So sorry to hear that, Jerry. That's really too bad. I'm glad it wasn't worse.
It got me, too. My first and second fingers on the right hand. Cut 1/16 off the tops of the fingers from the nail past the 2nd knuckle.
Hand surgeons are a blessing!
Gene

 

Jerry,

Sorry for your injury. I hope that you are the last in the long line of incidents we have had this past month or so. Keep your spirits up, and remember that it could have been much worse. I am in constant amazement as to how fast my hand has been healing. Hopefully the same will continue for you!

Our prayers are for a speedy recovery,

 

Hi Jerry and thanks for making this post as we discussed on the phone. It may just help someone from making the same mistakes when we take the time to share our own with others.

I'll keep you in my prayers buddy and hope the healing process is swift and complete. If you need anything, you know where to find me.

 

Jerry sorry to hear this. I have to admit though I don't have my guard on my saw. But I would not recommend this to anyone that is my own personal preference. And if it happens to me like you won't have anyone to blame but myself. I'll put you on the ever growing prayer list for a speedy recovery.

 

I am saddened by this post, but glad to hear you are OK. I will lift you up in prayer for sure.

 

time heals all wounds (?)

 

Sorry to hear this Jerry. I will say a prayer for you right now that you recover fast. Ok did it.

 

So sorry, Jerry. I too will keep you in prayer. I know how it is, I crushed and lost the tip of my left thumb where I work at about 11 years ago. Healed ok but is a constant reminder of what can happen.

 

My prayers are with you for a speedy recovery, Jerry.

 

Jerry you know I wish you a speedy and full recovery. Don't beat yourself up too much, table saw accidents have happened with the guard on. I know a lot of us, myself included, remove it. And I have a great fear of my table saw after experiencing a couple of kick backs. I have been using the G-R-R-Ripper for the last month or so and it does make me feel a bit safer about using the saw with the guard off. But nothing is fool proof.
Thanks for posting and for reminding us all that it only takes a blink to change everything. Let yourself heal, inside and out.

 

Jerry, all the best for a speedy and full recovery.

Thanks for taking the time to share this with us. It certainly serves to remind us all to be extra vigilant.

James

 

Deb thank you for the reminder. What is done is done and we move on from here. I will heal with a reminder of lessons learned. I am a blessed man wih my family, at home, at church and now on this forum. thanks to all

 

Jerry, I am sorry to hear of your accident, but will add you to my daily prayers. I am glad to hear you lost no digits, and wish you a total recovery.

 

sorry about your accident Jerry,speedy recovery i'm another guilty one not having my guard on. we always feel it want happen to us,but this shows how wrong we can be.

 

HI Jerry,
I, too, am so sorry for your accident. I hope that you can heal well enough to do all the things you want to do.
~Julie~

 

Thank you my plan is to do just that.

 

2 reported accidents in a week, hope you both recover. I have been thinking of you as I saw and route all week. Guard off on the bench saw, no pushstick, I hardly ever wear googles. Holding 2 short pieces of nylon block over the router table, one with a deep 1" plus cut. Tonight I was safely routing with the nylon in the vice and a polycarb template hot melt glued to it, and wearing goggles.
I have had 3 throat ops, eating dust for 40 years, lots of ebony and exotics. I lost the top of my left thumb, nailing into plywood, building a sofa bed. I later lost the top of my right thumb, chamfering a 5" length of timber on the planer. We all have accidents. An oak bowl I was turning exploded and sliced my thigh open. A horizontal grinder exploded and put a parting in my scalp. If you can limp away from these things, you are doing OK. I used to have a serious accident every 2 years. There is less of me now, and I do a lot of paper folding, the paper cuts really hurt!

 

I never did this before and I don't feel so good!!! (punch line from a joke)

 

God speed on your healing Jerry.

 

I just reread Doug's report on his injury. He is spot on regarding how quickly this can happen. I have sat and tried to figure out what the heck happened?? Try as I might I just cannot piece it all together and that is how it happened, if I cannot remember how it is because I was distracted by something else. I lost my concentration my focus was not on the business at hand (no pun intended) thus this injury. All of you know how not to let this happen to yourselves, but I will bet you that by tomorrow some one will be posting somewhere this same story. Let's be sure it is not here.

 

Hi Jerry

From one old SOB to a norther ,at some time we must stop driving the car/truck and stop using sharp tools, it's sad but it comes to all in time.....

Once the concentration slips it maybe time..to stay away from power tools..I'm not saying it's your time but maybe..

Checkers maybe the thing for you and me down the road..

