# graphic - finger injury



## mitt-ens (Jul 22, 2020)

i recently was routing and ( given i hadn't used my router in about 3 months and im only 17 yrs old...) i forgot which way it spun and got my finger cut. didn't go to hospital and this is 3 days after injury

stuff in picture is
- cut 4in x 4in gause
- first aid antibiotic
- adhesive tape
- scissors
- tweezers from a small component electrical storage box
- finger splint

any tips and/or advice on what to do might be helpful
(sorry if pictures are blurry, these were taken using a chromebook camera)


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Ouch! Why didn't you go to the ER? You could have permanent nerve damage.

Welcome, Mitt! I'm feeling your pain. 
Were you using the router freehand or in a table? If the latter, you might want to put some kind of feed direction indicator on the table or fence _that screams at you_.
If free hand, your fingers shouldn't have been anywhere near the bit opening in the casing...you're not the first one here to have been 'bitten'.
One of the members started a thread a while back pointing out that the Bosch Colt was an accident waiting to happen, with it's large opening in the lower case.
In any case,assuming you have Health Insurance, you really ought to have that looked at professionally. It will heal on it's own,but I'd still be concerned about nerve damage.
Soaking your injured finger a couple of times a day in either Epsom salt or saline solution is almost always a good idea. Wearing a clean finger dressing for a couple of weeks can't hurt either.

Glad it wasn't more serious! Hang around with us; we need more young members!!!


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Welcome to the forum. Please update your profile with your first name , and a location is always nice .
I’m sure Stick will be posting some important information regarding router use and safety


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

owee.. sorry to hear that. That is your pointing finger, I hope you are right handed
It will turn black and fall off in a few days,just kidding. I am glad it is not worse. Main thing keep it clean and like Dan says won't be a bad idea to soak it and rebandage it every couple of days. ANy sign of shooting pain up into your hand get to a doctor,it might be blood poisoning.
Let us know what you were doing and how it happened so other members know not to do the same thing.
Herb


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Hello and welcome to the forums N/A...
We're happy you found us...

We are have some ''light reading'' for you...
Gathered together is a bunch of pertinent/relative information * in this here link *... You should find everything (at least most) quite useful, a lot of help and get you off to a running safer start in the world of routers... Enjoy...

Do take some time and read the safety PDF's... *PLEASE!!!*
Blood and trips to the ER, we find, are very annoying... Not to mention – expensive...

BTW....
We do welcome all questions on about any subject you can come up w/ too....
Not only that, we excel at spending your money...


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

OUCH! Hi and welcome to the Forum. Lucky you didn't do any real serious damage. I have almost given up on freehand routing and if it can be done on a table, that's where I do it. Glad you decided to join the fun. What kinds of things do you like to make?


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## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

Welcome to the forum.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

It turns clockwise when hand held. Counter clockwise when mounted under a table. Hopefully that heals up properly.


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## sreilly (May 22, 2018)

Welcome aboard and sorry you had that intro to led with. Injuries will happen if you aren't focused on the task at hand and am unfamiliar with the tools being used. Many people either just skip or barely skim the safety info as boring and unimportant but it's important to point out that it tells you things to prevent this type of mishap. Take what Dan has advised and at least get this looked at just in case. Of course infection is also a possibility. Always better safe then sorry. You know that hindsight stuff and so on.....there's something to it.


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## Rube (Feb 8, 2005)

Several years back the same type injury happened to me. Same finger, just a lighter cut. Just took the end skin off the finger. Table mounted router but with a piece that was too small to be handheld. I went to the ER and was told it was good I came, because they found a couple small pieces of wood embedded in the tissue. It could have set up a serious infection. Be careful and learn from your mistakes. But first of all learn from these people on this forum. They will always steer you right.


