Tools That Have Hurt you

[Rileysan]

Mine is a cautionary tale about using the right tool for the job.

When I was just out of high school, I was replacing the brakes on my 1967 Pontiac Le Mans. I didn't own a brake spring tool to set the springs from shoes to the post, so I was trying to stretch a spring with a pair of needle nose pliers. I couldn't get enough leverage while kneeling, so I laid down next to the car and proceeded to try to stretch the brake spring into place.

As you may have guessed, the pliers slipped off the spring. with extreme force, I jabbed those needle nose pliers through the tear duct of my right eye, and into my sinus cavity. I pulled the pliers out of my head and in the time it took me to walk from our driveway into my house, my eye had swollen shut.

I almost certainly touched the inside of my eye with those pliers, but did no permanent damage. However, my eye looked horrible - like half a plum had been placed over my eye.

It was shortly after that, that I began accumulating a proper tool collection.

Brian

 

[DGersic]

A couple of years ago I learned that leaving a hammer on top of a 10’ step ladder isn’t a good idea. Picked the ladder up to move it. Fortunately I got most of the way out of the way so it only grazed my head on its way to the ground.


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[D1005]

I've been hurt many times, but I can't blame a tool for what I did!

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

Some good stories here. All I have to offer are a few funny (to me) ones.

Had just sharpened a chainsaw chain and installed it. Pulling on the chain to check tension and rotate it a bit before starting the chain lube made my finger slip... I sharpen a good chain! Fingers looked like a shark got me. They worst part was cleaning the cuts.

Working under a car on a lift at work removing the plastic underbody coverings many people will call a skid plate I was using a 1/4 driver and didn't realize the clutch wasn't on. Drill setting engaged I smacked myself in the side of the head with a closed fist and the battery. That gave me a headache...

Pinched myself good in the palm with knipex cobolts while cutting fencing (the inside of the handle at the pivot).

Latex gloves and impacts with sockets...

Can't think of much else.

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

A couple of years ago I learned that leaving a hammer on top of a 10’ step ladder isn’t a good idea. Picked the ladder up to move it. Fortunately I got most of the way out of the way so it only grazed my head on its way to the ground.


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I've done this as well..

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

On a job once, I had a big Hilti Rotary hammer without a clutch up in the drop ceiling drilling through a fire wall, caught rebar or something and spun the gun around and pinned my arm against a pipe. Thought I'd broke my arm but luckily just some bad bruises.

At home my most frequent injury is being an idiot and burning my fingers on hot sawzall or jigsaw blades.

Had a close call with an angle grinder several years ago, caught a hoodie string and walked right up in until the built-in fuse tripped about 3 inches from my chin. Since then I immediately take the hood strings out of all my hoodies as soon as I get them.

I feel like an idiot saying this, but the worst cut I ever had was from a freak incident with a spilled soda can.

I do this with the hoodie strings. Any lobby necklaces, rings, watches, etc especially around a running car.

 

[rockinacummins]

I’ve had a 4.5” cutoff wheel come apart and slash my arm open. I’ve gotten my fingers into the bench grinder and cut off saw when holding parts. Nothing bad enough to even need stitches though.

 

[AA/FC]

I've never been injured by a tool if I was using it properly

This^

I got some good stories but none of them were ultimately caused by the tool itself.

 

[AA/FC]

Does a trip to the ER to get the rust out of my eye that fell behind the damn safety glasses i was wearing?

I've had rust removed from my eye 2 or 3 times in my life. It's usually when I get a piece of metal in my eye and once the metal piece is removed, then they need to grind away the rust that was left behind on the surface of the eyeball. However, this thread is asking about tools that have hurt you, and in my situation it's never been caused by a tool. It's usually been entirely me fault. I wear full face shields now instead of safety glasses when cutting or grinding metal.... I'm tired of going to the eye doctor. lol

 

[dan360]

26 stitches above my left eye from a cheapo wedge that squished from the leverage and shot out from underneath a 250hp motor and reduction gearbox, hitting me in the welding hood and knocking me backwards off a stool. If I had not had my hood down it probably would've killed me. No more handmade wedges out of unknown steel types......

The MAC Tools AR777 3/8 air ratchet. The polar opposite of reactionless. Hold on! Smashed more fingers and put more knicks in the back of my hand with that than anything I have owned before or since.

 

[cgrutt]

Ran my hand into a dado blade on a radial arm saw once - was really lucky it just barely hit top of my middle finger and blew apart the tendon but didn't hit any bone. Wasn't the tools fault...

Used to install car stereos and have been twisted up more than a few times with a 5" or 6" hole saw cutting through door panels...

Fell back on a soldering iron with all my weight and seared the palm of my hand...

Was putting headers on my car and blew apart a Craftsman universal joint (by hand) - piece of chrome tore into my friend's eye he had 3 surgeries but still has eye and vision. That's the day I stopped using Craftsman and started buying Snap-on, LOL... I know it could have happened with any brand but just so happened to be Craftsman.

And I still love tools, ha, ha!!!

 

[McFarmer]

I put a new wire wheel on the bench grinder and was taking some rust off a tractor part.

Kept itching on my chest and stomach. Turned the grinder off and I looked like a pin cushion.

Good USA made wheel too.

 

[matt_i]

I was trying to loosen a bolt under the tractor once, it was something like a 1-1/8" hex. I didn't have enough arm strength to break it loose with a big box end. So I got the genius idea to rotate around, hold the wrench at arm's length and use my legs against the rear tire to get more torque. Of course I slipped off and jammed the whole thing into the bottom of my jaw at the speed of light which might have knocked me out for a second, in any case there were plenty of stars. No flesh wound but I stopped work until another day when I got a 3/4 drive socket and a 5ft cheater pipe on arm strength again and all was well. I was kind of impressed at my own stupidity on that one...

I've broken a few tools but never had one injure me that I can recall. The wheels on surface grinders scare me though...