This is a Veteran Owned site

This story seemed like a better idea before I started running a $2000 + camera as close to a blade as I could. And for the "forum experts" I bolted the camera down to the boards rather than bare hand it. Go ahead and tell them that I did this all by hand, they are going to call me names anyway so we might as well have some fun with it. Click image to enlarge

If Fingers Had Eyes

You should see things from their perspective?

Text, photos and video by Tom Hintz

Posted – 3-28-2012

There has been a spate of “what if” stories floating around the woodworking community lately. Since I can’t see everyone being forced to work safer by the government or table saws disappearing from the scene I thought I'd write about something else that can’t happen – what our fingers would see if they had eyes. Whenever we talk shop safety our fingers are a primary concern because they are usually closest to the cutter. Of course we have to worry about eyes and everything else but just think of the view our fingers would get if they had eyes when we do something stupid.

I have received dozens of gory photos showing the aftermath of finger/blade contact so this story could have some utility in the real world. And no, I won’t be sending my fingers (eyes or not) that close to the blade so my ever-vigilant forum detractors can save their baited breath.

That is not to say that doing this story is without risk. To do this I have to send a camera worth thousands of dollars past several types of cutters way closer than I would put my fingers. If my site actually was bought and paid for by whatever big buck tool manufacturer the forum experts want to accuse of such under the table funding, this wouldn’t be a problem. But since that is as big of a fallacy as fingers with eyes and I pay all these bills myself, lots of caution ensued. If the spelling in this story deteriorates it’s because I am typing it with crossed fingers…..

So, sit back, watch the video and then count your fingers. If you still have ten be thankful and then go out to the shop and make some push handles. Or, find the ones that you have not been using!

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