A cautionary tale

[CeeCee_C]

This is probably more for the sake of the amateurs than the pros among us. I came very close to being severely maimed or worse. It was entirely my fault and entirely avoidable.

I've had long hair for a very long time and I spend a lot of time in the shop. So I have a ritual in which I tie back my hair and put a cap on afterwards. I've done this since my dad warned me about it, which makes it.... a VERY long time ago.

But this Saturday, I was a bit preoccupied and tied my hair back but neglected to put my ball cap on.

Then I started drilling a piece of steel on the mill. When I piece of hair came out of my ponytail, instead of following my routine, stopping, and putting my hair back in place, I simply tucked it behind my ear and kept working.

The next thing i know, I look like Carrie at the prom, with a hunk of hair wrapped around the spindle and blood everywhere. I don't know where exactly my head hit the milling head, but it could have been SO much worse. And at least 3 friends in the machine trades have since told me stories that make mine pale by comparison.

I could have lost an eye or been dragged into any of the many levers, corners, and protrusions. Instead, I lost a hunk of hair, got a beautiful shiner, and will no doubt have a scar.

I was really lucky. Most of the hair was broken off not pulled out by the roots which means it will grow back, the impact was extremely localized and amounts to a fairly minor flesh wound, I wasn't concussed and I never lost consciousness.

So those of you with long hair, don't ever think "oh just this once...". It only takes once.

I learned a number of things. Machine tools require respect; something I'll never again take for granted. The ritual of tying my hair back is a necessity, every time, no exceptions. The forehead and scalp bleed copiously when injured. And if you arrive at a local medimerge covered head to toe in blood, you probably won't have to wait in line.

Being the nerd that I am, I felt compelled to calculate approximately how long it took between the time the spindle grabbed my hair and the time my head hit the mill. I made a few assumptions and determined that even conservatively, it was less than a tenth of a second.

Something like this makes a person reflect on one's life and take it a little less for granted.

Be careful, friends. I got off easy.

[billhay4]

You're lucky. Glad you came out of it okay.
Bill

[Bluetickhound]

Holy MOLY!!! Glad you are (comparitively) OK. I always enjoy your posts and would hate to know we lost you... especially to a shop accident.

PS. Thanks for having the courage to share this. Most folks wouldn't be so forthcoming.

[Ron Cox]

So glad that you are still alive to tell the story.

[Marty Jacobson]

CeeCee, glad you are OK. I have seen a couple accidents like that, working in educational machine shops. Guys with longer hair are not immune, either. Also, a loose T-shirt or ipod headphones can be just as dangerous.

[Timbofood]

Boy, you were lucky! I am glad you were not injured any more severely. You learned this the hard way.

[journeybear]

Sheesh! Glad you're OK. And you've got a good shiner to show. Just one thing, though - think of a better story to tell folks who ask how you got it. You know, one in which your own carelessness doesn't play a major role. Something more in keeping with a display of bravery or standing up for a cause worth fighting for or defending someone, something like that. Who knows - someone might buy you a beer or two.

I gave myself a shiner, my first ever, a couple of months ago. also through carelessness, or more aptly clumsiness. I felt it need commemoration, and posted a picture on facebook. I was besieged with condolences and requests for explanation, and didn't kn ow what to say. The truth was way too boring, even embarrassing, and I didn't want to lie outright. I found a middle ground, keeping my responses rather vague and general. At least you've got a good story, one which could even be a teachable moment, if you so choose. But if you feel like working some other angle, go for it! And have some fun with it.

But meanwhile, glad it wasn't too bad. Could have been horrible, as I'm sure you know. Take care!

[Bruce Cech]

Glad you are OK. You're right, it could have been a lot worse. Learned my lesson several years ago. I hated to wear a face mask when I was using the wood lathe. It was a large plastic shied that swung down in front of my face. I thought it was kind of "wussy" but I wore it anyway. One day a large turning came off the spindle at a surprising speed and hit the face mask square on. It certainly would have broke my nose and probably several teeth. No need to warn me again about any safety measures.

[Shelagh Moore]

I'm glad you were basically OK and got away with minor injuries only. Having once worked in a lab with some of the sharpest heavy knives and corrosive chemicals imaginable and having closely avoided chopping my own foot off when dropping one such knife I'm also strictly observant of safety in the workplace. You're right, it only takes one oversight and a fraction of a second. Safety first always.

[Michael Bridges]

WOW, CeeCee, sorry that happened, but grateful it wasn't even worse! You did get off relatively lucky, all things considered. Horrible to contemplate what could happened to you. Good luck, and speedy recovery. Good thoughts and wishes headed your way from Georgia.

[Eric Hanson]

I once had a Router grab a loose shirt tail. It FREAKED me out!!!! I was so glad that it only ripped the shirt. Glad it was old and needed throwing away anyway.
So good to know you are safe! I always enjoy reading your posts.

Hope the healing is speedy!
Take care.
And, thanks so much for the reminder. We all need them from time to time.

[Eric Foulke]

CeeCee, glad you are OK.
Your cautionary tail applies to everyone, especially the pros. Familiarity breeds complacency and that leads to accidents.
We often forget how powerful these machines really are and how quickly something can go wrong.

