Bad News

[Imsomint]

Modern medicine should hook you up just fine. This is what my thumb looked like I think 3 or 4 weeks after crushing it open, breaking the bone inside. No fingernail here. I did this on my 3rd day of working in steel fabrication. I'm actually kinda glad this happened, being that it was an easy mistake to make, I could have injured myself a lot worse.

I'll spare everybody pics of them before they were fixed. I'm not up to seeing them again. They put me on Xanax to help me cope. That's some good shit..... at least for short term. My wife was worrying because people are calling and checking on me but telling the story is wearing me down. So she needs to see me a bit more myself. That med seems to get me a bit closer to it

Sorry I didn't think about the disturbing nature of my fucked up thumb, I guess its just not as disgusting when it's your own thumb. anyway...

Due to lack of blood flow in his legs, my father has been fairly close to losing a foot before, and is still closer than most people. I don't think the possibility of it has bothered him much, he has already accepted as fact that it may happen and he has good faith in today's medicine.

Still I can see how it can be depressing about loosing part of a finger, but if you think about it, there is really nothing you could have done about it. Its one of those fate things. Just think, if that's the worst thing that has happened to you in your life thus far, you're still a pretty lucky guy in the grand scheme of things. It may be hard in the beginning, but bad shit happens to a lot of people, you'll pull through.

[Scalliwag]

I was expecting this bad news to be accidentally breaking something like a bowl, not an injury. That's good to hear that you're alright though.

On a much happier note, I got my bowl in today and already smoked some mizo peach out of it. I'm very happy with it, and I'll post a review and likely a thread tomorrow after another session or two with it, thanks again.

that is great to hear UZ. I hope you're enjoying it and look forward to your review

[delSol_si]

Modern medicine should hook you up just fine. This is what my thumb looked like I think 3 or 4 weeks after crushing it open, breaking the bone inside.

Agreed! Here is my hand after getting cut to the bone. Healed in 2-3 weeks! So Scalli, hopefully you will be as lucky as Imsomint and I! Best of luck!
http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss156/d.../0228090200.jpg


Edit: decided just to put the link there instead. Edited June 3, 2009 by delSol_si

[RingsMaster]

good luck man, hope you heal up fast, dont let it get you down though things could have been much worse, at least you have your life, that is always a blessing.

[indian_villager]

Holy crap man I hope you are ok. Can you ask larry the wood guy to make you a replacement for the bit of finger you lost. JK. Heal up buddy!

[Barnaby]

Sorry to hear that Scalli. Hope that you get better soon.. Try not to be too down.. while it does suck, it could've been worse. Hate to say it, but I did think of something relatively humorous for this situation, but sometimes I do have a problem judging if my humor is in poor taste. They do say laughter is the best medicine, but maybe we'll give it a week or 2 before that.. Unless of course...

generally its not okay to make light of anything until the victim has his first laugh.

Not trying to make light of it anything. I am in now way undermining the seriousness of the situation. Some poeple cope with things by getting down, and going through a grieving process. Some poeple just shrug shit off. Others like myself, tend to use humor to deal with things. Since I do not know Scalli personally, I do not know which one he is. And besides, someone has to give him his first laugh..

Scalli, don't be getting hooked up on Xanax now.. Don't want to be reading about how you threw your money away answering all the spam for good deals on X @ N @ X, and V I @ G R @.. LOL Edited June 3, 2009 by Barnaby

[Barnaby]

Holy crap man I hope you are ok. Can you ask larry the wood guy to make you a replacement for the bit of finger you lost. JK. Heal up buddy!

SEE!!! Great minds think alike! I mean come on!! Scalli's whole pirate persona.. Lost limb.. pirate.. peg leg... peg finger... Is it that much of a stretch? Who didn't think of this?? honestly!!


Not trying to have a joke on your expense, you just have to keep laughter in your heart in this world, or you'll never make it.

[MrMoodz]

Damn Scalli. I am sorry to hear about the accident. I am definitely glad that you didn't lose anything else. I can't even begin to think of the shock you are going through. Rest up and take it easy. Your HF family isn't going anywhere.

[Johnny_D]

Holy Hell scalli!

I hope your taking care of your injury and make a swift recovery!

JD

[Scalliwag]

I take the humor for what it is. It just may be a bit before I chime in much with any of my own. But I'm not offended.
Right now since I can't work or play with projects I just wallow in self pity
If the would wood have hit me in the head, chest, or abdomen it would make this look like a walk in the park.

Here is how it happened, what I was thinking then, and what I know now.
Sometimes experience can be deceptive. In this case I never had a saw that powerful or cut wood this thick on any tablesaw. The block of wood was about 8" square and 3" thick. If the wood would have been longer or thinner or if I had used a miter push (or whatever their called) or a bigger/stronger push stick this would have never happened.
The board was so thick it was a lot of area for the blade to grab whether cutting slow or not. It was so short that when it passed the halfway point in the blade and was in contact with the blade that was coming upward it was a very short battle on who was the strongest. So short I had no clue how it happened until later.
I'm not posting the pics from the cell phone because that's not the point in the post but it seems like a good thing to post in case anybody ever gets in the situation.
So here are pics of the board and kickback marks, the second is my forearm where the push tool hit me and the third is how I'm wrapped.
Sorry my posts don't have much humor in them. Gimme a little more time on that.

