losing my mind

Chris Mire

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Location
Southern Louisiana
you may or may not know that I am building a house right now. i actually started a thread on it but have been far to busy to take pics and keep it updated. my small camera bit the dust and i can't carry my big one around everywhere. anyway, i have been working some pretty long hours practically everyday trying to get things done and move in before Christmas. last night i noticed one of the effects of these long hours.

so i am cutting plywood for adjustable shelves in the closets for the house. now i need to cut some hardwood edgebanding, so i reach for my wrenches to change the blade to a rip blade. loosen the nut, remove it, remove the big washer (can't think of what it's called right now), remove the blade....

that is when the fun begins....instead of reaching for the rip blade, i grab the washer and put it back on the arbor, with no blade there mind you, so i realize my mistake and take it off, then i grab the nut and put it on, still no blade. i had to stop and laugh at myself. that was one of my recent mistakes i could laugh at.....there were some that didn't get any chuckles whatsoever.

i feel like i am losing it. at least it made me laugh

chris
 
Chris, I am glad you didn't lose any fingers!!! That is your mind telling you it is time to take a break. Going home early will result in a lot less loss of time than cutting some fingers off!
 
Johnathan is correct. 2 years or 20 years experience, when your mind drifts away from what youre doing around machines with blades,(any heavy machinery) its time to take a break.
 
Amen to what Jonathan said! I've had similar laughs at myself and learned to walk away for a while and regain what little sanity I have left! :)
 
Yeah, I hear busy, man, I hope you get it done, but be careful eh :thumb:

You know, I get like that sometimes, and a break, is certainly a good thing, even just walking outside and doing something else for 5 minutes can make a big deal.

Good that you can laugh at some things, you NEED your sense of humor :D
 
thanks for the reminder. but let me assure everyone of one thing. no matter how far my mind wanders, i am always very very carefuly around my machines. this really wasn't a case of daydreamin or not payin attention, it was more of just getting ahead of myself and being in a routine when i change blades. because i do it so much. usually the next blade is right there in hands reach, this time it happened to not be. anyway, don't worry guys i am very safe.

nuther funny story, two nights ago, during a blade change i happened to check my watch before I started, the time was 9:11pm...:eek:...needless to say i stopped and thought about it for a second. I was a little extra careful during that blade change...:thumb:
 
Yeah but you said nothing about unplugging it before starting to change the blade!
Didn't mean to come down on you or sound like a know it all, for the mistakes I have made, should own stock in a bandage company!:rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
i guess that poses a question on my part.

has anyone here every heard of or had a machine such as a table saw turn on when they didn't want it to.

i am not trying to be sarcastic here, i am actually curious, because to me, what is the point of unpluggin it if i ain't gonna push the start button? is it somehow possible for the saw to start on it's own, power surge? stored energy?

i repeat i am not trying to be sarcastic, i just figure since that rule of thumb is so dominant in the woodworking world, it must have happened to someone, somewhere??????

curiously,
chris
 
Chris, I will flip the breaker before I stick my hand into a garbage disposal to retrieve a spoon or such...same thinking...makes me feel more at ease. :eek:

Hope you hard work is over soon. I'm sure the benefits will be had in due time. Please do take some pics when you get a chance.
 
Having had 50+ stiches and a bone graft in my left hand as a result of a table saw accident...trust me when I tell you, take a break.
 
i guess that poses a question on my part.

has anyone here every heard of or had a machine such as a table saw turn on when they didn't want it to.

i am not trying to be sarcastic here, i am actually curious, because to me, what is the point of unpluggin it if i ain't gonna push the start button? is it somehow possible for the saw to start on it's own, power surge? stored energy?

i repeat i am not trying to be sarcastic, i just figure since that rule of thumb is so dominant in the woodworking world, it must have happened to someone, somewhere??????

curiously,
chris


all the industrial safty data insists that power be removed from any machine before accessing the cutter...........
that said i`ve never done so or known anybody who actually has unless osha is in the shop.
never even heard of an accidental start up either.
 
havnt heard of one

well tod summed it up for you chris but i was fortunate to have a disconnect in the frt of my saw and i can just step on it to close and pul it back up to energize,,, just so i dont do some stupid move or think that all is well.. as for the runnin on empty tale just as stu said i to will take and walk away if i am cohernt enough to think that way sometimes i just stop all together.. i understand goals and if we didnt make them for ourselves we wouldnt get what we get done... but sometimes you will do better to walk away and come back another day and see things alot clearer..
 
