Carving Accident!

[thuynguyen001]

So sorry to hear that, Kvan!
I have never used power tool on a tree yet, but your experience will be my lesson too.
Thank you for sharing. Hope you'll be fine soon!

[Jan]

I take it as a sign the plant will one day become great when it has made you shed blood, sweat and tears.

The artist, Pro Hart, incorporated a little of his own DNA (usually a small piece of hair) into his paintings; seems to have worked for him; they became very well known. It looks like more than a few AusBonsai members are incorporating some of their DNA into their trees; let's hope you're right, Mitchell.

My collecting and carving have involved a few scraped knuckles, scratches and broken nails (ouch!), even a few cuts (sharp, manual carving tools), nothing serious but enough to ensure that my DNA is defiantly incorporated into my work.

My router come die grinder scares the pants off me

I'm with you, Alpine, I work with power tools (including chain saws) and machinery on our farm. The Boss (he who shall be obeyed re machinery that “bites”) has instilled a healthy respect in me for such items when teaching me how to use them. I’m very aware that tools, machinery and big stock (cows, horses) kill and maim far more rural men, women and children than the usual heart disease etc. It seems to be working, no accidents so far.

Accidents can happen so quickly and easily (as anyone who peels vegies with a sharp knife knows). Thank the “Powers that Be” that it wasn’t more serious, don a rubber glove to keep it clean and enjoy your potting. I imagine it will be a bit cranky about being bumped for a while so take care, and heal quickly.

[Jamie]

Hi Dk,

DAMN!!! I know how you feel mate, when i was building truck bodies and tilt slide trays a had my pinky funger crushed with a sledge hammer, smashed the tip of my finger to a pulp, bone was shattered and to make theings worse grease got slammed in there, it was a local anethsetic to my whole hand and about an hour or more of watching doctors remove bone shards, chunks of grease and my finger nail, i got lucky that the nail actually grew back, doctors said it wouldnt and i would probably lose feeling in the finger, it all eventually returned to normal after a long painfull hall, so i know whatya going through champ!! it sucks big time.

i AGREE with Alpine, wearing gloves with tools that rotate is a very bad mix, you wouldnt just get a nick but you could possibly tear fingers off, with out a second thought, i have seen thumbs and fingers bent broken and snapped from people wearing gloves with rotating tools so i would recommend NOT to wear gloves with them.

Lesson learnt, best wishes to you for a quick healing, I hope other members that see this will respect power tools a little more now.

Jamie

[Gerard]

Hi Kvan,
Sorry to hear of your misfortune, these power tools sometimes scare the hell out of me hopefully your message will be heard and we will all take better care!

[kvan64]

Thank you so much guys and girls. I am touched by your comments and responses, of which some are even more caring then those I got from my own family. It means a lot to me so thank you all

Jamie and Alpine, thanks 4 the thing about wearing gloves. That makes perfect sense but maybe the gloves specially designed for powered rotary tools could be good.

Jan and Mitchell, you are spot on there, a lot of us put more than just sweat in our bonsai. This tree is priceless to me now

Loretta, The diegrinder was bought here in Aus due to the Main supply being 220v instead od 110v even though it could be cheaper else where. I bought the terrier bit from Kaizenbonsai for $100 AUD including shipping (thanks to the current exchange rate). It took only 5 days to arrive.

Thanks also others for responses, I do hope my misfortune help raise awareness about the potential danger with (bonsai) power tools.
DK

[Jamie]

hi DK,

I presume you are talking about tight fitting riggers gloves, these are still dangerous to wear i wouldnt recommend it, it could be the difference between the damage like your finger, or a complete finger missing if not more.

glad you have kept ya head up and are gonna keep charging with it!

[buddaboy]

I work in an Aluminium smelter where the safety systems are fairly full on. We must wear gloves for any manual handling task. Except for angle grinders and drillpress's. The dangers involved with rotating tools are magnified by wearing gloves or loose clothing.

[anttal63]

Bone....

Best wishes for a swift recovery. Looks like kitchen duties it are hey?

Take it easy next time and glove up

Too right budda!!! this is a no no !!! it just goes to show how not enough is known about handling a rotary tool. No disrespect Anja but this is not good advice. When a rotary bit at that speed takes hold of a glove shocking stuff when it drags your whole hand into the cut.

[kvan64]

Hey Bummer Kvan!
Thanks for the reminder to us all that things can happen real fast when using power tools.

Put Some antiseptic on it, and the Cambium will roll over real quick, You might have some nice Shari for a while tho .

Just think that you did not take off to much and then had to Jin it!

Ken

I got it restyled this arvo. Couldn't raffia tape so I used the Vet tape instead

Ant, you're right. It could have been worse. I went to see a doc today and saw tow other guys got their fingers cut off by power tools. One was really bad.

Jamie and budda, I thanks for the warnings about using gloves. I wouldn't have thought of this!

DK

[Tenka]

*Slows down as he passes to get a glimpse of the carnage....*

[MattA]

Not good there bud... Even hand tools should be respected, I once took the tip of my finger off with secateurs ( I was only 7 at the time tho)

Matt

[kvan64]

Not good there bud... Even hand tools should be respected, I once took the tip of my finger off with secateurs ( I was only 7 at the time tho)

Matt

I think it's a good lesson for me. I've learned the hard way to respect those tools (The doctor said frankly that I was dump and I agree with him).
DK

[Mitchell]

Just to go against the flow, I would have to dis-agree with the whole "No gloves" theory.

