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Be careful out there!

BadDog

BadDog

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Thing is, I was doing "everything right". Being careful, using a piece of scrap for a "push stick", and it all happened so fast I'm not really sure HOW it happened. All I know is that new blade was cutting faster that I realized, broke out earlier than expected (cutting blind through a vertical wall), and next thing I know the push stick kicks out of my hand and I lurch forward. I caught my balance by hanging my thumb on the table, "Whew, that was close!" Instant adrenaline rush, scared the wee outa me!

Still just standing there, maybe a second had passed since the “event”... That’s when I noticed a major stinging pain and the weird sensation of "pulling" and grabbing at the end of the index finger. Glanced at it, and it was the weirdest thing seeing that band *running* almost completely buried in the end of my finger! :eek: Cut from the tip of the finger well over half way through to the root of the nail. I had fed the end of my right index finger almost 1/2" into a band saw running a brand new Lynox 10-14 blade. Not much a doc could do, so I just taped it closed with antibiotic and wrapped it up so I could get back and finish the project. :D But it's a bit sore to say the least... :(

Been using that thing for years, never hurt me before. I always preach safety and caution in my shop and mostly practice what I preach. But you never know when they are gonna bite! I once heard that all machines hate us and want to kill us, they are just waiting for us to give them a chance! I think that’s a good way to look at it...

Be careful out there!!!
 
:eek1: :eek1: :eek1: Ouuuuuch That makes my finger hurt just thinking of it. Hope it heals up ok.
 
Does not matter how careful you are, if you do it long enough something is going to get you just a little. Hope you finger feels better, that is a serious PITA.
 
That had to be an interesting realization. :eek1: Hope you heal up quick and glad it wasn't any worse.

I have more fear of saws than any other power tool. Something about a sharp moving blade makes the hair stand up on my neck.
 
I have gotten to the point that I hate grinding or cutting anything. I had a piece of crap get in my eye a couple of weeks ago. It made its way past my oakleys and a full face shield. I'm going to start wearing my scuba mask to grind.

I also hate saws. It seems like my table saw is out to get me.
 
DAAAAAMMMMNN Russ! sorry to here about that. hope it heals up with out any problems. be extra careful man.
 
WoW, them dam saw. That make you want to think about wearing one of those ss shark gloves...
 
Had a similar thing happen to me. Cutting something & realized that the way I was holding it would put my thumb into the blade when it broke thru. Eased up on the cutting pressure to reposition my hand when it broke thru and sliced into my thumb. Not as deep as yours, but deep enough.

The thot that they'll out to kill us is not a bad plan.:eek1: :eek1:
 
Ha! Wondered how long it would take! :D

finger.jpg
 
Yuck... that looks painful! Glad you're doing ok though. :D
 
Russ, you may not think the docs can do anything for it but trust me, they can. The thing you need to worry about most is infection like was already said. Do yourself a big favor and at least see a doc and if he says there's nothing he can do then so be it.
 
Thanks for the concern everyone, I really appreciate it. And I'm watching closely for any signs of infection or other problems.

But I've always been involved in things where risk of injury is just part of it, and not always where a trip to the Dr or ER is an option. Sports, climbing, rappelling, back country hiking, motor cross, motorcycle and car racing, and the list goes on. Life’s been pretty tame since the risky behavior culminated with an auto racing accident at 135 back in ’83 where I got busted up really and spent a year in a wheel chair, but I still seem to find ways to get hurt from time to time. Fortunately, I also not only took training in various “first aid” courses, but I taught them as well as fixing up my own “mistakes” with everything from butter fly stitches to alcohol soaked cloth and duct tape when nothing else was available, including some worse than this where I had no choice but to hike out to the nearest camp several hours away after getting a hand smashed badly by a falling rock deep in the Rockies. My biggest concern is trash embedded in the wound, but I flushed it out first with blood, then flushed with water, followed by betadine and finally triple antibiotic on a sterile gauze. The doc would have put in a couple of stitches after torturing me even further with scrub brush (man I hate that) and given a topical antibiotic ointment (that I already have). Probably would have updated my tetanus shot too since I’m at the limit on the last. ER would have been better initially, but I didn’t want to sit for the average 6 hours required for ER visits here, and it was long after “first care” limits by the time the Dr Office opened the next day, so there is little he could do but tell me to keep doing what I’m doing already, and charge me $50+ for the good advice. :D I know how to treat a wound, particularly with my first aid kit (which includes a local and a suture kit that I know how to use if need be, though I doubt I could do it using the one left hand), and I estimated the risk of exposure to other nastiest in the ER to largely offset the additional risk, so I opted to self treat again.

Again, thanks for the concern. And you may be right, this may be the time that I regret not going in, but there is little point in going now unless it starts to look bad and I need an antibiotic booster or something. However, I would NOT RECOMEND anyone else try to “self treat” on something like this unless you have the knowledge, gear, and are fully aware of the risks. If I screwed this up, I could loose that finger or worse...

Take care and thanks for the concern, but I hope it is misplaced... ;)
 
Oh, and it's not really quite as bad as it looks. My finger tip was angled down some so the cut on the bottom is not as long as the cut on the top. If it had been, I would have gone to the ER due to deep tissue/bone/ligament/nerve damage potential. Enough typing for tonight, it's getting sore... :D
 
Well Russ, i had no idea that you've had some good first aid training. Like you said though, this might have been the time that you should have seen the doc but hindsight is 20/20. Hope it heals good for you and that if it does start to feel like an infection that you will go see the doc.

Oh, pics of the otherside man. :D
 
Juynh. Juynh. Hnyju. Jnyuh, Juynh. Juynh. Hnyju. Jnyuh, Juynh. Juynh. Hnyju. Jnyuh, Juynh. Juynh. Hnyju. Jnyuh.

Copy paste is a wonderful thing. :D

Next time I change dressing (tonight unless I screw it up too bad), I'll try to remember to get a pic of the other side.
 
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