[AT] Shop Toys For Christmas ?

[Easley, Greg]

I used to do dumb stuff like that too.  Back when I was in high school I
worked on
a hay hauling crew when I wasn't busy helping Dad on the farm.  We used
self-propelled
wagons that had a big conveyor snoot on the front that picked up the
bales and ran
them to the rear of the wagon bed for stacking.  Those things had to
have been designed
by Satan himself.  Chains and sprockets everywhere and not a guard
covering any of them.

One day during a water break one of the guys on our crew stuck his hand
out to lean
against the bed frame, but he didn't look where he was going and stuck
his hand into
a running chain.  Naturally it pulled his hand through the sprocket.  He
hadn't removed
his gloves so it was real easy to find his fingers.

A few seconds of planning can prevent a lifetime of grief.  That kid was
an all-state
high school quarterback down in Texas, and yes, it was his throwing hand
that got
mangled.  He was set to go play college football at one of the big
schools down there.
I think they let him keep his scholarship, but he wasn't able to throw a
football anymore.

That deal woke me up.

I've got more sets of safety glasses than I can count.  I leave one or
two everywhere
that they're needed so I don't have to go looking when I need them.  Dad
and I have
worked real hard to teach my boys how to be safe in the shop.  If we
jack it up we crib
under it, if it throws sparks or chips we wear safety glasses, if we
fire up the torch
we wear goggles and gloves.  A little common sense and forethought go a
long way.


Greg
http://www.geocities.com/heartland/woods/1416



>The 18 year old son of a friend of ours "always" used jack stands
"except 
>once"...Was working on a car in the tool shed one night and "just once"
didn't use a jack >stand... Car fell, cracked his gourd pretty badly... 
>Amazingly he lived and fully recovered. Now I'm sure he "ALWAYS" uses
jack stands. How
>many of us do something dangerous "just once"? I know I do now and then
especially out in >the field where there are no jack stands etc. I know
a few guys that never use any safety >stuff and constantly take chances.
I also used to know a few like that but ...
>
>
>
>"farmer"