re: Admitting our dangerous (and dumb) mistakes might help others.

Wow. A lot of tough stories here. I’m counting my blessings that mine aren’t nearly as exciting (except for the falling pile of plywood – that’s happened a couple of times).

It turns out the most dangerous tool in my shop is my little sanding block. I suppose that’s because I usually pay extra special attention when using power tools and sharp objects, but rarely think about the extreme dangers of hand sanding. Once I was sanding away furiously, holding the wood with one hand and slipped a little and drove my thumbnail right into my other hand. It almost warranted stitches and there was a lot of blood and cursing. I guess that shows you have to respect ALL your tools, even the more benign ones.