Instructions for using a chisel

[Jim Hepler]

Chisels should be very sharp on one end only. That end should not be pointed at body parts. I have 4 stitches in my left hand as reminder of that simple rule.

I think I got off lucky. While the cut is quite deep, it is not painful and all my fingers are working. In fact the freezing came out of my hand just in time to play my gig last night.

Apparently, though, I needed to be reminded yesterday, so I mention it today, because a reminder in time saves 4 stitches - at least.

Remember to keep the sharp side directed away from the parts you want to keep.

-Jim

[Bryan Bear]

Good advice. I caught myself about to forget that rule just yesterday.

[Bob Gramann]

That's why they're called "hand tools."

[Gordon Bellerose]

Yikes! That could end a persons' playing career quickly.

On a personal note Jim, are you going to the Edmonton Guitar Show on Sept. 24?
It would be great to meet you in person!

[Jim Hepler]

Bryan, that's why I posted about it. Just hoping to keep someone else's hands in tact.

Well put, Bob. I was thinking maybe we should all post every time we hurt ourselves, just to remind one another of the hazards. Maybe just the embarrassment of going public would make a fellow slow down and think twice. Anyway, I'm glad my moment of dumbness doesn't seem like it's going to wreck anything permanently.


Gordon, I think I will actually be able to go to the guitar show this year. It will be a first for me. I was hoping you were going to be there. I will be sure to stop and chat with you. Looking forward to it.

[Clay Schaeffer]

" I was thinking maybe we should all post every time we hurt ourselves, just to remind one another of the hazards."
Another thing we could post is the methods we use to eliminate some of those hazards. Why do you think you injured yourself and what are you going to change to keep it from happening again? A number of times I have thought - "gee - that was dumb!", both before and (unfortunately) after injuring myself.
Hope you heal well and quickly!

[Beate Ritzert]

" I was thinking maybe we should all post every time we hurt ourselves, just to remind one another of the hazards."

Then i would need to flood the forum ...

[Jim Hepler]

A quick follow up. I was using a small crank neck chisel to trim the side of a pick-up cavity. The guitar was clamped to my workbench, and I was able to shave just a bit off of most of the side, but I couldn't properly trim the near side of the cavity because of the back of the chisel not allowing me to drop down in the hole. I should have simply turned the guitar around and reclamped, but instead I just chiselled back towards myself. Must've had my left hand resting on the near side, so when the chisel inevitably slipped, it got me. The solution for me is to always look at what's in line with the direction of force before applying the force.

The stitches came out a few days ago and it's healing up pretty well. I don't think there will be any lasting effects beyond a scar. That's a lucky escape for me. Thanks for paying attention to this. I like building guitars and I like playing them, and I'd sure hate to give up either of those things, so I guess I need to slow down and think ahead. Let`s all be careful.
-jim

[Rodger Knox]

"A number of times I have thought - "gee - that was dumb!", both before and (unfortunately) after injuring myself.

I like to think of that as pre-meditated carelessness. We all try to get away with it now and then...

[Simon Magennis]

Hmm …
Been there. Done that. I wonder could we sell a T-shirt?

[Gordon Bellerose]

Jim,
It was great to meet you at the guitar show, finally.

Speaking of injuries; two years ago I rolled over my big toe with the mobile base of the table saw. OUCH!!
Lost the nail, and when it grew back in, it was crooked and growing at a weird angle. So it had to be removed.
I waited as long as I reasonably could to have it done, but it became apparent that it was simply time.
I went in and had it removed, and let me tell you that having the freezing needles in the big toe was extremely unpleasant.
And after a week, I got infection in it, so I've been hobbling around for the last month. Work boots are the worst.

There is my shop injury story for the month; hoping for ever.

[Jim Hepler]

Ouch! Toe injuries and toenail issues are really painful. Yours would make an even more gruesome t-shirt than mine. It sounds like it's been a long term thing too. Happily, I'm basically fine now.

It was good to get the chance to meet you too Gordon. A couple of people I ran into said good things about your guitars. Hopefully something comes out of it for you. Nice to see that those guitars look as great in person as they do on this forum.

[John LaTorre]

Chisels should be very sharp on one end only. That end should not be pointed at body parts. I have 4 stitches in my left hand as reminder of that simple rule.
Remember to keep the sharp side directed away from the parts you want to keep.

-Jim

I second that, having put a nice gash in my off-hand index finger a month ago when my chisel slipped while trimming the tenon on a neck. No stitches, just that special tape they use.

I'm forcing myself to use one of those cut-resistant gloves that they sell at woodworkers and kitchen supply places. It does make things a little clumsier, but it's a reminder to be careful every time I put it on.

When I took wood shop in high-school, the teacher would shake his finger when he caught us doing something stupid. The fact that his finger was half missing kind of drove the point home.

[Clay Schaeffer]

Jim Hepler wrote:
I think I got off lucky.

Comparatively - yes!
On another Forum a person posted a picture of his recent encounter with the wrong end of a chisel. A slice completely across his palm. I counted 24 or 25 stitches. Ouch!
Not to minimize your pain, but I was shocked at seeing how much damage a chisel slip could cause.

[Simon Magennis]

I might have mentioned this at some point in another thread. Someone mentioned a workshop (general carpentry I think) which had a sign on the door which said "count your fingers" in very big writing.

I I have met one guitar maker with a missing finger thanks to a momentary lapse with a bandsaw. And I met another with the top missing to the first joint. I don't recall whether that was a bandsaw or a table saw.

Maybe a "count your fingers" sign on the band/table saw would be a good idea.

[Gordon Bellerose]

Every time I see someone with a missing digit, I ask how it happened.
Some people don't want to talk about it, but that is rare. Most are more than willing to tell me how it happened.
I do this in an effort to keep all my digits.
This is definitely a good topic to keep alive. Pun intended.

[Matthew Lau]

Every time I see someone with a missing digit, I ask how it happened.
Some people don't want to talk about it, but that is rare. Most are more than willing to tell me how it happened.
I do this in an effort to keep all my digits.
This is definitely a good topic to keep alive. Pun intended.

Yakuza.

[john shelton]

I had a female friend who's husband got his hand stuck in a big planer (large cabinet shop) and lost his arm all the way to the elbow. One day she had picked up his new replacement prosthetic showed it to me, it made my skin crawl.

[Simon Magennis]

I met a guy in the tonewood business on monday who had part of the tip of his left index finger missing thanks to a bandsaw. He has some nice guitars but can't really play them any more.

Another reminder.

[John LaTorre]

I met a guy in the tonewood business on monday who had part of the tip of his left index finger missing thanks to a bandsaw. He has some nice guitars but can't really play them any more.

That didn't stop Django Reinhart.

Over the years, I've done horrible things to my right hand (I'm left-handed). The fact that there are few fingers that have lost some feeling have made me put aside my celtic harp for a while, but now I'm getting back into it.