By Forest Puha
Note: the following article has graphic medical pictures. Viewer discretion advised.
A month and a half ago, I was cutting
wood with a circular saw and then I cut open my thumb.
Yeah. I make that seem low-key, but
it's actually more painful, time-consuming and life-altering than it
sounds.
It was fun to drop everything,
including my tools, and yell in pain. It was fun to run inside and
watch my family try not to faint. It was fun to rush to the nearest
clinic, freaking out the staff, getting injected with whatever
painkillers they had and arguing about whether or not antibiotics are
covered under insurance while I was mildly stoned. Fun times all
around.
Partly as a record to remind myself of
what NOT to do in an emergency, and partly as a teaching opportunity
to everyone else, this article will go over what happened and how you
can prevent the same thing from happening to you. I learned a lot,
including that ignoring common sense will only result in bad things
for myself and everyone around.
Here's what happened using re-created
photographs of the incident.
The equipment I was using at the time.
As follows: 3M-brand eye wear protection, 3M brand silicone earplugs,
a Master Mechanic brand handheld electric circular saw, and cheap
generic black elastic gloves with yellow leather finger protection.
Note that the gloves are neither full leather or employ knuckle protection. This is Mistake #1.
Note that the gloves are neither full leather or employ knuckle protection. This is Mistake #1.
I was sawing wood for a project, using
my wooden table as a cutting platform. Note that I failed to secure
the wood to the table surface with a clamp. This is Mistake #2.
I operated the saw with one hand, while
holding onto the piece of wood with another. This is Mistake #3. Never, never, NEVER hold a handheld
power tool with only one hand, ESPECIALLY a saw.
When operating a power saw, sometimes
the wood will shift while cutting. Because the saw blade can only
move in one direction at a time (forwards) any subtle movement will
gather more wood than the saw's engine can handle, which forces the
blade to suddenly stop. The momentum generated by the blade will be
transferred into the saw, and as a result, the saw kicked back on me
while I was holding onto it. It's not a problem with two hands...
...but I was only holding onto the saw
with my right hand, and holding onto the wood with my left hand. The
kickback of a power saw is like the recoil of a full-size rifle or
shotgun. I had no control and I paid the price. I felt the saw and it
really hurt more than normal. I looked down, saw drips of blood and
very gently pulled the glove away. It was a gashing, gaping wound. The saw had hit the spot of the glove that wasn't covered with leather or any protection, but simple black fabric. Which happened to be right on my Metacarpophalangeal, the middle thumb joint.
 | |
| Photos taken two hours after stitches were removed. |
I calmly rushed inside, while my family freaked out over my accident.
Mistake #4: I washed the wound with
cold water. Don't do that. The wound has particles of dead skin,
leather, plastic, fabric, oil, wood and heaven knows what else
inside; it needs to be properly disinfected with sterile solution
found at the neighborhood clinic. The clinic promptly informed me I
was very lucky; my wound didn't completely expose the tendons in my
knuckle, so I wouldn't have to be airlifted to the nearest emergency
room for surgery. They could simply put in stitches where I was at.
Then they gave me a shot of something
to numb the pain while they stitched up my hand. It took a couple of
weeks to be able to grab things and use a computer's keyboard, and a
month to where I could bend my fingers around and not be in constant
pain.
I learned a great deal from this
incident. Mostly, I learned that overconfidence is a slow and
insidious killer, and that even when I thought I had the required
safety gear, I didn't have the RIGHT safety gear. I nearly paid for
it with my thumb. It could have been my hand, or my life.
I'm in the market for a new pair of
gloves. These Youngstown Utility Kevlar-lined gloves seem like a good start, roughly $30 on Amazon. Supposedly the entire glove is lined with Kevlar, even the fingers. I think they're cheaper than surgery and I'll have to review a pair.
From top to bottom: a carpentry wood clamp, a cast iron C-clamp, and a spring clamp. These are three kinds of clamps I have on hand,
cheaply found in any hardware store, and I recommend everyone not
only buy them for their tool box, but also USE them whenever you need
to hold something down. I neglected to do so and paid the price for my stupidity.
Step 1: slide clamp over object and surface. Step 2: tighten until they don't move. Step 3: you're done. They're so much better than using your hands.
And the clamps allow me to use both hands when operating
my power tools now. I have more control over the tool now! It's amazing!
It could have been so much worse.
