# Scariest tool in my shop



## klr650 (Apr 4, 2010)

The post about the Craftsman 9" tablesaw got me thinking about this. What's the scariest tool you have in your shop - that is, the tool that you don't really like using because of what it could do, has done, or what you think it could do to you?

The Craftsman 9" reminded me of my first REAL tablesaw that I bought - a Craftsman from 1917(??- I can get you the details if you care), I have a date code somewhere, and it's REALLY old. that thing is a hazard, external belt drive, motor is behind the blade, on/off switch an inch from the belt pulley on the motor housing, no guard, no riving knife. The thing sounds like a terror when it gets turned on - the table is only about 24" square so you're right next to the blade the whole time. 

Fortunately I don't turn it on - the on/off switch shorted to the motor casingeek then the motor burned out. Currently it serves as a table to hold my motorcycle engine rebuild tools (yes I have the tabletop protected) and will stay that way until I move into my new shop addition sometime this year. My intention is to rebuild the saw and add as many safety features as I can - rerouting the power switch, covering the belt and motor, adding a riving knife. Considering the age of the saw its actually a very good saw.

My heart goes out to people who have to use tools like that - because if I had to I never would have gotten into woodworking.


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## Longknife (Oct 25, 2010)

I have had an old huge cast iron machine. It was a combination machine with a table saw, a combined jointer and planer (24" wide) and a shaper. The length of the cast iron table was 8 feet. There was no guards or safety devices of any kind. No kick-back guard on the planer, no splitter on the saw and a lot of unprotected flat drive-belts spinning on the outside of the machine. In all the years I had it I never had any accidents though, pherhaps because I knew about the hazards and never allowed myself to relax when I used it.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

I really do not have anything in my shop that I consider scary. If I did I would get rid of it.

Many (most?) machines can be scary if you do not know how to use them and are afraid of them. If you are afraid of the tool then it is best not to use it because your fright can be a dangerous thing. Having respect for a tool and being afraid of it are two different things.

George


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*I've narrowed down to 5*

A 13" wide jointer, used without the guard sometimes.
A 12" table saw with blade fully raised, used without the guard sometimes,
A 12" resaw cut on the bandsaw.
A 3" profile cutter on the shaper
For all the above I keep a piece of wood or a push block between my fingers and the cutter/blade.

And finally *any drill press in the shop*. Really? Yup. I've been hurt more times, more severely by a piece that came loose and spun around either cutting a slice or knocking my knuckles at 100 mph almost always when drilling metal, sheets, plates, or rounds. "Oh, don't worry it's just a drill press. Right.":thumbdown: 
One time it launched the DP vise about 5 feet.
And I've been KO'd a few times when the 18V Dewalt, locked up, spun around at forehead height and clobbered me.:wallbash:
 bill


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## glh17 (Jul 7, 2010)

At one time it was my Delta 10" bench-top table saw. I now have a beefier table saw and the task I feel most insecure about is face planing with my jointer.

Safety is a big concern to me and I keep all my safety equipment on and use all the safety information I know. If I make a safety mistake it's due to lack of knowledge and not by doing something I know to be unsafe, such as using a table saw without splitter/riving knife and blade guard.


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## Firewalker (Jan 3, 2011)

woodnthings said:


> And finally *any drill press in the shop*. Really? Yup.
> bill


x2 on the Drill Press. Also on drilling metal. Was drilling some holes in some angle iron brackets I made just a week or so ago. Was using a vise grip wide jaw at first but I had a LOT of holes to drill and the clamp was doing such a good job it didn't seem like it was doing anything. Decided to just hold it.....will only take a sec right??? 

How many times must I do that? Glad I had some heavy gloves on.

I won't say it's scary but that is the one I have take the most shots from. I tend to be more aware when I am using jointers and router tables more than any other tools. Just because it will turn a digit into slivers that won't be re attached.

There's my $.02

Scott


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## klr650 (Apr 4, 2010)

It's funny how many people are agreeing with the drill press. Superficially you'd think that it would be something like the drum sander or jointer - something with exposed parts that have no pity. I've hurt my elbow with a drill many a time when the bit gets stuck.

I'm sticking with my tablesaw though, it's just a dangerous piece.


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## SteveEl (Sep 7, 2010)

At the moment, its the 15 ton jack I'm using to slowly take the sag out of the main beam that crosses my basement shop and how much the house has to say about it each time we do just a little more cranking


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## Allthumbs27 (Dec 25, 2008)

Bandsaw because I dont have a lot of time logged on it. Its the tool a friend of mine lost his thumb on in middle school shop class. That always pops up in my mind when I use it. But I guess it is also good that I think of it to keep me safer.


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## dwendt1978 (Mar 13, 2010)

Mine has to be my Craftsman Contractor table saw. Have had it flip over when ripping a 4 x 8 sheet or a long 2 X.


