Do not abuse your power tools - They can get upset!

[Crossy]

Firstly this story is most definitely NOT me, it is however a good mate. He's let me post this as a warning, basically not to be a stupid plonker.

 

Here we go, from an email received last month, names and places have been removed to protect the guilty.

 

======

 

Question 1. What does a really clever engineer do when his chainsaw packs-up?

 

Answer: He gets it fixed.

 

Question 2. What does a super brained, highly qualified, vastly experienced, incredibly intelligent engineer do when his chainsaw pack-up?

 

Answer:  He thinks, "well I have got this amazingly high-powered two handed, beast of a angle grinder; and I have a circular saw". "I am sure that if I put an 8" circular saw blade on my big angle grinder it will cut through logs like butter".

 

And you know what "it does" …………….just as long as you hold it straight and square to the log.

 

But what happens when an 8" blade is not enough to cut through the log, even when you turn it round a couple of times?

 

So then, our fantastic genius thinks. "Mmm, I have seen lumberjacks on TV and they make V shape cuts", so he turns the saw at an angle and commences cutting.

 

One second later the blade has stuck and the bastard kicks back, leaping out of his two hands and zipping right across his foot and lower leg, cutting through the bone and severing arteries..

 

Fortunately (very, very, fortunately) some friends are on the resort that day with  pick-up and so our hero is bundled into the back with two guys holding his foot together and blood pumping out like a fountain.

 

Of they go to the nearest clinic, who of course can do nothing, but at least sell us a couple of bandages.

 

Then on to the largest hospital in <local town> where our prize idiot tells them it is the wrong hospital, so with the back of the pick-up awash with blood, they go to the next one, who can only shove on some more bandages and send them back to the big one!!!!!!!!!!

 

After getting to the big hospital again a young lady videos the blood pumping out of his foot on her mobile and sends it real time to the doc who is very busy with all the motorbike crashes that happen by the minute in <local town>.

 

4 Hours later they operate on my foot and stick in 10 stiches as per pic.

 

So a few days in the hos, then home with a half cast (sounds racist don't it) and changing dressings every day, back to hos after 5 days and then after nearly 3 weeks had the stiches out yesterday.

 

Looks bloody terrible, but is healing up ok (so far)

 

So a good lesson in absolute, pure blind stupidity. How lucky I am to still have a foot, and my hands and arms, let alone my head,. I really do not know what possessed me.

 

The end result!!

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

He did promise to send me photos of the "saw" and guilty log, not received yet but just the thought of a saw blade in an angle grinder scares me witless!

 

[worgeordie]

Shit,I must be a stupid plonker,as I bought a Chainsaw attachment for

an angle grinder,from China,fixed it all up to the grinder,BUT have not used 

it yet !,and after reading this might never,one thing that put me off was not

been able to switch it off quick enough,incase of a problem,and running only

at one speed not been able to control it when cutting.

Regards Worgeordie

[Crossy]

2 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

... and after reading this might never,one thing that put me off was not

been able to switch it off quick enough ...

Yeah! My thoughts exactly, none of my angle-grinders have triggers, drop it and it doesn't stop. No chain-brake either.

 

Apparently, at least back home, new grinders must have triggers so it it turns off when let go.

 

[fruitman]

I know a big strong faran guy who has stitches like that all over his arms and chest...he used a big angle grinder with one hand above his head untill it jammed and he let it go. 

[johng]

Was he wearing regulation flip flops and shorts ?

[lopburi3]

Hope that make-it-yourself is not actually classed as a chainsaw.  Believe licence is still required for them?

[sometimewoodworker]

18 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Shit,I must be a stupid plonker,as I bought a Chainsaw attachment for

an angle grinder,from China,fixed it all up to the grinder,BUT have not used 

it yet !,and after reading this might never,one thing that put me off was not

been able to switch it off quick enough,incase of a problem,and running only

at one speed not been able to control it when cutting.

Regards Worgeordie

I also have one (4") and my angle grinder has bothered the guard and second hand grip attached. Like any tool if used correctly, they are designed for sculpting not cutting, it is reasonabley safe to use.

[sometimewoodworker]

4 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Hope that make-it-yourself is not actually classed as a chainsaw.  Believe licence is still required for them?

I think that is only for longer bar AFIK it has been relaxed for small ones

[Crossy]

4 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Believe licence is still required for them?

My understanding (could be incorrect) is that they need a licence if the bar is more than 12", which is why all the ones in the big-box stores look so puny. It's all about illegal logging.

