Jeez, on Saturday morning I was out back with the dogs and decided to try a bow drill experiment like the ones I've seen in this forum. Instead of using one of the knives I usually carry when camping, I grabbed this massive Buck "Rambo" style knife that was in the garage (having just sharpened it). Everything went well until the very last step. I needed a small flat piece of wood with a small dig to use to hold the top of the spindle. Without a thought to safety, I went to split a short stout piece of wood, something I have done many times. Usually, I place the knife on top of the wood, then baton it down into the branch. In this case, however, I just held the short piece of wood vertically with my left hand at the base and chopped down on the top with the knife in my right hand, just to get it started before using the baton.
STUPID!
The heavy knife skipped off the top of the bough and went straight down onto my left forefinger. It didn't hurt at all, but the blood started running immediately. I managed to get the dogs back inside and drove myself to urgent care. Seven stitches and $330 later, I was back home feeling really dumb. They gave me a tetanus shot, too, and I think I had a feverish reaction to that, peaking at 101.5 F last night.
LESSONS LEARNED
First, I'm glad this happened at home instead of when I was at the bottom of Linville Gorge. My first aid kit for camping and hiking is going to be a lot better from now on. With this injury, I would not have been able to re-pack my tent and gear, so I probably would have abandoned almost everything except a small pack to hike back to my car.
Second, this was a huge reminder that, even after 30 years of knife and sharp tool use in kitchens, garages, yards, woods, workshops, etc., you always have to pay attention to what you are doing.
Okay, you can all bust on the noob now.
STUPID!
The heavy knife skipped off the top of the bough and went straight down onto my left forefinger. It didn't hurt at all, but the blood started running immediately. I managed to get the dogs back inside and drove myself to urgent care. Seven stitches and $330 later, I was back home feeling really dumb. They gave me a tetanus shot, too, and I think I had a feverish reaction to that, peaking at 101.5 F last night.
LESSONS LEARNED
First, I'm glad this happened at home instead of when I was at the bottom of Linville Gorge. My first aid kit for camping and hiking is going to be a lot better from now on. With this injury, I would not have been able to re-pack my tent and gear, so I probably would have abandoned almost everything except a small pack to hike back to my car.
Second, this was a huge reminder that, even after 30 years of knife and sharp tool use in kitchens, garages, yards, woods, workshops, etc., you always have to pay attention to what you are doing.
Okay, you can all bust on the noob now.
, and don't really care or want to know..
).