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

I can honestly say that there isn't a single tool in my shop that I am weary about using. Tablesaw, bandsaw, sanders, lathe, drill press, scroll saw, router table, miter saw, surface planer, circular saw, reciprocating saw, belt sander, jig saw etc. I know what they are all capable of and I have a healthy respect for all of them. If it doesn't feel right to work on something a certain way, i don't do it but I never feel intimidated by a tool or it's operation. I also keep all of my tools in top working and mechanical order at all times and each tool is calibrated on a regular basis so that it works at its utmost performance level.
Ken


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

GeorgeC said:


> I really do not have anything in my shop that I consider scary. If I did I would get rid of it.
> 
> Many (most?) machines can be scary if you do not know how to use them and are afraid of them. If you are afraid of the tool then it is best not to use it because your fright can be a dangerous thing. Having respect for a tool and being afraid of it are two different things.
> 
> George



That's about how I feel about machinery. Learn how to use it. Tools don't have to be running to be dangerous. My worst accident with a drill press is when it was off, and not even spinning. I had a forstner bit chucked and reached beyond the bit to the rear and the point of the bit tore a humongous nasty tear on the back of my hand...blood was everywhere. No pics to follow.












 






.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*American Chopper drill press accident*



klr650 said:


> It's funny how many people are agreeing with the *drill press*. Superficially you'd think that it would be something like the drum sander or jointer - something with exposed parts that have no pity. I've hurt my elbow with a drill many a time when the bit gets stuck.
> I'm sticking with my tablesaw though, it's just a dangerous piece.


Just this week a rerun of OCC showed Rick getting his gloved hand wrapped around a twist bit, blood everywhere and a hospital trip later he was back working, hand all bandaged up. I think he was wearing a glove that got caught in the twist drill and then spun him into submission.....help! It's all in the setup and that wasn't a good one. :no: bill


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## Kevin07 (Feb 19, 2009)

Routers give me the biggest scare I couldnt imagine what kind of damage somthing spinning that fast could do to you if a bit were to fail somehow. The table saw would be second on my list. If a thin kerf rip blade can cut thick oak like its butter It wouldnt notice a finger.


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## NCPaladin (Aug 7, 2010)

My most (all minor thank God) was with the drill press also. It think it is because it just *seems* so harmless.
My scariest would be the lathe. If you cranked it up to 3,000 rpm you could be standing in front of 3 lbs traveling at 100 mph (and that would only be a medium size bowl). I do wear a ballistic grade face shield.


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## glh17 (Jul 7, 2010)

cabinetman said:


> That's about how I feel about machinery. Learn how to use it. Tools don't have to be running to be dangerous. My worst accident with a drill press is when it was off, and not even spinning. I had a forstner bit chucked and reached beyond the bit to the rear and the point of the bit tore a humongous nasty tear on the back of my hand...blood was everywhere. No pics to follow.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I did the same thing except on my forearm. I planed a nice hunk of skin off my forearm. I wasn't even using the machine. Just scraped my arm across the bit.


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## ch0mpie (Nov 10, 2006)

Scariest for me is the walker turner jointer I restored a while ago. Doesn't have a guard. I was holding off to find an original one, but they are few and far between and when one does pop up its way too expensive. I've got to get on it and make something up.


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## Fly Fisher (Jun 22, 2010)

I have a real respect for all my tools and always use safety features. Funny enough the band saw is a creepy tool as it seems so unassuming. It wont really throw crap at you, its quiet, smooth. Like the guys friend who lost a finger, if you get to comfortable, there goes a digit. 
However, the one that has gotten me more than a few times is my miter saw. Friggin stingers. When that blade gets a little dull and it grabs a piece of wood it will slam the saw, your hand, the wall. It turns into a full on catastrophe. Gratefully that hasn't happened since i quit laying hardwood floors. :thumbsup:


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## Kipper (Feb 6, 2011)

If you are looking for a table saw with the #1 safety record in the world I would highly recommend Sawstop. Can't beet it's safety nor quality.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Two weeks ago I sliced my hand on a 7mm brad point I had mounted in my drill press. It was brand new and razor sharp. I reached behind it to get the smaller throat insert and on the way back I sliced the meaty part by my thumbs first knuckle. It was a surgical cut. There was no blood at first, but I could open it and see the white meat under the first layer. Immediate pressure and a week of butterfly bandaids and it sealed up. Didn't hurt, barely bled, but it's gonna leave a nice scar. It happened b/c I wasn't paying attention though. I don't fear my drill press, I just shouldn't be reaching across bits or blades, moving or not. I'll have a little scar reminding me that now.


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## designer-fixit (Aug 31, 2010)

ok this is kinda funny, cause its a great tool but scary as hell. we have a table saw.....i am so paranoid cuase the safety feature broke off n the cover wont go back into position seeing as how it no longer has one lolololol so one false move or slip up and one of us will loose a hand sssshhhhhhhh il prolly get in trouble for laughing about because im the one who broke it oooooopppp


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## sketel (Sep 15, 2010)

Have to say, before I had a cordless w/ a 1/2" chuck, I would use a big old milwaukee high torque monster with a 6" hole saw. I would get sick to my stomach every time I had to use that set-up cause when it grabbed, at the very least it would tweak your wrist badly but more often it would slam your hand against something cause those things don't brake when you release the trigger. Bloodied a lot of knuckles and almost broke my wrist several times.


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## MarcR (Nov 28, 2010)

All of my power tools scare me a bit but router and router table seem to cause me the most worry. Carbide cutters and 20,000 RPM's screams caution.


