Cut Head off with sander, now what?

Mark Williams

Mark Williams

Moderator
Joined
Nov 28, 2000
Messages
4,760
Just Kidding!
The purpose of this post is to ask if any of you guys have ever thought of the "what If" scenario? Do you have an emergengy setup just in case you were to really get hurt in the shop to alert someone. Deb layed me low after she found out what i did the other night. I now have one of those compressed air horns whithin reach of the work bench.It may not help in the case where you are knocked down ,but might be a good thing.
Mark

Temporary platens Bad
 
if i cut my head off with a sander, my plan is to be wearing clean underwear and half-decent slacks so as to leave a good looking, presentable corpse...also, it is my intention to lay down quietly and die rather than to run around the shop splattering blood everywhere...in the event that i do end up losing my head, i don't want anyone to think that i "lost my head" in the process...a calm, cool and orderly exit into the next dimension is my plan...and it's a damn good one if you ask me...

but seriously, you ask a good question...i live alone, work at home, in the mountains, and my nearest neighbor is not within shouting distance...i often wonder how long it would be before anyone realized i was in trouble...weeks, is my best estimate...my plan is to be aware that if i get into trouble, ain't nobody gonna' know about it...therefore, exercise caution, do nothing stupid, always use safety gear and take no unnecessary risks...it won't account for everything, but it makes for much better odds...

i worry about my dog, but figure if worse comes to worst, my corpse might make for a tasty snack until someone shows up to feed her good and proper...
 
This is an excellent question Mark! We seldom think about the what if's in life and especially in the shop. If you do live alone or out in the boonies I think the cost of a phone in the shop would be a good investment or even a cell phone in your pocket or someplace handy. The air horn is a great idea, I think I'm gonna get one. I've thought aboput rigging an intercom between the shop and the house but if I was home alone that wouldn't do any good. Guess I'm gonna run a phone line out to the shop as well as get an air horn and let my folks and neighbors know that if it goes off, I'm in need of assistance, asap..
 
I talked to Jim Tureck at the Ny custom show last year. He told me a story of a friend who was grinding a triangle shaped blade that was13in long. He was holding it vertically on the grinder and it got away from him and punctured through his shoe, foot and was lodged into the floor. He pulled with all his might and could not pull it out. Luckily he was close enough to reach a phone and he called Jim. Jim had to thread the top of it and put a 2x4 over it with some washers and then they were able to pull it out and get him to the hospital. So make sure a phone is always near by, a horn will make noise, but you can call for professional help.
 
There are companies out there that sell this little electronic sending unit that you hang around your neck, if you are hurt, just press the button and it sends a signal to the company, and they summon the paramedics.
There was a commercial about this a few years ago(help i've fallen and I can't get up), probably sold by the same people that sell home security alarms.
 
Howdy There Yall..!
Have thought about it and have had a couple of accident happen also. Retired with heart problems before starting to make knives. Wife put a cell phone me as soon as the doctor said I had to retire. Also have a regular phone and intercom in the shop. I know the first and foremost is safety, but stuff happens...! Yall be safe..!

Later "Possum":cool:
 
As someone who is.....er....accident prone (never had one serious enough that 3.5 months in bed and a bit of surgery wouldn't fix) I can say that I almost never go in the shop/ garage without at least my 2.4 Gigahertz cordless Panasonic clipped to my back pocket or my cell phone on my belt. I've been left laying bleeding badly in the middle of a rural intersection. Instant communication before you lose conciousness from trauma or blood loss is imperative in having a chance at surviving a catastrophic injury.

I've never needed more than a few stiches (and a little tendon repair microsurgery) to fix from a knife injury, but that was based on being a user not a maker. Having trained in school and worked for a short time as a machinist before discovering my calling in sales, I can say that I've never seen another metalworking process that involves as much potential for personal mishap than knifemaking. In almost all other metalworking diciplines (besides smelting and forging) involve a lot more clamping or mechanical holding of the workpiece whereas knifemaking requires a lot of the work with machines to be done while holding the workpiece in our fragile hands.

I also think that all this dangerous hand held grinding is what gives a hand made knife it's soul. I can appreciate the precision and reliability of a well made production knife (carry a plain small sebenza as an EDC) but I think hand ground blades have more personality.

Be safe, keep a well charged cordless phone on your person whenever working with powerful machines (like any bench grinder) and a sharp object. Don't count on being able to reach a wall mounted phone or airhown sitting on the bench, while you may be on the floor bleeding. Instant communication may be critical in cases of shock,extreme bleeding or head trauma. You might not be concious long enough to do much more than dial. From there hopefully the 911 system will find you.

My wife says she can't even hear my grinders when I'm trying trying to hog out a piece of ATS34 from the garage when she's asleep and we only have a 1300 sq foot tract house with the garage facing at the master bedroom and no dual glazed glass. I certainly wouldn't hav emuch faith in an airhorn. Maybe a loud intercom, but I like the wireless phone idea best.

jmx
 
I'd rely on man's best friend to come to my rescue. Dook is not allowed in the workshop, too many hazards for him, but he sits at the door and watches my every move. I know he's much smarter than Lassie, and could probably drive me to the hospital if need be!
 
Thanks (or Curses );) to Wayne Goddard who got me started garage/yard sale prowling.....
I've got a TON of neat tools I paid next to nothing for, and picked up several used cell phones for about the same.
Even when these doo-hickeys are rendered inoperable by the cellular provider, they still will work for calls to 9-1-1, and cost ya nuthin but a little juice to charge 'em.
I've always got one on the workbench, and another clipped to my back pocket...a couple others in each of the ranch vehicles.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top