• I want to thank all the members that have upgraded your accounts. I truly appreciate your support of the site monetarily. Supporting the site keeps this site up and running as a lot of work daily goes on behind the scenes. Click to Support Signs101 ...

Suggestions Don't be like me...

B

bannertime

Active Member
Use a safety ruler.

Did it again last night. Trying to rush a job out so I wouldn't have to come in early this morning. Sliced about a quarter inch thick chunk off my thumb. My hand wasn't sticking out, but I wasn't paying attention and the knife (led by my trusty right hand) jumped the ruler and sliced 'er up real good.

Now, I've been trimming banners for as long as I can remember; ever since I could stand on a stool and see over the work table. I can count on one hand (at least while I still have all my fingers) the number of times that I've cut myself. Ever time I think I'm going to switch to only using a safety ruler. I always tell employees that they HAVE to use safety rulers any time they cut with a knife. Then it always gets me when I get complacent. They taught us that in the Army, complacency gets you killed. It sure does.
 
ddarlak

ddarlak

Go Bills!
I left my yellow safety ruler at a job site recently, I tried to get it back but it disappeared.

I tried to get a new one, but couldn't find one just like I lost and gave up.

Got a nice cut to my finger yesterday trying to show my son how to cut something.....haven't done that in a while...
 
T

TimToad

Active Member
ddarlak said:
I left my yellow safety ruler at a job site recently, I tried to get it back but it disappeared.

I tried to get a new one, but couldn't find one just like I lost and gave up.

Got a nice cut to my finger yesterday trying to show my son how to cut something.....haven't done that in a while...
Click to expand...

Hopefully, he didn't tease you the rest of the day. Here's to Krazy glue and bandaids. Have a good holiday and hope you heal fast.
 
T

TimToad

Active Member
bannertime said:
Use a safety ruler.

Did it again last night. Trying to rush a job out so I wouldn't have to come in early this morning. Sliced about a quarter inch thick chunk off my thumb. My hand wasn't sticking out, but I wasn't paying attention and the knife (led by my trusty right hand) jumped the ruler and sliced 'er up real good.

Now, I've been trimming banners for as long as I can remember; ever since I could stand on a stool and see over the work table. I can count on one hand (at least while I still have all my fingers) the number of times that I've cut myself. Ever time I think I'm going to switch to only using a safety ruler. I always tell employees that they HAVE to use safety rulers any time they cut with a knife. Then it always gets me when I get complacent. They taught us that in the Army, complacency gets you killed. It sure does.
Click to expand...

I'm actually the outlier around here. I have decades more experience than my wife or our employees who just use the flat silver rulers I always use the safety rulers out of long running knowledge of how easy it is to get distracted and try not to jump on them when they inevitably cut themselves.

Hope you're ok and can enjoy a break on Thursday. Maybe someone else should carve the bird this year. LOL
 
B

bannertime

Active Member
ddarlak said:
I left my yellow safety ruler at a job site recently, I tried to get it back but it disappeared.

I tried to get a new one, but couldn't find one just like I lost and gave up.

Got a nice cut to my finger yesterday trying to show my son how to cut something.....haven't done that in a while...
Click to expand...

Isn't that the worst? Also, we kind of like the Sooper Edge rulers. Only complaint is that the edge doesn't actually touch the material so it's pretty easy to get wavy cuts if you aren't holding the knife straight.
 
B

bannertime

Active Member
TimToad said:
I'm actually the outlier around here. I have decades more experience than my wife or our employees who just use the flat silver rulers I always use the safety rulers out of long running knowledge of how easy it is to get distracted and try not to jump on them when they inevitably cut themselves.

Hope you're ok and can enjoy a break on Thursday. Maybe someone else should carve the bird this year. LOL
Click to expand...

Yeah! I'm all good. Finished the night strong with sterile bandage and a bunch of tape. Probably worst I've had. Actually cut into the nail about an 1/8th inch. Was going a tad too fast! Thankfully I'm still the youngest of the adult males so carving duties aren't mine yet.
 
T

TimToad

Active Member
bannertime said:
Yeah! I'm all good. Finished the night strong with sterile bandage and a bunch of tape. Probably worst I've had. Actually cut into the nail about an 1/8th inch. Was going a tad too fast! Thankfully I'm still the youngest of the adult males so carving duties aren't mine yet.
Click to expand...

Cool. Glad it's not too serious.

We keep some of that stuff WoundSeal in our First Aid kit and its saved the day a few times.
 