My brother was 76 when he started to have accidents in the shop,1st.way was a bad table saw accident and then a bad band saw accident and then a table mounted sanding accident, but I couldn't get he out behind the steering wheel at 76 ,,he scarred the hell out of me when I was with him going down the road..

=======

 

That is a reasonable suggestion and certainly one to be thought through and I will give it merit as I will have ample time to do so. To make that decision either way would not at this time be advisable, right now I am learning to type one handed,(that’s a joke). The reason I believe I lost concentration is due to lack of restful sleep for the last several months. I, for some reason, have had difficulty sleeping for more than a few hours at a time and have caught myself falling asleep at the drop of a hat, eating, talking to someone, just sitting here typing. We are looking into the reason for that even as I type.

For now I will respond to your suggestion as “duly noted” and let it go at that.

 

Jerry,

It would not be good to fall asleep at the helm of a power tool

Be careful buddy!

 

I found this artcle on SawStop inventor Stephen Gass. What's interesting is how the power tool companies RESISTED putting this technology in motion.
He Took On the Whole Power-Tool Industry, Gizmos and Gadgets Article - Inc. Article

Jerry you are certainly not alone. Here are some interesting statistics.

Power Tool Injuries
Occurance:
•About 125,000 serious injuries due to power tools occur annually
•90% of the injuries are lacerations and similar type injuries
•Around 32,000 table-saw related injuries occur every year
Common Causes:
•Inattatention through repetition
•Unexpected event
•Inexperience or overconfidence
Safety:
•Choose correct tool for the job
•Keep work areas around power tools organized
•Wear eye, hearing, and respiratory protection when warranted
•Keep first aid kit and telephone with emergency numbers near work areas


We are all one blink away from injury.

 

Jerry I am sorry to hear about your accident and I hope you recover quickly and have no deficits which will affect your wood working.

We all have had close calls Jerry including myself and it was due to being tired and trying to get one last thing cut before I called it the night. I almost cut my thumb off but luckily I did not. I now have deep scar tissue on my left thumb which affects me grabbing things in cold weather.

We all need to reassess from time to time when it is time to call it quits for the night and be aware the project still will be waiting after a good night sleep. After having worked shift work for the past 24 years I can attest to the sleep problems. But by no means would I suggest to you or anyone else to hang it up in the shop after one accident. What I would suggest to a dear old friend apposed to a "SOB" is to take it a bit slower I for one am guilty of trying to rush a project to get it completed.

P.S.

You may be on in years friend but your still young at heart and thats where it matters the most IMHO!

 

HI Jerry,

I wish you a speedy recovery. I know this may sound like an old cliche but, accidents do happen. No matter how safe or how many precautions one takes, sometimes, it just happens. Some can't be explained, others, happen for a reason. I too don't keep my guard mounted on my TS. The reasons for not having mine mounted are equal to those for it to be mounted.

Deb,
They still resist because of the cost. Yes, I know one can't put a price of safety but, in today's economy, are you going to find a SS TS in you're average home shop? Doubtful. It boils down to money. It is a nice saw, I'd love to have one but.....

 

Ken anything that is "unique" or only distributed by one manufacturer is going to be expensive. The problem with the SawStop is the liability situations it creates. If it doesn't work who is responsible? Lawsuits in the US are out of control. Can you sue a table saw manufacturer if you remove the guard and get hurt by claiming that they made the guard removeable in the first place? I would bet someone has tried.
Every tool or machine comes with some type of built in "safety". As I pointed out earlier accidents happen even when all the safety equipment is in place. It's not always operator error. Bad wood or materials, a defective blade, things we can't always see.
I have no doubt that one day a SawStop saw will fail and someone will get hurt. I am sure the lawsuit that follows will ruin the company. But I sure hope that there are people like Stephen Gass who will continue to TRY to build safer equipment. Everytime a SawStop saw PREVENTS an accident those current statistics will drop. And hopefully as demand for this type of equipment increases and large manufacturers get on the wagon, the prices of these types of tools will become affordable to the DIYer and home workshop owners. We've already seen the SawStop company start to manufacture more affordable models, yet they keep the quality high so it's still a premium price for a premium saw.
No matter what the safety factor of a tool, we still need to remain vigilant in checking our set-ups, making sure we are doing everything right and keeping focus on the task. Anything less is asking for disaster. I've had my share of "close calls". I hope they are never more then that and I heed those warnings. A certain amount of fear and respect for the danger of tools is something we should never lose.

 

Well said you make a good point and wow with sound reasoning like that you should be a law maker Deb. Then again it might conflict with our current law makers rational.

 

Very well stated Deb!