kenlip
Silver Member
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2017
- Messages
- 224
- Location
- NSW Australia
- Tractor
- Kubota MX5100 with Challenge FEL and 4:1
Thanks, Wagtail.
It was to all intents and purposes built single-handedly, and I don't mean that I did it alone. I did it with ONE HAND.
I didn't own a table saw at that time, so I had to rip all the shelves on my radial-arm saw a dangerous activity at the best of times. After a long day doing this, I was making one of the last cuts and flicked away a small off-cut. Unfortunately, I didn't only flick the off-cut but also the rotating blade. NEVER WORK WITH POWER TOOLS WHEN TIRED!
I macerated the tips of the middle and ring fingers of my left hand. No pain at all - endorphins are amazing. Off to the hospital. The events at the hospital are a long story, with which I won't bore you. Eventually, when the plastic surgeon arrived, there was nobody to assist him in the emergency department operating theatre, so my wife assisted.
The bone on the ring finger was a big mess, so he wanted to remove down to the knuckle. She explained to him that I was a dentist, and begged him to preserve as much length as possible. To do this, he had to have the skin graft under a lot of tension, which resulted in the second worst pain I have ever experienced (a herniated disc was worse!).
I had only been qualified for six weeks, and had not organized insurance yet. Fortunately, the insurance company agreed to backdate my cover if I paid the premiums for the six weeks, which I naturally did. Those were the 'good old days' - couldn't happen today.
Naturally, I couldn't treat patients for a few weeks, so I had lots of time to devote to my tool cabinet project. With large Zimmer splints on my left hand, I basically had only my right hand with which to work. It took a 'bit' longer than expected, but eventually the project was completed.
It was to all intents and purposes built single-handedly, and I don't mean that I did it alone. I did it with ONE HAND.
I didn't own a table saw at that time, so I had to rip all the shelves on my radial-arm saw a dangerous activity at the best of times. After a long day doing this, I was making one of the last cuts and flicked away a small off-cut. Unfortunately, I didn't only flick the off-cut but also the rotating blade. NEVER WORK WITH POWER TOOLS WHEN TIRED!
I macerated the tips of the middle and ring fingers of my left hand. No pain at all - endorphins are amazing. Off to the hospital. The events at the hospital are a long story, with which I won't bore you. Eventually, when the plastic surgeon arrived, there was nobody to assist him in the emergency department operating theatre, so my wife assisted.
The bone on the ring finger was a big mess, so he wanted to remove down to the knuckle. She explained to him that I was a dentist, and begged him to preserve as much length as possible. To do this, he had to have the skin graft under a lot of tension, which resulted in the second worst pain I have ever experienced (a herniated disc was worse!).
I had only been qualified for six weeks, and had not organized insurance yet. Fortunately, the insurance company agreed to backdate my cover if I paid the premiums for the six weeks, which I naturally did. Those were the 'good old days' - couldn't happen today.
Naturally, I couldn't treat patients for a few weeks, so I had lots of time to devote to my tool cabinet project. With large Zimmer splints on my left hand, I basically had only my right hand with which to work. It took a 'bit' longer than expected, but eventually the project was completed.
