Back in High School woodshop my teacher was missing a finger--I think that was pretty common. I don't want to lose a finger, I imagine most people don't. I've always run a table saw with the guard in place, I also wear a full face shield, and a heavy leather apron. If you have a boss who tells you that time is money and you're faster without the guard--remember he's talking about his money, not yours and you're the one who'll lose the finger, not him.
When I was in school decades ago, I've had several teachers like that - always came out of their classes thinking that I wouldn't want a job where I might end up losing my fingers.
My shop teacher was missing two digits, his thumb and pointer finger at the first knuckle. They were from two separate run ins with the saw- guess he didn't learn the first time. But just seeing his scars made us idiot teenage burnouts respect the tools! Lifelong lesson from one good "oh my God" look! #savetheshopteachers 🤞😏👌
Mycel ever hear of kickback? When if the work gets a bit crooked on the blade, the blade grabs it and flings it? People do get impaled. Best not to stand in the plane of the blade ever at all, though.
@Mycel He is not wrong tho, i mean it was a table saw to cut steel but the only cut I forgot to wear my safety goggles is also the cut when a metal chip flew right into my right eye... This shit wasn't pleasant at all ! Safety first ! Wear your goggles !
Mycel I worked at a glass shop for a few years. One day while ripping some lexan plastic it kicked back the piece between the blade and the guide, no guard of course, and hit me right in the torso. Made it through the shirt but not my skin tho, it did leave a huge bruise across my stomach and ribs. And that was only a small five inch square of quarter inch material.
I have been woodworking for over 40 years. I had most of the attitude toward blade guards as Rex. I recently purchased a SawStop. As part of the assembly process I did put on the saw guard. After watching this segment it will stay on. Thank you Rex. I'm sorry you had to take the hit but I am grateful for your telling the story. I know this video is 5 years old but that is not significant. Have a great day and continue to stay safe.🙂🙂
I have done hobbyist woodworking for about 35 years, and worked at a professional shop and on construction job sites for about 12 years when ai was in my 20-30’s. I‘ve got a fairly serious shop at home and about 2 years ago I had a friend in town that had worked in a cabinet shop for almost 2 decades who wanted to do a project for his wife and didn’t have the capabilities to do what he needed, so he asked to use my shop. I showed him where everything he needed was, and hung out to help as he needed. For “efficiency” purposes he asked to remove by SawStop’s blade guard, and I said to do things the way he wants. He said, nobody uses them in the shops he’s worked at, as they “are only for amateurs” just like you said. About 3 hours into cutting and trimming, I was watching him cut a piece of 8/4 White Oak when I heard a loud slam. He had literally put his left hand down with several fingers across the blade, as he was pulling away off cut with his right. My heart dropped and he pulled back from the table. The blade was gone, down into the table, but all he had was a little cut on the bottom of his forefinger. Barely a drop of blood. Although i had a replacement brake and blade on site, we took the rest of the night off. He’s told me that he’s seldom worked without a blade guard since, and that 2 people at his shop have gotten SawStops. In any event, I can tell you, because I researched this extensively before getting my SawStop., that they have improved substantially in the past 6 or so years. I got mine in 2013, and always keep only the blades that SawStop approves on the saw. My 2013 model is supposed to stop the blade within 1-tooth of a revolution, which is what Dave experienced. Dave told me that it felt like a cross between a shock and a “hard flick’ as he put it. I am glad that it saved you from a worse injury, as I have friends missing fingers from old fashioned tablesaws.
@@ayahoo16 I think that during normal use when slowly pushing wood then yes the without a scratch thing is true. But if carelessly moving ones hand in fast motions then the damage would be as the guy in the vid received. I think if you karate chopped your hand on it yourd seriously hurt your hand.
You do have to spend some time setting the saw up... blade, fence, etc. But once done, the saw is great. Fairly compact which is Nice ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxXh-4_3-ZT1fFWP91ZV7iVqzElr0lEb-a I did get an Incra Miter Gauge which takes some setup as well. The stock miter gauge can be adjusted in the miter slot with a little painter's tape... this tightens up the side to side play a lot.
This is definitely the worst Sawstop injury I’ve seen. All the other ones I’ve seen had been no worse than a paper cut. I think I know the reason though. The fingernail is not conductive so that must have been what the blade hit first. By the time it senses your finger, it’s already cut through the nail. So even if it stops and pulls the blade down, your thumb is already caught between the blade and the throat plate, so the blade literally chopped through your finger nail. I know this because I tested this out. The blade was not running of course. When I pressed my flesh against the blade, the red light on the paddle was flashing saying something was wrong. However if I pressed my fingernail on it. There’s no flashing light
they are quite fast, but even if you do manage to contact the saw first with flesh, it depends on how fast you run into the blade, if you straight up punch the blade im sure you would get cut by atleast a few teeth, the sawstop works optimally at relatively slow feeds, such as ripping a peice of wood, and when moving th at slowly into the blade, its deisined to give no more than what seems to be a papercut.
Well most of the injuries you see are promotional... this is the only time I've seen a real one. And it is roughly as bad as mine was without a Sawstop, obviously if your whole hand goes toward the blade it's a different story.
MsSomeonenew lol you can’t call an injury as “promotional” just because it’s not severe. And then say an injury is real just because it’s bad. My Sawstop cut my Incra miter gauge and the brake engaged. The scratch on it looked like I barely rubbed a 220 grit sand paper on it. I was pushing the miter gauge at regular speed. None of the minor Sawstop injuries I saw were promotional
Great explanation pal 👍 im a tree surgeon on peaple are amazed im not afraid of my chainsaws but im scared shotless of what they're capable of so I never forget lol
I always compare safety equipment prices, to medical bills, and the possible physical cost afterwards. It's almost always cheaper to use the safety equipment. Even if all it does is reduce an injury, rather than completely prevent it.
@@kapwns I'm in TUD so I get to see my 2 Doctors for free... I'd have committed suicide or attempted it by now if I didn't... I also get to see my psychotherapist free... God Bless Tech Uni Dublin!!!
@@GrasshopperKelly Even if the appointment itself is free i doubt treatment would be cheap in this kind of injury. Lots of medication and gauze, and add in the days of work you'll possibly miss... yeah, using the safety equipment is a lot cheaper than dealing with the consequences of a mistake.
Besides the medical bills, a saw injury hurts like crazy. I was dumb enough to cut the tip of my left index finger and the pain was insane! I've had a heart transplant and that didn't involve as much pain as cutting my finger bad. I lost the use of the last joint in the finger and the finger looks a bit off but I can still play the piano with it. "God Bless Tech Uni Dublin!!!" Amen. Glad to hear they're helping.
5342, as long as you are window shopping, you can start desiring a Felder. They have recently announced a euro type slider saw with a similar, but seemingly superior evolution. Their solution drops the saw blade, without damage, before any contact takes place!
Like a helmet, if a guard causes you to get closer to the blade and use the saw table like this guy did as a place to stack things you might be in more danger. Don't put hand within the blade area, a few inches on the front or back edge the table is OK but don't go into the blade area even with a push block bringing your hand above the blade, get a longer push block. Anchor your hand if you are in that area so a board thrown left or right does not pull the whole hand, it only gets pulled away from the finger tips applying pressure to the edge with a well anchored hand. When a piece reaches the edge of the table I hold it down and switch to pulling instead of pushing, pulling accuracy is not quite as good but I do not like my hands too deep into the table. And of course I don't reach for things on the table while the saw is on, I guess getting around the saw on one of those huge tables is not possible so that would require the push stick which is also not very accurate as par as pressing the piece to 0 clearance on the fence.
Just a bit of information to those who aren't sure about the SawStop safety feature... The average reaction time for humans is 0.25 seconds to a visual stimulus, 0.17 for an audio stimulus, and 0.15 seconds for a touch stimulus. A blade spinning at 4000 rpm is 66.7 full revolutions per second! The SawStop reacts in .001 of a second. Most blades spin faster so at 5000 rpm, that's 83.3 full rotations. The time it would have taken for you to even register would have been enough time for the entire blade to have sliced your entire finger off!
One thing that I noticed- the blade that you installed has anti-kickback knuckles. The anti kickback blades are not recommended to be used on a sawstop because the knuckles can kick the brake away from the blade, allowing more damage to flesh if there is contact.
Hi Rex, coming to this late - glad the injury is not life changing! - publicmusician, by anti-kickback knuckles, are you referring to the nubs (such as the freud glue-line rip) behind each tooth? If that is what you are referring to I would be interested to know where Sawstop says that you cannot use these blades
michael collins The terminology is a little different, but I assume this is it: “Blades with depth-limiting shoulders may take longer to stop in the event of an accident than standard blades, and you could receive a more serious injury. Therefore, Sawstop recommends using blades without depth-limiting shoulders.” - Contractor Saw Owner’s Manual, page 29
The irony of hitting the thumbs up is not lost on me. Glad you only suffered a minor injury. I'm comfortable with my table saw but it still scares the hell out of me. I give it more respect than any other tool in my shop.
UA-cam gave me the attitude of leaving the guard off. Nearly all woodworkers on UA-cam I watch just have an exposed blade. The guard is now back on my saw...
Euro style guards, that can quickly and conveniently hook up to the riving knife, and suck chips as well, are superior to designs that require replacing the riving knife. They are more likely to see use.
After reading your post, it occurred to me that leaving the safety equipment off tools, leads to a better visual narrative. We like to see the tools cutting the wood, it's better for video. I'm sure there is some pressure on UA-camrs, building the best video they can, to sacrifice safety over visual narrative.
Incandescentiron I suspect you will find that removing blade guards is extremely common in general. The fact is, there are plenty of cuts you can’t make with a blade guard on and, even people concerned about safety, often don’t want to bother taking it off and putting it back on so it eventually comes off and stays off. Plus there definitely is a common attitude that safety features are for newbies and amateurs. But, you are right that a blade guard is not so good for the visuals.
@@88porpoise I also find the guards are designed as if they are a second thought, or rushed at the very least. At times I've wondered, "have the engineers ever used a table saw?", because the designs are that bad. As craftsman, I suppose we should take the time to work on fabricating our own safety measures for those those special situations the factory versions won't work, i.e. feather boards.
Incandescentiron I think that’s a great idea! I’d say I it’s like asking an electrician to design a guitar, can it work and technically be a guitar? Yes, would it be efficient high quality and allow you to do everything you want with it? Probably not!
Hey Rex, I am just going through a bunch of your videos. I am a trauma surgeon and a woodworker. I really appreciate you doing this video. The sober tone of this video and your message were necessary and clear. The pictures of the thumb were an important addition. I liked the fact that you used the phrase "...what I did wrong..." a few times. It brought the message home. Shop injuries are avoidable. Thank you.
The book is excellent with clear and precise step by step instructions both written and in picture, videos form ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxcZqgZ8Ynkiz5n_LxIWRlAicuzmz5kCHG I like the the fact that it has a section dealing with different woods and their characteristics, as well as tools and projects. Well worth the money.
I think the Sawstop really saved your thumb. Based on the angle the injury was occurring, it would have mangled the digit. There wouldn't have been much to reattach and that portion of the digit would be gone forever.
I've seen that before where someone comments on one video and that same person comments on another and it will sometimes show the wrong comment. Super weird.
My biggest tables saw injury (and the only one that drew blood) happened while the saw was off and unplugged. The blade was also completely lowered. In fact, I was done working for the day and stacking some wood up on top of the saw I had cut that I was going to work with the next day. When I went to set down the last stack of wood, my thumb hit the razor sharp corner of the ... aluminum fence. Took a nice little chunk out of it. I had my revenge though. I took a small file and removed a nice chunk off of all the sharp corners on the fence. Hopefully this is the worst injury I will have on the table saw... or any tool... Or ever...
That's a pretty stupid statement. That's like saying "Yeah, if you are a "pro" then bet all your money on the lottery, and if it don't work after a couple of times, don't do it anymore."
Did something like this about 15 years ago. I was making picture frames and cutting splines in the miters. Had a jig to hold the material and thought I was fine (no blade guard as it would have made it impossible to make the cut). Mistake #1 was not designing the jig to fully enclose the work, which I could have done. Mistake #2 was not paying attention. I did this about 8:30 in the morning, was fully alert, but I was not concentrating. I was doing repetitive work, I was under time pressure, and my focus was not in the moment - I was thinking ahead to the next task as I was cutting. Through plain carelessness I was working with a rapidly spinning blade with a functional impairment - I may has well have been drunk, smoking a doobie and texting while I was doing damned dangerous work. Distracted woodworking, you could say. It was the tip of my left hand pinkie finger that took the hit - and that's what if felt like - a sharp hit, as if someone had whacked it. Looked down, saw an amazing amount of blood, curled my fingers into a fist while I shut the saw off. I had lots of soft, clean cotton rags at hand (we used cloth diapers for the kids - when you're done with them they've been laundered so many times they're the softest rags you can get) so bundled myself up, went into the house and had my wife drive me to the urgent care clinic. Getting pressure on the wound had pretty much stopped the bleeding to it wasn't like a horror movie when the doc unwrapped my finger. I was lucky - the blade had sliced through the nail and into the quick but had missed the bone. The next part is where I had to man up. While not fazed by blood I have always had a thing about fingernails and injuries to them, and even thinking about this makes my spine tingle. Doc shot me with a local, and I forced myself to watch as he cut away the end bit of the fingernail and then, because he said it would heal better, grab a pair of forceps and pull the rest of the nail out then throw in a couple of stitches. But I was determined to have that image imprinted in my brain as a reminder to pay attention in the future. To this day the nail on that finger is shorter than the one on the other hand, I'm guessing because the stitches shortened that nail bed, and all I have to do if I'm thinking about getting cocky is hold them up together. That visual reminder is my own personal cautionary tale about how in an instant things can go terribly wrong.
I totally feel your pain and reaction. I am 70 years old tomorrow. Been in and around shops since I was literally 2. Got all fingers, not that I haven't had work related injuries. I have had none from a woodshop power tool. We all have our rules. When we break those rules we pay for it. Attention attention attention. When I am using dangerous tools I pay attention. just Sunday I was in the shop doing the same thing that you were doing. As I was running 24 pieces of 2.25" cuts 14" long, popping them out onto the kick off table I was thinking those are going to build up and you are going to get hurt. Fortunately I heeded my own rules and forced myself to do the right thing. yea...it only takes a blink maybe a quarter blink to get hurt and maybe a 1/2 minute to work safe. I know I have been lucky. I know I have taken stupid risks. I know that the next time I go into the shop that could be the day. Work smart, work safe, put good rules together, always live by the rules. Or you pay.
