Official Luthiers Forum!

And the assailant.

_________________
Doug

Don't let fear or common sense stop you from trying to build something

Yikes! Lucky the tendon is still in one piece.

_________________
http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

Ahhhhh!
you need some rum.

_________________
wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

Ouch. Not looking forward to the day I do myself some damage building a guitar.
Anyone tried making guitars wearing hand armour?

I put a 2mm chisel into my palm and out the top of my hand once. I cringed when I pulled it out and amazingly it didn't even bleed. It missed everything. I was left with no pain and tiny red dot on both sides of my hand. Sometimes you're lucky and sometimes you're not.

Oh my! It hurts just looking at it! And it can happen so fast.

If it's any consolation Doug, you could have hurt yourself doing something you hate doing! Glad it is a cut that goes with the grain, not across it.

Ale

_________________
"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

ouch! Be careful out there people...

Is the digital nerve OK on that side? You are lucky if it is.

_________________
It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Nerve, tendon are all fine. No pain. Already back in the shop. My wife thinks I'm nuts. My bad in not using better technique with a chisel.

_________________
Doug

Don't let fear or common sense stop you from trying to build something

Glad to hear it's ok. Technique change maybe?

T

Yup, from personal experience. hand tools deserve a lot on respect.
Thanks for posting this reminder for everyone.
In my case it was repairable with 3 hours in surgery, the tendon and nerve were fixed, and I've got 90% movement back some feeling back in my finger.......

_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

I had a similar run-in a few years back with a utility knife (I've damaged myself more with one of those than anything else so far). One digital nerve repair and a number of years have brought me back to about 90% feeling in my middle finger.

Since then, I've developed a mental mantra:

"If it slips, where's it going to go?"

I've changed many approaches once I got into the habit of doing this.

""If it slips, where's it going to go?"
I've changed many approaches once I got into the habit of doing this."

Me too! I do a lot less holding and a lot more clamping now.
Also when working in the shop with injuries be doubly careful. Once when nursing a minor cut on one finger and being sure to keep it out of harm's way I clipped the tip of another in the jointer. Ouch!

Glad to hear you will be O.K.

Doug-
You know you will have to have that chisel destroyed now that it has tasted human blood, right?

I'm glad you are O.K. and thanks for the safety reminder. I hate to admit it but I often catch myself doing something that could end badly and have to stop and rethink it.

_________________
John Lewis
Wannabe builder owned by 2 crazy dachshunds

chisels - IMO, if you cant use the chisel to do a task holding it with both hands, I usually wont even attempt it, as its bad technique. I teach my students to hold the blade of the chisel in one hand (held like making a first, chisel is inside the fist), the handle in the other - this way, you can NEVER impale yourself in the hand, as both hands are BEHIND the edge. The only time a chisel should be used one handed is if you have a mallet in the other hand ...

Glad you are going to be OK, that looks nasty ....

_________________
Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

Ouch. I feel your pain Doug. I've still got scab over the area where I lost a flap of skin trying to catch the router.

Pat

_________________
There are three kinds of people:

Those that make things happen,
those that watch things happen,
and those that wondered what happened.

Ouch...the classic chisel injury. Let's all keep both hands behind the sharp end folks. Clamps can hold the work and they heal much faster

^^^^ exactly!

_________________
http://www.wideskyguitars.com
https://www.instagram.com/wide_sky_guitars/

Thanks for posting it is good to share these wake-up calls as a reminder to the rest of us. I spent a bunch of time in a class from Rick Davis and I think he spent the entire scratch build class moving one of my hands from the front of chisels. It is amazing how fast things can go wrong.

_________________
http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

Sorry you had to go through that, Doug. I really hope it heals up fast.
Happened to me several years ago doing a mitre, and a scary sharp 1-1/2" chisel went into the fleshy part of the left thumb below the first joint. I just called up from the basement "Maureen...hospital", and she was out the door to get the car. Fortunately, we live about 6 blocks from the hospital. Same as you, just missed everything. Still a little numb in the area, but works OK.
Yes, it's very important to keep both hands behind the tool, BUT, many times it is bad thinking that does you in. Too tired, not awake, distracted by radio, in a hurry, angry at wife (oops!), wife angry at you...you name it. It's really a potentially dangerous job. In my 42 years of woodworking, I've seen some very ugly stuff.
I'm a good morning starter, so I usually do most of the difficult tasks after the first hour in the shop. Later in the afternoon, I watch carefully to tell when I am getting a bit tired, and at that point, switch to easy tasks, plan steps for tomorrow, or just clean shop.
Hope you feel better soon.

I know that I have always considered a pair of these, but buying tools is more fun than buying safety gear. Doh!

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.a ... 45887&ap=1

Brian

_________________
My memory is so good, sometimes I remember things that never happened.

Thanks for sharing Doug. Get healed up fast and well

_________________
久保
美智え

I showed Doug's injury to my wife, and she asked me if I had my cell phone in my pocket at all times when I'm in my shop. Sometimes it is on a bench, but from now on I'll keep it in my pocket or on my belt. It doesn't take much to go into shock sometimes, and if you are alone, having a phone handy is a good idea.
I keep bandaids on pushpins on the walls around my shop for booboo's, but I think I'll add a couple of boot lace tourniquets as well.

Alex

_________________
"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

I should have posted a picture of what happened to me last summer, though it wasn't shop related. Was using one of those long pole tree trimmers with the pull rope, and the serated sickle blade on top. ...Cringing yet?... It got stuck on a branch, so like an idiot, I used my stomach to steady the pole, and used two hands to pull on the rope with maximum force. ...Got one eye covered now?... Then all of a sudden, the whole thing gets away from me, and this 12 foot long pole does a complete spin about its center and that sickle blade chops into my right forearm. How my arm did not break, I'll never know. But the blood (sorry!!) gushed out so badly that it absolutely scared the hell out of me. I even entertained thoughts about how this must be what it is like to suffer a catostrophic accident and be there watching it all go down. Seriously thought shock was a possibility. Nobody home except my 10 year old son, who after helping me get it wrapped, asked that I drop him at the local pool. LOL! Then I drove myself to the Doc n Box where they told me there was nothing to do but wrap it and kep it iced. He also informed me that I was lucky the balde was serated, otherwise it could have taken my arm off. Ugh!!

Sorry, felt like sharing!

And get well soon Doug.