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## burkhome (Sep 5, 2010)

sketel said:


> Have to say, before I had a cordless w/ a 1/2" chuck, I would use a big old milwaukee high torque monster with a 6" hole saw. I would get sick to my stomach every time I had to use that set-up cause when it grabbed, at the very least it would tweak your wrist badly but more often it would slam your hand against something cause those things don't brake when you release the trigger. Bloodied a lot of knuckles and almost broke my wrist several times.


 That reminds me of the time I watched a maintenance crew drilling an 8 inch hole through a concrete was with a big drill...my memory say 1 1/4 inch chuck. They had a 4 foot piece of pipe stick out the side of the thing. One guy on the drill and another at the end of the pipe. When it would stick it would raise the second guy a foot off the ground before the first could get off the trigger. Didn't look like safety at work to me.


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## Firewalker (Jan 3, 2011)

sketel said:


> Have to say, before I had a cordless w/ a 1/2" chuck, I would use a big old milwaukee high torque monster with a 6" hole saw. I would get sick to my stomach every time I had to use that set-up cause when it grabbed, at the very least it would tweak your wrist badly but more often it would slam your hand against something cause those things don't brake when you release the trigger. Bloodied a lot of knuckles and almost broke my wrist several times.


I used to use a Milwaukee drill that originally had the side handle on it. I got it used and that was gone. I was drilling throught a bumper for about an hour or so and the grand finale was it getting a good ol' bite and slamming my hand into the tail gate at a high rate of speed while twisting my wrist like a dish rag!!! 

It seems like the drills have popped up a lot in here. I expected something else to take top honors. Good thread BTW. Helps remind those of us of past mistakes and warn others what can happen.

I had forgotten the miter saw wood block launcher.....when you are trying to take "just a 3/8 slice off and it falls into the relief and binds in the blade". 

Good feedback from the masses......thx for sharing your stories.

Scott


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## timmybgood (Jan 11, 2011)

There are no scary tools in my shop. The only thing that "gets" me are sharp wood edges on freshly cut pieces. It seems I can't go a day without cutting myself on wood! either a knick or large gash, my hands have lots of scars from wood cuts.


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## Geoguy (Feb 22, 2008)

Like many of the members, I'm not scared of any of my tools. I think I take more precautions when using power tools because I know they can do a lot of damage in a hurry. It's the simple tools that get me. I stuck a very sharp chisel in my palm one time so chisels and knife blades get a lot of respect now. It sounds stupid but I probably suffer more damage from splinters and screw drivers.:laughing:


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## dodgeboy77 (Mar 18, 2009)

Years ago I was teaching Power Mechanics and I needed a big drill to power a valve guide knurling tool through some cylinder heads. I borrowed an ancient one from the metal shop. It looked like a table saw motor with a handle, a chuck and a piece of iron pipe sticking out the side.

During the operation, the knurling tool jammed in a valve guide and the drill yanked out of my hands, spraining my wrist in the process. It had a trigger lock that would easily lock on by accident so the drill stayed powered. Then I had this big-a$$ drill spinning around over a cylinder head. The problem resolved itself as the cord wrapped up around the drill motor and then pulled the plug out of the wall.

Bill


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## H. A. S. (Sep 23, 2010)

About big drill bits..grind a chipbreaker on the point to keep it from grabbing on exit. You can always go back and put a new edge on later.


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## maxwoodshop (Feb 7, 2011)

im a builder and mine would have to be a chop saw, its way to easy to get in a hurry cutting trim, concentrating on the mark and forget all about where that left hand is. not to mention that your allways willingly brining a 12" blade down toward your hand on every cut!


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## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

For me it would be the drill press. Mostly because I am most likely to get complacent with it and have something bad happen...


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## Kirkus (Dec 19, 2010)

My hammer. :smile:


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

MY Zipper  bill


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## BWSmith (Aug 24, 2010)

That's easy....most assuredly a coping saw.Speed and more speed seems to be the order of the day for coping saws.We use a particular Disston(don't know the number?),and have several.

"When someone finds me in a pool of blood,there'll be a ___'ty ___ coping saw in my hand",has been told to several generations of underlings,and helpers.BW


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## Firewalker (Jan 3, 2011)

I am not sure how scary this tool is but I can't tell you how many times my cordless drill has slipped off a screw and more times than not slammed into the wall/decking etc. I usually think "Damn, I am glad that wasn't my hand" Last night while making some coupler connections on some EMT... (you know the ever eager to twist coupler with two set screws?) ... I was able to do this. Believe me when I tell you I was putting my back into this one. Heard that nice thud...You tell me phillips or flathead?


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## rrbrown (Feb 15, 2009)

Kevin07 said:


> Routers give me the biggest scare I couldnt imagine what kind of damage somthing spinning that fast could do to you if a bit were to fail somehow. *The table saw would be second on my list. If a thin kerf rip blade can cut thick oak like its butter It wouldnt notice a finger.*



I can vouch for that, and unlike Cabinetman I do have pictures.:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:

Now I can say all my tools are new and kept in good condition. I consider myself very safe, but things can still happen. Since my accident I think the jointer is the scariest not because I'm scared of it but because of the type of damage it would do. I think it would be allot worse then a table saw accident like mine.


