# Brush with disaster!



## mailee (Nov 11, 2005)

I made a start on the oak cabinets today but had a disasterous mishap with the planer! Stupidly I was rushing and feeding the legths of oak through the blades on my Elu P/T. Without thinking I brushed some dust off the table with a sweep of my hand as two of my fingers went pass the guard straight into the spinning block! :shock:  Initially I thought I had just hit the guard with my finger but as I jerked my hand back blood spattered across the workshop! Oh Dear! I didn't dare look to see what I had done. When I plucked up the courage to look I was amazed that I had got away with just cutting a flap on the end quite deep though. Here it is after it had stopped bleeding:








I have never liked those Euro guards on these machines now I think they are downright dangerous! Still I should have known better as I normally blow off any chippings. Well lesson learned and I WONT do that again. I consider myself very lucky and am normally a safe worker. Only the second accident in 20 years so not so bad. I did have the guard in place and low to the blade but nothing guarding the blade where the wood had been fed through, if it had been the pork chop guard this would not have happened.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

DAM Alan

That makes me sick  sorry
I'm glad you still have all your parts ..

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mailee said:


> I made a start on the oak cabinets today but had a disasterous mishap with the planer! Stupidly I was rushing and feeding the legths of oak through the blades on my Elu P/T. Without thinking I brushed some dust off the table with a sweep of my hand as two of my fingers went pass the guard straight into the spinning block! :shock:  Initially I thought I had just hit the guard with my finger but as I jerked my hand back blood spattered across the workshop! Oh Dear! I didn't dare look to see what I had done. When I plucked up the courage to look I was amazed that I had got away with just cutting a flap on the end quite deep though. Here it is after it had stopped bleeding:
> 
> I have never liked those Euro guards on these machines now I think they are downright dangerous! Still I should have known better as I normally blow off any chippings. Well lesson learned and I WONT do that again. I consider myself very lucky and am normally a safe worker. Only the second accident in 20 years so not so bad. I did have the guard in place and low to the blade but nothing guarding the blade where the wood had been fed through, if it had been the pork chop guard this would not have happened.


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## Dal300 (Jul 14, 2011)

Alan, I hate when that happens!

I have a bad habit of brushing off the router table top so I can make the next pass. I don't know how I picked up the habit because I use to blow it off. Luckily I haven't routed any fingers yet!

I hope the rest of your week goes better!


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## papawd (Jan 5, 2011)

Glad You did not loose finger


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

Dang, Alan... It's sickening but a good reminder on how fast these things can happen.

FWIW, I've been working diligently on dragging an air hose over near my TS, jointer and router table when I work on them, to blow away the dust and chips. When I get my permanent shop I'll pre-plumb the air and have a coiled air hose with nossle permanently mounted by each.

Is it overkill? Probably so. The upside is that it's significantly reduced the nuisance splinters and keeps the hands away from the knives. 

Just my $0.02.. YMMV.

Jim


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## mailee (Nov 11, 2005)

Thanks guys. I do count myself very lucky. I normally blow dust off just by blowing the chips away so why on earth I brushed them off I still don't know? there is one thing for sure that I won't be doing it in the future. I have to say that I much prefer the pork chop type of guard you have on the machines in the USA as these are much safer than the euro guard we have to have on our machines here. I have a smaller jointer which is fitted with this type but I have a problem with the tables on it at the moment so used the bigger machine, bit Ironic really. Still it was my own stupid fault and I should have known better. Just thought I would post this as a warning to others of my silly mistake. It is my second accident with a woodworking machine in 20 years so hopefully there won't be any more. :fie:


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

Alan,

I've only seen Euro guards advertised in magazines, having a porkchop on my little jointer. That said, I have contemplated some day replacing my jointer and my old lunchbox Delta planer with a Jet 12" JJP-12HH jointer/planer. That unit has the Euro-style guard.

Would you please compare/contrast the two for us (and tell me why you don't like them) to help me in my contemplation? <g>

Jim


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## mailee (Nov 11, 2005)

Well Jim, with the euro guard it covers the blades when planing the wide section and the idea is that you pass the timber under it straddling the guard with your hands. To use it while edging a piece of timber you retract the guard back from the fence just enough to pass the timberand the end of the guard pushes the flat face of the timber against the fence. I find it very difficult to pass the timber under the guard so had the guard retracted 6" to allow the timber to pass, but of course this left 6" of the block uncovered. I much prefer the pork chop guard which immediately springs back into place when the timber is removed. For some strange reason over here in the UK the pork chop type is outlawed by the HSE and the euro guard is the only one we can buy. I do have a small Grizzly jointer that I normally use for planing (jointing) and this does have the pork chop guard. Unfortunately the tables on this have a problem at the moment so had to use the other machine which I normally only use for thicknessing.


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

Silly boy...(VBG)....I am glad you did not do any permanent damage......


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Been there, done that Alan, mine ended with a skin graft. It happens so fast, before the brain has time to stop it happening. Mine was eleven years ago and I'm only just starting to get feeling back in the finger tip.


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## rwl7532 (Sep 8, 2011)

That's going to leave a mark.


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## xplorx4 (Dec 1, 2008)

My moment is located http://www.routerforums.com/shop-safety/16865-one-post-i-never-wanted-make.html. I still do not have feeling in the ring finger nor full use of it, the index is OK as is the pinkie. All I can say is Be careful out there!


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## CanuckGal (Nov 26, 2008)

That is nasty Alan. Good thing it wasn't worse! Hope you have a speedy recovery.


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## biscobob (Sep 9, 2011)

Ouch, stuff like that happens in the blink of an eye. Hope it heals up well for you.

Just the other day I reached for a cut off piece on my bandsaw and put a nice little groove in one of my fingernails. Didn't go through but it is gonna be a long time before it grows out and goes away and through that whole time it is gonna remind me daily how close I came to taking the tip of my finger off. I religiously turn off the power now before putting my hands anywhere near the blade no matter how much of a hurry I am in. Seems like we all get lax after a while,at least till the machine wakes us up again.


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## derek willis (Jan 21, 2009)

Got the tee shirt and learned my lesson, there is a small brush hanging on the side of the table, along with the spanners and a few more bits and bobs. Don't it bloody hurt though.


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## reikimaster (Sep 29, 2005)

I have a squirrel tail brush that I use to brush things off. I've not (yet) had a run-in with a spinning blade, but I have had stuff jammed into my skin and under my nails that was really kind of nasty. This goes back to my days as a millright. So some things jammed into me were metal. I once swiped down an ash handle of a sledge hammer not realizing it has started to split and as a result I drove what was essentially an ash filet knife right through the side of my hand.

It's funny sometimes (in a sick kind of way) what it takes for us to learn. The only thing I wipe with my hand now is toast crumbs off the kitchen table.


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