How not to have a fight with a cnc

[genek]

I learned a very hard lesson yesterday,,, the board i was cutting parts out of split apart.. I had turned off the cnc but the cnc had not stopped i grab the board the board pulled my hand into the bit.. To avoid this accident wait till it stops ... Almost lost two fingers..

[steve_g]

Eugene
Sorry to hear about your accident. The CNC is so much safer than our other shop tools It's easy to not give it the respect it deserves... Hopefully I and others can gain some respect without the actual experience. Thanks for reminding us.

SG

[dlcw]

Eugene,

I'm very glad you escaped injury. I suspect you probably had to go change your underwear though :eek:

[dhunt]

Over the last 11 years, CNC work has taught me to improve my reaction time! :)

I now have it down in the region of around 2.63 nanoseconds.
.

[steve_g]

Almost lost two fingers

Soooo... I assumed that you didn't quite loose them. Don assumed you got away with a bad scare... which was it?

SG

[dhunt]

How much blood? That's what we really want to know...


Pictures??
.

[ironsides]

Thanks for NOT posting pictures, I am a wimp when it comes to seeing pics of injuries.

George

[dhunt]

Thanks for NOT posting pictures, I am a wimp when it comes to seeing pics of injuries.Geeez...not even blood spatters on his spoil-board?? :D
.

[genek]

Still not out of the woods on one finger.. It broke it and rapped it around the half inch up cut sprial bit... Had to drive my self to er two HOURS away... First dr that saw the finger could not sew it up he called in a ortho dr, took 4 hours to sew one finger up.. This was a mistake that should not have happened.. I put to much value on the board and threw out all safety rules... This has almost cost me my fingers... As far as the blood goes about a pint on the floor and bed, before i could get the first aid kit open ended up putting rubber bands around wrist to slow blood loss down till i got a good bandage on... Dad had taken the day off and was out and about with his brothers, so i was totally on my own.. Keep a cool head did what was needed shut down the shop... Called the hospital to let them know i was on my way.... The local amblulance was out on another call would have been 1 to 2 hours before they could come to me so i decided to drive my self to hospital... Made it fine...

Always remember let the bit come to a complete stop before touching anything on the table or around the bit... This happened so fast, it was unbeliveable.... No pain, just blood every where... Took a minute to unwrap finger from bit... And boy wa i scared...

KEEP WIDE BAND RUBBER BANDS NEAR YOUR FIRST AID KIT. WITH OUT THE RUBBER BANDS I WOULD HAVE LOST A LOT MORE BLOOD.. JUST DO NOT KEEP THEM ON FOR LONG.. JUST TILL YOU GET CONTROL OF THE BLEEDING...

[myxpykalix]

2 hours drive away from a ER? Geez where do you live in the backwoods? Wow you really do need to be able to take care of yourself in case of emergency. Man just glad you are ok..:(

[steve_g]

This happened so fast, it was unbelievable.... No pain, just blood every where...

I empathize with you... I was so mad... At myself! Two years later and I'm still irritated.

SG

[michael_schwartz]

I could not imagine what it would be like to treat that kind of injury myself, and then drive for two hours. You must be a real fighter. I hope that willpower, will help you through your recovery, and get you back to work.

I have already reconsidered some unsafe habits since you have shared this.

[dhunt]

Your vivid account had me cringing, while reading it! :eek:

I have often visualized what a Close Encounter might be like
but have always stayed a respectable distance away from the router

I think it safe to say that your experience has benefited us all
as we learn from your unfortunate mistake!
Look after those fingers and get well soon.

No piece of wood, no router bit is worth the sacrifice you just inflicted on yourself.
Just stand back and hit that Space Bar or Big Red Button: wait for all motion to stop
-then you get in there and sort out the mess.
.

[harryball]

I'm glad it was no worse. A good lesson for us all, thanks for sharing.

We are all subject to lapses and I've had a few close calls myself doing "stupid" things. Once while visually inspecting a generator I noticed radiator fluid leaking. Without thinking I reached THROUGH a fan blade to check a block heater connection. This was on a generator that was online and set for autostart. Fortunately, something clicked in my brain "What are you doing out Idiot???!!!" and I pulled my hand back, about 10 seconds later the generator started. Not a hairline close call but it certainly ranks up there in my memory and it still makes me uncomfortable thinking about it some 10+ years later.

We all do it. Don't beat yourself up over it or think you are especially more stupid than anyone else.

Keep us posted on the recovery. Again, thanks for sharing.

/RB

[myxpykalix]

We are all subject to lapses and I've had a few close calls myself doing "stupid" things.

Yes i seem to recalll a guy who got his fingers stuck to his shopbot table i think under a sheet of plywood with his vacumn, what a boob!:D lol

Harry do you remember who that was?:rolleyes:

[chiloquinruss]

"toilet paper and duct tape" Yep its sounds goofy but the local hospital (we are also rural and a fair distance away) recommended in an emergency a roll of toilet paper to wrap the wound (its sterile out of the package) and then wrap with duct tape. They said that they cut the duct tape off and then can wash off the tp because its water soluble to get to the wound. Fortunately I have not had to try it.

