I was reading the new comments to last week’s Kid Wood and Real Construction Tools post, and started thinking about some of the tool-related injuries I suffered as a child. Few came to mind, so I expanded the time frame.
It’s a fact of life – accidents happen. A slip-up here, mistake there, and you’re off to the first aid kit. (You do have a first aid kit in your shop, right?!) Following are 5 hand tools, well 4 hand tools plus 1 kitchen tool, that liberated unexpected levels of blood from my fingers and hands over the years.
Everyone is careful about utility knives, general purpose cutters and scissors, or at least they should be – it’s the small tools, not just the sharp or point ones, that one has to be especially mindful of.
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1. X-Acto Hobby Knife
While all of my X-Acto pricks and cuts healed years ago, the experiences left me with a respect and slight fear of sharp hobby knives, no matter how small. Pssht, that little thing, I used to say, how much damage can such a small blade actually do?
X-Acto blades will usually cause more pain and bloodspill than severe damage, unless you’re careless or unlucky. But then you’ll try to explain to others how such a small blade almost brought you to tears, and they’ll just laugh, making things worse.
2. Wood Chisel
A little over one year ago, I slipped while paring with a new wood chisel, and cut a gash in my thumb. Not a huge gash, but it was big enough that I probably needed stitches. If the chisel was sharpened properly and not an out-of-the-box Craftsman chisel, I probably would have hit bone. Maybe I did hit bone, as I noticed a chip in the blade when cleaning up the blood.
3. Pliers
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While it takes skill to draw blood with pliers, it can be easy to pinch your skin, leading to a painful blood-filled blister. Blood blisters can range from small to oh goodness, what do I do now?!, and usually hurt a LOT. Some people drain their blisters with a sterilized X-Acto knife (see above), but I prefer to leave them alone.
In my experience, multi-tools and poorly designed pliers are a leading cause of tool-induced blood blisters.
I was going to include a link to a Google image-search for those who may not know what a blood blister is, but wanted to spare you the ickiness. Because everyone clicks even when you tell them not to. Oh well, here it is – Blood Blister Google Image Search – please don’t click before lunch, in the morning, evening, or anytime in between.
4. Hooks, Picks and Probes
I have a nice 3/16″-long scar on my left pinky finger reminding me to be careful with picks and probes. You know how they always say never cut towards yourself? Never pick or pry towards yourself either. And don’t hold the item being worked on if you could help it.
Here’s what happened – I was using a curved hook pick to remove an O-ring from a part. It was a water cooling hose fitting, if I remember correctly. I almost got it, and increased the pressure just a little bit to catch the O-ring. I slipped and caught my pinky instead. The pick pierced my finger and pulled down, tearing a bit of meat. Respect pointy tools.
5. Food Processor Blade
This isn’t a tool in a literal sense, but is responsible for one of the worst injuries I accidentally inflicted on myself. I don’t remember what happened exactly, but I think I was putting it away after leaving it overnight in the drying rack. We keep the blade assembly in a Ziploc bag to keep it dust-free for immediate use.
Sliiiiice. I still remember the feeling as the mishandled blade cut into my finger. I actually don’t think I physically felt a thing, due to the sharpness of the blade, but I have an intangible sensory memory that I just cannot shake.
I don’t remember which finger was cut , but I do remember that there was blood – LOTS of blood. And then more blood. And even more blood. The cut closed up a bit and the bleeding finally stopped. But only for a few minutes, after which there was more blood. I wasn’t gushing or spouting blood, but it was an experience I prefer not to repeat. Again, I probably needed stitches, but survived without.
Additional Tools
I imagine that every tool on the market has injured at least one DIYer or professional at one time or another. Some tools are more notorious than others for their propensity to inflict pain on their users – take hammers for example.
So which tools have you had less than friendly physical encounters with? In addition to edged and pointed tools, what other types of tools have you found to be the most painful to slip up with?
Jason
Skew rabbet plane. I even KNOW that I’m going to cut myself before I pick it up, but still it happens. Every. Freakin’. Time.
Tormek stone. Yep, I’ve cut each of my thumbs on a cursed water wheel. And not just a nick, but a gash through the side of my thumb and into the nail big enough to park a small European city car. You’d think after the first time I’d make myself install the stop piece to keep the blade from tipping off the edge of the stone whenever I inevitably go to far, but nope.
Sandpaper. Yes, it’s happened. No, I’m not going to describe the many numerous ways. It hurts.
Clamshell packaging. Whoever invented this diabolical packaging scheme should be drug out into the street and beaten.
James C
Ooo, clamshell. That’s a biggie for me. Also hitting my head in friends’ basements. I’m like Tim Allen from Home Improvement with basements.
JohnD
Ah, clamshell cuts. Like a paper cut on steroids.
Stuart
I doubt that one could easily find a person that has not been bled by clamshell packaging.
Sandpaper! I once suffered a fine-grit sandpaper papercut somehow. Is that what you meant? Or have you smoothed away bits of skin? Ouch! Makes me cringe just thinking about the possibilities.
Jason
I’ve done both. Worst abrasion injury was removing all the skin from one of my knuckles when I got carried away on a disc grinder.
But that was nothing compared to any of the sandpaper cuts. Ho-lee crap that’s painful. And the more coarse the paper, the worse it is.
Tim
Coarse grit sand paper on Belt sander when I made the multi-tasking mistake of trying the clean dust from belt while it was still running by smacking it with hand… Belt caught palm of my hand, jammed it between sander and moving paper, removing a large chunk of skin/meat. Not much blood, but took several weeks to fully heal and I still have sensitive scar area. Learned lesson that tool cleaning needs to be as regular, not spontaneous, activity with right tools and technique.
