Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi All!
Haven't been here for a bit - 2+ weeks ago I had a freak accident on my radial saw and i nailed my thumb pretty bad - I forgot about a small piece of walnut that was on the other side of the saw blade that had drifted under the blade as I was making a cut and it slammed the piece of wood I was working on into the covered section of the blade and somehow it smashed the heck outta my thumb - pretty awesome pain went along with it!




This pic was from a week after the accident - it's kinda scary, seeing that I support my family by teaching guitar. A year ago, I had a $35 bandsaw and barely knew how to use it, but I have acquired several tools along the way, mostly older "hand-me-downs", without the greatest instruction on how to use them.... so several months ago I started looking into safe use of the tools - being a veteran, and spent 4 years in a helicopter squadron in the Navy, WE KNEW safety - and it's ALWAYS on my mind -this was a simple mistake that could have cost me a finger(or 2) and for several days it was difficult to go back in my shop without the flashback of the accident showing up in my head - you see, I was taking an alternate direction from building my guitars - mainly because of the frustration of not being able to buy parts, supplies, etc... so I had an idea (Actually 3) to make smaller items out of wood and in hopes of selling them, that could finance the guitar building - so far, I have sold 11 out of 12 pieces that I have made and am moving now into the "Secret Project" that will be for guitarists that I have never seen before, even googled it and couldn't find it and I'm REALLY excited about making these - anyways, this ain't a commercial.... back to the safety - my wife and I had a talk and we decided to get some of the tools I have been in need of and said screw it and CHARGE IT! lmao - that's what tax returns are for right? paying of those dang cards - anyways with selling all these things it seemed like a great time to stock up on some much needed supplies and got a great Ridgid Portable 10" table saw - with all the safety gear - even got some featherboards, pushsticks, etc... as well as READING the manuals in their entirety also have 2 really cool items coming in from Grizzly on Monday - will post pics when that comes in... I know, you may be asking, why didn't i spend the money on guitar parts? Well, I think having not to "improvise" on tasks and use the right tools for the job is a must. My guess is that I will be back on my builds by the new year and hell, I'm enjoying the journey again, so that's what really matters, right?

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"Talking about music is like dancing over architecture".
See the most insane first guitar build: http://www.virgilguitar.com
http://www.youtube.com/VirgilGuitar

Nasty looking thumb.
Hey, I've been in the carpentry biz for
aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!
36 years.
The older i get, the more careful I get.
Been really lucky.
What I do now, is,
whenever I turn ANY power tool on,
I look at the blade, or bit,
see it's free of any problems, then turn it on.
Chopsaws and stuff like that, same thing.
Make sure the piece you are working on is against the backstop,
with no debris between the wood and backstop.
Also, make sure the blade is at full speed on a chopper or radial.
I hope I don't cut myself tomorrow at work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everybody, be careful!!!!!!

Sliced my hand on the tablesaw, now I have no feeling on the outside edge of my pinky finger, but it still has full motor function. Now the only thing I use my tablesaw for is fretboard slotting, and cutting neck tenons and heel block mortises. I figured out a method to make perfectly square neck and heel blocks using my edge sander. That's what I was doing when I cut my hand.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

I HATE using my table saw. It's only used when absolutely necessary. Today my finger ran into a forstner bit on the drill press. No big deal, and no damage done. But it got me thinking. What if it had been a band saw blade or something?

You can never be too careful.

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David Morris

yeah at first the entire thumb was numb and it's still a tiny bit at the tip - unfortunately, i cant imagine life without these tools now.

_________________
"Talking about music is like dancing over architecture".
See the most insane first guitar build: http://www.virgilguitar.com
http://www.youtube.com/VirgilGuitar

true that - ever since my friend brought the old ugly-azz craftsman table saw, it simply stared at me from the corner whispering " I AM dangerous"

Felt much safer on this new one with the safety guards/featherboards today, but I still have the utmost respect for it's capacity of destruction/maim

_________________
"Talking about music is like dancing over architecture".
See the most insane first guitar build: http://www.virgilguitar.com
http://www.youtube.com/VirgilGuitar

Reason number 43 as to why i got some "other" things being shipped to me - I prefer other ways of cutting things, but I know there are just some things that work better on it like larger panels and anything with some length to it.