B

bannertime

Active Member
TimToad said:
We keep some of that stuff WoundSeal in our First Aid kit and its saved the day a few times.
Click to expand...

While clotting powder is good stuff and totally fine for small cuts, I use hemostatic gauze. The powder can cause more damage to more severe gashes. Also, EMTs and ER staff tend to get pissed when you use the powder. Much harder to clean out. You pack a wound with gauze and they can just pull it out. For small cuts, you just lay it over the cut and throw some tape over it. Three medical things I always keep in my car: tourniquets, Celox gauze, and emergency bandages. You can hold off just about any external life threatening injury with that.
 
Billct2

Billct2

Active Member
Yep, worst was when I was slicing some vinyl between lines of text and somehow slipped and stuck the xacto in my gut...
 
rydods

rydods

Member for quite some time.
I used to have a bad habit of holding my xacto while I would pull off transfer tape, just in case there were bubbles and I could get them right away. Got my bicep...could have been my jugular. I find myself still doing it and I immediately get a sick feeling in my stomach, almost like when you look at a text while driving.
 
JTBoh

JTBoh

I sell signage and signage accessories.
I've dropped an xacto from my front shirt pocket into my main arm vein... that bled a lot (all over a sterile mens health clinic, the day before it opened). I don't keep knives in my front shirt pocket anymore.

I've also drilled into my thigh with a 3/16" bit, bout a 1/2" deep. I was pushing it with no leverage, in a stupid position, on a ladder. That bled a lot too.
 
E

equippaint

Active Member
JTBoh said:
I've dropped an xacto from my front shirt pocket into my main arm vein... that bled a lot (all over a sterile mens health clinic, the day before it opened). I don't keep knives in my front shirt pocket anymore.

I've also drilled into my thigh with a 3/16" bit, bout a 1/2" deep. I was pushing it with no leverage, in a stupid position, on a ladder. That bled a lot too.
Click to expand...
Drill bit in the finger (or anywhere really) is a real SOB. I prefer a clean cut myself.
 
JTBoh

JTBoh

I sell signage and signage accessories.
Also, some dumba$$ at Stanley thought it would be a good idea to make a staple gun that shot staples out the bottom, instead of the top. It was fun pulling a staple out of my pinky bone.

For all the stupid s**t I've done, I consider myself lucky I didn't get hurt a LOT worse than I did. I got out of construction because signs was safer. At least I don't have to worry so much about power tools and electrocutions as much nowadays.
 
DerbyCitySignGuy

DerbyCitySignGuy

New Member
bannertime said:
Use a safety ruler.

Did it again last night. Trying to rush a job out so I wouldn't have to come in early this morning. Sliced about a quarter inch thick chunk off my thumb. My hand wasn't sticking out, but I wasn't paying attention and the knife (led by my trusty right hand) jumped the ruler and sliced 'er up real good.

Now, I've been trimming banners for as long as I can remember; ever since I could stand on a stool and see over the work table. I can count on one hand (at least while I still have all my fingers) the number of times that I've cut myself. Ever time I think I'm going to switch to only using a safety ruler. I always tell employees that they HAVE to use safety rulers any time they cut with a knife. Then it always gets me when I get complacent. They taught us that in the Army, complacency gets you killed. It sure does.
Click to expand...

Oof. I did that a couple years ago. Good news: it mostly grows back! I've got a slight flat spot and a nice pea-sized scar on the tip of my thumb now as a reminder to use safety rulers.

[Edit: Was just thinking about it and it was actually about nine years ago. Not great with time.]

JTBoh said:
Also, some dumba$$ at Stanley thought it would be a good idea to make a staple gun that shot staples out the bottom, instead of the top. It was fun pulling a staple out of my pinky bone.

For all the stupid s**t I've done, I consider myself lucky I didn't get hurt a LOT worse than I did. I got out of construction because signs was safer. At least I don't have to worry so much about power tools and electrocutions as much nowadays.
Click to expand...

I've got a "cool" staple scar that looks like dimples in my finger. That thing went ALL THE WAY in, so I know how much fun that is.

A few months ago, I was doing something very stupid and was thinking to myself, "man, I always get hurt when I do stuff like this" and lo and behold, ended up splitting my thumb straight down the middle, around my nail down to the cuticle (blade followed the finger nail instead of splitting it, thankfully). My thumb is still numb. That was the dumbest thing I've done in at least 10 years. Was also training a new guy. :rolleyes: Not a great look.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top