26/06/2024
Today's I'd like to focus on probably the most important tool of all.....our hands!
TLDR - hand are easily injured, take care of them!!
I work for the NHS during my day job, supporting the amazing Occupational and Physio therapists who deliver rehab to our patients (I am not a clinician).
has an amazing Regional rehabilitation center ( ) for multiple trauma patients as well as a hand therapy team as part of the Plastic outpatient service. Both these teams have dedicated specialist hand therapists who provide to patients receiving hand injuries.
What has this got to do with turning you maybe asking? Well as you can see from the anatomical images all the major mechanics (nerves, tendons arteries etc) literally lie just below the skin and are vulnerable to damage.
I slipped tightening a forstner but in the Jacobs chuck and opened my knuckle up on the tool rest.
Before you rush to judge I moved the banjo out of the way of the timber, but left the tool rest in the banjo, assessed the risk and concluded it was in a safe position that I wouldn't catch myself when drilling.
The fact the chuck key slipped as I tightened the Jacobs chuck was a freak accident but I ended up on the receiving end of our specialist hand therapists who had to treat the wound and assess the damage.
I was about 0.3mm away from severing the tendon that ran over the top of the knuckle. Fortunately I was lucky, but it has driven home to me how very easy it is to damage our hands and how much we rely upon them.
I have swapped from metal rings to silicone rings as the threat of degloving (where the skin and flesh is removed from a finger) is enough to think about safety.
Please, please, please take care of these tools, you only get one pair and you can't pick up a replacement from your tool supplier.
