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Power tools that scare you

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Table saw and handheld circular saw

I don't mind using a table saw with a friend to help, but I don't like to use it alone. I absolutely refuse to use a handheld circular saw.
 
Humpy said:
The injured guy was a new employee who was provided a cheap plastic table saw and taught to make free hand cuts without the fence in place. It wasn't totally his fault. Lawyers took it from there.
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Sounds like a lack of training, ie employer issue. So why was ryobi sued?
Still common sense should kick in when working with dangerous tools, but i guess he wasn't trained in that either.
 
These kinds of belt sanders, or other grinding wheels that have a rest right up to the grinding surface:

466_Sander.gif


Whenever I use them at work, I get visions of my hands getting caught and pulled inbetween the rest and the sandpaper, just grinding and grinding away until my hands are nothing but 180 grit smooth flat surfaces. But fear is what keeps you alive, so I guess it's a good thing.
 
Howard said:
I'm pretty sure that current regulations require that a machine like that needs to be guarded from bodily ingress during operation.
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You assume wrong.

I have to load the ham. Nothing prevented me from falling into it. Do you see any guards three?
 
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Howard said:
How?? Not setting the rests/guards properly?
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That is number one, but pieces will get hot in a hurry and all of a sudden people will loose their grip on something or someone will be grinding the edge of something pointed up at the wheel, the wheel will grab it and in the blink of an eye will flip it down, pulling your hand over the top.

Also gloves. It was hot so I put on gloves. NOOOOOOOoooooooo!!!

Like I said, you look around a die room at all the dangerous machinery and there in the corner will be a pedestal grinder looking like it would never hurt anyone.
 
I have to admit, chainsaws scare the hell out of me. I own one and I've used it a few times but I have a very healthy level of respect for it.
 
I'm not afraid of power tools. I gave my son his first cordless screwdriver at 2 years of age. Before he was in kindergarten, he was using a power drill & jig saw. Used correctly, most power tools that seem dangerous are rather safe. The dangerous tools are the ones that people think are safer than they actually are.
 
Anything that you could own yourself doesn't scare me. Industrial equipment that weighs tons and could turn you into a liquid and not even feel it scares me.
 
spidey07 said:
You assume wrong.

I have to load the ham. Nothing prevented me from falling into it. Do you see any guards three?
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What is a demo video supposed to tell me? And can you quote the appropriate code that says it's OK for that particular machine to be operated unguarded?
 
Squisher said:
That is number one, but pieces will get hot in a hurry and all of a sudden people will loose their grip on something or someone will be grinding the edge of something pointed up at the wheel, the wheel will grab it and in the blink of an eye will flip it down, pulling your hand over the top.

Also gloves. It was hot so I put on gloves. NOOOOOOOoooooooo!!!

Like I said, you look around a die room at all the dangerous machinery and there in the corner will be a pedestal grinder looking like it would never hurt anyone.
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Did your workshop offer (mandatory) safety training on the available equipment?

EDIT: Does your name have anything to do with your old job?
 
I'd say most tools do scare me a bit to a certain extent. I do take all proper safety measures, but I always have a slight fear that I either missed something, or something abnormal happens where the safety precautions did not cut it, such as a blade somehow snapping right in half, and it flies and goes through my skull, or something.

Out of all injuries my worse fear is sight loss though. I wear safety glasses for all tools that could potentially make something fly.

One tool that scared me the first time using it was the circular saw, but that's mostly because it was my first real power tool and I knew it had a much bigger danger potential than other tools I've used. So far I did not get any close calls or anything though. I make sure to work slowly, take my time, and be aware of all the potential dangers so I can avoid them.

All in all, it's mostly all common sense really. It pisses me off to hear when a tool company gets sued over an injury. These type of lawsuits should not even be allowed. It's not the tool's company fault that the user was being a moron.
 
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jointers give me some pause. it's really easy to do damage.

otherwise i don't fear any power tools, really. just know not to do stupid shit.
 
BlackTigers said:
Imagine a piece of metal sitting on a flat magnetic table. Huge two ft diameter wheel above it,spinning and grinding it flat.


All it takes is one wrong move and that wheel will toss some serious things. I watched a twenty pound block fly a solid 100 feet across the shop and into a concrete wall after it snagged on the wrong side of a grinder.


pedestal grinders are bad because they have a tendency to ripthngs out of your hands
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Eh? We're not talking about surface grinders.
 
I borrowed an angle-grinder from a metalshop before... damn thing had no guard whatsoever!

Holding the machine with my hand 2" from the 10k RPM blade was the most nervous I've ever been with a powertool...
 
GoStumpy said:
I borrowed an angle-grinder from a metalshop before... damn thing had no guard whatsoever!

Holding the machine with my hand 2" from the 10k RPM blade was the most nervous I've ever been with a powertool...
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Wear a thick shirt and pants and good safety glasses (preferably a face shield in addition). Flingy pieces can hurt.

EDIT: You shouldn't actually be using it without a guard anyway.
 
Howard said:
Wear a thick shirt and pants and good safety glasses (preferably a face shield in addition). Flingy pieces can hurt.

EDIT: You shouldn't actually be using it without a guard anyway.
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Yeah... It was for a one-off use at work, borrowed from the neighbors... Saw it and went "wtf?"... Didn't want to look like a pussy so I just sucked it up :whiste::$
 
I'm perfectly fine with table saw or handheld circular saw, but band saws.... It's the proximity of my hands to the running blade when I need to cut some fancy shape that scares the hell out of me. I'm veeeeery careful around that piece of machinery.
 
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