Slight injury, but a reminder

M

Michael Minto

Guest
I'm sure everyone here has had belts break and come at them, doing hopefully only a little damage to you. Here's a photo of my very minor injury from a non-woven belt flying apart while I was using my grinder to polish up a blade. Surprising just how abrasive a belt like that can be as it destroys itself. It was making some odd noise, and I should have been more cautious.
 

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We can never be to careful or let our guard down for a second. I was tired the other night and for some reason I had 'rested' my right hand on the top of my KMG grinder as I turned the switch on with my left hand! Luckily no damage or injury.
 
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I built my KMG clone with a kill switch. I hear or feel something first thing I do is reach and slap the kill switch. However be sure you roll the belt all the way around a time or two. I had one recently that was making a sound. I shut down, rolled the belt around to check it and thought I had rolled the belt around at least one revolution. If I did I missed it. I couldn't see anything, so reached and fired it back up, when it got to speed I reached over on the bench where I had laid the knife and kapow!! The belt exploded. If I had not had to reach on the other bench I would have had just about enough time to start grinding and I would have caught the belt when it blew.
Now I stop and roll one and if I still don't see anything I take the belt off and really examine it. When the grinder noise changes you will hear, listen to that inner voice and shut down and look at it thoroughly!

I can't remember who it was but, I think it was on this forum. They had a belt blow and it wrapped itself around and over his arm. He said it hurt as bad as it looked. The arm was black and blue and red all over! Kind of looked like bruised hamburger!
 
I wear googles or a full face shield and wear a baseball type cap to use like a curb scraper for parking ;).. Belts can break, so I protect my eyes & face ,, I grind sitting down so my sweet face is closer to the action than most of yours.. The belts usually tell us if there is a problem .. let’s all please listen to them. ———————Also I never buy old unboxed belts at a estate sale etc cause I’ve seen that the tape!/Glue on them can go South & come apart at the worst moment !!
 
I wear googles or a full face shield and wear a baseball type cap to use like a curb scraper for parking ;).. Belts can break, so I protect my eyes & face ,, I grind sitting down so my sweet face is closer to the action than most of yours.. The belts usually tell us if there is a problem .. let’s all please listen to them. ———————Also I never buy old unboxed belts at a estate sale etc cause I’ve seen that the tape!/Glue on them can go South & come apart at the worst moment !!
When is a deal not a deal...lol
 
I think he means that bargain priced belts are not really a bargain when they fly apart in your face.

yes, let's lighten up, please. i rarely stay long on a forum because of ego issues - if i am incorrect about this in this post, i ask that you forgive me.
 
yes, let's lighten up, please. i rarely stay long on a forum because of ego issues - if i am incorrect about this in this post, i ask that you forgive me.
We don’t have ego issues or really any issues here. There was a guy once that just sliiiightly showed a glimpse of an issue and poof vanished lol. This community is the real deal. If anything EVER even seems disrespectful, it is a miscommunication. If it turns out to be disrespectful.... poof. Great group of people here.
 
Also I never buy old unboxed belts at a estate sale etc cause I’ve seen that the tape!/Glue on them can go South & come apart at the worst moment !!
Sorry Rhino! I should have only quoted that part I was commenting on! I've bought "new" old stuff before (not belts) and sometimes turned out not to be a very good deal because of failure.

Michael...I don't think anyone was gettin' an "attitude" (or ego-tude...lol) I just wasn't clear as to what I was commenting on.

My apologies...
 
I got a small plaque in my shop that says, "compliancy kills" it hangs right over my table saw. I have ran a table saw off and on nearly 40 some years at the time this accident happened. I had one small cut to make on a piece of 1/4" plywood. Instead of re-setting the guide I was more or less gonna free hand the last cut.
I knew better but I had done it many times before. Half way thru the pass the blade hit a hard spot and the piece now began to turn and I was cutting a half circle. The way I was standing I could not get to the kill switch, I tried. I was not about to let the board draw my hand into the saw, so I tried to turn the plywood even harder than it had already turned in an effort to jamb the blade and make the motor stop, or throw a belt.

That is when the piece of plywood exploded. A chunk came back and hit me in the chest, it left a mark 3/8" wide and about 6 " long. It hit right over my heart. Had the board turned 180* the jagged end with two or three inch spikes would have hit me in the chest!

I am still standing there after killing the saw and contemplating how damn close the was and I suddenly realize my nose is bleeding on the saw table. I reached up and I could feel something stuck in the bridge of my nose. I walked into the house and the nearest bathroom and in the mirror I see another mark that went right across my left eye and wood splinter the size of a number 2 pencil sticking out of the bridge of my nose.

Another inch one way or the other and it would have gotten one of my eyes. Not to mention if nearly got my left eye as is. I still have a scar in the bridge of my nose that reminds me every time I look in the mirror how close that was! ~ Moral of the story, is this when the little voice inside your head you shouldn't be doing this,.............. listen to it!!! You may have done it a thousand times but, all it takes is that one time for something to go wrong and you will know what I mean by "compliancy kills"!!!! You got more time than lives!!

I think I just remembered who it was that broke the belt, that wrapped around his arm. It was on anther forum if I can find the pic I will post it!!
 
I've had a few belts snap over the years, most on a Wilton Square Wheel machine, a couple on a Bader.
All but one gave the warning of a loud ticking noise giving me time to move to the side and let it fly.
One just blew out of nowhere and got me but didn't do any damage.

I know of one knifemaker who had one get loose on him and it cut his belly sending him to the hospital, after that one belt snap, he quit knifemaking and became a dealer, and still is.

I'll say this...you'll never forget anytime it happens, it's usually loud and pretty damn scary.
 
Cliff, years ago I was helping a co worker vent a gas water heater thru the second floor of a new construction house,
we needed a 5" hole thru 3/4" plywood.
after using a plumb bob to find the center, he drilled a pilot hole in the center, I asked him why he did that, his response was he was going to hook his finger thru it so when it dropped it wouldn't hit someone in the head.

I even asked him...why don't I just go down stairs and make sure it's clear. no....it'll be fine he says.
so after about half that circle was cut, the sawzall that he was running one handed jumped out of the cut and went right across the back of his hand.
Man.....that right there was UGLY....and bloody.
 
Sorry Rhino! I should have only quoted that part I was commenting on! I've bought "new" old stuff before (not belts) and sometimes turned out not to be a very good deal because of failure.
.I don't think anyone was gettin' an "attitude" (or ego-tude...lol) I just wasn't clear as to what I was commenting on.

My apologies...
Kevin & MICHAEL, No apologies needed! I thought you might of cross posted mean for another thread! It was late here and please except my apologies if I was sharp worded!
 
That is exactly why I recommend that the wheels and belt be located over open space. Then when (not if) a belt breaks it scoots across the floor behind the grinder and not running across the table, hitting the wall and coming back at you.
 
I’ve havent had a belt break yet! Which prompts me to ask this question - how tight do you run your belts? I just snug mine and really don’t put a lot of pressure on them.
 
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