What power tool are you most cautious with?

[Cecil]

Chainsaw.

Not fear, like Dave said, but a GREAT deal of respect.  

[JGrout]

your shop your life your rules 

Best stick with your moniker and drop the more part 

You are playing with fire 

the day will come.

[Stwood_]

No fear of any tool, but most cautious when running the 5hp shaper freehand, doing a curved piece with a 5-6" cutter.

Worst injury was on a drill press, twice.

[jcredding]

Router, by far. That one gets going and there's just something about it that keeps me very focused. I can't let go of the idea that it's going to tilt, slip, fall or something else and I'm going to reflexively reach for it and grab a rotating bit. Still one of my favorite tools, use it all the time and have 5 of them, but I have this thought every time I take one of them out.

John

[daddo]

I respect them all, but if I were to choose the most respected, that would be the big metal lathe. It won't stop once your in it. It can rip your arm off or worse.
The second is the wheel grinder.
Third- the TS.

[Phil Thien]

When I was in my teens, I had a hole saw in a drill press grab a workpiece and whack my hand pretty good.

As bad as that was, the worst injury is a tie between kickback, and a utility knife jumping a straight edge. 

So I'd say they all deserve my deep, deep respect.

[messmaker]

I know it's not a machine but what I fear most is myself and my mental state. If I ever get hurt, it will probably be because of a lapse of judgement or a moment of inattention.

[Steve N]

I know it's not a machine but what I fear most is myself and my mental state. If I ever get hurt, it will probably be because of a lapse of judgement or a moment of inattention.

I wonder about the use of the word fear in this situation. You have isolated a potential problem, and it would seem you are aware of it, now if you keep that in the back of your mind I think instead of fear you have created a state where you will know, I'm drifting here. I need to get back to this when I can concentrate 100%. I call that an onboard safety feature
Sometimes you need to just quit the shop for that day, some times you can just swap to a task you can afford to drift. Hand sanding some parts before final assembly, doodling on paper trying to work out that next project. Stuff like that.

Reading through I see some using the word "fear" and in reading what they are saying it appears to me that semantics are at play in some of these cases. Perhaps if we defined fear as a situation where the thought of doing something/anything filled you with anxiety, dread, certainty that a bad thing would happen no matter what you did, and you could do nothing to change this path of doom. So in essence you were incapacitated with this "fear"

Using that I hope many would change the word fear, to respect, understanding. If you couldn't make that change, you should really do something else, because you are a statistic, just waiting to happen.

That was my Dr Phil moment for the day

[CanoeBoy]

I know it's not a machine but what I fear most is myself and my mental state. If I ever get hurt, it will probably be because of a lapse of judgement or a moment of inattention.

I think we can all agree on this. The people I have personally know with missing fingers have all said, "I just wasn't using my head". I have never heard anyone claim it was the tools fault.

Funny to read of so many people having injuries with utility knives. I see a market for the Ronco Automatic Blood Sensing Retractable Knife.
$19.98 gets you 2 fabulous ABSRK kits plus a free Orange Juicer

[Handplanesandmore]

 So in essence you were incapacitated with this "fear"

Using that I hope many would change the word fear, to respect, understanding. If you couldn't make that change, you should really do something else, because you are a statistic, just waiting to happen.

No, I never get incapacitated with any tool fear. I fear for car accidents but I still drive everyday.

I have used the word fear since Day 1 of woodworking (40 years now, a little shy of) and I am not a statistic in any shop accidents or safety incidents. I do know a former coworker who didn't fear anything got admitted to the ER...he now owns a SS.

If people prefer to use fear, let them use it. If you and any others want to respect your tools, go ahead and use respect. The world is no smaller or bigger just because we use different words. I will fear the use of my tablesaw, jointer,  shaper, tracksaw, mitre saw, lathe, boxcutter (?).... for the rest of my woodworking life, till the end...which will come for every one of course. Done, time for my Sunday shop AND fear...

Simon