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## Pirate (Jul 23, 2009)

dodgeboy77 said:


> Years ago I was teaching Power Mechanics and I needed a big drill to power a valve guide knurling tool through some cylinder heads. I borrowed an ancient one from the metal shop. It looked like a table saw motor with a handle, a chuck and a piece of iron pipe sticking out the side.
> 
> During the operation, the knurling tool jammed in a valve guide and the drill yanked out of my hands, spraining my wrist in the process. It had a trigger lock that would easily lock on by accident so the drill stayed powered. Then I had this big-a$$ drill spinning around over a cylinder head. The problem resolved itself as the cord wrapped up around the drill motor and then pulled the plug out of the wall.
> 
> Bill


That reminds me of when I was a car mechanic, back in the 70's. The Snap On man told me the story, of a truck mechanic who bought a 3/4" drill from him, to hone cylinders while the engine was still in the truck cab. The next wk, he traded it for a larger one. The next wk. he was in the hospital, with a bunch of broken ribs. The hone grabbed a web in the block, and stopped, causing the drill body, and him, to take a spin around the cab! Ouch!


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## SteveEl (Sep 7, 2010)

In answer to the question, Bill said:

"MY Zipper" and then his signature line says " Measure once, cut once, cut once again for good measure." I put those together and ended up on the floor going :laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing: (and then "ouch")



Fire, you might change your tune if you turn those screws with an impact driver. I've been hearing/reading the hype for years and finally coughed up $125 for Rigid's Fuego, and man o live!~~~~~~~~ wow~~~~~~ holy schmoley ~~~~~~~~~
WHAT A DIFFERENCE over the drill driver!!!!! If your tired of those types of injuries check out an impact driver.


This is a fascinating question.... my table saw isn't scary any more because (I believe I) know the tool so well (I believe) I can recognize potential dangers. My router and router table are completely unfamiliar. I am a beginner, after all. One of my library books talks about various router hazards in a cursory sort of way....... just enough to make me realize how much I do NOT know. So is the router or table saw more scary? On the one hand I would say the router because I know I do not know the hazards. On the other hand, it will probably be the table saw that bites me, since I foolishly think I do.

How's that for zen?

Steve El


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## MattS (Feb 17, 2010)

Scariest, hands down, is the drillpress (material grab and spin hurts), and hand drills are a close second (nearly broken wrists are ridiculously painful)

I used to work in a machine shop, with horizontal polishing spindles (drills really) with drill chunks holding 6" lengths of tapered stock steel rod that I'd lather diamond paste on and then set into a die to run and polish the surface. I would unload a die, load another one, rapidly and repeat over 6 machines, and then start back at the first one. On a regular basis I would yank a die out of the chuck, and impale my hand completely on one of those tapered steel rods. Completely passing a piece of metal through the web between your thumb and hand isn't something you'd assume would be repeated by anyone. It is.


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## thehunter (Oct 27, 2010)

JorgeG said:


> Isn't this the reason why there are so many TS accidents. 3 1/2 and 5 HP machines which can launch a piece of wood like it was the Sputnik?
> 
> I used to hate my Crapsman hybrid table, it has a 1.5 HP motor and to cut oak or ash it takes 5 minutes. But then as I learned more, I realized this is the best safety feature. I put a thin kerf blade on it, if the wood pinches the blade, the blade just stops since it has so little power.


 oh yeah they can. in shop class we have a 10" 3.5hp poweramtic cabinet saw and i was ripping a thin strip off and man that thing went flying. no one got hurt but it scared theout of me.


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## H. A. S. (Sep 23, 2010)

MattS said:


> Scariest, hands down, is the drillpress (material grab and spin hurts), and hand drills are a close second (nearly broken wrists are ridiculously painful)
> 
> I used to work in a machine shop, with horizontal polishing spindles (drills really) with drill chunks holding 6" lengths of tapered stock steel rod that I'd lather diamond paste on and then set into a die to run and polish the surface. I would unload a die, load another one, rapidly and repeat over 6 machines, and then start back at the first one. On a regular basis I would yank a die out of the chuck, and impale my hand completely on one of those tapered steel rods. Completely passing a piece of metal through the web between your thumb and hand isn't something you'd assume would be repeated by anyone. It is.


 
The drill press is involved in more injuries than any other tool. Used to be anyway. Main reasons are poor operator training, and drill presses are pretty common tools, they're everywhere, they're everywhere!!!:laughing:


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

I'm pretty comfortable with all the tools in my shop, but I am particular about taking off gloves before using routers or sim but especially when using the bandsaw... 

Being a medic I've seen a couple nasty injuries resulting from gloves and jewlery being caught in machinery... I don't wanna lose any fingers, but the thought of having the skin on my hand removed like a glove (a de-gloving injury) simply dosent thrill me...


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## Ebuuck (Jan 25, 2011)

Well not that I'm scared of my jointer but back in high school I witnessed a kid "clip" his fingernails with a jointer. It rounded about a quarter inch of three fingers. So needless to say, I'm not scared of it but I respect it!


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## cowboy dan (Apr 11, 2010)

the table saw is by far the most dangerous. but i have this little mastercraft heay duty rotory tool that my wife bought me. i outfitted it with a metal bit and it scared the crap out of me. i was able to cut some 1/4" plate steel. but the bit vibrated loose and it let go at 30,000rpm and shot into my 2x4 wall stud! almost right through. once i got a handle on the angle it made short work, and i learned to stop every few inches and reset the bit. it still cuts faster than my buddies portaban...lol that is a crazy little bit and requires more than just eye protection


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## mwhals (Apr 13, 2010)

I don't have a scariest power tool, but I have a most respected power tool. That would be my Craftsman table saw, I want to eventually replace. Of course it is an easy choice since I don't have a drill press, band saw, planer or ..........


