# Hand Drill Injury



## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

Not real melodramatic but here is what happened. 
I picked up my relatively new HF hand drill. When I tried to change to a sanding disk my fingers pressed against the triggering mechanism. The key ripped out of the holding rubber cable, broke the holder for it. Then somehow. my finger was cut open. Happened in a flash. Injury is about 1/2" long, 1/4" wide and about 1/8" or thicker piece of flesh peeled back. It hurt like hell but I got it bandaged from my first aid kit. 
OK, HERE IS WHY IT HAPPENED.........for the last umpteen years, I have have only owned keyless chuck drills with simple bit/accessory change. Keyless doesnt require 3 hands and a safety meeting. The triggering mechanism is a fairly long switch on the handgrip. Now way to hold the drill without fingers contacting the trigger. This type of arrangement I am not familiar with. Also, all my other drills (3) are cordless/battery, this one is 120V.
The whole thing being 100% my fault due to unfamiliar operation of tool. 
BTW, this is a powerful little drill and well worth the money. 
Moral of the story, dont take a simple chore like changing a bit or a disk on a different type of operating tool for granted.


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## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

Tony,

Sorry I have to admit I am laughing. Not at your injury, but at your chutzpah to actually admit to this. I've recently had a brain pause caused injury. 

Let's just say, do NOT go into the attached garage workshop at night right after having a shower thus naked, for ANY reason.... 

Good thing, only injury was a toe. 

Bad thing is, I was too embarassed to explain to my wife why I was limping...


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

Is there not a middle position on the reversing switch that puts the tool into neutral?


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

There is a switch on the trigger to go from foreard to reverse. Havent checked to see if there is a middle position.
In this case, it would have not mattered. I was busy and just wanted to change disks. Didn't think to pull power cord - my other 3 drills are battery operated. I pull batteries without thinking, just a reflex action. The plug in the wall just caught me off guard. Not used to a plug in the wall. But I will be next time.
The purpose of this thread is to remind people that if we let slide just one thing out of the ordinary, there could be serious consequences. When busy and in a hurry, it's easy to forget 'new' stuff. My cut looks pretty nasty but not life altering.
Its just amazing how fast something can happen. Then it takes a second or 2 for your brain to process what happened. I just bit a bullet and hit my cut with super glue. The sting and the burn will bring tears to a grown mans eyes - not mine, just saying. LOL


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## Dave McCann (Jun 21, 2020)

Tony B said:


> OK, HERE IS WHY IT HAPPENED......





Tony B said:


> In this case, it would have not mattered. I was busy and just wanted to change disks. Didn't think to pull power cord












I'm sure we have all been guilty of ignoring the warnings and proper safety procedures.


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

Yes we all have, just that today was my turn to not be lucky. But this little go-around will probably help me not make another dumb mistake. It came more as a surprise than anything else. 
About an hour later, I blew a 12" platter to smitherines. I forget it has been a very long time since I did any serious turning and 3300 RPM seemed normal to me. Good thing I wasn't in the line of fire. 
I gotta make 2 more jewelry boxes for someone and then I will spend more time turning.


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## Bob Bengal (Jan 2, 2021)

Ouch! Thanks for posting and I hope your hand mends quick.

The design of the drill looks good for getting into tight spots but bad for gripping without touching the trigger.


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

Exactly.


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

✋I'm guilty...


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## phaelax (Dec 24, 2018)

Unplug it maybe before changing the bit? Or don't hold the trigger?
I hit my leg with a chainsaw a few months ago. Tripped over a stump and it hit my thigh, fortunately I had just released the trigger and the chain was only moving under its initial momentum at the time. Ruined my new jeans and I had an extra layer on underneath so no skin contact but it could've went much worse.


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## NoThankyou (Mar 21, 2018)

I remember where I was living when I bought it, so it would be late 1960s. It was a variable speed, double insulated, Craftsman 3/8-inch drill. As many people would not believe but that the drill was probably one of the best of its time. The only fault that I ever noticed was that the trigger lock was much too easy to engage. After several time of getting the drill to twist out of my hand and wrap the cord around my wrist I removed the trigger lock. I cut the button off and sanded the protruding stub smooth. That drill served me until 2004 and I got a discount of about double my original cost on some DeWalt cordless models. 

At school, a DeWalt rep was there selling their cordless line. The deal was trade in a cordless on a new DeWalt. Well with a pair of lineman's pliers and the DeWalt rep looking at me over the top of his glasses, the old Craftsman became cordless, and I got the discount.


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

Only somebody from Brooklyn would think of that. LOL


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

dbhost said:


> Sorry I have to admit I am laughing. Not at your injury, but at your *chutzpah* to actually admit to this. ................


Now that's not a word in my Texas vocabulary. LOL
I'm a firm believer in safety and all that is safety related. I guess it comes from working for the old Bell System (Ma Bell) for 20 years and another 25 years working offshore on the rigs and platforms. I have also worked as a U.S. Coast Guard licensed captain (100 Ton Master) for a few years which was the least concerned about safety - not the USCG, but the crew and supply boat companies.


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## NoThankyou (Mar 21, 2018)

Tony B said:


> Only somebody from Brooklyn would think of that. LOL


Growing up in Brooklyn and then later responding to government contractor RFPs. . . . .

I learned the differences between "May" "Should" and "Must". I also watched a documentary on the bidding and building the (I think it was) F-35. It was also why Boeing isn't building it. IIRC Boeing did all of the May, most of the Should but not all of the Must and they ran out of time.

The rule was "Cordless" and not "Battery Powered". I conformed to the rules. 
I've also been asked, "Were you a car dealer in a former life?"


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## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

Tony B said:


> Now that's not a word in my Texas vocabulary. LOL
> I'm a firm believer in safety and all that is safety related. I guess it comes from working for the old Bell System (Ma Bell) for 20 years and another 25 years working offshore on the rigs and platforms. I have also worked as a U.S. Coast Guard licensed captain (100 Ton Master) for a few years which was the least concerned about safety - not the USCG, but the crew and supply boat companies.


Sorry, Closest English word is audacity. But it is not a perfect fit. Bravery for bucking the trend maybe? Not even sure where I picked up Yiddish terms from. Probably watching MASH when I was a kid...


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

My Yiddish was fairly good up until around 12. That's why I asked. TV and movies are loaded with Yiddish words. If someone don't know Yiddish, the joke gets right passed them. I still remember key words, but cant put together a sentence.


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