OUCH!!!!

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OKLAHOMAN

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Well I finslly did it.Had my first accident in the shop last night.I use a bench drill press to mill my blanks and almost always use a pair of plyers to hold the blank while milling and press upwards into the mill.Notice that I said almost always.I was in a rush last night to mill 10 blanks and on the very first blank I forgot the plyers(read:to lazy to look for them).Well while pressing the blank into the mill my hand slipped and sliced my thumb wide open.lesson learned!Of course its my left hand and I'm a lefty.
 
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Roy, Roy....so glad you still have your finger[:p] After having a fight with the band saw (saw won) I now have a fearful respect for all the tools we use. Glad your OK!
 
Roy, that EXACT same thing happened to me about a week ago... my thumb is finally healing up but man did it hurt for a while! hope yours is better soon... and yeah, let's get on those pliers!
 
Well, first I wish you well in healing up quickly. Second, I would seriously sugggest the use of proper tools like a pen vise to hold the blank - you will always get a better square edge as well. I am glad you didn't post any photos of the carnage.

Keep the wound clean and dust free and you will get over this serious castrophe rather quickly.

BTW, many of us have done the same thing at one time in our shop. We are just too embarassed to admit it. [:D]
 
You didn't finish the story - did you get the 10 pens done?

Hope your thumb heals quickly!

I always wear a face shield. After 14 months of turning, it finally paid off. An acrylic blank shattered and a chunk bounced off my shield. Reinforced my resolve to avoid danger.

Chris
 
Paul remember your the one who sharpened the mill and I(my thumb[:(]) can attest to the fact that its still sharp[:D]Also no I did'nt mill the rest of the blanks untill today and yes I set up a vise on my bench top press just for milling.
Originally posted by Paul in OKC
<br />Hope you heal quick, Roy. I started to cringe when I got to the pen mill prt. OUCH.
 
Roy,
First off, I hope you heal well and fast.
Second, I'm embarrased to say, I have had similar incedents (yes, plural). I have had more nicks and cuts from my penmill than all other tools and scenarios in the shop. I will no longer do more than lightly clean up a fully or nearly finished blank with a panmill, while holding it in my hand. Since making that rule for myself I have not had one mishap.
 
Roy,
I also "most of the time" use pliers, and keep two pair right next to the drill press for that purpose... but on ocasion will be in hurry and just hold it with my hand.. haven't cut myself yet, but I've lost the grip on the blank and nearly taken my thumb off a few times... I'm not lefty, but tend to use the left for lots of things.. I seem to keep the left thumb jammed or sore about half the time now.
 
Sorry about the thumb. All I can say is, you are not alone. If enough people post the "being in a rush" thing, maybe it will sink into my (and all of ours) head.
 
My son is an emergency room physician. He worries about me having a workshop. He sees quite a few workshop accidents every month. And, according to him, they all have one thing in common: Every patient says, "I never do it that way, but just this one time......".
Sorry to hear about your injury. Heal quickly.
 
Sorry to hear of your injury, Roy. I do hope you heal quicly and have no permanent damage.

Now, I would like to ask a question. Am I the only one who considers a pen mill a hand tool? Mine has a handle like a screw driver (no, it didn't come with the handle). Cutting blanks to just a little oversize and squaring by hand seems to be the safe way to use pen mills. I've seen several cut from using pen mills in drills.

Making pens at several Freedom Pen turnings, I've turned several blanks where the end of the tubes was 1/2 inch or more inside the ends of the blanks. The tool is a pen mill, not a pen blank cutting tool. Just my thoughts on using this tool. I'm certainly not scolding Roy for using it in a drill nor am I chastising others who use the pen mill this way. Just food for thought.

Do a good turn daily! Heal quickly Roy!
Don
 
Don,
I use my as a hand tool. Having sent it to Paul for sharpening, it's like a razor; doesn't require much pressure and makes little curly shavings. Don't need much power on it when it's that sharp.
Gary
 
I'm with you Don. Trim my blanks after tube insertion on the bandsaw (using a small sled)to about 1/16" short of the brass tube and square (by hand) with the pen mill.
Turned a large screwdriver type handle and attached an old drill chuck to hold the mill. Clamp the jig in the back in a vise to hold the pen blank from rotating.


200755194124_penmill_Small.jpg
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I too use a drill press to mill my blanks. One of my favorite quotes: "I don't like learning from my mistakes....I like learning from other people's mistakes" I will be careful and use my pliers more often![:D]. As an ER nurse, I have seen injuries from table saws, radial arm saws, biscuit cutters, chop saws, nail guns, hammers, screw drivers, etc. The typical line is..."I've been working with this (fill in the blank) for (fill in the blank) years, and have never had something like this happen!" It only takes once.[B)] Hope the laceration is healing well! Get back to the shop soon. Kirk[8D]
 
Don, when I first started making pens I used a the pen mill manually. I developed carpal tunnel from the pushing and turning of the mill. It took a little time to develop but it was a pain literally for about a year.[:(] Time, ibuprofen, and using a drill press virtually got rid of my carpal tunnel.[:)] The good thing about it was that I began to turn a larger diameter toward the writing end of many of my pens. I found that it not only helps decrease the wrist pain but many of my customers like the feel of the increased diameter. I still get discomfort if I use a pen like a BIC. I also use my drill press to press pens. I bought it for about 1/2 the price of a commercial pen press. I guess with any tool we just have to respect it. Kirk[8D]
 
I use mine with a 'T' handle from a tap and die set. The blank is held in a vise. I have tried power in a drill press. That takes away the ability to feel a catch coming. By hand, tear-outs can be avoided.
 
