Man eating grinder

upnover

upnover

Grumpy, decrepit Old Man
Moderator
Joined
Mar 20, 2005
Location
Morganton NC
Well yesterday just like every other day in recent past, I am under my Jeep, trying to get everything ready for Tellico and the Dixie Run.

Last year, I had a friend helping me to get ready to go some where. My traction bar was needing some TLC so he "fixed" it for me. I didn't know to what extent!

Seems he laid about 2" thick weld in it acting as a gusset. Sawzall, grinder were my tools of destruction. I had a head full of grinder dust, hot shavings from the Sawzall, and was making little progress. I decided I needed a cup of coffee, we were out of milk, so Leslie is heading off to the store, while I continued to grind away. Just as she was leaving, the grinder, which was locked on, must have got bound up, and jerked out of my hands. 1 min later and I would have been alone.

Still locked on, it danced around under the Jeep. I was trying to get out of the way, but, it was faster. It got my wrist, and yeah, looks like I had had enough of the Jeep and tried to end it all, got my middle back just at my belt line, and my side mid ways up.

It stopped eating at me when it wound up in my shirt and the turning stopped. I ended up with some pretty good rash, and a shredded shirt.

This was the first time this has happened to me, just, just a warning, be careful!
 
Joel doesn't call them ankle grinders for nothing!!

Just got me a Makita grinder, wife has threatened to take it away if I don't follow ALL safety proceedures.
 
mbalbritton said:
Joel doesn't call them ankle grinders for nothing!!

Just got me a Makita grinder, wife has threatened to take it away if I don't follow ALL safety proceedures.
Click to expand...

Well the grinder of topic was a Makita! LOL

No disc guard, it inpeeds tight areas, no handle for the same reason:shaking:

A suit of armour and gloves would have been handy. Thank goodness Leslie was still there to unplug it.
I think it scared her more than me.
 
MAN EATING GRINDER, woman eats hoagie. Details inside!

Glad you're OK. I'm a big proponent of leaving guards on grinders for reasons such as this and exploding disks. I've honestly never had a spot so tight that I had any more hope of getting the grinder in there without the guard than with it. Something else that might have helped was if you had blown the extra cash on a grinder with a paddle switch. That's what we use at work, and I think that's the direction I'm going next time I buy a grinder for home.

Anyway, we want pics of the damage, and maybe the offending weld joint!
 
catfishblues said:
Glad you're OK. I'm a big proponent of leaving guards on grinders for reasons such as this and exploding disks. I've honestly never had a spot so tight that I had any more hope of getting the grinder in there without the guard than with it. Something else that might have helped was if you had blown the extra cash on a grinder with a paddle switch. That's what we use at work, and I think that's the direction I'm going next time I buy a grinder for home.
Anyway, we want pics of the damage, and maybe the offending weld joint!
Click to expand...


This was just a very awkward place to get to. I have one grinder that doesn't have a lock, but it's so long hard to get in tight places. I cuss it all the time because of the trigger is on the handle where you pick it up. All my other grinders have locks on them.

Pics of my back, hmmm that's scary LOL
and the junk is gone so it's not there to snap a pic of.
 
Guy I work with had a 4.5in with a flap wheel on it grab like that and it kicked back and went up across the side of his face in a s pattern where he was trying to turn away from it. Luckly he had no major injurys just busted lip and a nasty looking rash up his noise.
 
I had my grinder going last week with a flap disk. i was finished but I had stepped on the cord. When I pulled the grinder up it, of course, got hung and my hand went right into it. I got a really nice gash in the top of my finger which is just now healing up. Grinders are nasty pieces of equipment that most folks don't think much of until they get bit.
 
I love my Milwaukee because it has a paddle handle with a separate lock button, and a pushbutton to turn the guard. These two features are probably the only reason I still have 2 eyes and 10 fingers.
 
upnover said:
Sawzall, grinder were my tools of destruction. I had a head full of grinder dust, hot shavings from the Sawzall, and was making little progress.
Click to expand...

FYI this is why I will (should!!) NEVER ask you to participate in an MRI-based research study.... mmm giant maget, tiny metal shavings....