Man, you are incredibly good at writing. Im almost sure youve done some poetry or public speaking/speech writing and more importantly, your wisdom is delivered perfectly efficiently, thank you.
I rarely comment but this is really a great, sobering reminder of the danger we accept working with cutting tools. I had a somewhat similar left hand incident. Ripping with the blade not quite as high as the wood thickness, so I couldn't see it. And it was almost but not quite to the left-most edge of the board. So the blade being buried in the workpiece and invisible gave me a sense of security. As I pushed the board against the fence with my left hand, the hanging 'scrap' piece was so thin that as it went by the blade the pressure from my hand flexed the wood enough so that my fingertip pushed the wood, and my fingertip, into the side of the teeth. Felt like an electric shock, and only took a bit of the meat that eventually grew back. So I got a relatively easy lesson on exactly what your video demonstrates. Thanks for posting and reminding us.
I came very close to buying the Bosch until I watched a YT comparing job site saws that included the SawStop. I paid about triple what I would have paid for the Bosch then considered what I am really saving versus the consequences of an accident. There is no price too high for the added safety and peace of mind. I'm glad I bought the SawStop.
Just saw this (10/25/2021). You have changed lots since then and thumb is likely 100%. I ran two fingers into my old table saw and got an injury similar to your without a saw stop. I was pulling small boards (high-density particle boards) off the backside as I ripped many rail supports for a shelf. As the blade dulled, the boards were lifting up unknown to me since part of the blade still could be seen. As grabbed the board, I pushed the raised board down into the blade with my fingers to follow. I felt the bang like a hammer just like you and was able to pull my hand away fast enough to do the same damage you got. It was an old Sear model without any guard. I got rid of it and have not used one since. My uncle who worked with wood all his life regularly was always safe with his and used safe push sticks was using the saw in his 80's and cut all his fingers off his left hand. That changed his life for the last few years of disability. I might get another one with all the safety features. My injury was 30 years ago and I am wiser now. I love the low-dust hand tools you use and thanks for putting these videos over the years. You have much better productions now too.
About 2 years ago I destroyed the tip of my left index finger and removed the top of my left middle finger up to the first knuckle. I was cutting 3/16" plexiglass with the blade about 1/4" above the material. Never thought I would be that guy but, there I was. 3 doctors told me how lucky I was to have such a minor tablesaw injury. I didn't feel lucky. I still don't. The tip of each finger is a weird combination of numbness and pain and probably always will be. I haven't done much woodworking in my shop in the last 2 years. I could even go near my tablesaw for about 4 months. But I'm currently redoing the shop. New lighting, dust collection, benches, etc. Some new tools are in order also. Among them are a new Sawstop cabinet saw in February. On which all safety features will stay in place.
Rex Krueger Don't get worried about the injury, trust me I blew off my Right Thumb and I am right handed... At the time it seemed like the end of the world for me, but it will become normal quickly and don't get too worked up over it for your own good!
@@RexKrueger I put that safety equipment in place when I bought my table saw. The anti-kick back device left a grooves in the wood, one on each side of the blade. Perhaps that is why they cabinet shops don't put it in place. No one wants to buy a cabinet with linear grooves in it.
As a beginning woodworker, I appreciate the safety advice, Rex. I think there's a stigma that says you aren't a treu craftsperson if there isn't some risk of injury involved in whatever it is you're making. So it is refreshing to see that a pro like yourself recoginizes not only how important safety is but it is part of what makes a good craftsperson.
I went to a high school with agricultural science (agri science) classes and shop classes. In my freshmen year I took agri science and we made bird houses. Before my teacher took us to the shop classroom to use the saw she showed us a saw blade stuck in the saw stop. She told us the student had done the classic thumb right in the way of the blade, he would have lost his thumb. The saw stop prevented it, he walked away with a small gash smaller than yours. It gave us all a much needed wake up call, and we respected the tools we used through the whole project. Its a wonderful product and I am glad you where using it and found that it likely helped reduce your injury.
I get squeamish, but I force myself to watch videos about saw injuries so that I can remind myself how dangerous this stuff can be and hopefully I won't have to make a similar video in the future. Thank you for sharing your story, I'm glad you are Ok, but damn that looks painful.
Hello Rex! I stopped to watch your video b/c the intro pic & title really hit close to home for me. I was injured exactly the same way, doing exactly the same thing, on a very similar type saw (Powermatic, 3-phase, 5hp, cabinet saw, w/ a 3/16 thick rip blade)! *** The only difference with my injury...I completely removed my left thumb from the knuckle on! *** I mean, I did the exact same thing you did, the exact same way. I was attempting to move off-fall stock away from the blade on the left side, with my left hand. I’d already done it multiple times in that particular use of the saw, but that once, I absent-mindedly missed the workpiece, and ran my thumb directly into the blade. This is where things for you and I differ drastically, and I believe, based on my experience and your experience, THE SAWSTOP SAW DID SAVE YOUR THUMB!! Period. Because in that instance when your blade disappeared beneath the table, was the same instance I heard that trademark sound ...the sound a blade makes when a piece of wood or a knot hits the side of a blade (DING!!)...except that was my knuckle bone making that sound, not a piece of wood! Others on here can say whatever they want, that’s their right. However, if you’ve not experienced this particular injury the exact way Rex and I have, you *may not* have the necessary experience to speak on this subject. Rex, thank you for sharing your story. It brought back a lot of memories, and reminded me that I must too be safe everyday as I continue to use a table saw regularly. Also, I’m not God, therefore I can’t say w/o a doubt what might’ve happened to you w/o a SawStop saw, but I’m thankful for you that you were blessed enough to have one. Thanks again sir!
Matt: big, big thanks for sharing your story. It makes me extra cautious to hear your tale because of the big Powermatic saw I use when I do a little side work at another furniture shop. I feel that the SawStop was useful, but none of us knows for sure. I do know that I called them yesterday and they're sending me a new cartridge. I am curious though, was your thumb re-attached or did you lose it? Thanks again!
Rex Krueger No sir, it’s gone. The Doc said the blade just destroyed the knuckle (it was gone), and the finger was too messed up...all in the course of a second! In the end though, it’s made me safer, more thoughtful, more cautious, more determined, and very thankful. It’s quite simply amazing the beautiful things that can be made with wood, and how dangerous it can be to make them. MUST be careful, study your craft, and be very honored we are able to create the beautiful products we make. I love my trade!! Wouldn’t take anything for it. I’m just a lot more careful now. Thanks again sir. Really appreciate your honesty.
According to many in the comment section, you are simply inexperienced, careless, rely too much on tech, aren't paying enough attention and just an idiot in general. Sawstop in no way would have helped you. Just an overpriced technology that screwed the other saw manufacturers and the rest of us out of more safety by protecting their patent vs giving it away for free. Not to mention making all of us less safe through complacency. Seriously though, I'm sorry to hear about your thumb. I currently own a Sawstop and am grateful to have the technology. I've never had anything bad happen but I'm smart enough to know that is simply because I've been lucky up to this point.
Matt thank you for sharing your story. I appreciated Rex and now appreciate you sharing your experience. I am new to woodworking. I have worked in the Nuclear Power field for many years and we take human performance and safety very seriously - with that said we recognize that human beings are fallible. As such, I have seen bad things happen to people and equipment. This happened even though very smart , skilled, and contentious people were performing the work. As you said, it takes only a second. Because I am new to woodworking, I have really been on the fence regarding spending so much money on a table saw. But, after listening to Rex and you, I am giving much more consideration to biting the bullet and spending the money o a piece of equipment that can help save me from more significant injury - should I make a mistake and have a lapse in judgement. In the human performance world, the best way to stop and/or minimize an event is to build in an engineered control (i.e. the SawStop blade) stopping.
Matt, sorry to hear about your thumb. I completely believe that SawStop saved Rex's thumb. Friend of mine lost both his thumbs in the same mishap and cost him thousands of dollars in medical bills. Rex, thanks for sharing and get well soon. Cheers.
Hi Rex, Have you sent the cartridge to sawstop for inspection? They replace it at no cost if it’s engaged by skin contact. I was also told by their customer service department that they can tell how long the blade was in contact with the skin.
Thank you for taking the time to make this video. I have been in the woodworking business for 35 years. After owning all of the other quality stationary saws, I now own a Sawstop. If you are in business there is no reason to avoid buying this machine. Both for productivity and liability reasons, plus just treating your employees with the respect they deserve, get one. The better blade guard with built in dust collection is great and well worth the money. Also a quick note for people who complain about not being able to see the blade, sorry. I too ran saws for 30 years with no guards at all. But I was able to train myself to use the guard and enjoy it. The guard comes off and back on very easily, so special setups are no problem.
This is the first time I've started following someone from a mistake video, but thank you so much for your honesty, sincerity and being brave enough to ensure we learn from your mistake. Thank you. Subbed, liked, checking out your other videos now.
This is a worrisome train of thought that has been growing over the years. The idea that tool guards and safety equipment, or safe tool / equipment practices are for pussies or rookies or amateurs, is the war cry of every lost finger, crushed hand, and milky eye. It's just silly.
I don't think this train of thought has been growing, i think its the availability of safety equipment and practices that has been growing, and this is one of the ways people who don't like change pushback.
Well the fact is many kickback devices and blade guards that came with saws I have owned have been safety hazards of their own. Its not about being cocky or looking cool, its that it made the tool a PITA to use. To me it was a difficult choice but if you use the tool with 100% respect for general safe process, its better than having the guard make every cut awkward and dramatic. That said I would use a sawstop no question. I owned one of those twin cutter circular saws that craftsman made. (Counterrotating blades) The blade guard was so stiff in action that you had to kinda shake/wiggle the saw initiating the cut to get it to start retracting. I guess it was about the third time I used it that the blades smashed into each other breaking several teeth off each. $55 for a new pair of blades later, that blade guard was in the trash. Every time I touched it however the first thing on mind was the bare blade on the bottom. Same with the table saw. I use it bare, no pawl or guard, but every second its running Im staring at the blade.
Nope, you're wrong. If you think it's unsafe these days you don't realize how things were in an average factory or mill in the 60s. People are much more safety conscious these days. Still room for improvement though.
If he was completely honest he'd disclose the lobbying SawStop has done to make their equipment mandatory on all saws manufactured. And no they were not going to forego their royalty fees for licensing their technology either. So everyone that wanted to use a table saw would have to pay SawStop. That's a pretty sweet deal for SawStop.
Three to five years to learn the trade and how to use the machines and tools correctly and three to five minutes with an old hand to disregard it all. I'm really happy that you came away from it all fairly unscathed; it undoubtedly took a lot of courage for you to post this. Brilliant channel, keep it clean and dry, all the best 🔨
I am getting ready to start remodeling our master bedroom and bathroom. I still use a Craftsman radial arm saw that I purchased around 1980. Rex, you just convinced me to sell the old saw and buy a new one that will protect my fingers. Yes, you paid $300 plus the down time for our injury, but that is a small price to pay for keeping your thumb. Thank you for making this very informative video.
@@RexKrueger I just read your comment. Yep, I can certainly understand why no one will touch it anymore. My old saw was state of the art back in its day. Technology changes. However, I want to keep my fingers. Time to upgrade. Tell your dad I have one; he might need some spare parts.
I'm glad your injury wasn't as bad as it could have been. Another way to avoid an injury is once the cut is made, turn off the saw, then move the cut off from the table. I know this seems to be a "slow down" in a production environment, but it's safe and can save one from an injury.
I always do that. It is a time consumer, but I am not in a hurry these days. I am a paranoid when it comes to the table saw. More so than any other saw, chainsaw, or power tool.
If you're truly consistent, then you have implemented a reasonably safe policy. If you're shooting for zero risk, you'd unplug also;-) The other end of the spectrum is to do what Rex did...fast but risky. I either use a stick, or power off based on the situation. We accept all kinds of risks in our lives, we all have to decide where the line is between risk and reward.
I'm currently recovering from a table saw injury! I got super lucky! I actually didn't contact the blade. I was running a stacked dato on my saw cutting 20, 1/2" grooves into two pieces of ply glued together @ 36" long spaced at 1". I was on cut 8 when my sled started to feel resistance, and before I knew it, my sled was exploding in front of me and I felt a hard cold impact on my pointer and middle fingers. Now, luckily I didn't hit the dato or I'd have shredded finger all over. But after returning to the bloody crime scene, my board did jump up, slide along the blade laterally 14" where my hand was, which I thought was safe at that distance, and somehow my hand slipped off the board and ended up about 1/4" away from the dato when the board caught the blade again and smashed my fingers like grapes! After a trip to the ER, a month of hospital co-pays, multiple trips to the hand surgeon and both physical and occupational therapy, I'm out $2,500 as per my deductable plus out of.pocket. I've been out of work for a month and worse, it hurts like hell to move my fingers as I had 43 stitches and lost a bunch of bone in the process! (DM me if you want pictures). Will would a Sawstop have prevented this injury.... NO! but, had I been just a tiny bit closer, and that saw blade not grabbed that wood, I'd be missing multiple fingers. That's why I'm buying a sawstop! If there is a next time I won't be so lucky! For the $2,500 Co-pay a a month off work, I should have just used that money to buy a Sawstop in the first place! It's insurance on top of insurance! Redundancy is key!
That's very big of you, Rex, to admit your mistake. Thank you for using your experience to protect us. If I should get a table saw I will certainly get a sawstop! I hope your thumb made a complete recovery! 👍🏼
I almost cut my thumb off with a freshly sharpened leather working knife. I was lucky. It took a long time to heal and I can barely feel anything but it's still there. Always ask where your fingers are, so you don't have to say where are my fingers? After the cut.
I had a similar accident to yours. I don’t have the money to purchase a SawStop so I count myself even luckier than you. Same basic scenario. Using a stop block to protect my right hand, paying close attention to that hand. Irving knife in place, blade guard off for better visibility. Moved to clear a cut off with my left hand and hit the blade with the middle finger of that hand. I am incredibly lucky that my injury, while painful and ugly, was minor. Don’t be embarrassed about sharing. If your example saves one person from serious injury it is all good. Thanks for sharing. By the way the blade guard is on my saw whenever possible, and I am using a push stick instead of my bare hand at all times.
