What power tool are you most cautious with?

[fredhargis]

Well, Papa Jim...aren't you glad you asked?
. BTW, the one for me is also the chain saw, someone else already mentioned it.

[Steve N]

I guess I put chainsaws on a step above "power tools" but yeah I would make a lousy logger. The thought of running a chaisaw and NOT standing on terra firma makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. On the ground, no worries, wouldn't consider it up in a tree. Of course I don't do well in trees without a chain saw, uhhhhh maybe heights too

[JGrout]

Since [t]he responsibility of tolerance lies with those who have the wider vision (George Eliot), I tolerate anyone -- even if they speak before they think.

Quoting others mainly out of a lack of a rational rebuttal shows just how hard it can be to get through to those who cannot vocalize or expand on the basic tenet of the argument 

You are out of words, out of order and out of rebuttals 

Stop digging

[Handplanesandmore]

It is a pleasure to be able to quote lines to fit any occasion... ~Abraham Lincoln

[WilliamHodge]

Normally, I wouldn't post stories with gore content in a woodworking forum. Being afraid of tools makes it hard to operate them rationally, leading to poor concentration and forgetfulness. I learned to be aware of anxiety and fear, and calm myself before performing routine operations. Following planned procedures helps, like having that one moment when all the knives get checked for torque.

None of this applies to air nailers. I can't stand the sight of them, the lethal hissing as they sit their ready to shoot projectiles, and the lethal kerchunk sound of metal being blasted into wood (or other) tissue.

Gore warning, stop here if you need to.

When I was younger, my brother Tommy and I worked in a window shop. There was no break room, and we would all eat lunch sitting on low lumber carts. Other archaic features of this shop, like no plumbing, made for a high turnover of employees. A few of us lived nearby and had few other prospects for employment. We were the lifers.

When someone new started, Tommy had a lunch time ritual where he would scare the bejesus out of them for fun. He had one trick. He would take a few white pine boards, stack them on his head, and shoot a framing nail into them. Yeah it was stupid. So was Tommy.

One day a new guy started. This was in 91, when the banks were failing. The guy had been a bank teller. He was now a planer operator. Lunch time came, I I knew what was going to happen. Tommy had the nail gun and some cut offs sitting beside his cart. I remember I was eating leftover lasagna and salad for lunch that day. It was December 12, 1991.

Halfway through lunch, during a lull in the conversation, Tommy said "Hey, watch this!". He picked up the cut offs, put them on his head, and went for the nailer. From where I was sitting, I could see that the end grain of the wood, and it was all full of ant holes. I sad "Tommy, stop!"  All my life I had told him that when he did dumb stuff, and all my life he ignored me.

Kerchunk!

Tommy shot a nail, and it went right through two boards and most of the way through the third, right into the top of his head. Blood just came out everywhere. Tommy dropped the nailer. Everyone just sat there in shock. I stood up and said "Tommy, don't move!". He would listen to me now. I went to him and put my arms around him. His pupils were dilated different sizes. Blood and clear fluid was running down his face.

I told Bruce and Donny to wheel us over to the Emmert Pattern Makers Camel Back vise, and we opened it wide, and clamped that board in it. I held Tommy on the cart, and Bruce and Donny slowly wheeled the cart away, pulling out the board and nail.

Tommy's head was a mess. Fortunately, he was bald on top, so I could see what I was doing. I took a few 4" x 4" gauze bandages and taped them over the hole with 3M cloth adhesive tape. To protect the wound from shop dust, we took an aluminum foil wrapper from a Subway sandwich and fashioned a tinfoil hat to go under a truckers hat (with the window company logo).

I have never been the same.  To me, air nailers are the scariest tools in the shop.

WH

[JGrout]

[Sawdustd]

10 years ago I bought a Radial Arm Saw (old Craftsman) to rip long 2x6"s while making an arbor.   Worked liked a champ.   My Table saw at the time didn't have enough power.  That 12" blade, with no blade guard, scared me to death.   Sold it after I completed the Arbor.
       Next is my Table saw.  I'm not scared of it. I love it but -- its the one machine I use extra, extra caution with.   
      Chisels, like John said, are  snake laying in the grass waiting to bite you.

[EricU]

yeah, I used a radial arm saw to rip for one project.  It was a friends saw.  Never again.  I have never been afraid of a tool before or since.  I used an old dewalt to cross cut many times, that thing was solid and confidence inspiring.  Have to remind yourself not to put your arm in the way of the blade, which is why they are called radial "arm" saws.

Note that radial drill presses are not called radial arm drill presses.

[AHill]

I respect my router more than any other tool.  For most of my power tools, the tool is stationary when I'm using it.  With a hand held router, both the tool and the bit are moving.  The bit spins at much higher RPMs than any other tool I own, and the cord is dangling and following you wherever you go.  I make sure my setup won't introduce any hazards into the operation, and double check the mounting of my bit and that the depth is locked in.

Probably the one folks should be more cautious about is their table saw, given it's the one woodworking power tool that produces more accidents than any other tool.  I think that's because people don't respect it as much as they should, and there are a great many out there that remove the safety devices that come with the saw.

[Tapper]

Another fool speaks 




Your fear ran so deep you ditched your Griz saw for a nanny saw 

Careful when you throw stones at glass houses 

signed still using all 10 daily thank you very much mainly becuase  I KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FEAR AND RESPECT 

HTH HAND

"When you're losing the argument in the court of public opinion, resort to name calling."  That's really all you have, along with your self-professed "expertness" (there's a new word for you) on everything from soup to nuts. Never had a Griz saw, BTW, your highness. Next time you look in the mirror you'll see the personification of that which you call others.

Doug