 

[eyecatcher]

Licence or not its doesnt make it safer does it......drivi g licence about the same.

 

For grinders try to choose one with a flick on off switch at your wrist end, maktec and makita do this.

There are some cheapies and i once had one where it was a difficult push button about an inch from the blade and i was scared to switch it on as your whole hand was very vulnerable.

 

Even non electric tools are lethal. I started my latest project chopping a tree down. The machete glanced of the side and into my leg. 4/5 sutures and two weeks of after care.

[eyecatcher]

5 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

I also have one (4") and my angle grinder has bothered the guard and second hand grip attached. Like any tool if used correctly, they are designed for sculpting not cutting, it is reasonabley safe to use.

Theres another big drawback with most...all power tools.

They are designed for right handed people.

 

I am a lefty and learning to operate tools t'other way rarnd is also inadvertantly dangerous.

 

Worthy of a later thread, left handed tools.

[Crossy]

14 minutes ago, eyecatcher said:

Worthy of a later thread, left handed tools.

As a fellow southpaw I feel your pain. But over many years of using vaious power tools I've just got used to it (I use my mouse in my right hand too). Hand tools are a different matter, I just don't have the necessary strength in my right hand for handed tools.

 

Many moons ago a stall on our local market (Ringwood, Hampshire) was selling left-handed cups. They looked pretty like his right-handed cups to me apart from being a little cheaper. "What's the difference?" says I. "Picture is on the wrong side" says he. Manufacturing defect put the picture on the outside when held in the right hand, hence it was a left-handed cup. They were so popular that he actually had specials made "wrong" by the factory. He also sold curly leads with an RJ-11 plug on each end as "phoneless cords" and "round-tuits" https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/round_tuit

 

 

[wayned]

6 hours ago, Crossy said:

My understanding (could be incorrect) is that they need a licence if the bar is more than 12", which is why all the ones in the big-box stores look so puny. It's all about illegal logging.

 

The local guy in the small town near me sells all of his saws with 12" bars installed or  no bar at all  to get around d the license requirement.  If you want a bigger bar and chain you have to purchase it separately, but he will install it right at the time of sale.  I bought a 20" bar for mine. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

[Gandtee]

On 12/9/2018 at 2:37 PM, Crossy said:

As a fellow southpaw I feel your pain. But over many years of using vaious power tools I've just got used to it (I use my mouse in my right hand too). Hand tools are a different matter, I just don't have the necessary strength in my right hand for handed tools.

 

Many moons ago a stall on our local market (Ringwood, Hampshire) was selling left-handed cups. They looked pretty like his right-handed cups to me apart from being a little cheaper. "What's the difference?" says I. "Picture is on the wrong side" says he. Manufacturing defect put the picture on the outside when held in the right hand, hence it was a left-handed cup. They were so popular that he actually had specials made "wrong" by the factory. He also sold curly leads with an RJ-11 plug on each end as "phoneless cords" and "round-tuits" https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/round_tuit

 

 

Did he sell left-handed hammers, elbow grease, glass hammers and left-handed screwdrivers?

[Crossy]

3 minutes ago, Gandtee said:

Did he sell left-handed hammers, elbow grease, glass hammers and left-handed screwdrivers?

No, but as an apprentice I was sent to stores for a long weight (usually about 30 minutes), left handed spanner (playing on my kak-handedness) and other assorted nonsense items. When I had apprentices of my own did I do the same to them? Of course I did, rites of passage and the like.

[faraday]

I used to work for the NHS, & junior nurses - in the days of SEN's, were sometimes sent to matron to ask for some Fallopian Tubes.

[GoFaster]

Here is the guilty saw. I remember reading about it when it happened and as someone that carries a scar on my kneecap from a 9" grinder I remember thinking Just no

[Crossy]

4 minutes ago, GoFaster said:

Here is the guilty saw.

Hells teeth!!

 

I wouldn't even want to pick that up with the plug in, let alone turn it on.

[johng]

53 minutes ago, GoFaster said:

Here is the guilty saw

!!!!  looks like something out of a horror movie ????????

[johng]

I just had a horrible thought...say you saw a relative or employee  using a thing like that

what's the best way (safely) to stop them from using it before something bad happens to them ?

 

Pull the plug ? shout at them to stop while waving arms from a safe distance ?

what if the fact you try to intervene causes them to loose concentration and "the bad thing" happens..what if you see them and do nothing and "the bad thing" happens ?

 

All I can see from that photo is bad things happening !! 

