Misery loves company...

[JD Cowles]

i just lopped the tip of my left ring finger off in my jointer on sunday. #it could have been much worse, as it looks like i just lost five years worth of callous, but i am bummed. #i don't think i'll be able to pick for at least another week or so. #it's odd that all i can think about is playing mandolin now that i can't. #anyway, be careful with your digits good people, and feel free to share your gory stories and miraculous recoveries with me to help me drown my selfish sorrows.
jd #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif

[J. Mark Lane]

Indeed. A jointer is an unforgiving device.

About 20 years ago, pushing a small piece across a jointer, I carefully edged the back end of it along across the blade...and stuck my right index finger in it...hard. It went down to the bone. (Made an interesting "pffffzzzzt" sound...) Quite a bloody mess. The ER patched me up with some skin from my butt (talk about stinky finger...). I had to walk around for weeks with my arm held up in a sling so the finger pointed straight up.

Today, I can happily report that this finger is excellent for picking... my nose. Without the fat that is naturally on the end of a finger, it has a nice, angled end that really gets up in there and can get those buggers that you just can't get any other way. I've even considered going into business ("Mark's Nose Service: Who Says You Can't Pick Your Friends' Noses?"). Frequently, I bring this up at dinner parties. Makes my wife very proud of me.

If you think any of this is untrue, I invite you to come check out my finger, any time.

Mark (who put the guard back on his jointer and has great respect for power tools)

[Lee]

I've just finished healing for several weeks after hacking off a big chunk from the upper side of my left-hand pinky's second knuckle. If pinky knuckles have cartiledge, there ain't none now. Luckily there was no tendon damage, but I didn't push it and didn't play at all for several weeks. Nasty sharp 12" French chef's knife. (Yes, bones are white.)

[JD Cowles]

glad to hear you're back at it lee. #i used to be a sous chef and have had several of those chef's knife incidents...one with an unruly cuisinart...

jmark-fortunately i didn't dig in quite that far. #i think my callous saved me from some real serious damage. #its gone now, and will take several years to get back i'm afraid. #blade guards good...missing fingers bad.

i'm trying to take this as a warning of sorts for future reference. #in the immortal words of han solo
"don't get cocky kid"

[Ken]

Twenty years ago, rushing to finish a job, I was using a 3/8 inch spade bit in an electric drill to clean the old glue out of a dowel hole prior to reglueing (yes, of course this was stupid) when the wood fractured and sent the bit into the base of my left thumb severing the tendon. Those two months of not being able to play were pure misery.

[Lee]

JD Atewire, thanks for the concern. Odd coincidence, it was a Cuisinart brand 12" chef knife. Nice hefty chunk of steel, with a bad disposition.

[sunburst]

After using power tools for about 30 years (! can it really be?) and professionally for most of those years, I'm happy to report all digits present and accounted for.
A few scars, but no real dammage.

Always think the operation through. Know what can go wrong and keep it in mind.
Sometimes before I do a job that feels especially dangerous, I count my fingers first (10). Then count them again when I'm done. Keeps me thinking.

But... on to painful injuries.
While working on my pickup truck a few months ago, I slipped with a hacksaw and sawed into the tip of the ring finger of my left hand just toward the palm from the tip. Wish it had been a nice, clean, sharp chef's knife. If you're going to cut your finger, I don't recomend a hacksaw.
Anyway, yes I had a band job coming up and yes I was able to play because I could avoid the injury most of the time by staying up on the tip of that finger.
Now there's only a slight scar, but still a tender place when the string happens to hit that place exactly.

[Dru Lee Parsec]

'bout 20 years ago I worked in a hydraulics shop. Short story: A pipe with 7500psi on it blew up and I was in the wrong place. I lost my right hand little finger. The ring finger on that hand has lost a lot of motion as well.

But the good news is that I still play guitar and mandolin. I can even fingerpick. In fact, for 2 years I made my living as a professional magician where people are completly staring at your hands all the time. It amazed me when people would watch me work cards and coins ( I was mainly a closeup magician) and they wouldn't notice that I'm missing a finger. Very strange.

In any case, I've come back from that serious injury to play music again and so will you. Let yourself heal, and then start practicing again. The skill will come back.

I've been there buddy. Trust me, you'll get back to playing before you know it.

[grsnovi]

jd - sorry to hear of your accident.

I tried to saw off my left thumb some years ago on a table saw. The orthopedic surgeon that put me back together did a great job. My thumb was numb for several years but the nerves seem to have grown back. It would be hard for anyone to notice, but my left thumb is shorter than my right.

The experience has made me much more careful.

Reading this thread brought back that Saturday morning in painful detail.

[JD Cowles]

thanks all. #i knew somehow hearing other's grisly tales would make me feel a whole lot better. #for now it's neosporin and patience i guess.

hang on to those digits good people.
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[Kelly_guy]

Oh, man. This is why I don't use power tools! The only power woodworking tool I own is a nice slow bandsaw, and I don't use that very often either. No thanks, I can joint a board quite nicely with my handplanes, and I can listen to the stereo while I'm at it.

Finger-eater stories... (shudder)

[grsnovi]

Its not just power tools, I've seen hand gouges do some substantial damage to the person using them (holding their work in an ad hoc manner).

[flairbzzt]

I guess the table saw thing is common. My dad put a slice in his left thumb, and although repaired, lost feeling in the tip and some tissue. This makes holding the neck of his mando against his thumb painful (skin against bone). He compensates with using band-aids or other thin padding/bandage. His numbness has not worn off in several years.

