Thumb in the table saw. Warning - pictures

GPintheMitten · Nov 7, 2015

Well it happened to me last night. I ripped a 2 foot 1 x 4. After the cut, I started to gingerly slide each piece back toward me being cautious.
The problem was I had a marker pen in my left palm sticking out. The pen hit the blade and pulled my thumb into the blade.

It didn't get completely cut off. It was cut between the last joint and the thumb nail, through the bone, leaving only about 33% intact.

5 hours at the hospital, mostly waiting for such things as ex rays and the orthopedic specialists to get to me. They cleaned it up, sewed it up and then bandaged it and.put a splint on it.

Monday I go to the hand surgeon for an eval. The thumb tip may be ok as is or it may need surgery or it may need to be removed. We'll just have to wait and see.

Stupid, stupid mistake.

GPintheMitten · Nov 7, 2015

Here are some pics after stiches. the before pics are pretty gross.

George2615 · Nov 7, 2015

Sorry to hear about your accident but glad you are OK.
I know the feeling. I had an accident at work about 3 months ago. I was slicing through a piece of 2" flexible hose on a fountain pump with my pocket knife. Holding hose with left hand, cutting with right when knife hit a weak spot in the hose, slid out of the hose and through my left pointer finger. Mine required 10 stitches. I never felt it until I saw the blood. Knife is very sharp. Finger is all healed now but no feeling in the tip since the nerves were cut. Doctor stitching me up had a hard time due to callused fingers. Kept mumbling about working man hands. I'm sure you must have also cut through the nerves in that thumb.

Looking4new · Nov 7, 2015

That surely sux, but it is a nasty reminder to you to use a piece of scrap as a PUSHER and keep your dam digits away from the blade.

GPintheMitten · Nov 7, 2015

Absolutely. I keep replaying it in my mind about how stupid it was.

murphy1244 · Nov 7, 2015

Glad your okay GP.

Looking4new · Nov 7, 2015

It could have been much worse.

GPintheMitten · Nov 7, 2015

Thanks for the well wishes guys. Yes, it could have been much worse.

bumperm · Nov 7, 2015

Ouch!

Sorry that painful lesson happened. I've done that as well, though not so serious. Had those anti-kickback pawls on, piece of wood got stuck, stupidly went to lift the pawl instead of turning off the saw (a pain to do with one hand holding the wood in place) and my thumb touched the side of the blade. It was a cabide blade with teeth protruding to the side (fairly wide kerf) and my thumb touched the side of the teeth so the blade pulled by thumb in and then kicked *it* back throwing my fist back so I punched myself in the stomach. I felt ill and was almost afraid to look. Cut away most of the pad of my thumb and sliced into the nail pretty good, but didn't hit the bone. Got stitched up - was very fortunate.

My problem was getting to be too complacent.

Looking4new · Nov 7, 2015

My Dad always told me, 'familiarity breeds contempt'.

My neighbour across the road cut off her little finger at the knuckle before the nail, her ring finger at the second knuckle and the middle finger at the second knuckle when she turned away from the saw before it was stopped and lost her balance. She stuck out her hand to steady herself and ran into the spinning blade. That was 4 years ago and she is just now getting the full use of her hand, less those parts of her fingers.

4570Man · Nov 7, 2015

Ouch! A table saw and jointer scare the he!! out of me. My dad got a kickback. We had just built an out feed table and the edge wasn't adjusted correctly. He has cutting a 1/2 sheet of plywood and the edge didn't clear the table. He reached back to lift it up. It kicked back and knocked him down and then hit a cabinet across the shop. Luckily all fingers still attached.

Looking4new · Nov 7, 2015

I stand 6'4" tall. My legs are 34 inches on the inseam, my table saw is just at crotch height. I was ripping a 2x12 lengthwise one day and the saw kicked the work back towards me. YES, you know where that wood hit me.

I don't have to tell you. Now I stand to the side when I am ripping.

GPintheMitten · Nov 7, 2015

I noticed today I have a bruise on my sternum that I don't recall hitting. I wonder if the marker pen hit me there after hitting the saw.

I agree that I was complacent.

Rustyferrious · Nov 7, 2015

Best wishes on a speedy recovery and hopefully a lesson learned.

I've been a professional cabinetmaker/boatbuilder for 35 years. Still got all ten intact (knock on wood) but I did suffer a table saw injury roughly 20 years ago, from 40' away. I was doing a floor layout for a circular staircase in one part of the shop while one of my guys was ripping 1/2" square maple drawer runners on he 5HP unisaw in the machine room. He didn't push one of the cut pieces all the way through the danger area so the blade caught it and sent it like a rocket through the open door and hit me square in the forehead as I was bending over to mark a riser. Knocked me out for about a minute, blood pouring from my head. had a concussion for several weeks and I still have a perfect 1/2" square scar above my left eye. Broke my glasses in half. Doc said I was very lucky, one inch lower and it would have skewered my skull through my eye socket. Thinking about that still freaks me out.

oldballs · Nov 7, 2015

GP, that hurts just looking at it.

Today I was going to use my table saw for a "Carry All" 3 point build. After getting all the 2 x 12 etc & 2 x 6 used lumber cleaned up, I was tired.

Thus I delayed doing the table saw work. I'm too old to work when tired.....but thanks y'all for the reminder tips on what not to do.

Cheers Anyhow

Mike

Looking4new · Nov 7, 2015

GPintheMitten said:
I agree that I was complacent.

I will bet that you wont forget that lesson anytime soon. Especially in the winter.

GPintheMitten · Nov 7, 2015

Yes, don't work with saws when your tired. Good call.

Well, I think I learned a lesson that I'll never forget.

Code54 · Nov 7, 2015

Hope you feel better and they get you all back together good as new.
Accidents happen and it is good when you post things like this so we can all learn from it. I will remember this next time I am using our saw.

PILOON · Nov 7, 2015

While I have had my share of close calls never a blade cut.

What I found to be the most dangerous was ripping with a radial arm saw. More the a few times I received a board via kickback in my belly.
Folks laughed when I'd rip standing off to the side but changed their tune when a board would shoot clear across the shop.

I've a few bruises and nicks but never from a direct blade contact.
I do use scraps as pushers when working in close.

Glad you are doing OK and sure you'll not suffer serious consequences.

GPintheMitten · Nov 7, 2015

Code54 said:
Hope you feel better and they get you all back together good as new.
Accidents happen and it is good when you post things like this so we can all learn from it. I will remember this next time I am using our saw.

Thanks. That's why we post our stupidity for all to see-- to try to help others