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## Kevin07 (Feb 19, 2009)

Well i have a new scariest tool but its not a power tool its a 1/4 chisel. I just payed a vistit to the local er after puting a chisel into my left hand.


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## jstange2 (Dec 5, 2010)

That would have to be me or whoever else is running a tool near me.


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## mwhals (Apr 13, 2010)

mwhals said:


> I don't have a scariest power tool, but I have a most respected power tool. That would be my Craftsman table saw, I want to eventually replace. Of course it is an easy choice since I don't have a drill press, band saw, planer or ..........


Now the most respected power tool will be a 3 hp Delta Unisaw. :thumbsup: In reality, it is much safer than my flimsy contractor saw due to the riving knife and solidness, but it will still get the same utmost respect. If I can't figure out a safe way to make a cut, it won't be cut with the table saw. :no:


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## 1066vik (Feb 18, 2011)

I have a healthy respect for all my tools - and have drawn blood with most of them at one time or another, but the one I'm most cautious with due to potential for lasting damage is my old Craftsman Radial Arm Saw.


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## jaxonquad (Jan 26, 2011)

The tool that makes me the most nervous would be my angle grinder. 

My first fabrication job was grinding stainless welds flush ........all day for 6 months. So I am pretty familiar with it. One day @ home im grinding down some rivets, and the handle broke, the torque twisted the disc into my knuckles. Luckily I was too lazy to change from my flap disc to a cutoff wheel or I might be minus some digits...freak accident but its always in the back of my mind.


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## dribron (Jul 19, 2010)

I have always belived that you must respect your tools or they will teach you to respect them. So a few years back I recived my fist table saw... Some no name pos, but it worked within it's limitations. I always used the guard when ever possible, and was always tryed to be very aware of what I was doing with it at the time. But one day, when in a rush.. I had the guard off, and needed to rip about a foot or so off a 1/4 sheet. So off I went everything was fine, untill it wasn't. That sheet kicked back, flying towards me like a japanese flying star right into my stomach.
I didn't get cut, but did get a pretty good mark across my stomach, and man did that hurt like h*LL. Not fun. Today I can say that I have nothing but resepct for my TS. :yes:


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## burkhome (Sep 5, 2010)

My only shop accident (aside from splinters) was on the 12" disk sander. In a hurry. didn't set up jig. Tapering thin strip. Planted left hand on the table and used it as a feather board. The wood broke and sanded the fingernail off my little finger and on down to the bone. Lots of blood. Didn't hurt when I did it. A day or so later and on for months I could tell that my heart was beating through my little finger. As with most shop accidents...STUPIDITY


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

Two tools I was really cautious about, the 3 hp shaper with a 6 inch cutter. That thing sounded like a jet plane warming up, no way was my fingers getting close to that thing. The other thing was an 8 inch joiner, it just always gave me the willies. I don't have either of them now. I have been cut on a table saw and a chain saw and neither was the fault of the machines.


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## wormwood (Aug 6, 2008)

I'm not afraid of any of my tools, but I wouldn't have a radial arm saw if you offered it for free.


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## xphnmn (Dec 7, 2009)

I can't say any one is scarier than any other. Sometimes just the simplest thing can hurt you if you take shortcuts or are just plain careless. Like the time last year when I was using my jigsaw to cut an opening in a piece of sheet goods. Instead of clamping the work piece to a solid surface as I should have, I was holding it off the edge of my tablesaw with one hand and wielding the jigsaw with the other. Since I wax my saw top to prevent rust and make stock slide smoother, the workpiece slipped off the edge of the table saw and somehow the blade of the jigsaw went in the side of my thumb and came out the tip of it. Luckily, all healed up well and I'm no worse for wear but I did learn a valuable lesson.


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## kb2tha (Mar 23, 2011)

Can't say I'm really scared of any of them. I am a retired woodshop instructor. School administrators would often show up in the room and panic due to their own inexperience.

I will say that the tool that I was most mindful of with student (high school) use was the shaper. It can have the cutter mounted upside down, backwards, and be fed from two directions, and also has a reversing switch to deal with. Could easily confuse students. 

I always told students to respect the equipment, because it won't respect you. To help illustrate this, I would stuff a chicken leg with ketchup and cut it at the conclusion of my bandsaw demo. Compared a chicken bone to a middle schooler's pinkey finger. They got the message.
Ken


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## pianoman (Jan 16, 2008)

I think the scariest tool would be a dull chisel or blade.


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## mickit (Oct 5, 2009)

My boss...the keeper of the keys, LOML,SWMBO, however you choose to name your significant other. She can come up with some scary ideas. All the other stuff gets my respect...and I'm proud to say I have only been injured by improper lifting...one of SWMBO's projects as I recall.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Ok, so I really haven't been scared of anything in my shop until this past week. I was using a very large panel raising bit in my router table to round over some table feet. I don't like that at all. That bit was quite frightening, even with a zero clearance fence and the correct speed, etc. So I will add a router with a panel raiser to the list.