Hope it heals with little or no after effects. A good friend lost a thumb recently and he has been going through all kinds of after grief. :eek: Russ

[harryball]

We are all subject to lapses and I've had a few close calls myself doing "stupid" things.

Yes i seem to recalll a guy who got his fingers stuck to his shopbot table i think under a sheet of plywood with his vacumn, what a boob!:D lol

Harry do you remember who that was?:rolleyes:

Gee... I can't recall... who was that... err... umm... oh yeah, nevermind. :D


Sometimes things happen and it's our own fault and we know it. There are those that will sympathize with you, those that will empathize with you those that will tell you "I told you so..." and those that will make fun of you. Then, for the fortunate, there are your friends that will do all of the above and never let you forget it.


My hat is off to you for handling the problem and taking responsibility for it. I was thinking today how some out there would be blaming everybody else and suing the bit manufacturer for not including a safety on it or something.


/RB

[Ajcoholic]

I have mentioned this before, but its worth noting again.

I was unfortunate to see my father nearly sever all his fingers not once, but twice in my life. The 2nd time, I was fresh out of college, and in my first year of full time woodworking in the family business. My dad (who I consider a master furniture maker) had at the time, a lifetime of experience working with industrial machinery.

One split second, and his life forever changed. No more use of his left hand (his fingers were all saved but pinned and to this day frozen in one position).

I was in the emerg. room with him and his hand looked like a two pound lump of hamburger meat. Gruesome!

I have worked my whole life to date - each and every day - as safe, and as careful as I can be. That being said, it only takes one time, where your concentration lapses and you can get bit bad.

I feel sorry for anyone who has an accident, but it does remind the rest of us not to take safety for granted.

Hope your hand heals up soon!

AJC

[bolingerbe]

Here is one on me. I was working in the shop on a last minute item for a cabinet job and my right thumb went throw the shaper with the wood. As said before it happen so quick just a lot of blood and no pain. When I arrived at the ER the doctor asked where the middle of my thumb was I said that I did not look as the cutter was moving at a real fast speed but i estimated it went down the dust collector. I have a panic button kind of like a car remote I carry with me to kill all power in the shop except one row of lights in case something like this happend. I pushed one button and out the door I went.

[genek]

Here are some pictures of my index finger... Navy seal trainging got me through this.. I live 20 miles on the other side of the boone docks.... The local hospital could not have handeled this went to v.a. Hospital for a battlefilied trained medic.

These pictures was taken today in the er....
I have posted these and told my story in hope that this will prevent someone else from making a mistake like i did..

[myxpykalix]

Man all the sudden i'm hungry....don't know why...I think i'll go to the kitchen and get me some finger sandwiches...i'm in the mood for you know, something light like finger food:p

Then i think i might have a snack of a candy bar...you guessed it...a Butterfinger!:D

[genek]

Jack if you were closer would join you but i ended up having hamburger. Lol

[myxpykalix]

Don't you mean.....HAND-BURGER?:eek: or a HAND-SANDWICH ON WHITE BREAD?:rolleyes:
I'm glad you can laugh about it now, i'm sorry you got hurt, btw i think i might have some left over vicodin from my surgery want me to send them to you?;)

[genek]

Actually i have had very little pain.. Most of the pain is from the break in the bone. Got to laugh about it.. Tears do not change it.. Besides when you laugh the whole world laughs with you but when you cry you cry alone,
it was a mistake, i have learned from it.. I can not roll time backwards and un-do it... So i might as well move on and laugh about it... Thanks to everyone for their support, comments and especially the jokes... Laughter is the best medicine

[myxpykalix]

I'm glad I could do my part to help you in your recovery...:D

[MogulTx]

Eugene,

Sorry about the injury. I am glad you were so cool-headed. When emergencies happen, it is best to be ready to help yourself. As my momma says: "The Good Lord helps those that help themselves".

I hope they can be flexed and fully functioning when healed. Good luck on that.

Thanks for your service as a SEAL. God Speed your recovery.

Monty

[metabot]

Wow.. That sucks man. Sorry to hear (and see).

I just sliced my finger open on an engraving bit. The machine wasn't even on. :o

[crash5050]

Stuck my hand in an airplane prop, it was just sitting there idling at 7200 rpm, and i reached up to tune an idle adjustment and just stuck that sucker right in there, no pain whatsoever, but the white Tee Shirt that I was wearing looked like I had been attacked by a chainsaw. Lost my birdie finger on my right hand, and 66 stitches in the other 3. Cost over 20K for the ER visit and the ortho surgeon to cut off the rest of the bone and fix the stump.

Morale of the story, don't stick your hand in a moving airplane prop!

[twelchPTM]

It suck but everyone need a wake up call once in a while, So many storys of finger but I had an experience that may possibly trump alot of them.... While working with a 3/4 HP PC router with a 1/2" straight cutter in the collet I shut the power off and lowered the router to my side with out waiting for the bit stop spinning. Well the bit still had enough momentum to grab the crotch of my pants and wrap the fly around the bit. Lucky for me I buy cheap clothes and the weak zipper broke before I lost my you know what or you know who's. I still have the pull tab from that zipper on my key chain today so each morning as a take my keys to got to work I am reminded of how quickly thing can go bad.