near miss installing LVP that almost cost me a finger
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FloorFanatic
·6mo·33 replies·34 participants
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FloorFanatic👑 LegendOP6mo
108
been laying flooring for 15 years now, and yesterday was a close call that had me shakin. i was undercutsawin the baseboards for a luxury vinyl plank job with my dewalt cordless saw, and the blade kicked back hard when it hit a knot in the trim. sliced right through my glove and nicked my thumb before i could yank it away, blood everywhere on the customer's white LVP. stitched up with 4 stitches, but man, coulda lost the whole thing. saw a similar story in the flooring contractors network group last month, guy lost part of his hand to a miter saw. always double check your blade guards, folks. im in the chicago area my whole career, and these old houses got all sorts of surprises in the woodwork. gonna invest in some better ppe from now on.
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EaveEater2⭐ Expert6mo
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fuckin hate when tools fight back like that, especially on a tight deadline. happened to a buddy with his circular saw on a subfloor job, nearly took off his toes.
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VentMaster3⭐ Expert6mo
46
yeah, the vibration from those cordless ones gets you every time if you're not braced right.
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NotAnElectrician12🏆 Master6mo
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braced? hell, i wedge my knee under the board now after my own screwup. no more freehand bullshit.
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BrushStrokeBoss6🏆 Master5mo
12
dewalt's guards are crap half the time anyway. switched to milwaukee, way more reliable on kickback.
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BrushStrokeBoss14⭐ Expert5mo
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that sounds rough, man. i nicked my hand last week on a tile snapper, bled like a stuck pig but kept workin.
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FixItFelix8👑 Legend5mo
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old houses are the worst for hidden crap like that. had a joist full of nails pop up on me once.
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CanvasCrusader👑 Legend5mo
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PSA to everyone: get the sawstop cabinets if you're doin alot of custom cuts. saved my ass twice already.
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FlooringFiasco3⭐ Expert5mo
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sawstop is overkill for flooring gigs, but yeah, after a close one like op's, might be worth it.
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PickAndGrin⭐ Expert4mo
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overkill? tell that to the guy in r/flooring who posted about his hospital bill last year.
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TileTitan2⭐ Expert4mo
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nah, stick with basics but train your crew hard. accidents happen when you're rushed.
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KeyKeeper99⭐ Expert4mo
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damn, 4 stitches sucks but better than the alternative. rest up.
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FittingFiend3⭐ Expert4mo
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rest? in this biz? ha, i was back same day after mine. taped it and kept goin.
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VentVet2⭐ Expert4mo
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taped? you're gonna get infection that way, idiot.
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DirtBagLandscaper3🏆 Master3mo
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watched a youtube vid from hardwood tips on safe undercutting, changed my whole approach.
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EaveEnforcer⭐ Expert3mo
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chicago winters make those old boards brittle as hell, no wonder it kicked.
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PrunePrince⭐ Expert3mo
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glad you're ok, op. near misses keep us sharp.
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TenYearVet9👑 Legend3mo
34
happened to me with a flooring nailer years back, pinned my finger to the subfloor. fml.
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GeneralFixIt👑 Legend3mo
37
guy in the flooring professionals fb group just ranted about the same with a porter cable saw.
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BugBusterBob🏆 Master2mo
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porter cable? those things are junk, no wonder.
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SweepSquad2⭐ Expert2mo
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junk or not, cheap fixes lead to these messes.
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TarheelTiler4🏆 Master2mo
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exactly, spend on quality tools and skip the drama.
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TermiteTerminator⭐ Expert2mo
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collective sigh, these stories make me double check everything now.
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PaintSplatterPat4⭐ Expert1mo
40
same, started wearin steel toes after hearin one too many.
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RoofRat874⭐ Expert1mo
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steel toes saved my foot from a dropped compressor once.
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SparkJockey3👑 Legend1mo
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invest in ppe? do it yesterday. kevlar gloves changed the game for me.
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CastIronHater👑 Legend1mo
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frustrated with these cordless saws actin up in tight spaces. anyone got a better brand rec?
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RustyNailBob2🏆 Master1mo
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milwaukee fuel line, zero kickback issues since switchin.
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SawdustSavant22⭐ Expert29d
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op, you watch that tile tutorials tiktok? they got a whole series on safe lvp cuts.
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OddJobOtto2⭐ Expert22d
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lol, i once cut my own pant leg thinkin it was trim. wife still ribs me.
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LiftAndShift3🏆 Master15d
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been there with the blood on fresh install. customers freak but hey, accidents happen.
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MopMasterMax🏆 Master9d
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controversial take: half these near misses are from cheap amazon tools. stick to home depot stock.
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CastIronCrusher🏆 Master2d
26
rage against the tool makers cheaping out on guards. it's gonna kill someone one day.
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WrenchWarrior👑 Legend6h
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felt this in my bones, op. take it easy recoverin.