SharkyTM
Box cutters /.
puttsy
Reminds me of the quote from a surgeon I ran across a while back:
“A dull knife is much, MUCH more dangerous than a sharp (or properly sharpened/razor sharp) knife”
I can’t recall where I saw that, I think GarageJournal but, I’ve heard it from the doc. himself too. Incidentally, I was removing a ferrite core from an HDMI cable with a brand new utility knife blade (taking the plastic coating off first) and with that last umph of force, the sheathing pulled off and the blade went right into my thumb, cut down the side of my nail and down to the bone. Didn’t make it to the ER in time though…Gotta love Iowa winters and those awesome blizzards and Snow Storms!
Promech
Vaughn superbar has twice recoiled and wound up imbedded in my head.
Blair
Old school tin snips for some reason used to bite me every time back in the day, taking too big of a bite, or using them on too thick metal would result in a blood blister every time.
That situation has been long since cured with aviation snips, but I still remember the dread of cutting sheet metal.
Dave
Any tool Blair puts in his hand has the potential to draw blood.
goodmaei
For the bicycle mechanics: Park Tool Crank Puller (CCP-22 or -44) — it’s not the tool itself that does the damage — but it puts your knuckles at the perfect distance from the wicked sharp teeth of your chainrings to rip ’em pretty deep. Yet still it’s an efficient, effective, affordable tool….dammit.
Barks
“keep it dust-free” There may be larger problems here than simply nicking yourself with a sharp knife!
Stuart
Well, dust-free and together with other processor/blender blade attachments.
puttsy
BUT, that DOES answer the question “Will it blend?”. We now know the answer to “Will Stuart blend?” Ahh blendtec. Same rules apply though: “Don’t breath this” and also “Don’t try this at home!” But, how much can we avoid doing THIS one.
Kevin
my usual suspects are utility knife, pliers and tapping a hammer in confined/awkward spaces.
other notables ,Romex, working with 12-2 or bigger can really do a number on the hands.
My assortment bags are a mystery, could be a nail,screw, blade, sandpaper, wire, etc, after reaching in,I never seem to get out of there unscathed.
puttsy
I’ve got the same thing! Once pulled my hand outta my spare parts bag, bucket, tub, whatever it was at the time, and had a surgical, scalpel blade sticking right out of my palm. (#12 or #21 maybe?)
Obviously there’s more of a problem in that I actually HAVE surgical scalpels BUT, having one stuck into the tendon in my hand (palm) was pretty bad. Can no longer fully open/spread out my hand either. Before that I stuck my hand with a considerable amount of a utility knife blade and made it to the bone or tendon…or both. I like to embrace these stupid things and the accidents I do. They are plentiful in my life so I’ve learned to work with the cards I’ve been dealt. Still have all 10 digits on my hands too!
Anthony
Dremel tool with a cutting disk on it.Dont let go of that sucker at full speed.
george
for me its been a air ratchet and a very tight nut/bolt. those have drawn more blood in my life than anything else.
Mac
Ugh – clamshell packing is murderous. Ought to be banned.
I’ve had most of the above as well.
I’m also almost guaranteed to bust a knuckle (usually my L ring finger) with whatever ratchet I’m using on/in/under whatever I’m working on.
Carol Griffin
I’m glad you listed the X-Acto knife as #1; that blade has inflicted more than a few cuts on my hands.
Simply must comment on sandpaper as well: I sand my stone sculptures by hand with wet/dry paper. By the time I’m finished with a piece, all my fingernails are worn down to the nub — especially my thumbnails. I also manage to remove a few layers of epidermis. I’m convinced that I could get away with a crime, because I’ve probably sanded away my fingerprints!
Maikeru
I’m going to have to agree with everyone here; clamshells are bad. I’ve actually taken to using knives to cut down three of the sides so that I can just hinge them open without fear of slicing up my hands.
Chris Estes
Um … Tire iron. In the early ’80s I was replacing the spare tire on an Army deuce and a half, which involved winching up the tire, removing the tire iron, then putting the safety lock in place. Did everything right except ‘remove the tire iron’ and the tire slipped, fell, the winching gear spun, and the tire iron made a nice dent in my head. So I’ve been hit by a truck that wasn’t moving. And it hit me with a tire iron. ‘Cause I’m a dummy.
Rick Darter
Hows this for a weird one? I regularly cut myself on freshly milled and jointed maple. a perfect 90 degree angle combined with a hard closed pore word, and I have bled plenty.
Stuart
That’s actually not weird at all. I gave myself a papercut-like cut a few weeks ago when buying an 8′ length of 2″ x 2″ pine.
Dan
My dad gave me one of those small Stanley snap off knives for my 8th birthday, still have 3/4″ scar along my index finger, that is the worst cut but hammer injuries obviously, a couple wood chisel cuts and lost a nail to a kango hammer when I went in to remove the lumps it had broke off and promptly dropped the tool catching the finger between the chisel and the concrete. Had to finish the job and all that vibration was hell.
Paul G.
Regarding x-acto induced misery: I was taking a commercial art paste-up class (before computers were used!)– the x-acto knife was used to cut out pictures and lettering so to be rubber cemented onto a board for photographing and eventual printing. The x-acto knife slipped out of my hand and fell from the desk area towards the floor. Unfortunately I was sitting at the desk; the top of my thigh was in perfect alignment with the falling knife. I looked down at my leg to see the x-acto knife perfectly impaled into my quadricep. I pulled it out and then got to watch a large dark wet spot start spreading out from the bulls-eye. I sheepishly left the classroom to attend to my injuries.
Stuart
Ouch! I had a close call with a new pocket knife that I dropped while sitting down and working the knife back and forth to break in the pivot. Cut a small hole into my heavy canvas pants, but I don’t think I suffered more than a light scratch to the leg.