_________________
"Talking about music is like dancing over architecture".
See the most insane first guitar build: http://www.virgilguitar.com
http://www.youtube.com/VirgilGuitar

my grandpa was missing a finger(1 in from the pinkie, i never learned the names) from a table saw accident i believe, and i was always fascinated by looking at his hand. sure didn't seem to slow him down much though.
i use the table saw a lot, i just try to be careful. BUT the guard was removed a long time ago, and i rarely bother to put on safety glasses.....the harder woods scare me, like big rips of rock maple. i just worry about the piece binding between the fence and the blade, and throwing! i would love a radial arm for the long cuts....
i have to admit, for some reason i am more scared(and more inexperienced) on the router....

Right. I thought I'd reduced it's usefulness to cutting up big pieces of plywood, but the other day I was working with some red oak, and the bandsaw just didn't like it. It got fussy with me and tried to drift. The table saw worked wonders.



That's the other tool I try and avoid. Routers are crazy dangerous. I use my Robo-Sander whenever I can, but there are some things only a router will do well. Even though I know a router is probably more dangerous than a table saw, at least it doesn't try to send pieces of hardwood flying at my scrotum.

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David Morris

Man, I feel your pain, Virgil.
I had a quite similar accident a few years ago, and broke my left thumb just behind the nail. It happened on a mitre saw, (more than one piece on the cutting surface) and when I let go of the saw, I had to look in my hand to see if the thumb was still there.
That honestly has to be the worst pain I have ever felt (maybe I`m just lucky that way).
The numbness in your thumb may hang around for quite awhile, if you`re wondering about that.
My biggest problem throughout the healing process was buttoning /unbottoning my pants!
Heal quickly and treat that thing like your most prized possession for awhile!
Good idea to get more/better equipment whilst you have to take it "sorta easy".
Oh yeah, that booklet that comes with power tools? I`ve happened upon some different approaches to doing some of the tasks that I thought were already figured out.
AS WELL WITH THE SAFETY INFO.
Coe Franklin

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Give me 50 cents worth of regular.
Check my oil too, if you don`t mind,,,

Welcome to the club

Here's mine, from August



http://luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=33278&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

he hehe! I figured being a rookie, you old salts would put mine to shame!

_________________
"Talking about music is like dancing over architecture".
See the most insane first guitar build: http://www.virgilguitar.com
http://www.youtube.com/VirgilGuitar

Yes take care of your fingers, you don't appreciate how useful they are until you lose them.





That was three years ago, today they are still numb and tender, and with incomplete mobility, especially the middle finger which now has bits of dacron as tendons.



OK this wasn't a luthiery accident but the result of being hit by a motorcycle, but I still got rid of my table saw, as my surgeon told me it was the most common injury she sees, carpenters taking off fingers with saws.

Be careful out there.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Wow Colin - thanks so much for sharing that with us - albeit disturbing photos, it is a reminder that how easy carelessness with power tools (even though yours was from a motorcycle accident) can take away much-needed parts of the body. Your photos will enter my mind every time I hit the start switch now - thank you.

_________________
"Talking about music is like dancing over architecture".
See the most insane first guitar build: http://www.virgilguitar.com
http://www.youtube.com/VirgilGuitar

It's not just table saws, two of my co workers have destroyed the ends of their fingers with routers. One, a good friend, had to give up playing and sell all his guitars. I miss playing with him. Threads like this should serve as a reminder to follow safety protocols, all the time , every time. No exceptions.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

Virgil,
Get better and get back to work....safely!

Colin...I dont even know what to say. Sorry about your hand. That sucks.

