far east make most of our tools.. I am amazed we need any to be honest as I don't see too many manufactureing companbies left. What do they want with tooling? We got loads of Logistic parks and retail shopping Malls . We are copying the sort of large Malls I have seen in the States. Soulesss places with $6.00 an hour jobs for our kids and unskilled people.

How long befeoer you can't get your beloved made in America rod blanks. It's coming Boys.