Sunday, May 3, 2009

Safety's No Joke

My terrier/chihuahua mix, Daisy, who fancies herself a Rhodes Scholar, thought she'd play a trick on me with a handsaw that she fashioned from a piece of cardboard and aluminum foil.

Safety's not funny, Daisy. No one's laughing.

Making light of safety, horsing around in the workshop, playing "catch the circular saw blade" with your buddy or "pin the 6-penny nail on the spinning lathepiece"...that's how accidents happen.

While we all want to enjoy our time in the shop, we must continually be aware of potentially dangerous situations.

Like the guy who cut his thumb off three times on the bandsaw (as told to me by a mutual friend).

I'll give you one, maybe two, but if you cut your thumb off and have it reattached three times, you either need to take up word search puzzles as a hobby or you deserve the nickname "Blunder Thumb," "You could kick my butt at Nintendo cuz only one thumb works," or "Non-opposable Ninny."

We should strive to be more like Rosie, my Cairn terrier, who always practices shop safety. And although she may be a few kibbles short of a full bowl, she does still have both her dewclaws.

Happy Woodworkers Safety Week!

Woodworkers Safety Week is the brainchild of Marc Spagnuolo, The Wood Whisperer.

19 comments:

  1. I am truly impressed and speechless! What a wonderful post!

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  2. Girl, you're just plain crazy! :)

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  3. As a former Safety Professional I can attest to the number of times that a moments inattention, or a momentary disregard for safety can result in the loss of something as small as the tip of your finger, or the loss of life.

    Safety glasses always, respirator when necessary, and 100% attention all the time.

    Regards,
    Albert
    The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles.
    The Range Reviews: Tactical.
    Proud Member of Outdoor Bloggers Summit.

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  4. Rosie certainly has a superior look about her. She could be the poster dog for the manufacturer of the safety glasses.

    Bob

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  5. Kari--you managed to make safety awareness adorable! How did you get them to hold still?

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  6. The Village IdiotMay 4, 2009 at 12:16 AM

    I just want to know how you got the toolbelt to fit around Rosie's belly? Tell Rosie I'm just kidding! She is one of the best dogs I know.

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  7. Don't forget the hearing protection! I was thinking about blogging about safety, but this one takes the cake!

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  8. Doug, thanks!

    Dave, admittedly.

    Albert, thanks for chiming in. And I would add that we should never work when we're tired.

    Bob, I thought so, too! She looks triumphant.

    Naomi, Daisy's a piece of cake; she'll do anything for a treat. Rosie, on the other hand....

    Scott, let's just say, that's one of my dad's old belts.

    Frontier Carpenter, ha ha! They don't work very well, though.

    TGEA, it was hard enough to get Rosie to sit with glasses on. :o) You should blog about safety--there are lots of bloggers who are posting about it this week.

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  9. I am surprised and horrified at the same time. No hearing protection. No dust protection. And what about allergic reactions to rosewood? I've ordered a tyvek doggie suit, one for each. Please be sure to use the suits in the future when your apprentices are at work.

    Gary

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  10. Kari,

    Is Daisy demonstrating improper use of a back saw?

    Rosie does appear to have a bit of a smirk or a wry look on her face, like maybe you took it a little too far with the dewclaws comment...

    Wonderful stuff, VC.

    Ethan

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  11. LOL @ Gary and Ethan! You guys crack me up.

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  12. By the way, Kari...

    I'm surprised you fell for the "three thumb" story. How can someone cut off three thumbs when we only have two?

    I mean, I've heard of people with six digits on a hand before, but it is generally a small appendage by the pinkie finger, not an additional thumb.

    You'd think they could have come up with a better story.

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  13. You are out of your mind Kari!

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  14. Kari - In the UK we have a organisation to deal with folk such as yourself. It's called the RSPCBD (Royal Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Bench Dogs)
    Bonkers! - Rob

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  15. LOL@Ethan!

    Shazza, indeed.

    Rob, I've found my people! :o)

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  16. I truly appreciate anyone who can discuss an important topic while adding a bit of humor. Too often we tune out the instruction before they even get started. I kept reading ahead to see how you were going to tie it all together.

    Great job!

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  17. Thanks, G Gordon! My dogs did not find as much humor in it as I did, however. They just wanted their treat.

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  18. Thanks Kari,
    That's the best Safety Week post I've seen yet!

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