[Johnny_D]

Scalli I just thank the lord that you were not hurt in a more permanent manner... It could have easy gone the other way.

And take all the time in the world man - because that is all we really have at the end of the day.

[lowspeedchase]

I just wanted to echo all the rest of the get wells you have already received... heal up quick champ!

[mushrat]

damn man. My tattoo artist lost a leg sitting having a smoke in front of their place. car jumped the curb and plowed him thought a brick wall. He say's it was a leg, but it coulda been worse. He'll trade a leg for being dead any day.

How was that for cheery?

If you run low on shisha or coals let me know. seriously.
Mushrat

[Barnaby]

Damn Scalli.. That's a big piece of wood to get knocked with.. I can only imagine.. One time I was drilling out a 4inch hole in an old steel computer case with a hole saw. The case probably weight 40lbs. While I was cutting, the saw clamped down on the case, and the whole thing spun around into my leg. Left a nasty bruise.. I can only imagine getting smacked by that big ass piece of wood, chucked by a high powered saw feels like. I probably would've cried like a bitch..

[Scalliwag]

Scalli I just thank the lord that you were not hurt in a more permanent manner... It could have easy gone the other way.

And take all the time in the world man - because that is all we really have at the end of the day.

Thanks JD. I understand how lucky I was and even feel guilty when I let this get the best of me. It's one of those things I never could imagine happening to me. Not because I think accidents only happen to dumbasses but because I don't take risks and I just never saw the obvious risk, or rather imminent danger making that cut posed.
Over the years there has been near misses and minor cuts and bruises and I always remembered them well.
I helped my Dad work on cars and projects according to my Mom I was around 6 when she caught him letting me drill something. When I was 12 I was in woodshop in school, you had to be 13 for metalshop so the next year I took that. My Dad built custom cars so things like laying out patterns, striking and adjusting a cutting torch , knowing the right tip sizes I had the great fortune of having a great Dad that had me ahead of the curve.
He was something else especially when it came to fixing or building anything.
Any talent I may have was due to him. He died in 1992 from emphazema at 56. Just 8 years from where I am.
I'm not sure why I went into all that other than I wish he would have been with me that day to tell me "boy you're about to really mess up, lemme show ya how to do that"

I just wanted to echo all the rest of the get wells you have already received... heal up quick champ!

Thanks bro. If you sent over that cool hookah you got and those two gals that help ya smoke it I'm fairly certain I'd be feelin great until Ms. Scalli caught me

damn man. My tattoo artist lost a leg sitting having a smoke in front of their place. car jumped the curb and plowed him thought a brick wall. He say's it was a leg, but it coulda been worse. He'll trade a leg for being dead any day.

How was that for cheery?

If you run low on shisha or coals let me know. seriously.
Mushrat

thanks Mush. At least I have no one else to blame for this and thank God no one was there near me and got hurt. I could not handle guilt so I have no idea how I could cope with that.
As far as shisha and coals I appreciate the offer. Several local friends are wanting to come when I'm up for company and one has bought something for me but they'll have to sneak it past Ms. Scalli. I'm too much a wreck for them just yet. But I'm not smoking yet anyways.
I've got a lot of little handle parts I'm putting together. Some I made and some Larry made before his illness really set him back.

Damn Scalli.. That's a big piece of wood to get knocked with.. I can only imagine.. One time I was drilling out a 4inch hole in an old steel computer case with a hole saw. The case probably weight 40lbs. While I was cutting, the saw clamped down on the case, and the whole thing spun around into my leg. Left a nasty bruise.. I can only imagine getting smacked by that big ass piece of wood, chucked by a high powered saw feels like. I probably would've cried like a bitch..

Out of respect for those that are not able to handle graphic injuries... anyone that can't handle even reading please skip the rest of the post. I won't post the pics but my fingers were snapped back so severely they looked cut. The index was just dangling and the middle was not a lot better.
If I'm going to post this in part to help prevent someone making the same mistake. Because the wood was so short it kicked more up than back. I squirm to even write that so please don't think I enjoy going into the details.
It's the main reason I don't want to see my friends yet.

