Goofs & Blunders You Should Avoid.

pontiac428 said:
I was using my Bosch cordless drill to cut through a 2x6 framing member at eye level using a 1-1/2" Lenox hole saw
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Hand held hole saws have put many of us out for a day or two.

That said, we all have a job to do, and as stated above, we have all got it done unscathed many times before.
Speaking strictly for myself, I have definitely seen how I cannot hold onto things like I used to.

My approach to MANY jobs have changed in the last 3 or 4 years........
 
Scars or trophy marks most anyone who welds. Stick welds use to just jump out and burn thru the boot top above the steel toes of course. And i have numb spots which ive really cooked on hot metal. Lift arm yupp stuck n smoking skin n meat. Even with protective gear i still get it.
 
Having worked a large portion of my adult life around molten steel and ductile iron, I am only mildly sympathetic to welding burns. There is(was) a steel toed work shoe(boot) that has elastic(?) instead of laces called a "foundry shoe". So it can be kicked off easily if "buckshot iron" gets into it.

I have been fortunate in that the worst I got burned was when a ladle blew up from a "Green" stir beam. They are called "green" because the moisture hasn't been cooked out of the refractory. I got buckshot between my electricians belt and my trousers. It didn't get into my skin until I bent over to grab my boss laying on the ground. When I straightened up, the iron had settled down and burned through my trousers. We all got a good laugh because I was more worried about my mustache than the burns on my side.

The parts man was working as a millwright along the hot metal runway when a ladle was dropped and fell over. He was still running out in the compound on his leg bones when someone managed to stop him for medical. His feet were gone, literally. When he came out of the hospital with new feet, prosthetics, he was allowed to return to work in a less stressful position, managing the parts room. Fortunately, I was never burned that bad. The iron used in a pipe shop is "around" 2900*F.

NEVER tuck anything in that isn't covered. Welder's "gauntlet" gloves are as bad as trousers tucked into boots. Or worse~~~ A welder's jacket that isn't easy to get out of is worse than no shirt. These days, I weld barehanded most times. The burns are nothing compared to when the iron pellets get inside a glove. Admitedly, if I had to weld a bead longer than a couple of inches, I would wear gloves and a jacket. But maintenance welding is "fix it now" or the mill goes down. Tacking up a box is about the limit.

Sorry, I got wound up telling sea stories and forgot it was a message board. The foundry was closed shortly after OSHA and the EPA came along. It was cheaper than bringing it up to minimum specs. Just my memories left, and those are dimming.

.
 
samthedog said:
  • When you adjust the tool post angle, ensure the post is tightened enough to avoid it turning on you while you machine. I have ruined a few parts having the post turn on me
  • Don't machine with long sleeves, even in cold weather. It's better to wear a vest than to get your arm ripped off
  • Place a piece of wood or a nylon cutting board on the drill press table then your job on top. When you see different colored swarf it's time to stop. I have seen some unsightly holes drilled into the table that could have been avoided
  • Never forgo safety for convenience. I caught some fiberglass in the eye from an angle grinder disk that nearly drove me crazy before it could be surgically removed
  • Never assume a capacitor is discharged. I nearly rode the lightning into the next life with this one
  • Don't walk away from a machine in operation. Strange things happen the moment you take your eyes off the machine
  • When you see a good deal on a machine, assume EVERYONE has also seen said deal and is frantically trying to organize funds and transport. Buy first, work out logistics later
All goofs above were learned by yours truly either directly or indirectly.
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I have a ton of capacitors and camera caps are the worst discharged and my ears were ringing for a few minutes.
 
Reeltor said:
I once knew a guy who thought it was great fun to toss a fully charged capacitor to "the new guy" to catch.
I never saw the retribution but I always assumed that at least one person had a meeting with this yahoo after work and off company property.

Looking back as some of the practical jokes that we played; none seem funny.
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I do that to kids my age who are being entitled brats when I tell them something and they don't listen charge it up that it hurts but can’t harm I also put the thing in long lighters that spark in a pen give you a good scare
 
jmhoying said:
Another tablesaw story. Back in 1987, I was ripping a 20" long board on the tablesaw and the board started to pinch the blade and was hopping a bit. I reached past the blade to hold the end down that had already been cut. At that moment, the wood caught the blade and shot out backwards, and pulled my hand with it. Completely split my thumb long ways and mangled my index finger. They ended up saving my thumb, but there isn't a joint in it, and I lost half of my index finder. It's been 29 years and I can still hear the sound of that board catching on the blade. I'm a cabinetmaker and still work with a tablesaw every day. I had respect for it before my accident, but I have a lot more now.
Jack
Fort Loramie, Ohio
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Me and my brothers and friends where using my friends dads 1960s table saw ripping 9’ lumber 16” wide 1” thick one person pushing on the back two on the sides pushing at the fence two on the other end pulling it and no riving knife all 10 to 14 was pretty scary bu know one got hurt.
 
Ooh, you made yourself one of those Van de Graaf belt sanders. Careful, you can pop a cow like a piece of popcorn with that.
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