How I almost lost my fingers using the tablesaw…

In my young career as a woodworker, I suffered almost no injuries except for some splinters and scrapes. It could be luck, of course, but I think it’s because of my caution after an incident when I first started woodworking.

Wooden coat hooks made from branches

As you may have read in one of my previous posts, I started my online adventure selling woodworking products with the ‘wooden coat rack made of branches’.

This wooden coat rack made of branches really is exactly what it is. I took branches from the forest, sawed them in half on the table saw and gave them a layer of varnish so that the bark adhered to the wood and thus did not come loose.

Since I was the first to sell these coat racks, it really went like a train. I sold one after the other and also many large quantities to home improvement stores.

Yet I abruptly stopped making these coat racks.

The accident

It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and I had a large number of orders for the coat rack that I had to make that day.

The table saw started. A container full of branches ready to be cut. Put on a work glove on the surface, but more in case the branches shoot out of my hand and I get a splinter.

The latter happened, but I was not lucky to get a splinter because of this. No, the branch was pulled into the saw blade and my hand, holding the twig, passed over the saw blade. I knew from stories that when you saw your fingers off, you don’t feel any of this, so even though I wasn’t in pain, I immediately looked at my hand.

I saw that my glove had a big cut on the top, from left to right, over all my fingers, at the level of the first bone after your knuckle. Fortunately I did not see any blood. I was lucky! I take off my glove and see that the saw did cut my fingers, but luckily it is superficial! All over my fingers I have a cut on my fingers.

The luck

It is then that I realize that I have been very lucky. Also exactly at that moment I decided not to make those coat hooks anymore. I also immediately decided to look for ways to safely get products through the table saw.

Push sticks

Since then I have always used push sticks on my table saw. These keep your fingers away from the saw blade. Read more information about push sticks or view the best push stick ever!