Holesaws and sheetmetal equals scary shit. As you found out no matter how hard you try especially with a hand drill one side cuts through before the other and the side that is still cutting grabs and tries to spin the piece. The more torque and the less secure the piece is clamped and the larger diameter the holesaw is the worse the outcome will be.
Most are made for wood so the teeth are usually not near fine enough. It is hard on the bit but after you get it started but before it gets very far through, reverse the drill and it won't bind.
Ideally for that sized hole outside a shop with a punchpress a jigsaw with a finetooth blade. Mark the circle for the hole, drill a pilot hole just big enough for the jigsaw blade, and cut the hole.
Now for you and I Barnaby we already know that after the fact. But it's a good opportunity to let others know the alternative to using a holesaw with sheetmetal since that is a common and dangerous mistake.

for whatever reason my pic disappeared so I'm tryng it again

[Barnaby]

Yes, my rotozip, or dremel do make betters holes in metal vs, a big ass hole saw.. I'm just lucky enough not to have lost anything in the process. It will all be a distant memory soon enough scalli. Keep your chin up!!

[Matt-641]

How'd I not catch this thread?... Sorry to hear that happened Scalli.

Hope you recover soon man.

[Scalliwag]

Yes, my rotozip, or dremel do make betters holes in metal vs, a big ass hole saw.. I'm just lucky enough not to have lost anything in the process. It will all be a distant memory soon enough scalli. Keep your chin up!!

two great versatile tools

How'd I not catch this thread?... Sorry to hear that happened Scalli.

Hope you recover soon man.

thanks Matty That was a lot of catching up to do

[mohinder]

Sorry to hear about this Scalli, didn't say anything sooner because I felt a bit 'new' to be saying it, but pff people are people. Hope you're back up to your tricks soon

[mushrat]

I still carry the scar from a jigsaw from elementary school when i didnt use a piece of wood to push another piece through. went about 1/4 to 1/2 inch up my finger. I remember how much that hurt still, can't imagine the pain involved in something of this degree.

[Scalliwag]

Sorry to hear about this Scalli, didn't say anything sooner because I felt a bit 'new' to be saying it, but pff people are people. Hope you're back up to your tricks soon

I appreciate that. Most people here can tell you I don't meet a stranger. I've had so many forum folks come over while they were in DFW or actual locals I can't even count them. We always had good times.
So I'm always up for encouragement from anyone

I still carry the scar from a jigsaw from elementary school when i didnt use a piece of wood to push another piece through. went about 1/4 to 1/2 inch up my finger. I remember how much that hurt still, can't imagine the pain involved in something of this degree.

the initial pain was excruciating. finally they hit me with morphene. it still hurt but it beat the piss out of the previous 2.5 hours. Then I got shots between my fingers and through the callouses from the bottom.
Up until that moment the worst pain I ever felt was a kidney stone. Pissing rocks is just not for me
Well those shots nearly made my wife pass out. She had seen me deal with pretty nasty pain and never seen me close to that. The callouses were so hard that the needles would snap through. There was no going in a little at a time and deadening. It was like lightning bolts or pure fire.
I think God gave me a high pain threshold because he knew I was such an idiot I needed a bit more wiggle room than most people
You take enough weld spatter burns over the years I think thats helps raise the threshold too.
They told my wife if I went into shock she'd have to leave so that had her really upset. They didn't say it in front of me. Fortunately that never happened. I would not have wanted to trade places with her.

[newjacksm]

Sorry to hear about this Scalli, didn't say anything sooner because I felt a bit 'new' to be saying it, but pff people are people. Hope you're back up to your tricks soon

I appreciate that. Most people here can tell you I don't meet a stranger. I've had so many forum folks come over while they were in DFW or actual locals I can't even count them. We always had good times.
So I'm always up for encouragement from anyone

I still carry the scar from a jigsaw from elementary school when i didnt use a piece of wood to push another piece through. went about 1/4 to 1/2 inch up my finger. I remember how much that hurt still, can't imagine the pain involved in something of this degree.

the initial pain was excruciating. finally they hit me with morphene. it still hurt but it beat the piss out of the previous 2.5 hours. Then I got shots between my fingers and through the callouses from the bottom.
Up until that moment the worst pain I ever felt was a kidney stone. Pissing rocks is just not for me
Well those shots nearly made my wife pass out. She had seen me deal with pretty nasty pain and never seen me close to that. The callouses were so hard that the needles would snap through. There was no going in a little at a time and deadening. It was like lightning bolts or pure fire.
I think God gave me a high pain threshold because he knew I was such an idiot I needed a bit more wiggle room than most people
You take enough weld spatter burns over the years I think thats helps raise the threshold too.
They told my wife if I went into shock she'd have to leave so that had her really upset. They didn't say it in front of me. Fortunately that never happened. I would not have wanted to trade places with her.

Jesus Scally, thank god you are ok!

[mitchard]

Holy shit.

Happy to hear you are alright though. Well, alright for the most part I suppose. Like you said, had the wood gone somewhere else it might have been a lot worse.

Hope for a quick recovery!

[likespaceships]

ouch!
sounds painful.
hope you feel better.

Have you had a chance to try that new shiner smokehaus yet?
Taste like a summer bbq.

[Scalliwag]

ouch!
sounds painful.
hope you feel better.

Have you had a chance to try that new shiner smokehaus yet?
Taste like a summer bbq.

are you shittin me? There's a new Shiner? damn the luck!!!! I'm on too many meds to drink.