Woops there goes another one..... ! Nearly

[ToughButterCup]

To most of you, losing a finger would be a bit of a pain, but if, like me, you've already lost two, then an additional lost digit might be seen as careless. Losing one finger almost always (according to my surgeon) means losing more than one tenth of your grip. That means I've already lost more than a fifth of my grip. An additional loss of an eighth of what's left would be really bad news.

 

Angle grinders should be renamed finger removers  . Its the variety in the way they remove fingers that gets me. Look at this.

 

 

Exhibit1: Innocent little tool bag that I sling on my shoulder every morning as I whistle my way to work. 

 

Carole King helps..

'...

You got to get up every morning with a smile on your face

and show the world  (except for plumbers) all the love in your heart

then people gonna treat you better, you're gonna find - yes you will -

that you're beautiful as you feel

...'

 

Spot the little FingerMincer?

 

Yes, its the mini angle grinder tucked into the corner of the tool bag. Bastard little thing.

 

Reaching absent-mindedly in the bag for a WhatChaMaCall it, I nudge summat (no idea what) and that movement switches the grinder ON.

I could not have removed my hand from the tool bag faster from a raging fire. So fast in fact that my arm hits the scaffolding and I now have a bruise that could have been inflicted by an angry Mike Tyson. Wanna a photo? Naaah, too much ugly detail

 

Now the drill is: job done, battery out, pop the grinder in the bag.

 

Brilliant grinder. Just the right size for someone with only four digits on each hand. Vorsprung Durch Fingerentfernung. (finger amputation)

 

 

Edited September 14, 2021 by ToughButterCup

[markc]

And I thought I was accident prone, it’s usually the stupid unforeseen things that get you.

 

[dnb]

57 minutes ago, ToughButterCup said:

Losing one finger almost always (according to my surgeon) means losing more than one tenth of your grip.

 

I would argue (from practical experience) that losing a part of one finger has similar results.

 

Well done for avoiding external bloodshed. And where are pocster's additional reactions when you need them...

[ToughButterCup]

1 hour ago, dnb said:

I would argue (from practical experience) that losing a part of one finger has similar results.

...

 

Huuuuuh, in my case it's both little fingers. I was shocked at how much they actually do - like keeping screws in your hand, stopping coins falling out , providing the proper gripping point  for racket sports. The operation scar is excellent for keeping a pool of liquid soap in place though. ?

 

But part of a finger: thats almost a tease isn't it? You've got a finger, enough to hope for and expect performance, and in the way of things, you forget about the loss -  but theres  just not quite enough left to ...... To me, that feels worse.... Thats annoying.

[markc]

If you loose a couple of fingers do you start counting in base 8? ?

[dnb]

3 minutes ago, markc said:

If you loose a couple of fingers do you start counting in base 8?

 

Pieces of 10! Pieces of 10!

 

Said the octal parrot

[ToughButterCup]

Base 8? Yes @markc.

Ya wanna see the grandchildren's reactions. There's much fun to be had moving from noticing that 2 (yes 2 missing grandma!),  to  disbelief, on to verification, confident comparison ( which is where they are now). Octal numbers next, I think: he's already enjoying programing his FloorBot.

 

It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good innit?

[SteamyTea]

According to @pocster, everyone in Cornwall starts with 12 fingers and toes, it is only the webbing that masks the extra ones.

[Pocster]

1 hour ago, SteamyTea said:

According to @pocster, everyone in Cornwall starts with 12 fingers and toes, it is only the webbing that masks the extra ones.

True 

[Stewpot]

I've just watched a Youtube video of Big Clive reviewing a cordless mini chainsaw. The chainsaw itself seemed pretty good (for a cheapy), but he decried the fact that the trigger didn't have and interlock for precisely this reason - a nudge in the toolbag, and off with his fingers...

 

I suppose the advice must always be to take the battery out before stowing it.

 

But I also remember my dad telling me that when he was young (1920s, I suppose), if you went for a job in a factory, they'd often ask to see your hands; if you had a set of ten still intact, you were unlikely to be an experienced machine operator. Along the lines of "There are two types of machinists - those that have lost a finger, and those that are going to".

[Roys]

I like to do a “high 4 1/2” with my nephew as we have both lost half a finger, me when I was 12 with an axe splitting wood for kindling, him when he was about 8 when a door closed on him at the hinges at a sports centre.

My grandad had lost all the fingers on his left hand when he was 15 in a guillotine accident at a foundry, stopped him getting called up to go to WW2.

[Ferdinand]

Good conversation.

Go failsafe? Why do people store things in their toolbags with batteries attached?

 

I can't remember whether I do or not. Will have to check 

 

[SteamyTea]

What sort of disc or cutting wheel was on this low powered angle grinder, and was the guard fitted, and to what proportion of the disc was fully exposed to finger inadvertantly touching it, @ToughButterCup has a statistically lower risk advantage here with 2 fingers missing.

 

or just take the (expletive deleted)ing batteries out and put them in a charger.

[Carrerahill]

On 14/09/2021 at 09:56, ToughButterCup said:

Now the drill is: job done, battery out, pop the grinder in the bag.

Great strategy, but 1 more care point, the battery shorting on something and causing a fire.

 

There are numerous reports of batteries in boxes and bags catching fire when shorting on things like a collection of screwdrivers or steelwool in the case of one plumber who nearly lost his van.

 

I've seen a 2 foot piece of wire in flames in as little as 1-2 seconds after the two ends became lodged in terminals of a 12V battery after being thrown in a toolbox. The house stank for days too. Made me a real advocate of LSF cable too! 

Edited September 15, 2021 by Carrerahill

[jack]

20 hours ago, Stewpot said:

But I also remember my dad telling me that when he was young (1920s, I suppose), if you went for a job in a factory, they'd often ask to see your hands; if you had a set of ten still intact, you were unlikely to be an experienced machine operator. Along the lines of "There are two types of machinists - those that have lost a finger, and those that are going to".

 

My grandfather had several bits of his fingers cut off through various accidents using a spindle moulder over a 60 year career working in lumber yards in Dublin. Deadly things apparently - I've now met two chippies who say they've seen them in use and would never touch one.

 

The last one to go was one of his thumbs. Apparently, that one "really hurt". 

Silver lining though: every accident would have a payout, and he'd lend money to his kids for a house deposit, or use the cash to visit them overseas.

[ToughButterCup]

4 hours ago, Carrerahill said:

Great strategy, but 1 more care point, the battery shorting on something and causing a fire.

...

The battery type used by 12v Bosch kit has two very thin connection sockets.

 

Lucky that innit... Because you make an excellent point. It was pointed out earlier (last year ?),  but your reminder is timely.

[markocosic]

A cordless drill with bit and battery fitted taking a detour through your spine would also be unfortunate.

 

Batteries out and rattling around bag for transport on site. Fire is slow. Batteries out of bag when it's in a vehicle!

[scottishjohn]

sounds like the grinder does not have enough safety features on the trigger  if you can just touch trigger and it fires up 

no way i could do that with my milwaukee one 

 but yes batteries out when not in use solves it