A good friend of mine lost 2.5 fingers a year ago without a saw stop! He said he got hurt so fast he didn’t realize it before it was too late! With regards to your losses! My friend has had to change jobs... in effect retrain in a new field because he can’t bring himself to step up to a saw anymore! So be careful out there guys! I know I‘m not alone in saying being able to create with our hands is one of the most amazing gifts we as humans are bestowed with!! Our work is a testament to that! So let’s all be warned and take care of our most valuable assets! Love the video! Love the way you structured it! I think you hit the high notes perfectly! Never forget about the 300 bucks, but realize it’s a fraction of what you could and almost did lose! That said I’m saving up for my saw stop and I’ll be sure to come back to your link when I am ready to buy! Thanks again for the heads up!!!
When I was little there was this man with only three fingers on his left hand. He also had a pretty big black dog that we were scared of. One day we were playing with a frisbee and the dog jumped over the fence to catch it. We all ran away screaming and climbed on a tree. When the owner came to get he dog he asked us why we were afraid of his dog but not of the other dogs on the street. After a while one of us finally said that we all knew that his dog was dangerous because he ate the his fingers. The man laughed and told us about his accident with his tablesaw. He even showed us his workshop and turned on his saw for a couple of seconds for demontration. I had a couple of nightmares about this saw in his basement but I wasnt scared of the dog anymore.
Thank you Rex, for having the courage to share your experience with the rest of us! I'm a rank amateur, who, in my late 50's decided to "got for it" and started remodeling my 1950's era house. Because of the wonderful training videos on you-tube, I have been able to overcome fear and learned to make good, safe cuts with a circular saw. I have also, because of the wonderful educational videos (like this one!) been able to KEEP a healthy measure of fear, and err on the side of safety. I want to acquire a table saw, and make my own kitchen cabinets. I am convinced it's worth every penny to invest in a SawStop over the other types. Thank you again for sharing!!
Thank you so much for making this video. I watched it with the utmost respect. My father was a mechanical engineer and designed everything from Harley’s evolution engine to parts for everything from fighter jets to nuclear submarines. He was a genius, but a very humble man. I grew up watching my Dad tinker in his home hobby woodworking workshop. He always let me make things with him, but never let me use the table saw. Okay, my father put the “fear of God” into me when it came to using a table saw. (He had taken our neighbor to the hospital when I was 4 years old, whom lost 3.5 fingers on his table saw) since then I have known of several people that have had lost fingers on table saws.... SO.... when my father passed away in 2015, he left me all his tools, lots of tools, some of them I will probably never know what the heck they are?! I kept what I could, and when I moved, low & behold my new farm came with a nice little outbuilding that was once someone’s workshop! Yeah... a place for all of Dad’s tools!! So last fall I had an epiphany and decided to really dig deep into woodworking and make it my official hobby! Excited to have a inherited 2 band saws, sliding miter saw, 2 drill presses, over 3 dozen handheld tools, and thousands of misc tools.... and yes an old craftsman table saw, it was a beast! I don’t think I used that table saw for the first 2 months, avoiding it like the plague. The “fear of God” was still there...clearly. One day I actually needed to “rip” down a piece of wood, so I used it... scared to death, but I used it, and I lived, fingers intact. Then one day it binded the blade on me and the blade stopped. Long story short the belt was slipping and I learned how to adjust it. Meanwhile I avoided it & I took a woodworking class for 5 weeks along with a 8 week Woodturning class. In class they used a sawstop. I never saw one, nor had I heard of them, & if my father had known of this table saw he most certainly would have owned one!! I was amazed... I had to have one! I bought one a month later, I spent all that I could manage and got the professional cabinet 1.75hp with the overhead dust collection system! My father would be soooo proud of me! I still have great fear and respect for the saw, despite the safety features. I know you can still be hurt, especially with kickbacks! But with the help of using my head, my sawstop, and following all the safety features and rules etc I hope I will always remain a card carrying member of the “10 fingers club!” The creator of this blows my mind. Thanks for making and sharing this video and thanks to Steve Gass for making the Sawstop!
Thanks for showing a bona fide injury created during the use of a Saw Stop. I'm a Saw Stop user. However, I think all those hot dog videos out on the web create an impression that unpleasant table saw injuries are a thing of the past. The technology is valuable and worth the money, but it doesn't compensate for a lack of safety devices and practices. Best wishes for your recovery.
Yeah the reason why his injury is so bad is probably because his fingernail contacted the blade first. Fingernail is not conductive, so by the time the blade sensed his flesh. It’s already cut through the fingernail. That means when the blade stops and gets pulled down into the table, his finger was trapped between the blade and the throat plate, so the blade literally chopped through his thumb in order to get below the table. That’s why if the flesh contacts the blade first the user gets nothing more than a paper cut
I agree that the experience shows that the SawStop can save your finger or hand but it won't necessarily prevent a cut. I think Alex is quite right. I'm even more sold on SawStops even though I don't have one yet. But you can see why you still have to treat the saw with the same respect as any other table saw.
Talking about mistakes is how we pass knowledge. Your experience is exactly why I have started shelving my power tools and enhancing my hand tool collection. I'm getting older and my mind is not focused enough for machines that can remove parts of my body in a fraction of a second. Thanks for sharing.
Oh Rex, you look quite shook up. How easy a moment’s lapse of concentration and its consequence. I’m glad you made this video and demonstrated just what can happen in the workshop - a salutary lesson for us all. A colleague of mine lost two joints from his left forefinger in a similar way on a cross cut mitre saw, just clearing away stock and strayed too close. Best wishes.
Amazing I've cut open my Thumb to the bone last year, on a format table saw with a cross cut blade, and it is exactly how you've described the feeling. I was cutting wedges for the Loghome we worked at that time, and I wasn't apparently paying attention enough as I tried to grab one of the wedges I've noticed that exact sensation you've just described. A hefty hit, as if I could feel every sawtooth ripping away my flesh. Took 4 months to grow back together fully and I still have a numbness in my thumb, but that sure was a lesson for me. I didn't have sawstop by the way, that's why I could see my thumbbone.
Blitz KriegFritz I sliced open the tip of my thumb to the bone (with a knife, not a saw) when I was 17. Thankfully it was a sharp knife, and it healed faster than yours, but almost 15 years on the tip of that thumb is still a little numb!
This is possibly the best video you'll ever do. Preventing someone from repeating your mistake or even worse is priceless. Sure you're out $300, but I can tell from your comments that the mental and emotional impact is much greater than that. Add to that, that the injury would surely have been greater had you not had a Saw Stop. Thanks for putting your ego aside to give us a very good message.
I've always wondered how the saw stop would work on an actual finger rather than a hotdog. Your injury was much more severe than what the hotdog tests show, but it was as you say probably much less of an injury than it could have been.Thank you so much for sharing.
His finger was likely moving a lot faster then the hotdog. Since his muscles were actively moving his arm towards the blade it results in a substantial injury but as Rex stated indeed a lot less worse then what it might have been without a saw stop.
Many thanks for this video Rex. As I reflect back to 1991, when our saw became loose mid ripping a large 8x4 sheet of chipboard, being that the saw actually detached itself, I hadn't realised that a splinter caught my right thumb in the process taking a peice of skin with it. Though, the saw was ripping at the time, jammed the blade in the sheet. This was an error on my part by not rechecking the saw that day, something that I always had carried out before starting work that I had set-up the previous night. No treatment was required at the time. Always double check any machine before use. Another thing is:- always get to know your machine by sound... For instance! If the ticking sound of a Bandsaw seens to get louder, just leave the shop as the machine winds down, as when the saw breaks in motiom, the blade whizzies across the shop like a rattle snake that has no mercy for anyone and sticks into the nearest object in its path... That time the brick wall was damaged as the blade inbedded itself. That time no-one was hurt. So! It pays to respect the machine you are using...
A year later. I'll bet your video had helped save at least one other person from a similar injury and will save others in the future. Thanks for sharing this difficult lesson for the rest of us to learn from.
Fun fact: current sawstop saws have a faster reaction time (somewhere around 3-4 milliseconds) than a current airbag’s reaction time (about 6-7 milliseconds) Meaning that I’m the time it takes an airbag to activate, a sawstop blade will have already come to a dead stop and “disappeared” from sight.
Worse has happened to my thumb. But I find it interesting to find another person who got their thumb cut. Warning you might not want to read the rest of the comment if you didn't see the picture in the video or are grossed out easily. My story is this(I remember some stuff precisely) On August 22, 2017, at about 2 :05 ish(I checked the time right before) I was going out through the door and there was a thunder/ heavy rain + wind storm outside. As I closed the door(I live in an apartment) there was high pressure in the hallway and door area of my apartment which made the door close on my thumb while my hand was still holding the door and handle. The door and wind pressure CUT OFF(off like slice off) part of my right thumb. It cut through the middle of my nail so I have part of my thumb missing.
Another TIP that I have for all SS owners. When turning ON the saw using the red paddle...I NEVER LET GO of the paddle until I hear that the blade is running properly in my cross cut sled. If it is binding...my hand is right there ready to turn OFF the saw. BTW...has never actually happened but...I'm prepared if it does. That's all I've got for now. Needless to say...VERY GLAD that your incident wasn't more serious.
Well Rex, I wouldn't say it was stupid. I also wouldn't call it smart. I have the same scar on the same finger and you guessed it, on the same hand. 18 years ago I was not happy with the out come of my accident. But 18 years later I can tell you that it was the best lesson I have ever learned. Because I have never been hurt with tools like that again. I am very lucky to have it in tacted and fully functional. Every time I turn on a saw I show the tool the respect it deserves. Table saws do not discriminate and have no remorse. Thanks for all your video I love what you are doing for people
I am a woodworker who has owned commercial custom door companies. I do not use Saw Stop or a blade guard. I do use a riving knife. My saw is a 5hp Felder which, if you have any issues can power up a problem quickly. My rip approach for pieced under 1.5" is to cut a custom push stick from wood scrap. each to make, make it wider than the piece and with a notch to pus the wood. Your plastic push thing appears far less steady which could make it unstable. For rips over 1.5" I hook my pinky over the blade and it appears foolproof for keeping my hand away from the blade while maintaining control For keeping the board against the fence, use a feather board. no fingers with plastic slippery sticks needed. A saw cover for me makes it difficult to observe cut dynamics, resulting in more predictable oncoming problems. Thanks for bringing up this challenging proglem. Art Quinn
Damn true, I've worked construction for 20 years and I have always had a healthy fear of any circular saw. I've seen other guys do some really stupid stuff with them too.
@@jegr3398 oh yeah, pretty scary stuff, a coworker of mine recently got kissed by 480 volts because he said he had been doing it for 10 plus years and didn't bother checking if the conduit was live, just shut the breaker off and locked out. Just a little kiss on his knee, turns out that there was a piece of wire that was connected to another breaker that was still live.
Glad to know you're okay and thanks for sharing your story! The same thing happened to me with my small Dewalt several years ago. My left index hit the blade, but the cut was very superficial, so they couldn't stitch anything at the ER, even though it was bleeding a lot! I guess I was very, very lucky! Truth is, you don't need a SawStop anymore, as I can assure you that from now on, you will remember what just happened each time you turn on your table saw!!
You should definitely look into MicroJig. I got their version of push sticks and I no longer worry. The blade is covered all the time on any form of rip no matter how small. I'll find a link for you and your public.
Is it possible to use the gripper and the blade guard at the same time? I don't think it can since it normally straddles the blade. It sounds like the issue here was reaching across the blade after the cut to remove the cut off piece... and by that time the gripper would've already been clear, and it wouldn't have saved him from this injury. What he should have done is turned the saw off before reaching for anything or used his other push-stick (as he mentioned) to clear the cut off piece.
I'm a 65 year old carpenter/furniture maker. I got started in woodworking at the age of 12, and it has been my profession ever since that time. I design and build cabinets, bookshelves, tables, chairs, and the like. I love the work, because I get to do unique pieces that bring good prices for me. Now about shop injuries involving tablesaws: I have only suffered a couple of kickbacks, but that was before blade guards and riving knives were in use in most shops. As for a blade inflicted injury, I have never suffered one. Why? Because, unlike most professionals, I follow all safety rules to the letter, and make use of all available safety equipment. But even before I was able to get the safety equipment, I understood the dangerous nature of tablesaws, and practiced all safety procedures. I still have all of my fingers and thumbs, and they work perfectly. Now I do agree that the tablesaw is the most dangerous power tool in the shop, and it needs to be equipped with the most safety equipment; however, All powered tools in a shop should be used with safety in mind. A jointer planer can be quite dangerous too, as well as a big router table. The bandsaw can cut off a digit almost as fast as the tablesaw. A compound miter saw can do so just as fast as a tablesaw. Another very dangerous power tool is a lathe, which if not setup properly, can cause serious bodily harm. There are several more very dangerous power tools in a professional woodshop that you should learn to use safely, if you want to learn to use them. My rule has always been to study the safety protocols of each and every tool you wish to use in your shop as you are learning to use them. Do not start any power tool before you know the safety procedures, and can follow them correctly. After that you may begin to get familiar with the tool, taking all precautions to insure that you remain injury free. And please be glad we now have excellent safety equipment to use with or attached to our power tools.
I have been working with table saws for almost 60 years. I learned on my dad`s Craftsman table saw. I never used any blade guards or riving knives. I have experienced several kick backs over the years. I have learned the hard way on how to avoid them. I just purchased a Stanley job saw. I now live in Colombia South America and it is so expensive or even impossible to find a good saw. I had to build a crosscut sled because the crosscut push bar is so short and so cheap. Because I use the crosscut sled a lot , I have disconnected my riving knife. Your video has convinced me to re install it.
Sorry to hear about your injury and glad you're okay. The SawStop did its job and reading the manual recently (as I got one recently myself), your blade is what may have caused the deeper than normal cut. They recommend blades that don't have that anti-kickback design (shoulders). It apparently causes the blade to stop slower than ones without, thus causing a slightly more severe injury. Freud even redesigned one of their Dado Stacks just for the SawStop because of this. Worth thinking about IMO.
THIS. This is why the injury was as severe as it was. Sawstop is very clear about the various conditions that need to be met in order for the tech to work optimally. The correct type of blade is one of those conditions. However, it still did the job and the evidence is he still has his finger.
I just put my left thumb through my Ryobi industrial router a week ago. Sounded just like wood when it routs out Ur nail and bone. Safety is always on everyone's mind but it takes a split second. Don't beat urself up. We still have our thumbs 😎👍
I really appreciated they way you present the post-accident analysis and identified the most probable cause (the protection for your left hand). Clear and logical breakdown of events and analysis, and that is the way we should look at any accidents and try to prevent it in the future.