[John Bertotti]

Luckily enough I had several knife incidents and realized when I started with power tools that if a one boy powered knife did such marvelous work on flesh the motors must be hell. Been real careful ever since. Complacency is the enemy. As far as a good one well when I was about 10 I was carving a nose cone for a model airplane. Hacking off a big chunk I pulled bak fast and hard for my next chop an viola, the blade jammed in the wood folded over and closed on my pointer finger. I couldn't pull it out and I was tugging. So of course dads in the shop so out I go and say "Hey dad could you pull this out?" He takes a look gets a bit paler and tugs. No can do he decides it time for the doctor and me in my infinite wisdom said no and gave it a good whack on the edge of the table. ( I hate docs) Well the knife flew about 6 feet and I went on my marry way. Dad had to sit down for a while I guess he was a bit squeamish. What fun hope you feel better in the digit soon. John

[Mteresko]

About 2 years ago, I had a wind blown steel entry door slam closed on my left ring finger and I wound up losing about 1/2" of finger tip. The ironic thing is I have been a woodworker for over 20 years and have never had a serious accident with a machine. The hand surgeon did a great job of saving my nail and fashioning a usable fingertip, however I still don't have very much feeling there and I've lost some muscle control. Took a couple of months to even think about playing, and the better part of a year until I was fairly comfortable with fretting. It still is a bit of a hindrance; I miss the extra length and some chord positions are kind of uncomfortable, but I am still playing and improving. Hang in there!

[sunburst]

I can joint a board quite nicely with my handplanes, and I can listen to the stereo while I'm at it.
Two questions I ask myself when I'm figuring out how to do something in the shop:
1. does it make chips or dust?
2. is it loud or quiet?

Dust is bad for the lungs, noise is bad for the ears.
I think I'm the only luthier I know that doesn't own a router, tho I'll probably get one eventually.
If it takes 10 minutes longer to use a hand tool for the same job, I'll give up the 10 minutes for the lack of dust and noise.

[Eric F.]

About two years ago I sliced off a good chunk of my ring finger on my left hand with a kitchen knife. It bled like crazy, and I had to have surgery. It STILL hurts when I fret. I still have some problems with my muscles there. I simply cannot make the four-finger chords. I feel like I have regressed a lot since the accident, but what the heck. I play mostly for my enjoyment anyway. I just would enjoy playing more if it didn't hurt whenever I use my ring finger. SO, JD, I feel your pain. Good luck with healing.

[FrankenMouse]

JD,

It seems that every time I buy a nice instrument, I hurt myself shortly afterward and am unable to play it. A couple of years ago, I bought my first really good guitar... and one day later I sliced my left pointer finger practically OFF. I couldn't play for over a week.

A year ago, I bought my first teens Gibson mandolin. One week later, I was in an accident and sprained BOTH of my wrists. Out of commission for two weeks.

Ten days ago, I brought home a 1914 F4. Now, I'm almost afraid to cross the street or open the knife drawer. Power tools are out of the question!

You're not alone.

Waiting for it,

Mike

[Keith Newell]

About 18 years ago I was working two jobs, my main one was swing shift as a proto-type machinist for Hughes aircraft. My Second job was beig the only guy in the machine shop making printing press parts for some presses that were very popular but no longer being made. I was running an engine lathe with big ol soft jaws on the chuck spinning at a moderate speed......so, ya know you REALLY dont need a handle on the file your using to deburr the parts right? I mean that sharp lil tang with the funny diamond shaped end is plenty to hang on to but you need to grip it good so what better way then to slip that end into the palm of your hand??

[Keith Newell]

Needless to say I was very lacking in sleep and let the tip of the file drift towards the spinning chuck jaws and...KABAM!it slammed it into my hand and into the bone sticking the 12" file securely.
#Your first reaction to a foreign object stuck in your body is to grab it with all your strength and yank it out...OUCH!
#Centuries from now when they find my skeleton they will wonder how that cool patch of bone in my hand got that geometric shape.
#Keith Newell

[Eric F.]

Jeez, so many people here have had hand injuries. And now that I think about it, it's been THREE years, not two, and it still hurts. But hey, I finally made the last payment to the surgeon, no thanks to my HMO. Now maybe I can save for a decent mandolin again.

[delsbrother]

"Farewell and adieu to you dear Spanish ladies,
Farewell and adieu to you ladies of Spain,
For we received orders to go back to Boston,
And never amore will we see you again."

[JD Cowles]

thanks for all the good vibes. i have to say that after five days this thing is healing pretty fast. it no longer looks like a gaping hamburger hole in my finger tip. i wish i had a digital camera, i could cronicle the healing process. now that's tasty viewin first thing in the am...
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[Darryl Wolfe]

Luckily, I've not had any serious woodworking injuries, especially since I use pattern routers alot. I did cut my finger the other day, and it could have much much worse......so here's a word of warning on a fairly mundane tool.....the stationary belt sander.....

Be careful when reaching around on the side to adjust those little knurled "tracking" knobs....the side edge of a moving new 60 grit belt can go clean thru your finger in a heartbeat.

[Lee]

Please JD, no photos

[mandough]

Hey, what happened to that gruesome picture of the sawed off fingertip?
I just wanted to sympathize with all of you that have had finger injuries.
I took a job when I was younger to save up for a Rickenbacker guitar I had always wanted.
I ended up slicing the tips of two fingers off on a Deli meat slicer.
It took a long time to heal and my fingers have never been the same (mostly because of some scar tissue that probably formed in the joints of my fingers).
You never realize how important the small nuances of your hands are until you go through something like this.
Good luck to all of you.

[JD Cowles]

don't worry lee, there's no photos
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