# Don't be this guy



## barry richardson (Dec 11, 2014)

It's been a couple of weeks since I had this mishap, so I think now my ego has recovered enough to share it. I was performing a well established "unsafe practice" on the jointer. Flattening a short (maybe 10") board using my hand to hold it down. My finger tips were near the leading edge of the board, the board chattered, then kicked back. Flicked my finger tips over the cutter head in the process.



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This accident was the result of hurrying and overconfidence rather than inexperience, but the results are the same. Several hours in the ER and 14 stitches. I've seen a hand specialist, and will see him again next week where he will decide how to proceed. Basically I just need to grow some new tissue, and they may remove the remainder of the fingernail, since shorty nails can cause problems. In the end I should have full functionality, and a nice reminder to slow down. The good news is it was my right hand and I'm lefty, and that it wasn't worse. Bad timing though, this is a busy time of the year to have a gimpy hand. I can use it OK but have to be very careful not to bump or thump my finger...



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healing nicely. I used to council guys in the military with a quote from a John Wayne movie "Life's tough, it's tougher if your stupid" ... should have listened to myself

Reactions: Sincere 2


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## JR Custom Calls (Dec 11, 2014)

Dnag man... that sucks! Definitely a good reminder for us all... and you'll have a lasting reminder. Very fortunate that you didn't do a tremendous amount of damage. Could have been way worse, even though that's bad enough.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## DKMD (Dec 11, 2014)

Sorry about the finger tip, Barry. It's gonna be sore for quite a while, and they tend to stay a little hypersensitive for the long haul.

For the folks who can laugh at themselves, I always tell them the upside to this kind of injury is that every manicure for the rest of their life is 10% off.

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 6


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## Sprung (Dec 11, 2014)

Ouch, Barry... Sorry to hear that this happened. Thank you for the reminder to always work safely. Hope it heals well.


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## Schroedc (Dec 11, 2014)

Ouch. Glad to hear you are recovering and that it wasn't worse.


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## Mike1950 (Dec 11, 2014)

ouch.


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## kazuma78 (Dec 11, 2014)

Sorry to see that barry! Hope it heals quickly for you!


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## barry richardson (Dec 11, 2014)

Dang Kevin! I've had some close calls on the bandsaw, but knock on wood, it hasn't got me yet, nice guides BTW. They kept asking me if I had the tip, I guess there was a chance they could re-attach it, but I'm sure the jointer made hamburger of it, and was sucked away by the vacuum system, and i didn't waste any time looking for it...


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## justallan (Dec 11, 2014)

Very sorry to hear it for the both of you guys and thank you for the reality check for the rest of us. I hope you both patch up well.


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## Mike1950 (Dec 11, 2014)

I slammed my left index finger in the door 2 years ago about the last 3/8's almost cut off- that was not the end of that day-my finger hurt like hell all day but I had bandaged it up and kept busy all day. Come dinner I was going up the stairs tripped and ended up wearing my mashed potatoes-salad and steak and broke the index toe on my right foot. when I explained to my Doc he could not stop laughing. Damn finger hurt for a long time- healed though-has a little numb spot. Be careful- works a lot better then trying to be lucky. 
Hope you heal fast Barry- I for one am really going to miss your projects.


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## TimR (Dec 11, 2014)

Crap guys, I hate these kinds of reminders but am thankful you can post them to hopefully make others think thru everything they're doing. To both of you, I hope your recovery to doing what you enjoy is soon and without too much pain. 
I was just printing out some tablesaw jigs today to do things safer. 
There's obviously much worse things that can happen as well, stay safe everyone.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## manbuckwal (Dec 11, 2014)

OUCH OUCH and OUCH !!!!! Hate to see that happen. We all do this long enough we are bound to have close calls . I hope it heals quickly and correctly for ya Barry !


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## barry richardson (Dec 11, 2014)

No sweat Kevin, glad you "came out" as well. Like Kevin said, by coincidence, Kevin called me when I was sitting in the ER, we shared our war stories and swore each other to secrecy

Reactions: Like 3 | Agree 1


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## Tony (Dec 11, 2014)

Dam Barry, that sucks! I ran a circular saw over the first two fingers on my right hand a couple of years ago and cut halfway through them. 37 stitches later, I was just glad they were still attached and (mostly) working. Hope you heal up quick! TA


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## Tclem (Dec 11, 2014)

Ah man did you cry Barry? I would have.


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## APBcustoms (Dec 11, 2014)

barry richardson said:


> It's been a couple of weeks since I had this mishap, so I think now my ego has recovered enough to share it. I was performing a well established "unsafe practice" on the jointer. Flattening a short (maybe 10") board using my hand to hold it down. My finger tips were near the leading edge of the board, the board chattered, then kicked back. Flicked my finger tips over the cutter head in the process.
> View attachment 65953
> 
> This accident was the result of hurrying and overconfidence rather than inexperience, but the results are the same. Several hours in the ER and 14 stitches. I've seen a hand specialist, and will see him again next week where he will decide how to proceed. Basically I just need to grow some new tissue, and they may remove the remainder of the fingernail, since shorty nails can cause problems. In the end I should have full functionality, and a nice reminder to slow down. The good news is it was my right hand and I'm lefty, and that it wasn't worse. Bad timing though, this is a busy time of the year to have a gimpy hand. I can use it OK but have to be very careful not to bump or thump my finger...
> ...




ouch my buddy did that last month. didnt cut it quite as bad he has about half his fingernail left. i know that had to hurt


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## ripjack13 (Dec 11, 2014)

Well that's a fine christmas present to yourself. Sheesh...I hope you heal well and quick.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## barry richardson (Dec 11, 2014)

Tclem said:


> Ah man did you cry Barry? I would have.