Two years later this video- which I realize must have been difficult to make- has given me much to think about and will no doubt positively impact my safety in the shop in the future. Thank you.
on February 1, 2018 I experienced the exact same injury in the exact same way with the exact same set up. My thumb was much worse for wear though. I went about halfway through, nicked the bone, sever the tendon, and transected both nerves. It's been a long road to recovery but my thumb will never be the same. I really wish I had a sawstop then, or at least had the fxxxxxxg blade guard on.
Glad to hear you got away with a few stitches and a wake up call Rex! I've much worse injuries caused by a single moments lack of concentration. Best safety equipment resides between our ears,just have to remember to engage it! Get well soon😷😷😷😷
Hi Rex. Glad you are ok and I bet you are right that it could have been a whole lot worse. Can I suggest you get the dust blade guard which offers more protection again?
David Stanton I second David's urging. The dust collection blade guard does offer far greater protection. Rex, you mention two things in the video: 1. The cost of your injury (~$300 out-of-pocket), and; 2. How expensive over-arm dust is from SawStop. I just checked and the dust collection, which might've prevented the injury and associated costs (let alone the pain), would've paid for itself and then some! Get thee dust collection before returning to work!
Rex, thanks for sharing your experience with your Saw Stop, I can’t help wonder why the retraction of the saw blade seemed to be “not fast enough”. My guess is that first contact was with your thumb nail, which is without moisture. Once the saw blade penetrated your thumb nail and touched the moist meat the saw stop did its job. Be thankful, it could have been much worse.
As a medical professional we see these types of injuries every day (not necessarily from table saws but mangled digits none the less). I believe that in your case while preventable (almost all are, so don't feel alone or beat yourself up too much.) it's worth discussing, and I thank you for biting the bullet of embarrassment to make this video. In my opinion it's imperative to analyze these incidents to see what went wrong, and how to prevent it from happening again. By making this video you have convinced me to buy a SawStop. My situation is I'm retiring next year and going to set up a brand new workshop in my garage. I consider myself a hobbyist but may expand it into a part time business. This video helped me make the final decision as to the table saw to buy. Thanks again and please keep up the good work and be safe. All the best...
One of the best Reference guide for woodworking. ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxcZqgZ8Ynkiz5n_LxIWRlAicuzmz5kCHG Focuses more on the manual took style of wood working then how to use more modern power tools. However the information is incredibly in depth and provides great help. Has a whole section devoted to wood types and has projects in the back
@@michaelyoung9399 did you know that 10 8s a digit number? A 10 digit number would look like this 1,000,000,000. so how about you go take kindergarten math again
I've got the 3 HP Professional SStop. My first and ONLY encounter with SS's safety feature was when I set an aluminum fence in my cross cut miter sled JUST a SMIDGE too close to the blade. Ooops. Have no idea why I need to set it so close. But...it happened SO FAST (when the blade touched the aluminum fence and instantly retracted). I had...at the time...no idea WHAT had happened until I figured it out. My fingers were no where near the blade when this happened...thank goodness. Yep...the cartridge worked 100% (retracted in what I recall the specs say "5 nano seconds"???). Yep...the BLADE...the one that came with the SS was EMBEDDED into the cartridge and couldn't be removed. I hang the DUO on my shop wall...near the lights that I always turn on...as a REMINDER of what happened. The 3 HP saw is VERY POWERFUL...and I am VERY RESPECTFUL of it. I ALWAYS let the saw come to a COMPLETE STOP before reaching for either the DESIRED piece or the OFF CUT. NEVER EVER reach for an OFF CUT...although it's in our nature (why I don't know) to somehow reach for it. Glad that you produced this video...I learned about watching out for BOTH hands. As a result...I can give you a THUMBS UP...since you still have 2! LOL. Saw on...carefully and respectfully.
Romeo Whiskey I like the fact that you hang the evidence where you can see it everyday - very honourable I think. All the best and hopefully that is the only one you will ever 'acquire'.
Great video, and thanks for the honest feedback and safety talk! I don't like sponsored ads as well either, but I do like straight honest feedback videos.
“I’ve never seen a professional use a blade guard.” Me neither! I know a lot of old woodworkers with all of their fingers, but these machines require the utmost respect and focus. I learned SO MUCH from this, thank you for sharing!
I have found a way to greatly avoid injuries on my table saw. I always cut wood alone with t the radio off. Even if I am cutting a piece of stock for a friend I do it alone so I am not distracted by someone in the room talking or shooting requests at me from a position of ignorance.
Thanks for sharing this man. I bought a saw stop last year, it really is a great machine. One thing they do; if you can prove that the mechanism was triggered by a finger (which, you did a great job of) they will actually send you another cartridge...that doesn't help with your blade, but it's better than nothing...who knows, maybe they'll give you a little extra for the content.
They never claimed absolute safety. It will cut you; but to what degree is what they can't claim because every situation is different in HOW it actually occurred. Trying to go after the only saw that can save your finger(s) versus ANY other saw that would amputate it in a heartbeat is just plain stupid. Don't say no one can make it because SawStop has a patent. Someone else just needs to come up with a new tech and sell it. The guy invented it, patented it, and tried licensing it, but the big companies didn't want to pay.
Barry Manilowa The manual also states not to use the blade he used because it will not stop the blade as fast as others. Before you run your mouth, read the manual, do the research, and his set up. I don't care to support big corporations but they have made something that does indeed help A LOT and SawStop is Not big compared the like of Bosch, Dewalt, and others. I also disagree with Ryobi's case. That was just plain stupidity and somehow Ryobi lost. It's a friggin Table Saw. There is NO full proof table saw for complacency. I agree company's have to abide by their claims and I don't see how this doesn't. He didn't lose a finger as he would most likely have with a blade still spinning at that height. At the end of the day, you have your view and you're within your own right to your opinion. I look at it from a situational perspective and the saw did its job. If the saw does indeed amputate someone with the proper setup, then your argument becomes 100% valid and I'll stand by your view to go after them in court if SawStop doesn't do anything.
www.sawstop.com/images/uploads/manuals/CNS%20Owners%20Manual%20V2.3%20%28May%2010%29.pdf Read Page 12, #4. You don't seem to comprehend the warnings. His blade is NOT recommended due to the shoulders and will cause a little more damage. I never said ALL Freud blades are not OK. The Freud blades with the Shoulders are BAD due to the reason listed in the manual. Freud Reworked their Dado Stack just for the SawStop because of this feature in their other blades. It's even marked as "SawStop compatible". Once again, you run your keyboard warrior status before knowing the facts.
Thank you for sharing. It is difficult to lay out your mistakes in a public forum. Thanks for having the courage to do so to save someone else from making the same mistake.
Your honesty and candor about your accident was both compelling and persuasive. I believe this video performs a valuable service about the need to use the safety mechanisms that are available for power tools. My hat is off to you for your humble and courageous presentation.
FIRST, Great Video!!! Okay, having a "no budget" shop has it's drawbacks... and obsolete equipment that is extremely dangerous numbers among the bigger "sux-donuts"... I'm going to attempt to spare you gritty details, but in regards to that part of the video where you said, "I can't say definitively..." I can. There's been enough nightmare fuel around here that I just keep less experienced folks OUT of the shop all together anymore. Even seasoned pro's only get in while I'm here, and I administrate the most egregious equipment issues... because I'd rather I get killed (even a little bit) than let someone else take it. That saw stop DEFINITIVELY saved your hand... a LOT! No need in being wishy-washy about it. I've seen the kinds of injuries that come from "bumping" a rotating saw-blade... even while the saw is "technically off" and the blade was only "winding down"... I know, I've been known to "get cheeky" with the preaching about "never ever reach over a moving blade"... BUT that's reality in my shop. I don't even leave the table-saw "set up" when it's not in use... The damn thing is dangerous to a whole new level... All joking aside, it's terribly easy for the blade of a table-saw to literally YANK your hand down into that slot and just SHRED everything. I've seen it... I've had to clean it up... I've had to "make that run" to the ER with turpentine and betadine soaked rags gobbed around the tattered end... AND no. I do NOT recommend it. Thanks for stepping up with this video, sir. You're not just being genuine in your teaching, but working to help others learn and take the pause to really think about it. Hopefully more will implement appropriate features for their own better interests... and health. ;o)
So I'm watching this in 2021. Your experience and this video may have saved me from serious injury, as I tended to do the same things you were doing. Blade guard goes on, nothing but a push stick goes near the blade. Thank you, despite your obvious distress at making this video.
Thanks very much for posting this, I believe you've done the woodworking community a service by being so honest. I have to say that I doubt that your resolution to always use a blade guard will last beyond the next time you need to make any cut that doesn't go all the way through. But no matter. The most important thing IMHO is to treat the saw with the utmost respect and paranoia. My own rule is that under no circumstances will I position my hands so that they are pushing towards the blade (and for other tools with mobile blades: make sure the blade is never pushed towards a body part I want to keep). These lessons have been learned the hard way, though thankfully it involved nothing more than a painful cut - nothing like yours.
I did exactly the same thing in exactly the same place. When I looked down I thought I was going to see my thumb bouncing around on the table. It happens to the best of us 👍
@@cannabiskreations Careful with that attitude. Worst I've done is scratch my finger with a Dremel but from what I've seen on jobsites, it's always the people with your sort of attitude who get seriously injured
@@cannabiskreations *shrugs* Let's hope it stays that way. Don't forget you're not the only person on jobsites. My "injury" that didn't even require a band aid occurred when I got startled by a loud explosion, someone dropped a cigarette into a 55 gallon barrel of solvent at the other end of the building. Working is like driving, even if you're good at it, someone might run a red light and t-bone you
thats crazy, when I nicked the tip of my finger off with a circular saw I felt nothing, just the warmth of the blood. Dont put a pencil in the guard...
I absolutely applaud your painfully honest video to help others!!! I'm starting to get back into woodworking with my son (21) and will make him watch this! The gory pics of your injury are absolutely neccessary to get the point across! Thank you for this video!!!
Back in High School woodshop my teacher was missing a finger--I think that was pretty common. I don't want to lose a finger, I imagine most people don't. I've always run a table saw with the guard in place, I also wear a full face shield, and a heavy leather apron. If you have a boss who tells you that time is money and you're faster without the guard--remember he's talking about his money, not yours and you're the one who'll lose the finger, not him.
When I was in school decades ago, I've had several teachers like that - always came out of their classes thinking that I wouldn't want a job where I might end up losing my fingers.
My shop teacher was missing two digits, his thumb and pointer finger at the first knuckle. They were from two separate run ins with the saw- guess he didn't learn the first time. But just seeing his scars made us idiot teenage burnouts respect the tools! Lifelong lesson from one good "oh my God" look!
#savetheshopteachers 🤞😏👌
Mycel ever hear of kickback? When if the work gets a bit crooked on the blade, the blade grabs it and flings it? People do get impaled. Best not to stand in the plane of the blade ever at all, though.
@Mycel He is not wrong tho, i mean it was a table saw to cut steel but the only cut I forgot to wear my safety goggles is also the cut when a metal chip flew right into my right eye... This shit wasn't pleasant at all ! Safety first ! Wear your goggles !
Mycel I worked at a glass shop for a few years. One day while ripping some lexan plastic it kicked back the piece between the blade and the guide, no guard of course, and hit me right in the torso. Made it through the shirt but not my skin tho, it did leave a huge bruise across my stomach and ribs. And that was only a small five inch square of quarter inch material.
I have been woodworking for over 40 years. I had most of the attitude toward blade guards as Rex. I recently purchased a SawStop. As part of the assembly process I did put on the saw guard. After watching this segment it will stay on. Thank you Rex. I'm sorry you had to take the hit but I am grateful for your telling the story. I know this video is 5 years old but that is not significant. Have a great day and continue to stay safe.🙂🙂
I have done hobbyist woodworking for about 35 years, and worked at a professional shop and on construction job sites for about 12 years when ai was in my 20-30’s. I‘ve got a fairly serious shop at home and about 2 years ago I had a friend in town that had worked in a cabinet shop for almost 2 decades who wanted to do a project for his wife and didn’t have the capabilities to do what he needed, so he asked to use my shop. I showed him where everything he needed was, and hung out to help as he needed. For “efficiency” purposes he asked to remove by SawStop’s blade guard, and I said to do things the way he wants. He said, nobody uses them in the shops he’s worked at, as they “are only for amateurs” just like you said.
About 3 hours into cutting and trimming, I was watching him cut a piece of 8/4 White Oak when I heard a loud slam. He had literally put his left hand down with several fingers across the blade, as he was pulling away off cut with his right. My heart dropped and he pulled back from the table. The blade was gone, down into the table, but all he had was a little cut on the bottom of his forefinger. Barely a drop of blood. Although i had a replacement brake and blade on site, we took the rest of the night off.
He’s told me that he’s seldom worked without a blade guard since, and that 2 people at his shop have gotten SawStops.
In any event, I can tell you, because I researched this extensively before getting my SawStop., that they have improved substantially in the past 6 or so years. I got mine in 2013, and always keep only the blades that SawStop approves on the saw. My 2013 model is supposed to stop the blade within 1-tooth of a revolution, which is what Dave experienced. Dave told me that it felt like a cross between a shock and a “hard flick’ as he put it.
I am glad that it saved you from a worse injury, as I have friends missing fingers from old fashioned tablesaws.
Wow, that is powerful story and very well-told. You're a good writer!
Moral of the story is, use a SawStop, use the guard, use the recommended type blades!
I hope you have him so much shit for being such an awesome "pro" at the table saw
Great testimony, Andrew, thanks.
Andrew Denis dang, do you have wattpad? your writing is very appealing
The saw stop infomercal says no damage. Obviously not true.
But ill take a 1/2 inch gash and a scar over a perminant debilitating injury any day.
What I've seen says you take no damage if you're guiding the wood in. It showed you taking significantly more damage comeing in from above.
@@ayahoo16
I think that during normal use when slowly pushing wood then yes the without a scratch thing is true.
But if carelessly moving ones hand in fast motions then the damage would be as the guy in the vid received.
I think if you karate chopped your hand on it yourd seriously hurt your hand.
And honestly paying $300 to avoid losing a finger is totally worth it
@@ayahoo16
Yes exactly.
I wanna see someone drop a hot dog on it
@@checkmate058 I've seen a video, the hot dog wasn't too badly damaged.
