But that made me giggle like a schoolgirl.
I've heard more people are hurt each year by angle grinders than any other tool.
I've only been hurt by two power tools: one was a drill, it slipped off the screw and made the pad of my finger into hamburger.
The other was my table saw, twice. Both kickback events that threw wood at my abdomen. I'm a pretty careful user, definitely not a cowboy. Mistakes are easy to make. I'm very careful with my fingers, at least!
Angle grinders are used a lot on jobsites by jabronis who like to remove the guard and suchlike.
In the workshop I'd be most careful around the bandsaw to be honest. It's slow moving and doesn't make much noise, but will cut through three fingers before you notice the pain. At least table saws and friends have a tendency to bounce off of bone so you don't tend to end up with full on amputations.
Kickback is somewhat nonintuitive though, so watch for that!
And homeowners putting sawblades on them. Eek!
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3022661/husband-killed-when-he...
How does a handheld danger that can move around or be dropped compare to a heavy, stationary danger that's in a predictable location?
How does one big danger rank against several smaller dangers? What about a clearly obvious danger vs a less obvious one?
Which safety procedures can you assume to be followed? Welders wear a mask and gloves at all times, but not everyone using a table saw uses a pushing stick.
How much experience and skill should you expect the users have? Users who are expecting a tool to buck or bind will be ready for it - does it matter that inexperienced users might not be ready?
If two tools are equally dangerous in a spacious workshop, but one can also be used up ladders and upside-down in crawlspaces, is it more dangerous because of that?
Do you just rank classic tools like hammers and drills, or do you have a broader definition? Is a ladder a tool, for purposes of the ranking? Is a car?
Ah yes, simply don't make any mistakes ever ;-P
Fair enough though. I suppose the thing that makes table saws / routers / etc seem safer -- to me at least -- is because they look and sound scary. An untrained novice is much more likely to be careless around a band saw than around a table saw.
None of them sound like the router though. It's a banshee from a nightmare. I don't even like using it when it's mounted.
The router, even when you do all the above, it can jump, it can throw material off, it keeps spinning for a surprisingly long time after you power it off. All these characteristics make it less predictable. You need to understand it at a somewhat deeper level, how much can you cut, what direction to go, what direction is the grain going. You need to hold/brace it understanding that it can be unexpected and has a lot more power than you think. That's what makes it a more dangerous tool. Ofcourse properly used - it's fine.
No, but it was an unfortunate incident involving some nails.
And I promise, I'll try to scale to my sarcasm.
Yep. It's indeed possible.
Some best practices I recall growing up with:
Eyes, ears, feet, and lung protection.
Loose hair, jewelry, clothing anti-snag policy.
Keep body out of the kill line of potential RUDs.
Keep dust contained.
Keep fresh air moving toward you.
Push sticks, finger boards, and keep your tender bits out of the business end.
For circular saws, there is SawStop. https://www.sawstop.com/why-sawstop/the-technology/
Don't rush or work tired.
---
As blue collar guys, there are some risks my dad and grandfather didn't account for such as dipping their hands in and breathing carcinogenic solvents. In general, it's wiser to overdo PPE than play hard tough guy and shortening one's life for nothing. Safety regs are written in blood, but only after the fact.
Don't do your own rigging or wiring, and you'll probably be fine. I do much of my own on both and I'm still ok.
Watch the tommy bar on your vise, and mind your marking knife. The apparently harmless things will get you because you pay them less mind.
Source: am a furniture maker. I still have 10 fingers. Haven't died of respiratory illness yet. Nor have I burned my shit down or crushed myself moving machinery. I have definitely made an unplanned trip for super glue after slicing myself with a marking knife.