Thanks for all the well wishes and advise. I went back to turning with-in 2 days and it amazed me how much we use one of our digits when it is not useable[:D].Don thanks for the lesson (I guess when a teacher always a teacher)but I'm now in more of a production mode and needed to find quicker ways to do the job as I'm milling 10-20 blanks at a time and my shoulder surgery last year limits how much pressure I can apply and after hand milling 2-3 blanks the shoulder hurts like [}:)] so I guess its time for me to get another pen vise for my milling operations. Your advise on hand milling is right on and should be used if at all possible.
 
Roy,
I understand your motivation and wish you well with your new venture. Email me your address. I have a tool I've never used but you may find it helpful. I'll send it to you. Maybe you can make one similar to suit your needs. It's a clever way to hold blanks while milling them the way you are doing.
Do a good turn daily!
Don.
Originally posted by OKLAHOMAN
<br />Thanks for all the well wishes and advise. I went back to turning with-in 2 days and it amazed me how much we use one of our digits when it is not useable[:D].Don thanks for the lesson (I guess when a teacher always a teacher)but I'm now in more of a production mode and needed to find quicker ways to do the job as I'm milling 10-20 blanks at a time and my shoulder surgery last year limits how much pressure I can apply and after hand milling 2-3 blanks the shoulder hurts like [}:)] so I guess its time for me to get another pen vise for my milling operations. Your advise on hand milling is right on and should be used if at all possible.
 
Originally posted by its_virgil
Now, I would like to ask a question. Am I the only one who considers a pen mill a hand tool? Mine has a handle like a screw driver (no, it didn't come with the handle). Cutting blanks to just a little oversize and squaring by hand seems to be the safe way to use pen mills. I've seen several cut from using pen mills in drills.

Don,
For a time I used my penmill only by hand as well. I found I can get a cleaner, more true flat/square by having the mill spinning faster than I can do it by hand. I use mine in a cordless hand drill and have had not so much as a close call since I made the rule I don't mill unless the blank is being held in my original homemade drilling jig. Similar to this one:
http://www.grizzly.com/products/H2327
It resides permanently and prominently on the most accessible corner of the worktable behind my lathe.
 
I must say the injuries I've seen from pen mills were to those who hrlf the blank in their hand. Using pliers or some type of jig for holding the blank is a smart thing to do. But, I know that I would be 100% likely to just grab the blank and hold it in my bare hand, so, I leave my mill in the handle. I square most of my blanks on a disk sander and use the pen mill when making pens away from home. Safety first!
Do a good turn daily!
Don
Originally posted by bjackman
<br />
Originally posted by its_virgil
Now, I would like to ask a question. Am I the only one who considers a pen mill a hand tool? Mine has a handle like a screw driver (no, it didn't come with the handle). Cutting blanks to just a little oversize and squaring by hand seems to be the safe way to use pen mills. I've seen several cut from using pen mills in drills.

Don,
For a time I used my penmill only by hand as well. I found I can get a cleaner, more true flat/square by having the mill spinning faster than I can do it by hand. I use mine in a cordless hand drill and have had not so much as a close call since I made the rule I don't mill unless the blank is being held in my original homemade drilling jig. Similar to this one:
http://www.grizzly.com/products/H2327
It resides permanently and prominently on the most accessible corner of the worktable behind my lathe.
 
Been staying on top of this post, finally had an hour or two to get in the basement shop, had some antler prepped but needed to trim up. So I did what I normally do, grabbed the blank in my hand, stuck it on the pen mill, turned on the drill press, and WHAM! Maybe not wham but small ouch as I couldn't hold the blank, took a small chunk of fingertip. Turned off drill press, said to myself - "Remember Roy dummy" so I grabbed the pliers and finished using the pen mill.

So remember, safety first.
 
It's nice to be remembered,but don't hurt yourself doing it[;)][:D]
Originally posted by ericw95
<br />Been staying on top of this post, finally had an hour or two to get in the basement shop, had some antler prepped but needed to trim up. So I did what I normally do, grabbed the blank in my hand, stuck it on the pen mill, turned on the drill press, and WHAM! Maybe not wham but small ouch as I couldn't hold the blank, took a small chunk of fingertip. Turned off drill press, said to myself - "Remember Roy dummy" so I grabbed the pliers and finished using the pen mill.

So remember, safety first.
 
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