One week later, I had the stitches taken out and it's healing nicely. He also dug out some shrapnel, the largest was a 1/4.' When I got back to the shop I found the hardwood block had a dent in the side, apparently from when it hit the floor, AFTER hitting me. Also fortunate that the doctor working there that day specialized in facial stitches and he got my patched up with 14 stitches and some glue. I was fortunate that the damage was all superficial with no bone, jaw, blood vessel or nerve damage. Ran to our first aid area calling out that I needed help, and before I knew it I was on my way to the ER. My head hanged down for a second and I felt my jaw dislocated, and saw my safety glasses and drops of blood hit the ground and thought '. I heard the blade catch the board and the strangely comical *bloop* of it bouncing off my face, and My brain was still thinking *trimming a board* while I turned around and realized what happened. It's odd how your brain reacts when there's an accident. There were many safer ways to fix it, including using a plainer, belt sander, or starting over running the board through the jointer or saw first and then parting them up, but I chose to pass the 4' blocks through the table saw. 4' square) on the chop saw, then found that they were too wide a couple ways. I was cutting a couple hardwood blocks (approx. Then a couple weeks ago I threw in some extra stupidity and paid the price. I've had a couple kick-backs, but they always hit my beltline and were easy to shake off.

Having a guard on the blade always seemed like a luxury that would get in the way more than help (that mindset has already changed, but Rome's OSHA compliance wasn't had in a day ). Our woodworking needs and skills have always been a little fast and loose as our primary task is crating machinery, building shop amenities, and the occasional weekend warrior endeavor. It's never had a blade guard on it since we had it. My dad bought it decades ago and it's been our main tool for ripping plywood and boards. So the saw is an old Craftsman 113.2999 (early 60's?) with a 1 HP motor. Hope no one minds the pictures, but I wanted to post in hopes someone might learn from my stupidity.

Repair old craftsman table saw