Table saws scare the bejeesus out of me. I've never even had any close calls, but I realize that one careless moment could be one that I could regret.

I never wear my wedding band when I'm using power tools. I know first-hand of two guys who have short left ring-fingers and second-hand of 3 others.

My wife is starting to understand. I told her that while our marriage is very important to me, so is having all 10 fingers. I suggested to her that I could get a tattoo on that finger.

I put my wedding ring in my pocket one time while sawing wood. I forgot about it and then washed the pants. The ring fell out of the pocket on the way out to the clothesline. We found it 3 months later. My wife's wrath was almost as dangerous as a kickback on a 10" saw! ;)

And from the "Do as I say, not as I do" files:

I did get tagged with a belt sander once. I was crouching on the floor and had the sander resting upside-down on my knees while I adjusted the belt tracking. The sander rolled off my lap, and since it was a rental, I didn't want it to break up on impact. My left hand caught the handle and trigger, and my right index finger caught the spinning belt. Took the fingertip right down to the bone. I now adjust belt sanders on the benchtop, at arm's length! Also remember that power tool repairs are cheaper and less painful than orthopedic surgeon repairs.

I've also been grazed by an air nailer, chop saw, a block plane, and numerous blows to the thumb/forefinger with framing hammers. Luckily, all of those were bandaid injuries. Being a residential carpenter, though, exposed me to a lot more chances to get hurt. I've since realized that they could all have been much worse, and I've been much more safety-minded. The more you use tools, the more likely you are to get hurt by them, because you get careless and complacent. Don't get careless and complacent--by no more than sheer dumb luck, I still have all 10 fingers, but now, I intend to keep them, through a safer attitude and paying better attention.

Now I'm my company's safety officer and I get paid to say things like "Always wear safety glasses when there is a risk of flying objects. Wear those ear plugs when you turn any tool on (even that screaming shop vac). Wear respiratory protection for all sawdust, dust, and vapor-producing activities." Not only do I say it because OSHA and my boss want me to, I say it because I know it's true.

Shawn

> I tagged my finger with the table saw once. No permanent damage other than
> psycological. I would be happy to completely avoid using powertools, but
> then again some of the things you can make with them are a lot of fun.

> Consider getting a power feed unit. Yes it is another power tool, but it
> does the pushing through the blade for you. It will probably also improve
> the quality of your cutting.