[eyecatcher]

3 hours ago, Crossy said:

No, but as an apprentice I was sent to stores for a long weight (usually about 30 minutes), left handed spanner (playing on my kak-handedness) and other assorted nonsense items. When I had apprentices of my own did I do the same to them? Of course I did, rites of passage and the like.

My apprentices were initiated by going for a dozen putlog holes and a bag of non setting cement.

more often than not, the builders yard would then call me back to clarify, so two of em daft as a brush.

 

When the apprentice came back we would leave a message for him to call back Mr C Lion, who wanted a new swimming pool..... the tel number would be the nearest zoo

[eyecatcher]

3 hours ago, GoFaster said:

Here is the guilty saw. I remember reading about it when it happened and as someone that carries a scar on my kneecap from a 9" grinder I remember thinking Just no

Notice the safety gloves...…...I call them Marigolds, for washing the dishes.

[GreasyFingers]

I normally believe no one could be that stupid. But I must admit to being ting ton at times because today was up a 12 foot extension ladder cutting limbs overhanging the power lines with a chain saw above my head. I knew the tree was balanced to fall on the power lines so was being very very careful. Have been using them for 40 years so know to respect them. My dear wife, who had never seen a chain saw before, let alone use one, suggested I should cut in the other side to make it fall. It could not be reached by a contortionist.

 

But putting a blade on a an angle grinder. Maybe I am not ting ton.

 

[Crossy]

1 hour ago, eyecatcher said:

Notice the safety gloves...…...I call them Marigolds, for washing the dishes.

I thought they were surgical gloves ready for re-attaching severed appendages.

[tutsiwarrior]

'always use the right tool for the job...'

 

https://www.google.co.th/search?q=mr+natural+always+use+the+right+tool+for+the+job&amp;rlz=1C1CHBF_enTH737TH737&amp;tbm=isch&amp;source=iu&amp;ictx=1&amp;fir=lwsZbiAzIAaPUM%3A%2ChEAhumC-E_vXvM%2C_&amp;usg=AI4_-kQCPfqOyiZ0bSpP-R541KUVjZedJA&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwi_2rbW7ZffAhWFknAKHeOsDVAQ9QEwAnoECAQQCA#imgrc=lwsZbiAzIAaPUM:

 

with that grinder arrangement yer askin' fer trouble...the blade looks like it comes from an edger from a sawmill, intended to be mounted on a heavy steel framed arrangement and bolted to the concrete with others and never hand held...it's easy enough to do considerable damage with a proper chain saw with a suitably sized bar...

 

a Mcculloch with a 30" bar gets away from tutsi in the woods and rips his riggin' clothes...'aw hell, gonna havta get some new pants...' and Rocky the side rod on the crew looks and spits tobacco juice and sez 'with that big Mcculloch yer lucky yer goddam leg wasn't cut off...'

 

 

 

 

[billd766]

4 hours ago, eyecatcher said:

Notice the safety gloves...…...I call them Marigolds, for washing the dishes.

That frightens the crap out of me.

 

When I use my kruang tatya (weed whacker or strimmer) for cutting the grass I always use a pair of Canadian riggers gloves, steel toe cap rubber boots and safety goggles/glasses. Even then I have been caught out on the odd occasion and by deity it hurts.

[Daffy D]

Maybe this would have been a better option:-

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/diy-converter-115-tree-felling-100-4-intl-i229556627-s351160950.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.47.1f145b07oX5whU&search=1

[sometimewoodworker]

10 hours ago, Daffy D said:

Maybe this would have been a better option:-

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/diy-converter-115-tree-felling-100-4-intl-i229556627-s351160950.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.47.1f145b07oX5whU&search=1

One of the most dangerous pieces of crap I've seen for sale. The only good thing is that it has an extremely short life span so it won't be that bad that long. It is certainly safer that the saw blade but not by much.

[owl sees all]

On 12/11/2018 at 6:17 PM, Crossy said:

I thought they were surgical gloves ready for re-attaching severed appendages.

Seeing as you originate from one of the finest fishing areas in Europe how did you get on without left-handed fishing reels. 

 

Don't tell me you didn't fish Crossy; I wouldn't believe it.

Edited December 12, 2018 by owl sees all
inserted 'out'

[kickstart]

This being Thailand, I have seen a 7-inch angle grinder with a 24-inch chainsaw attachment, all homemade, chain brake, what chain brake, chain oiler, you just stop and pore oil the chain now and then.

Last one I saw working the guy was planking a Mie-Sado, Neem tree.