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http://www.CostaGuitars.com
PMoMC

Hi Tony!
I been workin' on a "secret project" stay tuned - it's a PHENOMENAL Christmas gift for guitarists - my thumb is still recovering after a month now - still a little numb on the tip, but working (light duty )

_________________
"Talking about music is like dancing over architecture".
See the most insane first guitar build: http://www.virgilguitar.com
http://www.youtube.com/VirgilGuitar

Glad to hear your thumb is recovering. And, glad to see that you posted this. I think we ought to "bump" it about once every two weeks to keep safety on everyone's mind. I find it ironic that as a player AND builder that every time I work in the shop I jeopardize my playing. The loss of any part of a digit on either hand would take a toll on my ability to make music, and that would really . . . . .

I've been working with wood and around a woodshop for over 15 years now (only recently started making guitars). Some tools still scare the . . . . outa me. I love my tablesaw, and couldn't envision being without it, but it is the thing that bothers me most. I have a scar under my right eye from a board that was sent flying in a "kickback" incident, and fortunately have not had any contact with the blade. Nevertheless, every time I make a cut, I look at that spinning blade (yes, no guard, as anyone who uses a saw with one will tell you, makes almost any common task imposible to do) and cringe a bit. Routers scare me too, espcially the router table with a bit sticking up just wating to catch a glimpse of a finger or hand. I talked to a guy last month with missing fingertips from a jointer. ANY power tool has the capibility of instantly rendering significant damage to various parts of your body.

Not just power tools. My most severe "cut" occured with a razor sharp hand chisel. Almost rendered the thumb on my left hand useless when I stuck the chisel in the back of it just below the knuckle.

Be careful!

Just thinking about table saws got me to designing and building a custom saw for ripping (and other cuts).

My saw holds the wood down to the table with clamps and then the motor/blade, which is mounted securely to parallel rails, passes through piece. I push the blade with one hand and hold on the spring loaded electric switch with the other. Neither hand ever gets anywhere near a blade and there is no chance of kickback.

I've had a lot of crap happen to me in my life due to things beyond my control. It may seem like lot of hassle to make your own saw but I sort of adopted the "Serenity Prayer" throughout the course of events that comprises my life. "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can't change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

The pics don't show the pushing handle. It's just a bar with a handle that allows me to push the carriage along the track...and keep my hand well away from the blade.

That saw was something I could change...though it was more cowardice than courage that motivated me.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

That's great Stuart. It looks ominous with that naked blade out there, but your description of its operation sounds much safer than a standard table saw. With all the holes in the table, is the wood held in place by vacuum?

I was at Lowe's buying some plywood last week and had them cut it for me. The saw they use for that job is awesome, and I thought that something like that would make me feel much more at ease with using a table saw-type device. What I've done in the past is to clamp a guide on my board to be cut and use that for my circular saw to ride against. that worked pretty well for me and plan to use that method rather than using a table saw whenever possible.

Those holes are all tapped....so I can use two simple bar clamps to hold the board down. When the bolts are tight the board is completely secure. I also have a series of blocks that are at 7 different widths....in 1/8" increments. The holes are 1" apart. When I want to cut a straight width of 7-1/2", for instance, I grab the 1/2" set of blocks are screw them into the seventh row. I can also set the blocks vertically to get a nice 90 degree cut.

This saw also lets me make straight free cuts to remove bark edges...while holding the board securely....very handy in that regard.

When in high production mode it certainly takes longer to load each board and bolt it down.....but I'm happy to do it...for the safety factor. The only way you can actually hurt yourself is to run your hand over the blade as it spools down after the cut. You'd really have to be absent minded to do that.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

You put a ton of work into that saw, Stuart, and it shows. That is an absolutely brilliant and beautiful device . I'm always amazed at your ingenuity and machining talents.

Stuart - I am totally convinced that you are more off the chain than I am - of course I have been reciting the same prayer for almost 16 years myself! Very cool setup! I think my table saw will be mainly dedicated now to fret slotting....

_________________
"Talking about music is like dancing over architecture".
See the most insane first guitar build: http://www.virgilguitar.com
http://www.youtube.com/VirgilGuitar