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## Bushwhacker (Jun 16, 2009)

Nicely said Don.
I have been bitten by every tool in my shop but never with the router. But I have used it for a catapult to shoot a piece of wood across the shop. 
I once felt under the material I was cutting with my skill saw to see if the blade was going all the way through, before it came to a complete stop.
Gave me a nice little slot on my finger.
Even filed my finger nails a couple of times on the belt sander
My table saws scares the S**t out of me often enough to keep me on my toes.
I once used my steel speed square to keep my material plumb while cutting dove tails on the table saw. Worked great until I got to the half cut at the end.
I still use that speed square just so I see the neat slot cut out of the end every time I use it.
But, I can still count to ten without having to take my shoe off.

Always Keep in mind that you are dealing with high speed sharp instruments.

And, hey, welcome to the forum.

David


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## mitt-ens (Jul 22, 2020)

my router is table mounted
so far i've made rolling workbenches, cabinets, a wood storage cart, and a desk


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Mitt; would you please fill out a bit of a bio about yourself(?). We're a pretty friendly bunch and we like to call folks by their names if possible (DaninVan = Dan in Vancouver). Maybe a general idea of where you live? What tools you have available to you...it helps other members make suggestions, eg where you can get good deals locally for yourself etc.


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## Danman1957 (Mar 14, 2009)

Welcome Mitts,

In one way you are lucky, it could have been much worse. It is also good that you are young and this injury will remain in the back of your thoughts forever. That is a good thing for it will make you think twice before doing something you are unsure of. I was luckier than you I guess, on a joiner I was removing saw dust with my bare hand (I know stupid !) and one of my fingers just touched the spinning blade. The slice was so thin that it didn't draw blood ! I looked up and said thank you and use a brush and keep it away from the blades or shut it off to clean closer. Good luck.

Dan


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

OUCH...! ! !

You're certainly not brand new if you've built the things you described...!

...gotta be more careful...but you already know that.

Do everybody a favor...go get that thing looked at...! ! !

Welcome to the Forum...hang around, you're gonna love it here...

...and let us know what the doctor says about your finger...


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

When I was young and working as a faller and bucker in the woods. I was limbing a fallen log and the axe handle shattered right where my right hand was and split the palm of my hand wide open. Of course it was bleeding like the dickens and the forman grabbed the first Aide kit out of the truck slapped some gauze in my hand and wrapped gauze around it and taped it up, gave me another axe and sent me back to work. We were miles from town and when I got back to camp that night they washed it and re bandaged it and I never saw a doctor. For months I had these long needle like splinters work their way out along the scar. the scar is nearly gone now,but I can still see it.
Herb


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Geez, Herb, I think I just lost my appetite for dinner! 
(No, wait...it's back now.  )


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Herb Stoops said:


> When I was young and working as a faller and bucker in the woods. I was limbing a fallen log and the axe handle shattered right where my right hand was and split the palm of my hand wide open. Of course it was bleeding like the dickens and the forman grabbed the first Aide kit out of the truck slapped some gauze in my hand and wrapped gauze around it and taped it up, gave me another axe and sent me back to work. We were miles from town and when I got back to camp that night they washed it and re bandaged it and I never saw a doctor. For months I had these long needle like splinters work their way out along the scar. the scar is nearly gone now,but I can still see it.
> Herb


I never even got to the sent you back to work part , but lol’d when I read it , as I expected it for some reason .
You sound like a tough ol guy Herb


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

RainMan 2.0 said:


> I never even got to the sent you back to work part , but lol’d when I read it , as I expected it for some reason .
> You sound like a tough ol guy Herb


In those days you rode to work in the Gang truck and rode back to camp at night. You worked long hours and got paid by how many board feet you fell a day,(Log scale), town was a long ways away down the mountain. I had just got out of the army and needed a job.
Herb


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Bushwhacker said:


> I once felt under the material I was cutting with my skill saw to see if the blade was going all the way through, before it came to a complete stop.
> Gave me a nice little slot on my finger.
> 
> David


We had a guy do the same on the job, but he wasn't as lucky, he had 3 fingers a tad shorter on that hand, not a good thing to do.
Herb


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