You do have to spend some time setting the saw up... blade, fence, etc. But once done, the saw is great. Fairly compact which is Nice ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxXh-4_3-ZT1fFWP91ZV7iVqzElr0lEb-a I did get an Incra Miter Gauge which takes some setup as well. The stock miter gauge can be adjusted in the miter slot with a little painter's tape... this tightens up the side to side play a lot.
This is definitely the worst Sawstop injury I’ve seen. All the other ones I’ve seen had been no worse than a paper cut. I think I know the reason though. The fingernail is not conductive so that must have been what the blade hit first. By the time it senses your finger, it’s already cut through the nail. So even if it stops and pulls the blade down, your thumb is already caught between the blade and the throat plate, so the blade literally chopped through your finger nail. I know this because I tested this out. The blade was not running of course. When I pressed my flesh against the blade, the red light on the paddle was flashing saying something was wrong. However if I pressed my fingernail on it. There’s no flashing light
Alex Fang I think you are completely right. Saw stop is a awesome technology, but table saws are a hell of a product.
I was going to say, I thought those saws were a lot faster then this but what you said makes since as to what happened here.
they are quite fast, but even if you do manage to contact the saw first with flesh, it depends on how fast you run into the blade, if you straight up punch the blade im sure you would get cut by atleast a few teeth, the sawstop works optimally at relatively slow feeds, such as ripping a peice of wood, and when moving th at slowly into the blade, its deisined to give no more than what seems to be a papercut.
Well most of the injuries you see are promotional... this is the only time I've seen a real one.
And it is roughly as bad as mine was without a Sawstop, obviously if your whole hand goes toward the blade it's a different story.
MsSomeonenew lol you can’t call an injury as “promotional” just because it’s not severe. And then say an injury is real just because it’s bad. My Sawstop cut my Incra miter gauge and the brake engaged. The scratch on it looked like I barely rubbed a 220 grit sand paper on it. I was pushing the miter gauge at regular speed. None of the minor Sawstop injuries I saw were promotional
25 years on a table saw, 11 of those is daily use and it still scares me enough to pay more attention to it than any thing else in my life
Great explanation pal 👍 im a tree surgeon on peaple are amazed im not afraid of my chainsaws but im scared shotless of what they're capable of so I never forget lol
I am a newman well said
You know Rex, most people demonstrate these sawstops with hotdogs. 😉😁
Thanks for the video.
Your poor wife and kids!
@@raizt1596 😂😂😂
It feels weird to give this video a thumbs up...
Luckily nothing serious happened.
Thumb: "Am I a joke to you?"
better a thumbs down than a thumb's off.
Sorry, but that’s funny.
Lmao
well he almost had a thumb down so there's that
I always compare safety equipment prices, to medical bills, and the possible physical cost afterwards.
It's almost always cheaper to use the safety equipment.
Even if all it does is reduce an injury, rather than completely prevent it.
in the US, everything is cheaper than seeing a doctor.
@@kapwns I'm in TUD so I get to see my 2 Doctors for free... I'd have committed suicide or attempted it by now if I didn't... I also get to see my psychotherapist free...
God Bless Tech Uni Dublin!!!
@@GrasshopperKelly Even if the appointment itself is free i doubt treatment would be cheap in this kind of injury. Lots of medication and gauze, and add in the days of work you'll possibly miss... yeah, using the safety equipment is a lot cheaper than dealing with the consequences of a mistake.
@@kiwa8830 oh yea! The doctor is free, and my medical card only covers so little. I mean it does cover a lot, but nothing like missing body limbs...
Besides the medical bills, a saw injury hurts like crazy.
I was dumb enough to cut the tip of my left index finger and the pain was insane!
I've had a heart transplant and that didn't involve as much pain as cutting my finger bad.
I lost the use of the last joint in the finger and the finger looks a bit off but I can still play the piano with it.
"God Bless Tech Uni Dublin!!!"
Amen. Glad to hear they're helping.
I don't even have a table saw and I want to get a SawStop.
5342, as long as you are window shopping, you can start desiring a Felder. They have recently announced a euro type slider saw with a similar, but seemingly superior evolution. Their solution drops the saw blade, without damage, before any contact takes place!
Like a helmet, if a guard causes you to get closer to the blade and use the saw table like this guy did as a place to stack things you might be in more danger. Don't put hand within the blade area, a few inches on the front or back edge the table is OK but don't go into the blade area even with a push block bringing your hand above the blade, get a longer push block. Anchor your hand if you are in that area so a board thrown left or right does not pull the whole hand, it only gets pulled away from the finger tips applying pressure to the edge with a well anchored hand. When a piece reaches the edge of the table I hold it down and switch to pulling instead of pushing, pulling accuracy is not quite as good but I do not like my hands too deep into the table. And of course I don't reach for things on the table while the saw is on, I guess getting around the saw on one of those huge tables is not possible so that would require the push stick which is also not very accurate as par as pressing the piece to 0 clearance on the fence.
@@mykofreder1682, I am thinking that this is more a list of good technique than a reason to not buy a saw with this technology.
Sounds like you need a saw.
myko freder a
Just a bit of information to those who aren't sure about the SawStop safety feature...
The average reaction time for humans is 0.25 seconds to a visual stimulus, 0.17 for an audio stimulus, and 0.15 seconds for a touch stimulus.
A blade spinning at 4000 rpm is 66.7 full revolutions per second! The SawStop reacts in .001 of a second. Most blades spin faster so at 5000 rpm, that's 83.3 full rotations. The time it would have taken for you to even register would have been enough time for the entire blade to have sliced your entire finger off!
I really like comments where people use data and numbers. The internet needs more of this.
The the saw stop reacts in .066 of a blade revolution.
Thanks for the real numbers. It puts things in perspective.
@@richardmckrell4899, Glenn's point, yes?
How fast are you moving your hand though?
One thing that I noticed- the blade that you installed has anti-kickback knuckles. The anti kickback blades are not recommended to be used on a sawstop because the knuckles can kick the brake away from the blade, allowing more damage to flesh if there is contact.
Excellent point, PM!
publicmusician That’s a good point
Hi Rex, coming to this late - glad the injury is not life changing! - publicmusician, by anti-kickback knuckles, are you referring to the nubs (such as the freud glue-line rip) behind each tooth? If that is what you are referring to I would be interested to know where Sawstop says that you cannot use these blades
michael collins The terminology is a little different, but I assume this is it:
“Blades with depth-limiting shoulders may take longer to stop in the event of an accident than standard blades, and you could receive a more serious injury. Therefore, Sawstop recommends using blades without depth-limiting shoulders.” - Contractor Saw Owner’s Manual, page 29
Was gonna say saw stop saved like 5 kids hands at my school they got off with a scratch or nothing at all.
The irony of hitting the thumbs up is not lost on me. Glad you only suffered a minor injury. I'm comfortable with my table saw but it still scares the hell out of me. I give it more respect than any other tool in my shop.
Don't get too comfortable haha.
I hate it but its a necessary evil in my shop. It performs certain tasks that can't be equalled. Respect.
Why does everyone act like it’s literally always going to saw off your hand
Because it happens so often someone saws through their fingers, band saws are also dangerous like that.
give all your tools respect lol... i forgot to respect my belt sander one day and now i have 8 fingernails
UA-cam gave me the attitude of leaving the guard off. Nearly all woodworkers on UA-cam I watch just have an exposed blade. The guard is now back on my saw...
Euro style guards, that can quickly and conveniently hook up to the riving knife, and suck chips as well, are superior to designs that require replacing the riving knife. They are more likely to see use.
After reading your post, it occurred to me that leaving the safety equipment off tools, leads to a better visual narrative. We like to see the tools cutting the wood, it's better for video. I'm sure there is some pressure on UA-camrs, building the best video they can, to sacrifice safety over visual narrative.
Incandescentiron I suspect you will find that removing blade guards is extremely common in general. The fact is, there are plenty of cuts you can’t make with a blade guard on and, even people concerned about safety, often don’t want to bother taking it off and putting it back on so it eventually comes off and stays off. Plus there definitely is a common attitude that safety features are for newbies and amateurs.
But, you are right that a blade guard is not so good for the visuals.
@@88porpoise I also find the guards are designed as if they are a second thought, or rushed at the very least. At times I've wondered, "have the engineers ever used a table saw?", because the designs are that bad. As craftsman, I suppose we should take the time to work on fabricating our own safety measures for those those special situations the factory versions won't work, i.e. feather boards.
Incandescentiron I think that’s a great idea! I’d say I it’s like asking an electrician to design a guitar, can it work and technically be a guitar? Yes, would it be efficient high quality and allow you to do everything you want with it? Probably not!
Hey Rex, I am just going through a bunch of your videos. I am a trauma surgeon and a woodworker. I really appreciate you doing this video. The sober tone of this video and your message were necessary and clear.
The pictures of the thumb were an important addition. I liked the fact that you used the phrase "...what I did wrong..." a few times. It brought the message home. Shop injuries are avoidable.
Thank you.
The book is excellent with clear and precise step by step instructions both written and in picture, videos form ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxcZqgZ8Ynkiz5n_LxIWRlAicuzmz5kCHG I like the the fact that it has a section dealing with different woods and their characteristics, as well as tools and projects. Well worth the money.
I think the Sawstop really saved your thumb. Based on the angle the injury was occurring, it would have mangled the digit. There wouldn't have been much to reattach and that portion of the digit would be gone forever.
Hmmm I se your apex/fortnite comment for some reason
I've seen that before where someone comments on one video and that same person comments on another and it will sometimes show the wrong comment. Super weird.
Now I see your mortal kombat comment wth
My biggest tables saw injury (and the only one that drew blood) happened while the saw was off and unplugged. The blade was also completely lowered. In fact, I was done working for the day and stacking some wood up on top of the saw I had cut that I was going to work with the next day. When I went to set down the last stack of wood, my thumb hit the razor sharp corner of the ... aluminum fence. Took a nice little chunk out of it. I had my revenge though. I took a small file and removed a nice chunk off of all the sharp corners on the fence. Hopefully this is the worst injury I will have on the table saw... or any tool... Or ever...
Same here. Worst cut I ever got from a power tool was when changing a planer blade when the power cord was disconnected.
If you have the funds, get a sawstop
@@andre1987eph the saw was off 🤣
Blade guards are totally for amateurs. Real pros learn, after losing a finger or two, not to touch the blade.
Lol
can't loose Fingers if not having Fingers
That's a pretty stupid statement. That's like saying "Yeah, if you are a "pro" then bet all your money on the lottery, and if it don't work after a couple of times, don't do it anymore."
Biob Billy it was a joke stupid
I liked cause it made me laugh
Did something like this about 15 years ago. I was making picture frames and cutting splines in the miters. Had a jig to hold the material and thought I was fine (no blade guard as it would have made it impossible to make the cut). Mistake #1 was not designing the jig to fully enclose the work, which I could have done. Mistake #2 was not paying attention. I did this about 8:30 in the morning, was fully alert, but I was not concentrating. I was doing repetitive work, I was under time pressure, and my focus was not in the moment - I was thinking ahead to the next task as I was cutting. Through plain carelessness I was working with a rapidly spinning blade with a functional impairment - I may has well have been drunk, smoking a doobie and texting while I was doing damned dangerous work. Distracted woodworking, you could say.
It was the tip of my left hand pinkie finger that took the hit - and that's what if felt like - a sharp hit, as if someone had whacked it. Looked down, saw an amazing amount of blood, curled my fingers into a fist while I shut the saw off. I had lots of soft, clean cotton rags at hand (we used cloth diapers for the kids - when you're done with them they've been laundered so many times they're the softest rags you can get) so bundled myself up, went into the house and had my wife drive me to the urgent care clinic. Getting pressure on the wound had pretty much stopped the bleeding to it wasn't like a horror movie when the doc unwrapped my finger. I was lucky - the blade had sliced through the nail and into the quick but had missed the bone. The next part is where I had to man up. While not fazed by blood I have always had a thing about fingernails and injuries to them, and even thinking about this makes my spine tingle. Doc shot me with a local, and I forced myself to watch as he cut away the end bit of the fingernail and then, because he said it would heal better, grab a pair of forceps and pull the rest of the nail out then throw in a couple of stitches. But I was determined to have that image imprinted in my brain as a reminder to pay attention in the future.
To this day the nail on that finger is shorter than the one on the other hand, I'm guessing because the stitches shortened that nail bed, and all I have to do if I'm thinking about getting cocky is hold them up together. That visual reminder is my own personal cautionary tale about how in an instant things can go terribly wrong.
Thanks for this important testimony, Murray! Every bit of data, every story, helps to keep at least one person, somewhere, from injury!
Deep
I totally feel your pain and reaction. I am 70 years old tomorrow. Been in and around shops since I was literally 2. Got all fingers, not that I haven't had work related injuries. I have had none from a woodshop power tool. We all have our rules. When we break those rules we pay for it. Attention attention attention. When I am using dangerous tools I pay attention. just Sunday I was in the shop doing the same thing that you were doing. As I was running 24 pieces of 2.25" cuts 14" long, popping them out onto the kick off table I was thinking those are going to build up and you are going to get hurt. Fortunately I heeded my own rules and forced myself to do the right thing. yea...it only takes a blink maybe a quarter blink to get hurt and maybe a 1/2 minute to work safe.
I know I have been lucky. I know I have taken stupid risks. I know that the next time I go into the shop that could be the day. Work smart, work safe, put good rules together, always live by the rules. Or you pay.
Man, you are incredibly good at writing. Im almost sure youve done some poetry or public speaking/speech writing and more importantly, your wisdom is delivered perfectly efficiently, thank you.
I rarely comment but this is really a great, sobering reminder of the danger we accept working with cutting tools. I had a somewhat similar left hand incident. Ripping with the blade not quite as high as the wood thickness, so I couldn't see it. And it was almost but not quite to the left-most edge of the board. So the blade being buried in the workpiece and invisible gave me a sense of security. As I pushed the board against the fence with my left hand, the hanging 'scrap' piece was so thin that as it went by the blade the pressure from my hand flexed the wood enough so that my fingertip pushed the wood, and my fingertip, into the side of the teeth. Felt like an electric shock, and only took a bit of the meat that eventually grew back. So I got a relatively easy lesson on exactly what your video demonstrates. Thanks for posting and reminding us.
I came very close to buying the Bosch until I watched a YT comparing job site saws that included the SawStop. I paid about triple what I would have paid for the Bosch then considered what I am really saving versus the consequences of an accident. There is no price too high for the added safety and peace of mind. I'm glad I bought the SawStop.