For my part, my router table scares the bejeezus out of me and frankly, it should.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

[George R. Lane]

CeeCee,
Yeah, you got real lucky there. Many years ago I was drilling into some 1 inch thick brass, I knocked the spurs off on the bit and C clamped the vise to the table. Myleft hand was grabbed by the vise and my arm was wrapped around the chuck. I thought I had properly clamped the vise, but evidently not. After a trip to the emergency room and 7 stiches at the base of my thumb, I now take extra precautions when working around machinery. I too had long hair back then, I now buzz cut it. I also wear no jewelry of any kind when working.

[Ivan Kelsall]

CeeCee - I'm sincerely pleased that you weren't hurt even more than you were.That's a dreadful thing to have happened,but using dilling / Milling machines is pretty hazardous if you don't keep your wits about you. During my apprenticeship in the Aircraft industry,i was required to learn to operate drilling/milling/grinding machines etc.& i used both vertical & horizontal milling machines from small to VERY large. Even with short hair,i was required to wear a cap & have the sleeves of my boiler suit (mandatory wear), securely buttoned up. Failure to do so & i'd have been suspended without pay for 3 days. George above mentions not wearing jewellery when operating machinery - that too was a definite suspension issue. The old saying - ''Familiarity breeds contempt'' should be forefront in our minds even when using standard household tools such as saws,chisels & indeed, electric drills.
One slip & your instrument playing days could be over ...... !!!,
Ivan

[Bertram Henze]

I also wear no jewelry of any kind when working.

That has me thinking about my wedding ring - I can't take it off without a bolt cutter, but I usually wear gloves when doing rough work.

[Bluetickhound]

That has me thinking about my wedding ring - I can't take it off without a bolt cutter, but I usually wear gloves when doing rough work.

I had a friend who couldn't take his weddingring off also... he'd wrap that section of his finger with black tape to smooth out the edge...

[Bernie Daniel]

Truly scarey story. My stomach actually got queasy just reading and thinking about it. Certainly anything hanging off a person - be it clothing, or a ring, or a watch, or in this case hair is something to be very cautious with near power tools. I'm certainly glad it ended a "well" as it did for you -- heavens!!.

The other two things that can "get you" in the shop -- familiarity (routine) and impatience (haste).

I'll guess that familiarity and haste played a part in CeeCee's accident too -- she'd done this job often it was "routine" and she was right in the middle of the operation and did a "quick fix" instead of stopping to do the full fix like she would have done just starting a procedure.

This happens to all of us. Thanks for telling your story CeeCee -- it will make me a lot more cautious again --hopefully for a long time!! Get well!

[barry k]

40 years ago while I was on a construction site, a young electrician with a pony tail got his tail caught in a 3/4 drill chuck while boring holes through cedar beams. He had actually scalped himself, about 6 inches in diameter worth, so consider yourself lucky with the damage you recieved, respect those moving parts please....BK

[David Rambo]

CeeCee, so glad you are OK. One can't ve too careful when working with power tools. My father-in-law was using a radial arm saw, when he was distracted for a second or two. By then he has pulled the saw down the tip of his third finger, and down the lengtn of his ring finger into the base of his palm. It happened so fast that it was all over before he noticed what he had done. (They saved the finger for a while, but it was worthless, so he had it taken off.) I quickly learned that all those safety warnings should be followed.

[Timbofood]

With respect to wedding rings, there is the emotional attachment to "never removing" them, I appreciate and understand that. The jeweler side of me has seen more finger damage from not having the ability to remove it than I would wish on anyone. Please I encourage anyone who's ring is not removable to go to their jeweler, have it removed, wait until the flesh fills back for a reasonable amount of time and have the ring resized so it can be removed in the shop, playing some sports, anything where it could be caught!
Case- father of the bride setting up a soccer net a week before wedding, his ring gets caught on the net hanger and as his weight loads, the flesh is stripped from the bone. His hand is wrapped in enough white gauze that it looked like a double wedding.
Cautionary tale indeed, machines have no sense of what is people or material to be removed. They do not think, feel or make any decisions for themselves. We must all be our own best safety staff.

[Jim Garber]

So sorry to hear, CeeCee. I am glad that you are relatively OK tho. The only thing I can add is that I know a few pros who were so used to using these machines that even they got complacent and accidents happen. We all need to be careful and keep our wits about us.

[stevedenver]

ceecee-
good to know you're ok
those pics are
very sobering...very

best wishes for a speedy recovery!
(you probably should get another mando, simply to make it 'feel better'.....LOL)

[CeeCee_C]

Boy, you were lucky! I am glad you were not injured any more severely. You learned this the hard way.

Actually, I consider that I learned this lesson with both eyes, both hands and brain no less intact than it was before the accident. I've heard some of the "the hard way" stories since the accident.

In fact, a student at Yale lost her life to a lathe/long hair accident not too long ago.

I got off easy.

Which in no way reduces my gratitude to you for your kind words. Thank you!

[David Houchens]

Cee Cee, Glad you are OK. As you know, we get so comfortable with some equipment that sometimes we forget how strong they are and how quick they bite. Speaking for myself anyway.
My father was a tool and die maker most of his life. He saw this twice. A long haired man had his hair ripped out as you have, the mill moving fairly high speed. A lady working there was not as fortunate. She had her mill at a slow speed and didn't cut it off quick enough. She lost a large amount of skin still attached to the hair.
Even though I'm past just going bald, Loose clothes and other items can be just as dangerous.
Again, so glad you're OK and thanks for reminding the rest of us.

[Pete Jenner]

Sorry to hear that CeeCee_C but glad it wasn't worse. I'm always glad to be reminded that workshop safety should extend beyond the bandsaw. I keep tripping on power leads - must remember to get them in the air.