Because of what I do professionally (hang out around big-ass supermagnets) I'm super-paranoid about doing any kind of metal work. I alway wear a full face sheild (HF clear plastic deally) when grinding, garb up when welding. It really bugs me that my $9 HF grinder dosn't have the above mentioned rocker switch. But for the money you can't expect much!
 
RatLabGuy said:
FYI this is why I will (should!!) NEVER ask you to participate in an MRI-based research study.... mmm giant maget, tiny metal shavings....
Click to expand...


I'm safe, LOL couldn't anyway. Have a steel plate in my neck and four screws. But they give an awesome glow in an X-ray
 
upnover said:
I'm safe, LOL couldn't anyway. Have a steel plate in my neck and four screws. But they give an awesome glow in an X-ray
Click to expand...

Actually I'd bet that plate is titanium, more common these days... stronger, lasts longer, lower artifact on scanners... and brings in nice $$$ from the insurrance company...

If it IS steel, unless it was put in >30 years ago or so or done at Backwoord Medical, it'll at least be stainless... in which case it's technically "safe" for the MRI in an emergency, but migt get a little warm/uncomfortable... but the artifact would be so bad is the image was of anything between you nose and nipples it'd be pointless.
 
Damn Chip, If I had known about your neck, I would have taken it easy on you when you tried to block me from getting my door prize...:lol:

Glad Leslie hadn't left yet (better buy her something shiny as a thank you). Be careful under the Jeep. I think it is trying to get you back for the years of use and abuse.

Something tells me the bed in the back of the van is going to be a little less comfortable this week.
 
RatLabGuy said:
Actually I'd bet that plate is titanium, more common these days... stronger, lasts longer, lower artifact on scanners... and brings in nice $$$ from the insurrance company...
If it IS steel, unless it was put in >30 years ago or so or done at Backwoord Medical, it'll at least be stainless... in which case it's technically "safe" for the MRI in an emergency, but migt get a little warm/uncomfortable... but the artifact would be so bad is the image was of anything between you nose and nipples it'd be pointless.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, they never said it was titanium, so not sure. What I was actually told was " a metal plate" sooooo
It was done 11 or so years ago at Mission Hospital in Asheville.

uglyjeepoffroad said:
Damn Chip, If I had known about your neck, I would have taken it easy on you when you tried to block me from getting my door prize...:lol:
Glad Leslie hadn't left yet (better buy her something shiny as a thank you). Be careful under the Jeep. I think it is trying to get you back for the years of use and abuse.
Something tells me the bed in the back of the van is going to be a little less comfortable this week.
Click to expand...

No harm no foul. About the only time it bothers me is extreme weather changes and laying under the Jeep holding it up in the air, reaching, ummmm kinda like what I have been doing the last few weeks. ummm I think I need some acetaminophen.

Oh and sleep was fine last night. Leslie doctored me up good. Now when I pull off the bandage might be another story, that S#$t pulls out all the hair it contacts!
The van sleeps wonderfully compared to on the ground in a sleeping bag!
 
That's rough man. I was helping my dad with his cage and the grinder drove a shard into the joint on one of his fingers. Less than 5 minutes later the other grinder clipped my fingernail and drove 3 shards between my nail and my finger (I had to use a razor to cut my nail back to get them out).

Those things are bloodthirsty!
 
upnover said:
Hmmm, they never said it was titanium, so not sure. What I was actually told was " a metal plate" sooooo
It was done 11 or so years ago at Mission Hospital in Asheville.
Click to expand...

Well... if you get really bored one day, take the magnet out of some old hard drives (those things are really strong for their size - very pure) and see if they stick to yer kneck, lol. Could be entertaining!
 
I still have that POS trigger lock grinder. Everytime I pick it up I think about all the fun I had leaving a trail of blood up the driveway, into the garage, and into the kitchen. This is just another reminder to me to get rid of it and get a better one.

Glad you weren't home alone Chip and that things turned out ok so you can laugh about it. :beer:
 
Man! Hope yer okay!

I have an old Makita with the on/off switch. What a stupid idea! I have a wire wheel in that one now! I much prefer the paddle type. They'll still bite, but not for as long!

Get healed up for the Dixie Run weekend trip!:rolleyes:
 
Back
Top