# Whoops table saw



## papawd (Jan 5, 2011)

Well today got in a hurry trying to finish up for the day and cutting some edges off some plywoodsqauring up the pieces for a possible later use and had a piece kickback and got me just below bellybutton , good thing it was kinda thick and wide.... I have not felt a hit like that in over 30 years and it reminded me what a side kick felt like first time I let one of them hit me while learning to spar in Tae Kwon Do... Now I have a nice red,raw spot on my stomach about 4" long and about 9/16" wide ...... I just want to remind everyone to think and be patient when using power tools because these things happen fast and I was totally at fault trying to hurry up..... Then I had to listen to my Wife " if ya can't play with your tools and toys right Ya can just sell'em" .....................


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

whenever i see a thread that has "oops" and "table saw" in the same sentence, my stomach knots up. i'm glad you still have all your fingers.

i hear you my friend ... it can happen so fast you have absolutely no chance of doing anything about it. 

it is so easy to get sloppy and careless because of doing something alot over time that it is easy to forget just how dangerous these tools are.

thanks for the reminder.


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## papawd (Jan 5, 2011)

Yea Chris and the bad thing is I saw it about to happen and kept going thinking I could finish the cut ,,,,,Being in a hurry will get Ya


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## rtaraby (Aug 20, 2010)

*Whoops!!!*

Chris, I have experienced the same thing, the bruise turns blue and then fades

Since that happened to me, I try to remember the following:

1. accidents usually happen when we are rushing at the end of the day

2. when using my table saw, I try to stand a little to the left of the blade

Rick
[email protected]


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## mgmine (Jan 16, 2012)

I have had two close calls myself. The first was when I was sanding a thin piece of wood on a belt/disk sander. The wood became so thin the it pulled itself under the stop with my fingers still sitting on it and wedged it under the stop. It took enough skin off it in a second to draw blood. The second was when I was coring a short log on the band saw. On one side of the log it went in like an hour glass. That was where I was holding on to it. As soon as I hit that spot the blade started coming through and nicked my finger. Luckily it only gave me a small cut before I was able to pull my hand away.


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## GRLevel3 (Apr 4, 2012)

KickBack, 

My first and only kickback that hurt me was like back in the late 80's, cutting some 2x4, ripping, for something at a house we were wiring, anyway, it hit me right in the mouth, blood every were and then some, we were out in the country so I walked over to the van climb in and off we went, I put ice in a t-shirt I had and then in my mouth, both hurt like hell, the white shirt soon was a red one, 

trip was 30 mins or more and emergency room was like another 30 to get in, couple hours later walked out with lots of drugs in my veins and my 2 top front teeth broken, 1 lower was lose, had cut my tongue and inside mouth some how,

NOW every time I stand in front of a saw, that feeling comes over me, "what if"


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

I am 71. One of the first rules I learned about using a table saw - do NOT stand behind the blade, ALWAYS stand to one side. Yes, I have had an odd kickback or two, but have never, never, been hit by one. I guess people are not taught that rule anymore, except the hard way.


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## GRLevel3 (Apr 4, 2012)

JOAT,

Could not agree with you more, what I have learned in my life, less than 71 by a few, has been the hard way it seems, I had no one to show me much less teach me a thing, I was lucky that day and a few more days, but I tell people what I have learned or seen happen in my life, I have learned that showing and helping or teaching anyone something they don't know or think they know is more important than being right/correct,

Some of the old people I was suppose to learn from had the old ideal of he'll learn by his mistakes, no I don't go along with that, one inch up and that 2x4 would of hit my nose and that would of been it for me, I say this in hope that someone will learn from my mistakes and I point those out so people will see what can happen in a blink of an eye with out going through it themselves, 

I might play the fool today but it might save someone pain down the road,


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

GRLevel3 said:


> Some of the old people I was suppose to learn from had the old ideal of he'll learn by his mistakes


That always irritated the crap out of me. The people like that are the ones that are either ignorent, or want to make it seem they are so much brighter than others, and want to keep a 'secret'. I once asked something of my Sergeant Major, in the Army. His answer? I didn't need to know because I wasn't an NCO. A short time later I was promoted, so asked him again. His answer that time? I'm an NCO, and supposed to know that. What a dip stick.

Way I see it, people should pass information along, rather than trying to keep it to themselves. Of course, there are a few people who just 'have' to learn from experience. With that type, you just have to hope they don't kill themselves.

LOL I just remembered, I had a clerk on my second German tour. This kid was a total klutz. Well, one day he said he was going to the basement to help one of the young secretaries cut some paper on the papercutter. Now this paper cutter needed both hands to operate. There is no possible way a human with only two hands and arms could hurt himself with that paper cutter; you had to pull down on a handle, to hold the paper in position, which made that hand be maybe a foot away from the blade; then use the right hand on the handle of the blade, which meant that hand was probably a solid 6-8 inches away from the sharp part. The girl was from another office, but I let him go, telling him not to hurt himself. I got a "Aw Sarge" from that. A few minutes later a sad voice behind me says "Sarge?".. I didn't even turn around, just put my head down with my hand on my brow, and said, "You hurt yourself, didn't you?". Somehow, that poor soul cut the tip of his thumb off. How, I do not know, I didn't ask, just sent him along to the hospital. Some people just 'have' to learn the hard way.


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## Riversmith (Sep 10, 2012)

OUCH!!! From a Newbie, I say Thanx for the mental visual.


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## papawd (Jan 5, 2011)

Stomach is now a pretty purple with a scab starting in the square inside the the bruise. which is by the way the perfect size of the piece being ripped.... And yes this was my first kickback and it still hurts some about 40 or so years of playing with wood and one second of "hurry up " and or being a bit complacent caught me..... As I have heard said the moment Ya stop fearing a tool or piece of machinery is when Ya get bit ................


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