Stupid Ideas/Buys of the past (so far)... #3: How stupidity nearly cost a thumb… without machinery.

Boys and Girls,

We all like to brag about our achievements and sweep our failures under the carpet… well, my carpet has run out of space so I’ve decided to group my failures and mistakes under Stupid Ideas of the past (so far)….

When I built the two sheds at Richmond (location not really important), I temporarily decked out the adjoining platform by sheetgoods of chipboard.

And used some off cuts to plug some gaps between joists, I neglected to secure them and one of the smaller pieces crossed a joist on one edge end.
The guilty plank,

With the help of SketchUp, let me dramatise it after 12 years.
I carelessly stood on spot colourfully marked with the “keep off” red dot,

The offcut pivoted and while off balance, I ran my thumb along the 45° bevel cut,

colourfully marked “blood red”.
While the cut was clean, I nearly severed my right thumb and I had a lengthy plastic surgery session in an attempt to rejoin the nerves and tenons (just kidding… tendons)… Now all my spelling mistakes are made by the courtesy of typing with that dodgy thumb.

The Stupidity was in not securing the flooring down and not so much in reaching out for balance. The 5 minute short-cut earned me a 3 month rehab… and cost many shekels…

PS. My very first endgrain cutting board undertaking!

-- If your first cut is too short... Take the second cut from the longer end... LBD