I Finally Injured Myself While Woodworking

Small cuts, splinters and the occasional smashed finger. That's pretty much the extent of the injuries that I have sustained in the garage over the past few years. Nothing too serious. But I knew it was bound to happen at one point in time. That time officially came this past Saturday when I inevitably injured myself enough on a woodworking project that I had to go see a doctor. It was a stupid mistake. I felt rushed and it caused an injury.

Being on the final leg of a section of one of my projects and wanting it to be done, I grabbed one of my freshly-sharpened chisels to remove some material on the stop block of my miter saw. The piece I was attempting to remove was only a quarter-inch thick. I figured a couple of passes with the chisel would be sufficient enough to get the job done. But on the second pass of the chisel at hand pressure, the grain of the wood gave way and the chisel was on its way to my finger.

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It happened fast, but it didn't hurt. Thankfully, I keep my chisels super-sharp at all times, so the cut was clean. I'll spare all of you the photo of the injury, but a trip to Banner Urgent Care in Greeley was definitely in order. As gentle as the doctor could be with a half-inch gash, it still hurt like hell when the laceration was flushed. I couldn't watch, but my wife did. She says the wound was definitely deeper than we thought. Three stitches later, we were on our way out and heading home.

I am hoping that I do not have nerve damage in my finger, but it could be a possibility. The tip of my right index finger is tingly and all but numb at this point. There is a first for everything, but I am hoping that an incident like this is my last. Rushing a project and razor-sharp tools simply don't mix.