Just saw this (10/25/2021). You have changed lots since then and thumb is likely 100%. I ran two fingers into my old table saw and got an injury similar to your without a saw stop. I was pulling small boards (high-density particle boards) off the backside as I ripped many rail supports for a shelf. As the blade dulled, the boards were lifting up unknown to me since part of the blade still could be seen. As grabbed the board, I pushed the raised board down into the blade with my fingers to follow. I felt the bang like a hammer just like you and was able to pull my hand away fast enough to do the same damage you got. It was an old Sear model without any guard. I got rid of it and have not used one since. My uncle who worked with wood all his life regularly was always safe with his and used safe push sticks was using the saw in his 80's and cut all his fingers off his left hand. That changed his life for the last few years of disability. I might get another one with all the safety features. My injury was 30 years ago and I am wiser now. I love the low-dust hand tools you use and thanks for putting these videos over the years. You have much better productions now too.
Glad it wasn't worse, man! That SawStop likely just paid for itself and that's the reason I have one in my shop.
About 2 years ago I destroyed the tip of my left index finger and removed the top of my left middle finger up to the first knuckle. I was cutting 3/16" plexiglass with the blade about 1/4" above the material. Never thought I would be that guy but, there I was. 3 doctors told me how lucky I was to have such a minor tablesaw injury. I didn't feel lucky. I still don't. The tip of each finger is a weird combination of numbness and pain and probably always will be. I haven't done much woodworking in my shop in the last 2 years. I could even go near my tablesaw for about 4 months. But I'm currently redoing the shop. New lighting, dust collection, benches, etc. Some new tools are in order also. Among them are a new Sawstop cabinet saw in February. On which all safety features will stay in place.
Congrats on your new sawstop purchase. Hopefully it will bring joy - and a huge measure of safety - back into your table saw work.
always the left hand, it's the 'just gonna do a little' And then ... blood everywhere
That's EXACTLY what happened.
Rex Krueger Don't get worried about the injury, trust me I blew off my Right Thumb and I am right handed... At the time it seemed like the end of the world for me, but it will become normal quickly and don't get too worked up over it for your own good!
@@RexKrueger I put that safety equipment in place when I bought my table saw. The anti-kick back device left a grooves in the wood, one on each side of the blade. Perhaps that is why they cabinet shops don't put it in place. No one wants to buy a cabinet with linear grooves in it.
Add a piece of felt fabric to kickback arrest... stops the marking of the work and still remains effective.
Happens to me a lot too
As a beginning woodworker, I appreciate the safety advice, Rex. I think there's a stigma that says you aren't a treu craftsperson if there isn't some risk of injury involved in whatever it is you're making. So it is refreshing to see that a pro like yourself recoginizes not only how important safety is but it is part of what makes a good craftsperson.
I went to a high school with agricultural science (agri science) classes and shop classes. In my freshmen year I took agri science and we made bird houses. Before my teacher took us to the shop classroom to use the saw she showed us a saw blade stuck in the saw stop. She told us the student had done the classic thumb right in the way of the blade, he would have lost his thumb. The saw stop prevented it, he walked away with a small gash smaller than yours. It gave us all a much needed wake up call, and we respected the tools we used through the whole project. Its a wonderful product and I am glad you where using it and found that it likely helped reduce your injury.
I get squeamish, but I force myself to watch videos about saw injuries so that I can remind myself how dangerous this stuff can be and hopefully I won't have to make a similar video in the future. Thank you for sharing your story, I'm glad you are Ok, but damn that looks painful.
Hurt like a bitch for about 24 hours. Now, just a bit sore. Thanks for your well-wishes!
DON'T look up the Russian Metal Lathe accident video, then. I'm just sayin'...
Exactly! Healthy fear my friend
My dad thought me wood working, he told me that the day you're no longer terrified of tools is the day you injure yourself.
In most of the injuries I've seen, that seems to be the case, not all, but most.
Hello Rex! I stopped to watch your video b/c the intro pic & title really hit close to home for me.
I was injured exactly the same way, doing exactly the same thing, on a very similar type saw (Powermatic, 3-phase, 5hp, cabinet saw, w/ a 3/16 thick rip blade)!
*** The only difference with my injury...I completely removed my left thumb from the knuckle on! ***
I mean, I did the exact same thing you did, the exact same way. I was attempting to move off-fall stock away from the blade on the left side, with my left hand. I’d already done it multiple times in that particular use of the saw, but that once, I absent-mindedly missed the workpiece, and ran my thumb directly into the blade.
This is where things for you and I differ drastically, and I believe, based on my experience and your experience, THE SAWSTOP SAW DID SAVE YOUR THUMB!! Period. Because in that instance when your blade disappeared beneath the table, was the same instance I heard that trademark sound ...the sound a blade makes when a piece of wood or a knot hits the side of a blade (DING!!)...except that was my knuckle bone making that sound, not a piece of wood!
Others on here can say whatever they want, that’s their right. However, if you’ve not experienced this particular injury the exact way Rex and I have, you *may not* have the necessary experience to speak on this subject. Rex, thank you for sharing your story. It brought back a lot of memories, and reminded me that I must too be safe everyday as I continue to use a table saw regularly. Also, I’m not God, therefore I can’t say w/o a doubt what might’ve happened to you w/o a SawStop saw, but I’m thankful for you that you were blessed enough to have one. Thanks again sir!
Matt: big, big thanks for sharing your story. It makes me extra cautious to hear your tale because of the big Powermatic saw I use when I do a little side work at another furniture shop. I feel that the SawStop was useful, but none of us knows for sure. I do know that I called them yesterday and they're sending me a new cartridge.
I am curious though, was your thumb re-attached or did you lose it? Thanks again!
Rex Krueger No sir, it’s gone. The Doc said the blade just destroyed the knuckle (it was gone), and the finger was too messed up...all in the course of a second!
In the end though, it’s made me safer, more thoughtful, more cautious, more determined, and very thankful.
It’s quite simply amazing the beautiful things that can be made with wood, and how dangerous it can be to make them. MUST be careful, study your craft, and be very honored we are able to create the beautiful products we make. I love my trade!! Wouldn’t take anything for it. I’m just a lot more careful now. Thanks again sir. Really appreciate your honesty.
According to many in the comment section, you are simply inexperienced, careless, rely too much on tech, aren't paying enough attention and just an idiot in general. Sawstop in no way would have helped you. Just an overpriced technology that screwed the other saw manufacturers and the rest of us out of more safety by protecting their patent vs giving it away for free. Not to mention making all of us less safe through complacency.
Seriously though, I'm sorry to hear about your thumb. I currently own a Sawstop and am grateful to have the technology. I've never had anything bad happen but I'm smart enough to know that is simply because I've been lucky up to this point.
Matt thank you for sharing your story. I appreciated Rex and now appreciate you sharing your experience. I am new to woodworking. I have worked in the Nuclear Power field for many years and we take human performance and safety very seriously - with that said we recognize that human beings are fallible. As such, I have seen bad things happen to people and equipment. This happened even though very smart , skilled, and contentious people were performing the work. As you said, it takes only a second. Because I am new to woodworking, I have really been on the fence regarding spending so much money on a table saw. But, after listening to Rex and you, I am giving much more consideration to biting the bullet and spending the money o a piece of equipment that can help save me from more significant injury - should I make a mistake and have a lapse in judgement. In the human performance world, the best way to stop and/or minimize an event is to build in an engineered control (i.e. the SawStop blade) stopping.
Matt, sorry to hear about your thumb. I completely believe that SawStop saved Rex's thumb. Friend of mine lost both his thumbs in the same mishap and cost him thousands of dollars in medical bills. Rex, thanks for sharing and get well soon. Cheers.
Hi Rex,
Have you sent the cartridge to sawstop for inspection? They replace it at no cost if it’s engaged by skin contact. I was also told by their customer service department that they can tell how long the blade was in contact with the skin.
Nice to know
Dan Benner saw stop customer service
They can tell how many teeth touch your skin. The average is usually 2 or 3 teeth
Promotional Video for SawStop small print:
"Please note: having fingers not made of hotdog sausages may lead to variable results" 😂😂
@Jeffemano I gave you a thumbs up because i assumed you are joking about the dumb part
Thank you for taking the time to make this video. I have been in the woodworking business for 35 years. After owning all of the other quality stationary saws, I now own a Sawstop. If you are in business there is no reason to avoid buying this machine. Both for productivity and liability reasons, plus just treating your employees with the respect they deserve, get one.
The better blade guard with built in dust collection is great and well worth the money. Also a quick note for people who complain about not being able to see the blade, sorry. I too ran saws for 30 years with no guards at all. But I was able to train myself to use the guard and enjoy it. The guard comes off and back on very easily, so special setups are no problem.
This is the first time I've started following someone from a mistake video, but thank you so much for your honesty, sincerity and being brave enough to ensure we learn from your mistake. Thank you. Subbed, liked, checking out your other videos now.
This is a worrisome train of thought that has been growing over the years. The idea that tool guards and safety equipment, or safe tool / equipment practices are for pussies or rookies or amateurs, is the war cry of every lost finger, crushed hand, and milky eye. It's just silly.
I don't think this train of thought has been growing, i think its the availability of safety equipment and practices that has been growing, and this is one of the ways people who don't like change pushback.
lol you think this is a new concept
Well the fact is many kickback devices and blade guards that came with saws I have owned have been safety hazards of their own. Its not about being cocky or looking cool, its that it made the tool a PITA to use. To me it was a difficult choice but if you use the tool with 100% respect for general safe process, its better than having the guard make every cut awkward and dramatic.
That said I would use a sawstop no question.
I owned one of those twin cutter circular saws that craftsman made. (Counterrotating blades)
The blade guard was so stiff in action that you had to kinda shake/wiggle the saw initiating the cut to get it to start retracting.
I guess it was about the third time I used it that the blades smashed into each other breaking several teeth off each.
$55 for a new pair of blades later, that blade guard was in the trash. Every time I touched it however the first thing on mind was the bare blade on the bottom.
Same with the table saw. I use it bare, no pawl or guard, but every second its running Im staring at the blade.
100%. There are limitations, but use every safety measure that's practable. Always. We are only human.
Nope, you're wrong. If you think it's unsafe these days you don't realize how things were in an average factory or mill in the 60s. People are much more safety conscious these days. Still room for improvement though.
Your thorough honesty is a rare and incredible thing. The world could use more people like you. Keep up the great work!
If he was completely honest he'd disclose the lobbying SawStop has done to make their equipment mandatory on all saws manufactured. And no they were not going to forego their royalty fees for licensing their technology either. So everyone that wanted to use a table saw would have to pay SawStop. That's a pretty sweet deal for SawStop.
That SawStop saved you from a major injury
Dude you are a fucking genius
His shirt is blue.
@@TheCentralflorida His head is bald.
@@milesparris4045 His name is Rex.
@@benm5913 His last name is krueger.
Three to five years to learn the trade and how to use the machines and tools correctly and three to five minutes with an old hand to disregard it all.
I'm really happy that you came away from it all fairly unscathed; it undoubtedly took a lot of courage for you to post this.
Brilliant channel, keep it clean and dry, all the best 🔨
I am getting ready to start remodeling our master bedroom and bathroom. I still use a Craftsman radial arm saw that I purchased around 1980. Rex, you just convinced me to sell the old saw and buy a new one that will protect my fingers. Yes, you paid $300 plus the down time for our injury, but that is a small price to pay for keeping your thumb. Thank you for making this very informative video.
My dad has one of those old radial arm saws. No one will touch it anymore.
@@RexKrueger I just read your comment. Yep, I can certainly understand why no one will touch it anymore. My old saw was state of the art back in its day. Technology changes. However, I want to keep my fingers. Time to upgrade. Tell your dad I have one; he might need some spare parts.
I'm glad your injury wasn't as bad as it could have been. Another way to avoid an injury is once the cut is made, turn off the saw, then move the cut off from the table. I know this seems to be a "slow down" in a production environment, but it's safe and can save one from an injury.
You're totally right. Speed and safety often don't go together.
I always do that. It is a time consumer, but I am not in a hurry these days. I am a paranoid when it comes to the table saw. More so than any other saw, chainsaw, or power tool.
If you're truly consistent, then you have implemented a reasonably safe policy. If you're shooting for zero risk, you'd unplug also;-) The other end of the spectrum is to do what Rex did...fast but risky. I either use a stick, or power off based on the situation. We accept all kinds of risks in our lives, we all have to decide where the line is between risk and reward.
Hey do you think grippy thin work gloves would have helped? Something like these: bit.ly/2EIGEIS
gloves and high speed spinning tools should never be mixed so probably not
I'm currently recovering from a table saw injury! I got super lucky! I actually didn't contact the blade. I was running a stacked dato on my saw cutting 20, 1/2" grooves into two pieces of ply glued together @ 36" long spaced at 1". I was on cut 8 when my sled started to feel resistance, and before I knew it, my sled was exploding in front of me and I felt a hard cold impact on my pointer and middle fingers. Now, luckily I didn't hit the dato or I'd have shredded finger all over. But after returning to the bloody crime scene, my board did jump up, slide along the blade laterally 14" where my hand was, which I thought was safe at that distance, and somehow my hand slipped off the board and ended up about 1/4" away from the dato when the board caught the blade again and smashed my fingers like grapes! After a trip to the ER, a month of hospital co-pays, multiple trips to the hand surgeon and both physical and occupational therapy, I'm out $2,500 as per my deductable plus out of.pocket. I've been out of work for a month and worse, it hurts like hell to move my fingers as I had 43 stitches and lost a bunch of bone in the process! (DM me if you want pictures). Will would a Sawstop have prevented this injury.... NO! but, had I been just a tiny bit closer, and that saw blade not grabbed that wood, I'd be missing multiple fingers. That's why I'm buying a sawstop! If there is a next time I won't be so lucky! For the $2,500 Co-pay a a month off work, I should have just used that money to buy a Sawstop in the first place! It's insurance on top of insurance! Redundancy is key!
Sawstop is cheap compared to injury. Plus it gives piece of mind.
That's very big of you, Rex, to admit your mistake. Thank you for using your experience to protect us. If I should get a table saw I will certainly get a sawstop! I hope your thumb made a complete recovery! 👍🏼
I almost cut my thumb off with a freshly sharpened leather working knife. I was lucky. It took a long time to heal and I can barely feel anything but it's still there. Always ask where your fingers are, so you don't have to say where are my fingers? After the cut.
