Thumb vs Panel Saw

[Woodenskye (Bryan)]

Thread transferred from previous forum - Original post by Puka

Original Post:

I have pictures to prove it, just not on my phone.

 

It was a late Friday night, it was very hot and even hotter in my workshop. My hands slick with sweat, one gripping a wooden push stick the other a plastic pushy. Yeap you guessed it, the hand with the plastic pushy slipped.

 

Usually when I cut wood on the panel saw I usually only wind up the blade enough that it will cut the bit of wood I need to cut. This night was no different, thanking the Joinery Gods.

 

So my hand slipped on the pushy stick. Silly me I put it [the push stick] down and finished pushing the bit of wood threw with my hand directly on it. I wasn't directly behind the blade but off to one side. [this is why what happened next is why it happened] if I'd been directly behind the blade I wouldn't have slipped in the direction I did when the bit of wood finished cutting and the front inside corner of my thumb slammed into the side of the panel saw blade. I instantly lost a huge chunk of my digit. It wasn't a cut as such, more like a high speed grater. There was no single bit of meat to find so the Doc could stitch it back on, just many small bits of mince meat, which my vac unit sucked up never to be seen again.

 

I did the usual swearing and name calling, looked at it and the blood gushing out then chucked my hand in the sky and left it there. Went looking for a phone to call up a ride [my dad] to the nearest A&E. said he'd be right there. Then I packed up all my tools and stuff from outside where I'd been building shelves, then waited.

 

So the moral of this story is don't sweat and saw.

 

Also its the quickest I have ever been been admitted at an A&E.

 

 

Follow Up Posts:

 

1)  Damn!
Hope it heals quickly and will serve as a reminder to the rest of us!

 

2)  While its only about as half missing as it was 10 days ago and looks like it will be fine in another 10 days. It still hurts like buggery when I slam the offending digit into something hard.
The moral of the Story is there is no way in Hell you will get me to visit White Island at a time of increased activity .
I have been there though and have no wish to go back. The trip destroyed a good pair of boots and left my lungs feeling peeled.

 

3)  Damn man. Great reminder to everyone that these things are dangerous for fingers.

 

4)  I cringed when I read the story! Hope you recover quickly. Also looked up the meaning of buggery?  

 

5)  So anyway here is my thumb after 10 days of healing.  Took the bandages off to day as they were falling off and i wanted a look at it. I have deduced that I in fact cut a slot in the end of it or the side or whatever. See attached picture.

 

(see photo below)

 

I'm actually amazed at how fast it has grown back. No stitches as there was nothing to stitch. I was just raw meat. People look at it and go pppfft. Is that it? You took 4 days off work for that little thing. When I was in at the A&E the thing that brought tears to my eyes was when the dock jab a needle into my hand for a local so he could work on it without me feeling it when ever he dabbed at it with the sand paper like tissue paper he was using. That jab with the needle made my whole hand feel like I'd just put it in a pot of boiling water.

 

It wore off while he was pissing about with that sand paper as well.

 

I've had bigger wounds in/on other parts of the old bod over the years but none of them hurt has bad as this thumb job.

 

I'll try and get the post injury photos, these will be a lot more cooler.