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## mwhals (Apr 13, 2010)

If I will not use any tool that I think of scary. I prefer to use the term respect as I do respect my tools.


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## Hammered Toes (Mar 16, 2011)

wormwood said:


> I'm not afraid of any of my tools, but I wouldn't have a radial arm saw if you offered it for free.


Neither would I have a radial arm saw in my shop. I have seen too many pick up and sling wood to suit me. I worked a a welder in a shop that made magnetic cylinders in Wisconsin and an old man made the cylinder shipping crates. He was a good and careful worker but had several pieces go through the saw on him. The saw had plenty of power and if it hit a hard spot in the wood, or the wood happened to twist the least little bit, it would grab the piece and shoot it on through the saw. The shop had two departments and a supervisor was walking through the archway between departments when the saw happened to catch and throw a strip. The strip actually went between the man's legs as he was taking a step and his legs were stopped by the strip. He was flopped on his face so quickly that nobody knew what had happened until some time later, when the old man told it all. That was just one of the best demonstrations of these "monster saws," as I call them now. And that is the reason I would never have one in my shop.


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## rhizando (Mar 19, 2011)

All of them. Last year I slipped with my chainsaw and it grabbed a hold of my chaps. Luckily I escaped with a ruined pair of chaps but they saved my leg. 

Respect your tools, if they can cut through wood like butter than can do it even easier through your skin.


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## RetiredLE (Jan 20, 2011)

Best advice is to get to know your machine (be it a saw, aircraft, car, motorcycle, or whatever) inside and out, respect it's power, and be aware of it's individual idiosyncrasies.


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## mancavewoodworks (Mar 5, 2011)

My wife


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## RetiredLE (Jan 20, 2011)

mancavewoodworks said:


> My wife


You may get close but you will never master the idiosyncrasies......


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## Hammered Toes (Mar 16, 2011)

RetiredLE said:


> Best advice is to get to know your machine (be it a saw, aircraft, car, motorcycle, or whatever) inside and out, respect it's power, and be aware of it's individual idiosyncrasies.


That is why I will never have a radial arm saw in my shop. I have got to know too many of them and, to my estimation, they aren't worth taking a chance on them throwing wood through the shop. I have a cutoff saw and two table saws that I do all the sizimg of material I need. The example I gave isn't the only one I could give, but it is the most weird and, after all was said and done, and we found all the man hurt was his dignity, the funniest. The noise the board made when it went through the saw was a notice for all to look up, and I believe every man in the shop got to see it.


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## Maintenance 6 (May 9, 2008)

I have to say that the tool that gets my unwavering attention whnever I use it is a handheld circular saw. All the power and speed of some table saws without any particular stability other than what the user provides. On top of that, you can't see where the exposed part of the blade is. As far as an underpowered craftsman table saw being safer than a high powered saw, I totally disagree. An under powered tool forces the user to struggle to do the work. Then the user gets frustrated and starts forcing the machine to do things it isn't prepared to handle. That is a true recipe for disaster.


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## klr650 (Apr 4, 2010)

Maintenance 6 said:


> <SNIP>
> As far as an underpowered craftsman table saw being safer than a high powered saw, I totally disagree. An under powered tool forces the user to struggle to do the work. Then the user gets frustrated and starts forcing the machine to do things it isn't prepared to handle. That is a true recipe for disaster.


Absolutely. There's nothing worse than using an inadequate tool for the job. I can't tell you how many times I've hurt myself, damaged my workpiece, embarrassed myself in front of mixed company, etc... trying to force that square peg through that round hole.


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## Timurray2000 (Aug 21, 2010)

Band saw. That thing could slice fingers off so quick.
2nd would be drill press.


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## ianjeisenberg (Jan 6, 2012)

I have no money. When I discovered my grandpa's 15 year-old craftsman circular saw I wanted to get the utmost use out of it. I did some googling, some video-watching, and basically attached that saw up under an old piece of plywood. Aside from bad cut quality and having to mickey-mouse a fence for every rip, this thing was a terrible accident waiting to happen. After it launched a piece of wood across the street into my neighbour's yard, almost hitting my face and a young couple out jogging, I decided to retire it and now I use the circular saw the way god intended.


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## Upstate (Nov 28, 2011)

Without fail, I'll hit my thumb at _least_ once, generally two or three times. I've actually hit my thumb twice on consecutive swings :no:


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## joesbucketorust (Dec 13, 2011)

My first jointer didn't have a cutter guard and I tried to use it to take the extra fingers off a finger-jointed box. The box exploded, had to go to the ER to get the slivers out of my hand. After that I was too scared to use it - a combination of spinning cutters and a fear that the wood was going to come flying back at me. But when I got my next one, a newer model with a guard and a manual, and learned to use it right, that feeling went away very quickly.

When I pick up a skew at the lathe I'm just waiting for the catch/break/pieces flying, but only with the skew, otherwise the lathe is one of my favorite places to turn long expensive pieces of wood into short expensive pieces of splinters.

I did have a RAS I was never comfortable with, but I think that was just because it was old and rattled and I had this subconscious fear that someday I was going to pull the spinning blade towards me and it was going to come off and just keep rolling towards me, or it would come loose and hit the arm, shatter and throw chunks of blade at me.

