Power tool safety:
In defense of digits
by Roger Faris
The safe use of power tools is an important skill, but not one you'll want to acquire through trial and error. Our friend and neighbor Sandy Sokolow is a custom cabinet maker who has been working with dangerous equipment for the last twenty years. He still has nearly all of his body parts, so I call on him for advice on tool safety issues. From time to time he even volunteers to teach a class on this subject.
During frequent visits to Sandy's shop I admire various tools, including a big router which sits next to other smaller cousins on a shelf. I like to pick it up and hold the handles, and be confronted with the image of the demon face which is painted on the surface of the motor. Sandy did this bit of artwork to remind himself to be constantly aware that the tool operates with exposed blades spinning at a fantastic speed.
Routers, big or small, can do a lot of damage to an unwary user. Some have a switch which can be accidentally left in the on position. When this type of router is plugged into an electrical receptacle it may leap from the table, shelf, or sawhorse. The natural, but wrong reaction is to attempt to catch the tool before it meets the floor. I witnessed such an occurrence at a jobsite where a big table saw caused a circuit breaker to trip. A router was also in use, and was plugged into the same circuit. Its operator put it down without remembering to turn off the switch. The nearby workers were lucky this time; when power was restored, the hardwood floor and an extension cord were the only casualties of the incident.
Operator error is the main cause of painful power tool accidents. Mistakes often occur when people are tired and not paying attention to the potential hazard at their fingertips. The usual victims are those same fingertips. It's important to stop using dangerous tools at your first sign of fatigue or boredom. Use of drugs and alcohol are completely incompatible with power tools, but emergency medical workers meet a lot of people who don't understand that until it's too late.
Sometimes injuries occur when we get careless with tools that don't look particularly dangerous. One of my unpleasant tool experiences happened while I was drilling a hole through a piece of steel. The job was almost done when the drill bit jammed, causing the drill motor and handle to spin around and crash into my head. I was bleeding and in pain, then had insult added to the injury when I stopped by an optical store to get my bent glasses repaired. The proprietor made a quick evaluation. He saw my dirty work clothes, bleeding head, and damaged eyewear, and immediately demanded that I leave. Life has been different since that incident. I pay more attention to anything that might hit me in the head. I now repair my own glasses. I know how someone who looks down and out would like to be treated.
About twenty years ago I was fooling around with a dull chisel. My shipwright pal Glenn Paulson saw what I was doing and predicted that I would hurt myself. He tried to help by letting me borrow one of his own high quality tools, which he keeps in razor sharp condition. I still managed to put my other hand in harm's way. It bears an interesting scar to this day. Glenn also learned a lesson: Don't trust Roger with any sharp object.
Sandy Sokolow has also learned how an innocent looking tool can attack when you`re not expecting it. The tool that bit him was a boisterous belt sander.
He was cleaning a used belt with a special type of eraser when an index finger was suddenly sucked into the mechanism and sanded to a fine point. Most of the flesh eventually grew back.
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