I had a similar accident to yours. I don’t have the money to purchase a SawStop so I count myself even luckier than you. Same basic scenario. Using a stop block to protect my right hand, paying close attention to that hand. Irving knife in place, blade guard off for better visibility. Moved to clear a cut off with my left hand and hit the blade with the middle finger of that hand. I am incredibly lucky that my injury, while painful and ugly, was minor. Don’t be embarrassed about sharing. If your example saves one person from serious injury it is all good. Thanks for sharing. By the way the blade guard is on my saw whenever possible, and I am using a push stick instead of my bare hand at all times.
Thank you for sharing your experience, even if you had to eat humble pie to get it. Your story could save someone else a limb, or even their life.
A good friend of mine lost 2.5 fingers a year ago without a saw stop! He said he got hurt so fast he didn’t realize it before it was too late!
With regards to your losses! My friend has had to change jobs... in effect retrain in a new field because he can’t bring himself to step up to a saw anymore!
So be careful out there guys! I know I‘m not alone in saying being able to create with our hands is one of the most amazing gifts we as humans are bestowed with!! Our work is a testament to that! So let’s all be warned and take care of our most valuable assets!
Love the video! Love the way you structured it! I think you hit the high notes perfectly! Never forget about the 300 bucks, but realize it’s a fraction of what you could and almost did lose!
That said I’m saving up for my saw stop and I’ll be sure to come back to your link when I am ready to buy!
Thanks again for the heads up!!!
When I was little there was this man with only three fingers on his left hand. He also had a pretty big black dog that we were scared of. One day we were playing with a frisbee and the dog jumped over the fence to catch it. We all ran away screaming and climbed on a tree. When the owner came to get he dog he asked us why we were afraid of his dog but not of the other dogs on the street. After a while one of us finally said that we all knew that his dog was dangerous because he ate the his fingers. The man laughed and told us about his accident with his tablesaw. He even showed us his workshop and turned on his saw for a couple of seconds for demontration. I had a couple of nightmares about this saw in his basement but I wasnt scared of the dog anymore.
My table saw scares the hell out of me. The day it doesn't is the day I should stop using it.
@Infandous Ktenology , take a chill pill, man.
@Infandous Ktenology, oh!
Did they reattach your friend's fingers?
i give ur video a thumbs up
ha
lol
nice u still have 2 thumbs 2 make da sign :D :P
Thank you Rex, for having the courage to share your experience with the rest of us! I'm a rank amateur, who, in my late 50's decided to "got for it" and started remodeling my 1950's era house. Because of the wonderful training videos on you-tube, I have been able to overcome fear and learned to make good, safe cuts with a circular saw. I have also, because of the wonderful educational videos (like this one!) been able to KEEP a healthy measure of fear, and err on the side of safety. I want to acquire a table saw, and make my own kitchen cabinets. I am convinced it's worth every penny to invest in a SawStop over the other types. Thank you again for sharing!!
Thank you so much for making this video. I watched it with the utmost respect. My father was a mechanical engineer and designed everything from Harley’s evolution engine to parts for everything from fighter jets to nuclear submarines. He was a genius, but a very humble man. I grew up watching my Dad tinker in his home hobby woodworking workshop. He always let me make things with him, but never let me use the table saw. Okay, my father put the “fear of God” into me when it came to using a table saw. (He had taken our neighbor to the hospital when I was 4 years old, whom lost 3.5 fingers on his table saw) since then I have known of several people that have had lost fingers on table saws.... SO.... when my father passed away in 2015, he left me all his tools, lots of tools, some of them I will probably never know what the heck they are?! I kept what I could, and when I moved, low & behold my new farm came with a nice little outbuilding that was once someone’s workshop! Yeah... a place for all of Dad’s tools!! So last fall I had an epiphany and decided to really dig deep into woodworking and make it my official hobby! Excited to have a inherited 2 band saws, sliding miter saw, 2 drill presses, over 3 dozen handheld tools, and thousands of misc tools.... and yes an old craftsman table saw, it was a beast! I don’t think I used that table saw for the first 2 months, avoiding it like the plague. The “fear of God” was still there...clearly. One day I actually needed to “rip” down a piece of wood, so I used it... scared to death, but I used it, and I lived, fingers intact. Then one day it binded the blade on me and the blade stopped. Long story short the belt was slipping and I learned how to adjust it. Meanwhile I avoided it & I took a woodworking class for 5 weeks along with a 8 week Woodturning class. In class they used a sawstop. I never saw one, nor had I heard of them, & if my father had known of this table saw he most certainly would have owned one!! I was amazed... I had to have one! I bought one a month later, I spent all that I could manage and got the professional cabinet 1.75hp with the overhead dust collection system! My father would be soooo proud of me! I still have great fear and respect for the saw, despite the safety features. I know you can still be hurt, especially with kickbacks! But with the help of using my head, my sawstop, and following all the safety features and rules etc I hope I will always remain a card carrying member of the “10 fingers club!” The creator of this blows my mind. Thanks for making and sharing this video and thanks to Steve Gass for making the Sawstop!
Hey! Thanks for sharing that great story! My dad has taught me a lot and given me many tools, as well!
An important topic and video to show. Thanks for having the humility to share your experience. Definitely helps new woodworkers like me.
Thanks for showing a bona fide injury created during the use of a Saw Stop. I'm a Saw Stop user. However, I think all those hot dog videos out on the web create an impression that unpleasant table saw injuries are a thing of the past. The technology is valuable and worth the money, but it doesn't compensate for a lack of safety devices and practices. Best wishes for your recovery.
Yeah the reason why his injury is so bad is probably because his fingernail contacted the blade first. Fingernail is not conductive, so by the time the blade sensed his flesh. It’s already cut through the fingernail. That means when the blade stops and gets pulled down into the table, his finger was trapped between the blade and the throat plate, so the blade literally chopped through his thumb in order to get below the table. That’s why if the flesh contacts the blade first the user gets nothing more than a paper cut
I agree that the experience shows that the SawStop can save your finger or hand but it won't necessarily prevent a cut. I think Alex is quite right. I'm even more sold on SawStops even though I don't have one yet. But you can see why you still have to treat the saw with the same respect as any other table saw.
Well, he still has his thumb, so obviously it's worth it.
True WingChun I saw a video of someone whacking a sausage into the spinning blade, and it only left maybe an 1/8” deep gash.
True WingChun do people drive more dangerously because they know their seatbelt and airbag will protect them?
Next up: How I lengthened my butt crack while sitting on my table saw.
Hahahhaha
Whoa!! I don't know why but this got me laughing like a fool😂😂😂😂
A genuine belly laugh occurred after reading this comment
...deepened.
Exactly nu thought! Hahahaha
Talking about mistakes is how we pass knowledge. Your experience is exactly why I have started shelving my power tools and enhancing my hand tool collection. I'm getting older and my mind is not focused enough for machines that can remove parts of my body in a fraction of a second.
Thanks for sharing.
Oh Rex, you look quite shook up. How easy a moment’s lapse of concentration and its consequence. I’m glad you made this video and demonstrated just what can happen in the workshop - a salutary lesson for us all. A colleague of mine lost two joints from his left forefinger in a similar way on a cross cut mitre saw, just clearing away stock and strayed too close. Best wishes.
Amazing I've cut open my Thumb to the bone last year, on a format table saw with a cross cut blade, and it is exactly how you've described the feeling. I was cutting wedges for the Loghome we worked at that time, and I wasn't apparently paying attention enough as I tried to grab one of the wedges I've noticed that exact sensation you've just described. A hefty hit, as if I could feel every sawtooth ripping away my flesh.
Took 4 months to grow back together fully and I still have a numbness in my thumb, but that sure was a lesson for me.
I didn't have sawstop by the way, that's why I could see my thumbbone.
Blitz KriegFritz I sliced open the tip of my thumb to the bone (with a knife, not a saw) when I was 17. Thankfully it was a sharp knife, and it healed faster than yours, but almost 15 years on the tip of that thumb is still a little numb!
This is possibly the best video you'll ever do. Preventing someone from repeating your mistake or even worse is priceless. Sure you're out $300, but I can tell from your comments that the mental and emotional impact is much greater than that. Add to that, that the injury would surely have been greater had you not had a Saw Stop. Thanks for putting your ego aside to give us a very good message.
Exactly right, he sets a great example.
I've always wondered how the saw stop would work on an actual finger rather than a hotdog. Your injury was much more severe than what the hotdog tests show, but it was as you say probably much less of an injury than it could have been.Thank you so much for sharing.
His finger was likely moving a lot faster then the hotdog. Since his muscles were actively moving his arm towards the blade it results in a substantial injury but as Rex stated indeed a lot less worse then what it might have been without a saw stop.
They should do the hotdog test by slamming the hotdog into the blade instead of gingerly touching the hotdog to the blade.
It's been done. ua-cam.com/video/rnlTGndRi38/v-deo.htmlm50s
The finger nail is the likely culprit. It's not as conductive as regular skin.
Many thanks for this video Rex. As I reflect back to 1991, when our saw became loose mid ripping a large 8x4 sheet of chipboard, being that the saw actually detached itself, I hadn't realised that a splinter caught my right thumb in the process taking a peice of skin with it. Though, the saw was ripping at the time, jammed the blade in the sheet. This was an error on my part by not rechecking the saw that day, something that I always had carried out before starting work that I had set-up the previous night.
No treatment was required at the time. Always double check any machine before use.
Another thing is:- always get to know your machine by sound... For instance! If the ticking sound of a Bandsaw seens to get louder, just leave the shop as the machine winds down, as when the saw breaks in motiom, the blade whizzies across the shop like a rattle snake that has no mercy for anyone and sticks into the nearest object in its path... That time the brick wall was damaged as the blade inbedded itself. That time no-one was hurt. So! It pays to respect the machine you are using...
A year later. I'll bet your video had helped save at least one other person from a similar injury and will save others in the future. Thanks for sharing this difficult lesson for the rest of us to learn from.
My pleasure! Thanks for watching!
Fun fact: current sawstop saws have a faster reaction time (somewhere around 3-4 milliseconds) than a current airbag’s reaction time (about 6-7 milliseconds) Meaning that I’m the time it takes an airbag to activate, a sawstop blade will have already come to a dead stop and “disappeared” from sight.
Worse has happened to my thumb. But I find it interesting to find another person who got their thumb cut.
Warning you might not want to read the rest of the comment if you didn't see the picture in the video or are grossed out easily.
My story is this(I remember some stuff precisely) On August 22, 2017, at about 2 :05 ish(I checked the time right before) I was going out through the door and there was a thunder/ heavy rain + wind storm outside. As I closed the door(I live in an apartment) there was high pressure in the hallway and door area of my apartment which made the door close on my thumb while my hand was still holding the door and handle. The door and wind pressure CUT OFF(off like slice off) part of my right thumb. It cut through the middle of my nail so I have part of my thumb missing.
Another TIP that I have for all SS owners.
When turning ON the saw using the red paddle...I NEVER LET GO of the paddle until I hear that the blade is running properly in my cross cut sled.
If it is binding...my hand is right there ready to turn OFF the saw.
BTW...has never actually happened but...I'm prepared if it does.
That's all I've got for now.
Needless to say...VERY GLAD that your incident wasn't more serious.
Well Rex, I wouldn't say it was stupid. I also wouldn't call it smart. I have the same scar on the same finger and you guessed it, on the same hand. 18 years ago I was not happy with the out come of my accident. But 18 years later I can tell you that it was the best lesson I have ever learned. Because I have never been hurt with tools like that again. I am very lucky to have it in tacted and fully functional. Every time I turn on a saw I show the tool the respect it deserves. Table saws do not discriminate and have no remorse. Thanks for all your video I love what you are doing for people
I am a woodworker who has owned commercial custom door companies. I do not use Saw Stop or a blade guard. I do use a riving knife. My saw is a 5hp Felder which, if you have any issues can power up a problem quickly. My rip approach for pieced under 1.5" is to cut a custom push stick from wood scrap. each to make, make it wider than the piece and with a notch to pus the wood. Your plastic push thing appears far less steady which could make it unstable. For rips over 1.5" I hook my pinky over the blade and it appears foolproof for keeping my hand away from the blade while maintaining control For keeping the board against the fence, use a feather board. no fingers with plastic slippery sticks needed. A saw cover for me makes it difficult to observe cut dynamics, resulting in more predictable oncoming problems. Thanks for bringing up this challenging proglem. Art Quinn
I've always seen that fearing what your working with always helps, getting comfortable is what gets people injured or even killed.
In Moby Dick, one of the whaleboat skippers says: "I won't have a man in my boat who's not afraid of a whale."
Damn true, I've worked construction for 20 years and I have always had a healthy fear of any circular saw. I've seen other guys do some really stupid stuff with them too.
@@jegr3398 oh yeah, pretty scary stuff, a coworker of mine recently got kissed by 480 volts because he said he had been doing it for 10 plus years and didn't bother checking if the conduit was live, just shut the breaker off and locked out.
Just a little kiss on his knee, turns out that there was a piece of wire that was connected to another breaker that was still live.
Glad to know you're okay and thanks for sharing your story! The same thing happened to me with my small Dewalt several years ago. My left index hit the blade, but the cut was very superficial, so they couldn't stitch anything at the ER, even though it was bleeding a lot! I guess I was very, very lucky!
Truth is, you don't need a SawStop anymore, as I can assure you that from now on, you will remember what just happened each time you turn on your table saw!!
You should definitely look into MicroJig. I got their version of push sticks and I no longer worry. The blade is covered all the time on any form of rip no matter how small. I'll find a link for you and your public.
Is it possible to use the gripper and the blade guard at the same time? I don't think it can since it normally straddles the blade. It sounds like the issue here was reaching across the blade after the cut to remove the cut off piece... and by that time the gripper would've already been clear, and it wouldn't have saved him from this injury.
What he should have done is turned the saw off before reaching for anything or used his other push-stick (as he mentioned) to clear the cut off piece.
I'm a 65 year old carpenter/furniture maker. I got started in woodworking at the age of 12, and it has been my profession ever since that time. I design and build cabinets, bookshelves, tables, chairs, and the like. I love the work, because I get to do unique pieces that bring good prices for me.
Now about shop injuries involving tablesaws: I have only suffered a couple of kickbacks, but that was before blade guards and riving knives were in use in most shops. As for a blade inflicted injury, I have never suffered one. Why? Because, unlike most professionals, I follow all safety rules to the letter, and make use of all available safety equipment. But even before I was able to get the safety equipment, I understood the dangerous nature of tablesaws, and practiced all safety procedures. I still have all of my fingers and thumbs, and they work perfectly.