From my experiences I have come off much better wearing gloves whilst using rotary carving bits in small tools like dremels/die grinders etc.
I would not recommend them for toothed disk cutters on angle grinders/arbotechs, as we know your hand will be sucked in when they catch.


Of all the times I have been wearing loose gloves with small equip and hit my hand, the material has twisted round the shaft and bound the bit several times locking it up. Had I not been wearing gloves I would have hit skin and done damage. When not wearing gloves and hitting my hand on the bit, blood is always drawn.

On another note, not all gloves are loose. Most loose gloves are designed these days for gardening, where as for tool use one should be looking for a skin tight fitted glove.
These have stretchy sections to ensure the gloves are tight, and come in a variety of materials, your most basic being leather and for our purposes I would suggest the kevlar models.

These fitted gloves will never/rarely be dragged into a machine, if anything they will cut through, better the kevlar than your hands.

Just my 2 cents.

[anttal63]

Just to go against the flow, I would have to dis-agree with the whole "No gloves" theory.

From my experiences I have come off much better wearing gloves whilst using rotary carving bits in small tools like dremels/die grinders etc.
I would not recommend them for toothed disk cutters on angle grinders/arbotechs, as we know your hand will be sucked in when they catch.


Of all the times I have been wearing loose gloves with small equip and hit my hand, the material has twisted round the shaft and bound the bit several times locking it up. Had I not been wearing gloves I would have hit skin and done damage. When not wearing gloves and hitting my hand on the bit, blood is always drawn.

On another note, not all gloves are loose. Most loose gloves are designed these days for gardening, where as for tool use one should be looking for a skin tight fitted glove.
These have stretchy sections to ensure the gloves are tight, and come in a variety of materials, your most basic being leather and for our purposes I would suggest the kevlar models.

These fitted gloves will never/rarely be dragged into a machine, if anything they will cut through, better the kevlar than your hands.

Just my 2 cents.

What worries me here is that you have only been doing this less than a year, !st of all... 2nd Your post has contradictions; lets start with this one;

From my experiences I have come off much better wearing gloves whilst using rotary carving bits in small tools like dremels/die grinders etc.
I would not recommend them for toothed disk cutters on angle grinders/arbotechs, as we know your hand will be sucked in when they catch.


The fact that you came off better already tells me you dont know how to hold a carving tool... Also tells me you weren't using a high powered die grinder with a ninja type bit. If so i dont think you'd be talkn this canditly.

Now this one;


These fitted gloves will never/rarely be dragged into a machine, if anything they will cut through, better the kevlar than your hands.



They will or they wont which one is it??? A ninja bit on high powered die grinder wont stop at the kevlar...


I would be very cautious to take any of this advice also.

Just my 2 cents and a load of carving!!!

[Mitchell]

What worries me here is that you have only been doing this less than a year, !st of all... 2nd Your post has contradictions; lets start with this one;

From my experiences I have come off much better wearing gloves whilst using rotary carving bits in small tools like dremels/die grinders etc.
I would not recommend them for toothed disk cutters on angle grinders/arbotechs, as we know your hand will be sucked in when they catch.


The fact that you came off better already tells me you dont know how to hold a carving tool... Also tells me you weren't using a high powered die grinder with a ninja type bit. If so i dont think you'd be talkn this canditly.

Now this one;


These fitted gloves will never/rarely be dragged into a machine, if anything they will cut through, better the kevlar than your hands.



They will or they wont which one is it??? A ninja bit on high powered die grinder wont stop at the kevlar...


I would be very cautious to take any of this advice also.

Just my 2 cents and a load of carving!!!

I've been attempting bonsai for 1 year mate, been using carving / power tools for more than 15 years.

I'm struggling to find the contradiction in , "From my experiences I have come off much better wearing gloves whilst using rotary carving bits in small tools like dremels/die grinders etc.
I would not recommend them for toothed disk cutters on angle grinders/arbotechs, as we know your hand will be sucked in when they catch."

For it to be a contradiction I would have to believe you should always wear gloves, as you believe you should never, I do not.

I am simply stating I understand the danger of your hand being sucked in by the glove and damaged on a large bit / 100mm cutting disk, yet feel on smaller bits like which dremel uses, a loose gloves acts much like kevlar chaps and a chain saw. They wrap the bit, or chain in the case of chaps several times and lock it up before getting to skin.


I'm sure in your vast carving experiences, you have never slipped off the timber and manage to hit clothing with a dremel? Maybe not you but many have, the bit grabs the clothing sucks it in and then binds the tool up, generally with half your shirt wrapped in it. Uncomfortable but surely better, than that bit hitting bare skin.


"These fitted gloves will never/rarely be dragged into a machine, if anything they will cut through, better the kevlar than your hands."
They will or they wont which one is it??? A ninja bit on high powered die grinder wont stop at the kevlar...

As I said they will never / rarely be dragged into a machine like a loose glove. I didn't say kevlar would stop a ninja bit, "if anything they will cut through".
The statement "A ninja bit on high powered die grinder wont stop at the kevlar..." kind of negates your position of "A glove will drag your hand in" being that if kevlar won't stop it, would it not just cut the gloves instead of sucking it in? But I get what you mean.



Once again, I understand your no gloves policy but find it a bit lacking in regards to small bits. This is just in my experiences, I'm not advising anyone to do something stupid, like throw on a pair of gloves or nothin'