Nope, broke out in a cold sweat driving to the ER though.....


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## Kevin (Dec 12, 2014)

barry richardson said:


> No sweat Kevin, glad you "came out" as well. Like Kevin said, by coincidence, Kevin called me when I was sitting in the ER, we shared our war stories and swore each other to secrecy



Sorry Barry I removed mine I decided to throw you under the bus. 

Actually in hindsight I just felt it was detracting from your thread. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## DLJeffs (Dec 12, 2014)

Man, that had to hurt. On the plus side three of your fingers are the same length now. Maybe that's not a plus. Thanks for the message of caution.


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## barry richardson (Dec 12, 2014)

Kevin said:


> Sorry Barry I removed mine I decided to throw you under the bus.


Too late Kevin, What is seen, can't be unseen.....

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Bigdrowdy1 (Dec 12, 2014)

Ouch!! Hope it heals well and your back to working before long. If it can happen to the best bet your butt it can happen to the rest!!!!


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## robert flynt (Dec 13, 2014)

Sorry to see that Barry, It's a good thing your a lefty like me. Was told lefty were more accident prowned because all tools are made for right handed people. I couldn't use that as an excuse when I was cleaning my knives before a show and dropped one. The darn thing stuck an inch deep in top of my leg. Wife wanted me to get stitches but I convinced her we could make a couple of butterflies band aids and that would work just fine. I told her I would hold the wound closed while while she applied the butterflies. Everthing was going fine until she passed out. I don't thing she will bite on that one again!! Look like it will be stitches next time.

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 1


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## dycmark (Dec 14, 2014)

Barry, 

Rather than say Sorry or anything along those lines I wold like to say Thanks...

We all make mistakes but we are not always willing to share our mistakes. A number of amazingly honest posts here have certainly reminded me a how easy it is to make mistakes. I used to teach hunters safety and it was important to teach them that Kids don't make the majority of mistakes because kids are still 'on their toes'. It is as we get older and "too comfortable" and start to think we have done this a million times, it will be fine, that the bad things often happen.

Thanks for being willing to take the time and share and I hope that things heal up as best they can. you never know in sharing something like this how many fingers you may save.

Thanks again! BE SAFE!!

Mark

Reactions: Like 4 | +Karma 1 | Sincere 1


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## shadetree_1 (Dec 14, 2014)

barry richardson said:


> It's been a couple of weeks since I had this mishap, so I think now my ego has recovered enough to share it. I was performing a well established "unsafe practice" on the jointer. Flattening a short (maybe 10") board using my hand to hold it down. My finger tips were near the leading edge of the board, the board chattered, then kicked back. Flicked my finger tips over the cutter head in the process.
> View attachment 65953
> 
> This accident was the result of hurrying and overconfidence rather than inexperience, but the results are the same. Several hours in the ER and 14 stitches. I've seen a hand specialist, and will see him again next week where he will decide how to proceed. Basically I just need to grow some new tissue, and they may remove the remainder of the fingernail, since shorty nails can cause problems. In the end I should have full functionality, and a nice reminder to slow down. The good news is it was my right hand and I'm lefty, and that it wasn't worse. Bad timing though, this is a busy time of the year to have a gimpy hand. I can use it OK but have to be very careful not to bump or thump my finger...
> ...



Why does that remind me of me? Only in my case it was stupidity.

Reactions: +Karma 1


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## barry richardson (Dec 15, 2014)

I was equally stupid Joe, I just got off easier. A consolation I reminded myself of in the ER while trying to look at the bright side was "at least I didn't get bit as bad as Joe did"


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## TimR (Dec 15, 2014)

I spent most of the past 4 days out in my shop working on a box for a Christmas gift, and I had some goofy cuts to make that normally I'd just cob a modified push stick to move thru the gate between the blade and fence, but seeing what can happen, I've taken a different mind set and took the extra time to devise some carrier jigs to make the operation safer and prevent kickback or just getting close to the blade. Made the whole operation take significantly longer to do...but ultimately very safe. 

Hope the pain is manageable for you Barry, will be thinking about you while you heal.


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## shadetree_1 (Dec 15, 2014)

barry richardson said:


> I was equally stupid Joe, I just got off easier. A consolation I reminded myself of in the ER while trying to look at the bright side was "at least I didn't get bit as bad as Joe did"



Well you can still count to 10 (well 9 and 15/16 anyway) At one time I could do that, not anymore, that's ok mine as well as yours could have been much worse, I can still count to 9 1/2 and I consider myself real lucky!! We live and learn each day and maybe it will help others be a little more cautious and aware I hope!!
I know that you nor I wanted to be a learning example to others in this respect but I guess we are. So take it to heart folks, take a little more time and be a slower and safer and maybe you will not be counting in fractions on your fingers!!!


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