Ever Sawed Off Your Finger?

EZLoader

Chief Petty Officer
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Sep 28, 2005
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There is a new company in Wilsonville, Oregon called SawStop that has invented a device that instantly retracts a table saw blade if it ever touches your flesh. It's a strong spring that is held in tension with an electric magnet that instantly shuts down when your flesh grounds out a circuit on the saw blade. Check out the video. <br /><br /> New Table Saw Safety Equipment
 

SpinnerBait_Nut

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
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Aug 25, 2002
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17,651
Re: Ever Sawed Off Your Finger?

Hey that's cool, better than having a finger gone but would still leave a nasty gash.<br />Nothing a couple stitches would not take care of though.
 

ZmOz

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Aug 13, 2003
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Re: Ever Sawed Off Your Finger?

When I was in high school I was helping my woodshop teacher cut some things on the table saw when he buzzed off two fingers. :eek: What a mess. They were able to reattach one and a half. It was very entertaining to watch him use the saw after he healed, he wouldn't get within a foot of the blade. :D My grandpa also cut off 3 fingers on 3 seperate occassions...I guess he was a slow learner.
 

stan_deezy

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Oct 18, 2003
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Re: Ever Sawed Off Your Finger?

Wonder if it would have helped this poor woman: six fingers reattached :eek: :eek: <br /><br />Been involved in a few such incidents on my time and always amazed at the humour involved:<br /><br />1. Guy came into the ER (I'll use the American term: in the UK we'd call it A&E) with two fingers missing: his co-worker said they only noticed when he waved goodbye to the boss :D <br /><br />2. A guy came in with a finger missing, was booked in by a pretty nurse who asked if it was his whole finger to which he replied, "Nah, it's the one next to it" (feel free to zap that one JB if its too close to the knuckle!)<br /><br />3. Once had to climb to the top of a 150ft crane to tend to a guy who had severed all four digits (thumb intact) in a hi-speed fan. When he asked if I could save them I replied "Save them? I can't find them!" "Why?" "'Cos I'm scared sh1tless of heights and my eyes are tight shut!"<br />As it was the fingers were thrown to the four corners of Motherwell.<br /><br />4. We also had a guy come in who had the tip on one finger on each hand missing????????? When I asked what had happened he explained that the meatslicer had taken the tip off one finger and when he showed his boss what had happened he'd used his other hand to demonstrate :rolleyes: <br /><br />Loads more like that, really should write a book about this stuff some :D
 

FLATHEAD

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Dec 29, 2002
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3,386
Re: Ever Sawed Off Your Finger?

Yep I hacked off a finger. As a matter of fact I hacked three of em. Was ripping a piece of hardwood flooring on a ten inch table saw. The board had a notch cut into one end, once the board got through the blade far enough I grabbed it by the notch to help pull it through the saw. I was within an inch of it being a finished cut and it kicked back and pulled my hand through the blade backward. I Have literally made thousands of cuts on table saws, this is the only time I ever had kickback, just unlucky I guess. Since it went through backward it really tore things up. There was strings and meat and bone hanging out of the ends of three fingers. no chance or reattachment. Blood pumping out of the one in time to my heart beat. <br /><br />I live with it and really don't affect me all that much. First day back at work the first thing I did was fire up the big boy in the shop and rip a few boards.<br /><br /><br />
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tommays

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Jul 4, 2004
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Re: Ever Sawed Off Your Finger?

its good but what they dont tell you is when it fires it takes out the blade and the stoping device.<br /><br />so i hope it doesent have false triggers like a GFIC because it requires a new blade and stoping device!<br /><br /><br />tommays
 

rolmops

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Feb 24, 2002
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Re: Ever Sawed Off Your Finger?

Did you ever see a demolition team member order 5 beers?
 

Kenneth Brown

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Feb 3, 2003
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Re: Ever Sawed Off Your Finger?

I still have all of my fingers. I did run a 5/16 drill bit through the end of my middle finger. It caught on the plastic I was drilling and just twisted trough. Worst part was having to back it out. It did make some neat bumps on the sides that, wel I'll leave that alone.......... ;)
 

jtexas

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Oct 13, 2003
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8,646
Re: Ever Sawed Off Your Finger?

My dad did once. course this new device wouldn't of helped him any. He's so saftety-conscious, he just mounted his skilsaw upside down between the halves of an old kitchen table. Reached across the blade to steady his work. Lost the 1st & 3rd fingers at the first knuckle. My sister found 'em & took 'em to the hospital where they reattached 'em over his objection ("I don't need 'em anyway"). Neither one survived & he refused to pay the bill ("I told 'em not to do it").<br /><br />Ever since, he has to be aware of his left hand whenever he's being photographed, or driving, because when it's relaxed it looks like a rude gesture.<br /><br />[note to Kenneth - I think I know where you're going with that...you sayin that somebody's not too dissapointed with the result?]
 

ZooMbr

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Oct 8, 2004
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356
Re: Ever Sawed Off Your Finger?

I was cutting thin material, in my fathers cabinet shop, that when it came to the pickup table it slid under the edge. Soooo; I reached across the saw, braced myself with my left hand in back of the blade on the table. Reached across and grabbed the material and pulled it back enough to go onto the pickup table. Unfortunately that was far enough for the blade to catch the thumb on my left hand; whipped my hand over the blade cutting deeper as it went (my weight was on my left hand). Little finger was hanging by a thin piece of skin. Could have shook it off.<br /><br />ER Dr. looked at it and said: 'technically it's an amputation". Charged $700.00 (1976) insurance paid; but, when I confronted him, that was the last visit I got from him.<br /><br />Scar runs from end of thumb, across palm and ends where little finger used to be.<br /><br />SO CUT ME SOME SLACK ON MY TYPING!
 

magster65

Commander
Joined
Sep 1, 2002
Messages
2,573
Re: Ever Sawed Off Your Finger?

In grade 8 I saw a kid in my class run his hand into a dado blade. Yuck! I've been over-cautious ever since. <br />Reminds me of another buddy who decided he should make a pipe bomb... yep... only half a hand now. He's got his 3rd and 4th fingers... nothing else.
 
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