I've had a few more close calls with power tools but usually because I was doing something stupid. All my good injuries (3 or more stitches) were with hand-tools, or unplugged power tools so I should probably be more scared of the operator than the tool.:yes:


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## Eagleeye (Dec 3, 2011)

The most unsafe tool I owned was an Old Craftsman table saw/ jointer combo. My dad gladly gave it to me. It was mounted on an old typing stand-The kind w/ the wheels that can locked down. Underpowered, top-heavy and scary. Used it for years then passed it to my brother.


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## Banjo (Oct 16, 2011)

You know of all the tools mentioned here, the one I am least afraid of is the band saw. Not sure why, but it's not in the same class in my mind as the other power tools

Now hand tools, you have to be completely aware of. Who hasn't hurt themselves with something as simple as a screwdriver?


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## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

Only power tool I ever hurt myself with was a bandsaw.


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## Backyardhack (Dec 4, 2011)

I would say mine was a Delta 10" miter saw. While cutting some landscape timbers the wood got caught in the blade and came smashing down on my finger. When I looked at the blade the next day, I noticed that it started going at an angle and was stuck in the motor. Could have been a lot worse if the motor hadn't stopped the blade. Now I know why some power tools are not worth skimping on. 

On the upside the smashed finger was my middle one and of course I had to show everyone at work. LOL

Bill


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*How so?*



sawdustfactory said:


> Only power tool I ever hurt myself with was a bandsaw.


Must a been a moment of inattention ? 
This is one tool where you do watch the blade at all times, unlike a table saw using a fence where the contact with the fence needs to be checked and maintained, but not at the expense of loosing track of where your hands are at all times.

The blade pulling the work downward into the table makes it unlikely a "kickback" will occur, but if your workpiece is not flat on the table and can wobble, the blade will torque it over and it will pinch with startling results.:furious:

I taught a sculpture class in college where we used the bandsaw exclusively to create the most unusual shapes and cuts in 4" thick pine ...about 20 young females who had never used a power tool in their lives. No casualties! So, I'd be interested in your experience. :yes: bill


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## Jim Moe (Sep 18, 2011)

This be the scariest thing in my shop!


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## sailorman (Aug 9, 2010)

I respect and fear them all, doing so helps keep me on my toes and hopefully, avoids accidents. I've played guitar all my life and not being able to due to a shop accident is always on my mind when working in the shop. And makes me careful.

The tools I fear the most come from seeing someone else injured when I was younger. My junior high school shop teacher almost cut his thumb off reaching behind the band saw blade; after just telling me to never do so. Thanks to that little 'lesson', I _never_ put my fingers anywhere near the blade. I worked in a metal shop in the 70's, along with a crew of untrained idiots. Most of us had long hair (including me), but kept it tied back. One guy ignored repeated warnings, and got his caught in the drill press. A very loud 'bong' as his head hit the tool.:laughing: Big chunk of his scalp ripped out along with the hair. I still have long hair, but I guarantee you it's always tied back, plus I wear a hat (half bald). Another guy lost an eye when a drill bit stuck in a metal plate; he bent down to look and.... Lastly was a metal shearing machine, which we used to cut rebar and stuff like 1/4" X 1" flat steel. You'd step on a bar and it would cycle through and cut once. Most of the time. Once in awhile it would stick and cycle through twice. It cut off the tip of a guys ruler, glove and thumb nail. I NEVER, EVER stuck my fingers in there, always used a short piece of rebar. 

Those incidents scared me, and help me try to always be paying attention and not to take short cuts.


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## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

> Must a been a moment of inattention ?


Yep, sort of. I was rounding off the corners of a dozen cutting boards and the pieces were accumulating on the table behind the right side of the blade. I would flick them away, paying attention to where my fingers were in relation to the blade. Well there was 1 that was to the left of the blade and I tried to flick it away with my thumb, running the tip of my left thumb right into the blade. Took a small chunk (just to the bed of the nail) about a 1/4 inch off the tip. My only (knock wood) power tool injury.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Yep, thanks for the scenario...*

I've learned to put a pencil in my ear and use it to "flick" the scraps around the blade to the front and off the table by sliding the pencil flat on the table from behind the blade. I actually strike the back side of the moving blade if necessary, but nothing bad happens. Kinda like batting a ball, if you hit them briskly they'll fly right off. Nothing of personal value goes directly front of the blade and towards the blade except from a very safe distance. :no: bill

BTW that technique works well around any cutter or blade. You always flick from rear to front or with the rotation to avoid dodging a launched missile.


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## cocheseuga (Dec 15, 2010)

My jointer was scary at first, but it was because it wasn't properly setup and wanted to fling the wood to Alabama. My table saw was scary doing thin rip cuts, but I've since gotten a guard that is removable while leaving the knife on.

Nothing really scares me anymore. And I'd be more than willing to find a spot in here for a RAS.


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## Backyardhack (Dec 4, 2011)

I do have to add that my ladder is now my scariest tool since getting rid of my cheap miter saw. It is one of those heavy duty Cosco ladders that you can have one side higher than the other making it level on stairs. I was using it to drill a hole in the ceiling and slipped off it. I was only on the second step and my leg snaked through the rungs on the ladder with the ladder going the opposite direction as my body. When I landed I realized my leg was just flopping around as I had broke it in two places. Now I am very cautious on my ladder, no matter how high I am on the ladder.