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10.......

Yep, I still have all of my fingers :D

My DeWalt BT744, I rewired it so there is a plug on the front of it, the cord that runs the saw, plugs in there. If I'm adjusting the rip fence, I just pull the plug, takes 2 seconds and then plug it back in when I want to cut stuff, another two seconds.

I did this because I used to have my daughters in the Dungeon some days, so all the power tools stay unplugged, little fingers like to push and pull stuff.

My Grand Father had all of us grand kids in his workshop, all the time, he did the same thing, just staying safe, the reason he did so, is because a friend of his was changing the blade on his table saw, he had both hands in there tightening the nut, and his 5 year old son pushed the on button. His friend lost his left and and three of his fingers on his right hand.

I know you are careful, I am too, but I just don't take the extra chances, if I can make it safer, I really do try to, I'm not perfect, I've made some DUMB mistakes, but I try to stack the deck in my favour.

When I was in my automotive apprenticeship, I saw a guy changing the grinding disk on one of them 6" grinders, he was a really cool dude, tough guy, he would not unplug the machine, and held it between his knees, and he did not use the wrench, he just grabbed the old disk with his hand, and spun it off, then spun on a new disk. He held the machine funny one day, and bumped the trigger, yep, he lost his right hand.

We all take risks, that is part of life, I do my very best to mitigate mine, I know you do too Chris, I'm not trying to tell you what to do, you are there, and you are the guy on the ground who knows what is what, so I trust your judgment for you, but for me, I unplug my saw. :dunno:

Maybe that is why I'm a DIYer and not a pro :D

How is the house coming?
 
stu,

that makes alot of sense. i was sitting here trying to think of how the saw could turn on....it is virtually impossible to push that button unless you mean to, or if someone else pushes it. my son like to push every button he sees so i understand.

i am glad you posted that. for the record i don't unplug the saw. i am mostly alone in the shop and the plug is behind my stack of plywood. lazy i know.

i will have to rethink this stuff when i move into my shop.

the house is going good. besides the fact my wife is tired of me working on it all the time. cabinets and trim are done, just a few minor additions. painters will be done tomorrow. siding should be done this week. i will get some pics this weekend and add them to the thread....it has changed a whole lot since the last pics. luckily, i love every part of it.

thanks again for putting that in perspective.
chris
 
I mostly unplug before touching cutters. I sometimes forget and have never had the power switch magically jump to the on position while holding on to a dado stack but, I mostly unplug before touching cutters and will probably continue to do so just because it makes me feel better.
 
You are welcome Chris

Easy fix for your saw, put a box on the side of it, with a plug in it, make the cord that goes behind the stack of wood an "Extension Cord" that way, you can easily unplug the saw anytime.

Boy I bet you are looking forward to your first Christmas in your new house! :thumb:

We are all looking forward to the pictures :wave: :D

Cheers!
 
I can't do anything but agree to what has been said already Chris!

No matter how extra careful you may be, your actions are controled by your brain and if it is tired the least dangerous thing thay may happen to you is cutting a board to wrong size.

Please for your sake and the sake of your family DO TAKE A REST!.
 
The plugs for all of my larger machines (TS, jointer, BS) all drop from the ceiling and use locking connectors. I have them set about eye level so they are easy to disconnect and reconnect..... once I get my hands out of the line of fire.
 
Chris, I've never had a switch turn itself on out of the blue, but in absent minded moments (like you described at the top of this thread), I stopped just short of flipping the power switch when what I meant to do was turn the height adjusting wheel. All it takes is one little lapse of attention. I unplug before blade changes, just to protect myself from myself. ;)
 
I had my saw turn on once when it was plugged in by something falling off the top of it. For the life of me I can't remember what it was, but something started falling I reached for it and got the end of it but the momentum swung the other end down and hit the on switch. Startled me when it happened thats for sure. Luckily I didn't have any wood or tools near the blade.
 
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