Now I do agree that the tablesaw is the most dangerous power tool in the shop, and it needs to be equipped with the most safety equipment; however, All powered tools in a shop should be used with safety in mind. A jointer planer can be quite dangerous too, as well as a big router table. The bandsaw can cut off a digit almost as fast as the tablesaw. A compound miter saw can do so just as fast as a tablesaw. Another very dangerous power tool is a lathe, which if not setup properly, can cause serious bodily harm. There are several more very dangerous power tools in a professional woodshop that you should learn to use safely, if you want to learn to use them. My rule has always been to study the safety protocols of each and every tool you wish to use in your shop as you are learning to use them. Do not start any power tool before you know the safety procedures, and can follow them correctly. After that you may begin to get familiar with the tool, taking all precautions to insure that you remain injury free. And please be glad we now have excellent safety equipment to use with or attached to our power tools.
I have been working with table saws for almost 60 years. I learned on my dad`s Craftsman table saw. I never used any blade guards or riving knives. I have experienced several kick backs over the years. I have learned the hard way on how to avoid them. I just purchased a Stanley job saw. I now live in Colombia South America and it is so expensive or even impossible to find a good saw. I had to build a crosscut sled because the crosscut push bar is so short and so cheap. Because I use the crosscut sled a lot , I have disconnected my riving knife. Your video has convinced me to re install it.
Sorry to hear about your injury and glad you're okay. The SawStop did its job and reading the manual recently (as I got one recently myself), your blade is what may have caused the deeper than normal cut. They recommend blades that don't have that anti-kickback design (shoulders). It apparently causes the blade to stop slower than ones without, thus causing a slightly more severe injury. Freud even redesigned one of their Dado Stacks just for the SawStop because of this. Worth thinking about IMO.
THIS. This is why the injury was as severe as it was. Sawstop is very clear about the various conditions that need to be met in order for the tech to work optimally. The correct type of blade is one of those conditions. However, it still did the job and the evidence is he still has his finger.
Very important point
I just put my left thumb through my Ryobi industrial router a week ago. Sounded just like wood when it routs out Ur nail and bone. Safety is always on everyone's mind but it takes a split second.
Don't beat urself up. We still have our thumbs 😎👍
terrifying imagery, but it gets the message across, be safe, and don't loose any limbs or anything
I still get goose bumps every time I use my saws. And I work 100’s of feet in the air for a living as a union Ironworker , saws are scary
I really appreciated they way you present the post-accident analysis and identified the most probable cause (the protection for your left hand). Clear and logical breakdown of events and analysis, and that is the way we should look at any accidents and try to prevent it in the future.
What a nice thing to say! I do aim for logic. Thanks!
Two years later this video- which I realize must have been difficult to make- has given me much to think about and will no doubt positively impact my safety in the shop in the future. Thank you.
on February 1, 2018 I experienced the exact same injury in the exact same way with the exact same set up. My thumb was much worse for wear though. I went about halfway through, nicked the bone, sever the tendon, and transected both nerves. It's been a long road to recovery but my thumb will never be the same. I really wish I had a sawstop then, or at least had the fxxxxxxg blade guard on.
Glad to hear you got away with a few stitches and a wake up call Rex! I've much worse injuries caused by a single moments lack of concentration. Best safety equipment resides between our ears,just have to remember to engage it! Get well soon😷😷😷😷
Yeah, you really have to think about everything you do, but when you're in the shop all day, the brain ends up on auto-pilot.
Hi Rex. Glad you are ok and I bet you are right that it could have been a whole lot worse. Can I suggest you get the dust blade guard which offers more protection again?
David Stanton I second David's urging. The dust collection blade guard does offer far greater protection.
Rex, you mention two things in the video:
1. The cost of your injury (~$300 out-of-pocket), and;
2. How expensive over-arm dust is from SawStop.
I just checked and the dust collection, which might've prevented the injury and associated costs (let alone the pain), would've paid for itself and then some!
Get thee dust collection before returning to work!
Rex, thanks for sharing your experience with your Saw Stop, I can’t help wonder why the retraction of the saw blade seemed to be “not fast enough”. My guess is that first contact was with your thumb nail, which is without moisture. Once the saw blade penetrated your thumb nail and touched the moist meat the saw stop did its job. Be thankful, it could have been much worse.
As a medical professional we see these types of injuries every day (not necessarily from table saws but mangled digits none the less). I believe that in your case while preventable (almost all are, so don't feel alone or beat yourself up too much.) it's worth discussing, and I thank you for biting the bullet of embarrassment to make this video. In my opinion it's imperative to analyze these incidents to see what went wrong, and how to prevent it from happening again. By making this video you have convinced me to buy a SawStop. My situation is I'm retiring next year and going to set up a brand new workshop in my garage. I consider myself a hobbyist but may expand it into a part time business. This video helped me make the final decision as to the table saw to buy. Thanks again and please keep up the good work and be safe. All the best...
One of the best Reference guide for woodworking. ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxcZqgZ8Ynkiz5n_LxIWRlAicuzmz5kCHG Focuses more on the manual took style of wood working then how to use more modern power tools. However the information is incredibly in depth and provides great help. Has a whole section devoted to wood types and has projects in the back
Glad you still have all 10 digits. Keep the videos coming, Rex!
10 digits? Does this man have that many fingers?
@@michaelyoung9399 did you know that 10 8s a digit number? A 10 digit number would look like this 1,000,000,000. so how about you go take kindergarten math again
@@shiebudsri7342 bitch digits mean fingers
I've got the 3 HP Professional SStop.
My first and ONLY encounter with SS's safety feature was when I set an aluminum fence in my cross cut miter sled JUST a SMIDGE too close to the blade. Ooops.
Have no idea why I need to set it so close.
But...it happened SO FAST (when the blade touched the aluminum fence and instantly retracted).
I had...at the time...no idea WHAT had happened until I figured it out.
My fingers were no where near the blade when this happened...thank goodness.
Yep...the cartridge worked 100% (retracted in what I recall the specs say "5 nano seconds"???).
Yep...the BLADE...the one that came with the SS was EMBEDDED into the cartridge and couldn't be removed.
I hang the DUO on my shop wall...near the lights that I always turn on...as a REMINDER of what happened.
The 3 HP saw is VERY POWERFUL...and I am VERY RESPECTFUL of it.
I ALWAYS let the saw come to a COMPLETE STOP before reaching for either the DESIRED piece or the OFF CUT.
NEVER EVER reach for an OFF CUT...although it's in our nature (why I don't know) to somehow reach for it.
Glad that you produced this video...I learned about watching out for BOTH hands.
As a result...I can give you a THUMBS UP...since you still have 2! LOL.
Saw on...carefully and respectfully.
I did the exact same thing with my cross cut mitre 10 days after I bought my saw. I saw it was close but it was too close. LOL.
Romeo Whiskey I like the fact that you hang the evidence where you can see it everyday - very honourable I think. All the best and hopefully that is the only one you will ever 'acquire'.
Great video, and thanks for the honest feedback and safety talk! I don't like sponsored ads as well either, but I do like straight honest feedback videos.
Thank You. It's so easy to forget about safety and accidents happen so quickly that we all need constant reminders. Sorry you were hurt.
“I’ve never seen a professional use a blade guard.” Me neither! I know a lot of old woodworkers with all of their fingers, but these machines require the utmost respect and focus. I learned SO MUCH from this, thank you for sharing!
I have found a way to greatly avoid injuries on my table saw. I always cut wood alone with t the radio off. Even if I am cutting a piece of stock for a friend I do it alone so I am not distracted by someone in the room talking or shooting requests at me from a position of ignorance.
Thanks for sharing this man. I bought a saw stop last year, it really is a great machine. One thing they do; if you can prove that the mechanism was triggered by a finger (which, you did a great job of) they will actually send you another cartridge...that doesn't help with your blade, but it's better than nothing...who knows, maybe they'll give you a little extra for the content.
Where does SawStop claim "absolute safety"?
They never claimed absolute safety. It will cut you; but to what degree is what they can't claim because every situation is different in HOW it actually occurred. Trying to go after the only saw that can save your finger(s) versus ANY other saw that would amputate it in a heartbeat is just plain stupid. Don't say no one can make it because SawStop has a patent. Someone else just needs to come up with a new tech and sell it. The guy invented it, patented it, and tried licensing it, but the big companies didn't want to pay.
Barry Manilowa The manual also states not to use the blade he used because it will not stop the blade as fast as others. Before you run your mouth, read the manual, do the research, and his set up. I don't care to support big corporations but they have made something that does indeed help A LOT and SawStop is Not big compared the like of Bosch, Dewalt, and others. I also disagree with Ryobi's case. That was just plain stupidity and somehow Ryobi lost. It's a friggin Table Saw. There is NO full proof table saw for complacency. I agree company's have to abide by their claims and I don't see how this doesn't. He didn't lose a finger as he would most likely have with a blade still spinning at that height. At the end of the day, you have your view and you're within your own right to your opinion. I look at it from a situational perspective and the saw did its job. If the saw does indeed amputate someone with the proper setup, then your argument becomes 100% valid and I'll stand by your view to go after them in court if SawStop doesn't do anything.
www.sawstop.com/images/uploads/manuals/CNS%20Owners%20Manual%20V2.3%20%28May%2010%29.pdf Read Page 12, #4. You don't seem to comprehend the warnings. His blade is NOT recommended due to the shoulders and will cause a little more damage. I never said ALL Freud blades are not OK. The Freud blades with the Shoulders are BAD due to the reason listed in the manual. Freud Reworked their Dado Stack just for the SawStop because of this feature in their other blades. It's even marked as "SawStop compatible". Once again, you run your keyboard warrior status before knowing the facts.
Also read #6 on that same page - some nice calculations on the depth of the injury relative to the speed at which your hand is moving towards the saw.
I avoid injury by never using table saws, so there’s no chance of injury
Thank you for sharing. It is difficult to lay out your mistakes in a public forum. Thanks for having the courage to do so to save someone else from making the same mistake.
Your honesty and candor about your accident was both compelling and persuasive. I believe this video performs a valuable service about the need to use the safety mechanisms that are available for power tools. My hat is off to you for your humble and courageous presentation.
This happened at school when I was 14 the saw stop saved his finger
God luck I'm glad you still have you figures!
FIRST, Great Video!!!
Okay, having a "no budget" shop has it's drawbacks... and obsolete equipment that is extremely dangerous numbers among the bigger "sux-donuts"... I'm going to attempt to spare you gritty details, but in regards to that part of the video where you said, "I can't say definitively..."
I can. There's been enough nightmare fuel around here that I just keep less experienced folks OUT of the shop all together anymore. Even seasoned pro's only get in while I'm here, and I administrate the most egregious equipment issues... because I'd rather I get killed (even a little bit) than let someone else take it.
That saw stop DEFINITIVELY saved your hand... a LOT! No need in being wishy-washy about it. I've seen the kinds of injuries that come from "bumping" a rotating saw-blade... even while the saw is "technically off" and the blade was only "winding down"... I know, I've been known to "get cheeky" with the preaching about "never ever reach over a moving blade"... BUT that's reality in my shop. I don't even leave the table-saw "set up" when it's not in use... The damn thing is dangerous to a whole new level...
All joking aside, it's terribly easy for the blade of a table-saw to literally YANK your hand down into that slot and just SHRED everything. I've seen it... I've had to clean it up... I've had to "make that run" to the ER with turpentine and betadine soaked rags gobbed around the tattered end...
AND no. I do NOT recommend it.
Thanks for stepping up with this video, sir. You're not just being genuine in your teaching, but working to help others learn and take the pause to really think about it. Hopefully more will implement appropriate features for their own better interests... and health. ;o)
Good video! It takes a real man to admit his faults. Good on you!
So I'm watching this in 2021. Your experience and this video may have saved me from serious injury, as I tended to do the same things you were doing. Blade guard goes on, nothing but a push stick goes near the blade. Thank you, despite your obvious distress at making this video.
Thanks very much for posting this, I believe you've done the woodworking community a service by being so honest. I have to say that I doubt that your resolution to always use a blade guard will last beyond the next time you need to make any cut that doesn't go all the way through. But no matter. The most important thing IMHO is to treat the saw with the utmost respect and paranoia. My own rule is that under no circumstances will I position my hands so that they are pushing towards the blade (and for other tools with mobile blades: make sure the blade is never pushed towards a body part I want to keep). These lessons have been learned the hard way, though thankfully it involved nothing more than a painful cut - nothing like yours.
MrSwanley, that was the first, most basic lesson I received, so many years ago. Good of you to keep it current.
I did exactly the same thing in exactly the same place. When I looked down I thought I was going to see my thumb bouncing around on the table. It happens to the best of us 👍
no.. no it does not. carelessness happens.
@@cannabiskreations Careful with that attitude. Worst I've done is scratch my finger with a Dremel but from what I've seen on jobsites, it's always the people with your sort of attitude who get seriously injured
@@alakani actually its people with your attitude who are the ones who get hurt over and over. I have none and speak only truth.
@@cannabiskreations *shrugs* Let's hope it stays that way. Don't forget you're not the only person on jobsites. My "injury" that didn't even require a band aid occurred when I got startled by a loud explosion, someone dropped a cigarette into a 55 gallon barrel of solvent at the other end of the building. Working is like driving, even if you're good at it, someone might run a red light and t-bone you
It has never happened to me.
7:09 1-2 centimeters would be to the knuckle. I think this was 1-2 mils
U arguing with a carpenter's measurements?
@@MegaLietuvislt Sorry....I forgot that as an electrician I'm always in the wrong spot with lights, or outlets, or anything really.
@@MegaLietuvislt Everyone makes mistakes. But for a fact, that is *definetely* not 1-2cm
Pain-wise, it's about a metre and a half.
The length of the cut looks between 1-2cm. It doesn't seem he was referring to the depth of the cut.
thats crazy, when I nicked the tip of my finger off with a circular saw I felt nothing, just the warmth of the blood. Dont put a pencil in the guard...
wow.......expensive way to sharpen pencils bud......glad you ok.
I appreciate your honesty, the serious way you approach the issue, and the high value you place on safety. Good video. Hope you heal up okay
I absolutely applaud your painfully honest video to help others!!! I'm starting to get back into woodworking with my son (21) and will make him watch this! The gory pics of your injury are absolutely neccessary to get the point across! Thank you for this video!!!