Power Tools Warning. Please Read! Important!

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russbost

Registered Trader

Posts 4712
Registered 19/12/05
Location Benfleet Essex
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Building: One Off Reverse Trike

posted on 27/1/10 at 03:16 PM

Power Tools Warning. Please Read! Important!

Holesaws are dangerous – large holesaws are bl**dy lethal!!!!

Ok, I’m usually a bit flippant about power tool injuries, tend to think “well it’s only common sense” - well yes basically it is, but sometimes we all do things without really thinking about possible consequences.

I’m 53 years old & been playing with cars since I was 14 or so, so it’s not as tho’ I’m inexperienced, worst injury I’d ever sustained was one stitch in the palm of my hand over 20 years ago when I managed to stab myself with a screw driver - until yesterday…………………

I was cutting a hole in a floorpan from underneath, as no access from above, using a 3” holesaw - yes, larger than usual, but in this case necessary. I started to drill up from under the chassis so lying on the floor, the guide drill wasn’t very sharp so was using full speed on a mains 750W drill, once the guide hole was thro’ I foolishly just didn’t think & carried on with the drill at full power with the 3” holesaw, it probably only actually needed about 30 Rpm! Next thing it snagged something & was ripped out of my hands smashing me so hard in the face it almost knocked me out – I didn’t know what part of the drill had hit me & was sh*tting myself as to what I might have done – put a hand to my face & it came away literally covered in blood. Legged it indoors & grabbed a towel to staunch the bloodflow & managed to alert my missus (who thank god was in or don’t know what I’d have done) & she drove me to hospital – how she managed not to look absolutely horrified at what I’d done I will never know. At this stage I didn’t know how bad it was, I was thinking maybe an inch or so tear above my lip. I thought just the drill had hit me & split the skin against my teeth. Unfortunately, not so.

The more squeamish might not want to read the next paragraph. Long story short the holesaw had hit me at the side of the mouth & run straight up above my lip & just under the nose, it hadn’t just taken skin off the outside, it cut straight thro’ the flesh above the lip to the inside of my mouth, machined a straight line across the top of my front teeth, actually cutting into the teeth themselves where they join the gum & it just caught the bottom of my nose, it also severed the facial artery, hence the amount of blood. During the doctors examination he actually poked his finger thro’ the hole from the inside of my mouth to the outside whilst checking for bone/tooth fragments b4 stitching it all back together! They had to cauterize the artery b4 they could even start stitching.

The result is I now have about 40 stitches or so both inside & outside my mouth & running along a line about 3” long from below the left hand corner of my mouth to just below the right side of the bottom of my nose. For those of you that know me & already thought I was ugly – well, it hasn’t made me any prettier, put it that way! I look like something out of a horror movie.

I’m not looking for sympathy, what happened was entirely down to my own stupidity & carelessness, I’m actually very lucky it wasn’t a lot worse, I could easily have been blinded, had it knocked me out I would probably have bled to death b4 anyone found me, it could have sliced my neck & the carotid artery instead of my face …………… I just hope that by publicizing this on here it just might make one or two of you think a little more b4 piling in & subsequently mutilating yourselves or, worse, others. Holesaws are amongst the most dangerous tools out there, probably second only to “the tool” being used on the angry grinder, they have no guards or anything to prevent injury, but they only NEED very low Rpm to use them, had I stopped to think about that then when the holesaw snagged it would have done nothing more than jerk the drill which I would easily have been able to hold.

Anyway, I’m off out to the garage to get some work done, can’t sit on my a*se all day just cos I’m mildly damaged!
Take care guys! (& gals!)& keep smiling – something I’m finding a touch tricky at the moment.

I no longer run Furore Products or Furore Cars Ltd, but would still highly recommend them for Acewell dashes, projector headlights, dominator headlights, indicators, mirrors etc, best prices in the UK! Take a look at http://www.furoreproducts.co.uk/ or find more parts on Ebay, user names furoreltd & furoreproducts, discounts available for LCB users.
Don't forget Stainless Steel Braided brake hoses, made to your exact requirements in any of around 16 colours. http://shop.ebay.co.uk/furoreproducts/m.html?_dmd=1&_ipg=50&_sop=12&_rdc=1

NOTE:This user is registered as a LocostBuilders trader and may offer commercial services to other users

blakep82

Electro Rave Ranger

Posts 15889
Registered 29/12/05
Location Boring Greenock: where nothing ever happens..
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Building: racing style pick-up with Vauxhall 2.0 'tec

posted on 27/1/10 at 03:20 PM

f'ing hell!

glad it didn't turn out any worse

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