Be Careful! Safety First!

[Marks]

Soooo.......Last night I was taking the bark and sapwood off an osage stave. The stave had a huge check that went pretty much half way down the stave so I was spliting it again using a hatchet and hammer. Long story short I was hatcheting out some of the splinters still holding the 2 pieces together and smacked my finger with the hatchet. Why I was holding the wood with one hand and chopping in the direction of that hand I'll never know but one slip and OUCH!! Luckily it was just a flesh wound. I was cutting along the edge of the stave so my finger was able to slide down the wood when I hit it instead of being between the blade and the wood.  It bled a lot at first but once I got some good pressure applied it stopped clean. A few paper towels and electrical tape can do wonders. I was able to finish my work later before bed.

Have a little common sense when you are working. Mistakes happen quick and in this hobby, they can be costly.

[osage outlaw]

Ouch.  I had a piece of metal shoot off while splitting staves.  It hit me right in the bridge of the nose.  It bled a long time and made my entire nose extremely sore to the touch for several days.  I'm lucky, a little bit left or right and I would have lost an eye.  I wear safety glasses when splitting staves now.

[YosemiteBen]

have not had the opportunity or instruction on splitting staves but I have cut myself pretty goo when splitting kindling when I was a kid.

[Roy]

I wouldn't know how to act if I didn't get a splinter, cut or bruised in the bow shop on any given day. Been days my shop floor looked like a blood trail. Even been days the blood trail led out the door, across the driveway, up the cellar steps and into the bathroom where the wife would patch me up. Then back to the shop I would go:) LOL

[Slackbunny]

I've made it a habit to wear safety glasses all the time in the shop, even when just puttering around. I too often forget to put them on when I am working, so I make myself wear them all the time. Unfortunately there really isn't anything we can do for our hands besides just watching what we are doing and using our equipment properly.

[Pappy]

I'm with you Roy, been a mechanic all my life anyway so my hand look like mince meat anyway,alway keep super glue/band aids and diesel fuel handy to patch myself up. Not near as careful as I should be and one day it will probable catch up with me. :)Cant wear gloves and do anything and I hate glasses. Glad it turned out ok for you. My granddaddy told me when he gave me my first knife,probably age 6 to always cut away from youself and you will never get cut,how simple is that rule.
   Pappy

[BryanR]

Pappy - why the diesel fuel?

[Pappy]

To soak the wound.  Never get sore and stop the bleeding.
   Pappy

[Shiloh]

To soak the wound.  Never get sore and stop the bleeding.
   Pappy

  I don't know whether I should be scared or impressed. How about a little of both? Yeah, sounds about right...

Let's see, in my short time in making bows, I've...

-Scraped off a knuckle with a #49 rasp
-Dug a 1/16' thick splinter under a fingernail
-Dropped a full-sized maple stave on my pinkie
-Got smacked in the head with half a limb when an oak ELB exploded at full draw

I'm scared to think what I'm going to do to myself in the future. 

[Pappy]

O beleive me ,  it can get much worse.
   Pappy

[Eric Krewson]

The bad thing is this stuff happens so fast you don't have time to avoid the damage.

Got my knuckle into a 36 grit sanding belt a few weeks ago, takes a long time for missing flesh and skin to regenerate and heal.

Cut an osage limb carefully two weeks ago because I knew it was under pressure, didn't see the limb behind it that was trapped by the same pressure. Cut limb #1 and limb #2 hit me in the mouth so hard it knocked me back about 3 feet. Saw stars, everything went black for a second or two but I still had my teeth when my head cleared enough for me to check. Takes a long time for one's mouth to heal when your teeth cut the inside of your mouth almost to the outside.

Had a cup of hot tea today without pain for the first time in two weeks this morning so I guess I am healed.

The bad thing is, I know I will do similar stuff again. I guess it goes with the territory if you if you are out doing things instead of being planted on the couch watching "I Love Lucy" reruns 7 days a week.

[Marks]

This spring is kicking my butt. I guess technically I'm just preparing for spring since it isn't quite here yet.  Since hitting my finger with the hatchet I've skinned my knuckle cranking the blower, gotten a few little cuts with my new and very sharp drawknife from ebay, and a few more cuts and bumps from re landscaping our flower beds and putting in a drainage system for our gutters. I almost forgot the 1/4-3/8" splinter between my fingers from the treated landscape timbers. Treated wood hurts.  Its been a busy weekend and I'm almost glad to be back at my desk at work so I can get some rest  . I'll be happy when I get this new house and yard set up the way I want it. We bought it last year and didn't really have the finances to do much last spring so there is much to be done this year.

[cracker]

Marks I can kinda relate I seem to take my knuckle bustin and cuts in cycles I'll acumulate a bunch of dents and dings and then get all healed up for a while and then do it again on about a six week cycly. Ron

[Joec123able]

Let's face it if your making bows your gonna get hurt I've cut my hands countless times. Ive hit my self with a hatchet in the knee while chopping wood a bloody mess i tell ya what still got the scar a couple years later my knuckles always got scabs on them lol that's just working with hand tools I guess I've knocked one of my knifes of a table it came down point first through my shoe into my foot that hurt really bad but it's part of working with wood.

[twisted hickory]

To soak the wound.  Never get sore and stop the bleeding.
   Pappy

Pappy, diesel fuel is not good for a wound or your body From a nursing perspective