Bill


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## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

Woodnthings, live and learn. I now use the pencil trick, or if I'm only doing a couple I just wait and turn off the saw. That was close to 10 years ago. I've been much more aware of everything I do in the shop since then. I'm also out there more frequently now a days.


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## goXtreme (Jan 9, 2012)

I will agree on the drill press, but the worst injury that I have had was from a cordless drill and a phillips. 

I was making some blocks for the camper jacks, in a hurry so we could get to the river, using 3" screws and a little too much pressure.

The bit slipped out of the head and went under my thumbnail and out the back...

In the second picture you can see the path that the bit took under the nail, they had to remove the nail to stitch it up...And yes, I had the wife go back home and get the camera...


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## TxWoodsy1 (Jan 13, 2012)

*Skeery whirling carbide tips*

In my home shop I would have to go with the radial arm saw. Lots of opportunities to indulge in stupidity with that one. 

The scariest thing I have seen in an industrial wood production shop was when a high speed cutter on a shaper "disappeared." A year or so later we found most of it embedded in a concrete wall 50 feet away from the machine. 




klr650 said:


> The post about the Craftsman 9" tablesaw got me thinking about this. What's the scariest tool you have in your shop - that is, the tool that you don't really like using because of what it could do, has done, or what you think it could do to you?
> 
> The Craftsman 9" reminded me of my first REAL tablesaw that I bought - a Craftsman from 1917(??- I can get you the details if you care), I have a date code somewhere, and it's REALLY old. that thing is a hazard, external belt drive, motor is behind the blade, on/off switch an inch from the belt pulley on the motor housing, no guard, no riving knife. The thing sounds like a terror when it gets turned on - the table is only about 24" square so you're right next to the blade the whole time.
> 
> ...


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## TxWoodsy1 (Jan 13, 2012)

*Phillips no more*

Wow...that's an extreme consequence, but having worn out several cordless drills driving phillips heads, I can relate. A phillips tip in your finger skin is a vocabulary enhancing experience! Yeee haaaaw! These days I go with the combo heads that allow using a square drive for that kind of screwing around. Much better. 



goXtreme said:


> I will agree on the drill press, but the worst injury that I have had was from a cordless drill and a phillips.
> 
> I was making some blocks for the camper jacks, in a hurry so we could get to the river, using 3" screws and a little too much pressure.
> 
> ...


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## JohnK007 (Nov 14, 2009)

> *Scariest tool in my shop *


#1 Table saw, hands down. Never been hurt by one but everytime I power the thing up the pucker factor increases.

#2 Router table. Again, never been hurt but those spinning cutters get my attention everytime. 

The only machines that have come back to bite me are my bandsaw got me last year because I didn't wait for the blade to stop before removing some scrap, and I've trimmed my fingernails more than once on the disk/belt sander sanding small pieces and getting just wee bit too close. Oh, and I got a couple stitches in my thumb from improper use of a sawzall many years ago.

A friend gave me a nearly new RAS which I have in storage for lack of room. I'm sure once I get that set up and running it'll make the top 3 too.


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

"*Scariest tool in my shop"*

*The guy in the mirror...*


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## jmcelha (Mar 4, 2012)

None of my tools are scary. You just have to respect them. What is scary is someone that assumes they need to help me without my request


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

i'm not afraid of any of my tools - respectful of them? very.

the scariest thing thats happened to me so far was 1. witnessing an idiot in class lose control of a thick peice of material and watching that piece get thrown back by a table saw into a cinder block wall and 2. I was volunteering at a communal wood shop and I was asked to move a box. Nobody told me what was in it and it wasn't sealed and secured. When I lifted it up, the box came apart and there was a fully loaded cutter head from a freaking 24" planer in there with the dang knives still in there. There were milometers between those blades and my fingers as it slipped and slid out of the packaging onto the floor millimeters from my foot. 

it took me a few moments to get my head together after that. maybe i over reacted but those blades could easily have shaved flesh off my hands.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Nov 25, 2008)

damn miter saw has got the same finger twice.

6" of saw blade sticking up through the table on my dual arbor saw gets your butt to pucker a little bit.


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## rono8582 (Feb 13, 2012)

Scariest for me was a 3lb hammer. Was helping my FIL build a dock, and knocking out carriage bolts. One slip and thumb nail went black. Fell off, grew back and is the same now. Took about 3 months to grow back, def a painful one though. 

They don't all have to be powered to be dangerous. Sometimes your own two hands do more damage!


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## Lostinwoods (Mar 1, 2012)

I have one irrational fear I think from a story I heard when quite young. Every time I start up my compressor I have to go into another room because I'm convinced it's not going to cutout properly and the relief valve will stick and the thing will explode. Once that first cycle is complete no worries. You'd think after 25 years I'd get over it. Wish people wouldn't tell little kids scarry tool stories.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*It could be worse*



Lostinwoods said:


> I have one irrational fear I think from a story I heard when quite young. Every time I start up my compressor I have to go into another room because I'm convinced it's not going to cutout properly and the relief valve will stick and the thing will explode. Once that first cycle is complete no worries. You'd think after 25 years I'd get over it. Wish people wouldn't tell little kids scarry tool stories.


You could be lost in the woods, now that's scary.
Oh, that's right you already are. :blink: bill


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