Wood Zealot's Workshop

I knew that router bits were dangerous as they spin at speeds of 30,000 rpm. But did you know that bits traveling at 0 rpm can be quite dangerous as well? I learned this as I simply attempted to remove a bit that was stuck in it’s case. I had removed several simlilarly stuck bits with a rag as a buffer so I was confident that it wouldn’t be a problem (like a razor sharp carbide bit could cut cotton anyway). The smallish 1/4 straight bit was the one that attacked. Without any hesitation it jumped up and bit… SLICE… right through the rag and my finger… I’m not sure what occurred first, the nerves firing indicating pain to my brain or the realization that I just Forrest Gump’d myself. Then I could have sworn I heard someone yell “we got a bleeder!” as the mighty Nile began to flow.

The one opportunity that gumping myself provided was a chance to try out something that I had read in woodworking forums and that was to use super-glue to seal small wounds. This was the perfect application. It’s worked like a champ. Sealed the cut allowing me to use the hand without much problem at all.

Enjoy the bloody mess… I realize the pic of the original cut is poorly focused but I attribute that to bleeding-out at the time… and ohhh, it should be noted that in the isolation picture of the finger with the sealed wound, that the finger was indeed still attached to my hand at the time… although it does give a visual of the inevitable future.