It's said that you must live and learn, but trust me, it's much easier to listen, learn, then apply the lesson to your situation.
The lesson you'll learn here... safety needs to be on the mind of anyone about to tackle a do it yourself project.
The teacher... a weekend warrior who should have known better, me.
So resist the urge to turn away in horror because you're about to venture in to the "Highlight Zone".
After years of doing my own home repairs and renovations I had become quite confident and lax in my handling of power tools.
Then one day a flirtation with chance ended with a close call that almost ended in a self inflicted lobotomy.
Being a girl,I never learned the basics of tool shed safety, I was never offered a shop class in school, nor did my dad offer to teach me the ropes (until he saw I had a special talent for carpentry).
So it was inevitable that one day I would find myself at the wrong end of a drill.
I was in a hurry to finish up a job. My husband would be coming home soon and would be looking for dinner, and my daughters were bouncing around the room to get my attention.
However at the moment, I was on my back, looking up at the last four holes I needed to pre-drill under a built in computer stand I was making. It was a very small task all I had to do was attach an L-bracket to secure the back end of the desk to a drawer unit. Then the entire project would be done.
It would take about 2 minutes at most. So I figured, why put all my equipment away? I would only to have to haul it back out in the morning. I could whip this and still have time to wash up.
The afternoon of sliding in and out under the desk mangled my once neat ponytail. But, I was too lazy and tired to tie up the static filled strands that defied gravity and arched around my head.
I brushed the hair out of my face, and grabbed my drill.
I'd also taken off my prescription safety glasses just a few minutes before to answer the phone, and didn't feel like sliding out from under the desk to get them.
It was a mistake that made me blinded to the shadow of death looming above... smiling... waiting.
The first hole was a snap. The second, directly over me was a perfect line up. I pulled the trigger of the drill.
YIKES!
Dust filled my eyes. I mashed my free hand over my squeezed eyelids, and rubbed. I scooted up on my elbows to try to turn around, is if the dust would just fall out.
If only I had put the drill down first.
Iguess I'd forgotten it was in my hand. It didn't take long to remember it.
The bit was close enough to my head to catch the electrically charged tangles that seemed to reach for it's neutral metal shaft. I felt caught, and for some strange reason my finger pulled the trigger and...
SCHWING! the dead end of the drill bit caught my hair and wound up tightly against my temple.
Lucky for me, my dad was right next to the power cord when he heard me scream...
"PULL THE PLUG!"
You see, variable speed drills come to a painfully slow halt, and stopping the electrical flow quickly, saved me from a very plausible and horrific death, or a nasty injury.
Freak accident...no.
Stupidity...I hate to admit it...but, yes.
Lessons here :
Take your time.
Wear goggles and any other safety gear that might apply.
Keep hair and clothing managed and away from tools.
And it doesn't hurt to keep a level headed partner close at hand.
Other things to consider:
Kids and Pets are not only distracting, but they can also trip over cords bringing you or them closer to harm.
Make sure you use stable surfaces when using any powered or manual equipment and tools including ladders, wheel barrels (a full one can break a foot if it falls over), pulleys ( ex: set in rotted timbers).
A good idea is to keep a bucket or box handy to place plugged in but MOMENTARILY not in use power tools. It will keep them from being bumped into action.
And finally..always unplug when you're done.
Since that day I never go near a tool without significant amount thought about safety, especially around circular saws.
Can you imagine a tangle in that?
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