Good Lord TG, You're absolutely right!. What on earth are people doing with these tools?. I've used nail guns before and I have the upmost respect for the things. I suppose it's just worker complacency more than anything. But, one small question, are the safety devices on these tools ever tested?.
I guess for some of us it takes a one time mistake to learn. I was holding a piece of wood while making some cabinets using a nail gun. The nail did made a u-turn midway and pierced my thumb (no knots in the wood either). Now my hands are always kept over a nail length distance away. Shane
The nail guns with which I am familiar must be pressed against the wood in order to fire, once the operator pulls the trigger.
However, some do have a switch to set off the gun by pressing it against the wood only, for speed (and I suppose to prevent repetitive-motion injuries to the trigger finger).
I am guessing that the nail guns in the news stories were of the pneumatic (compressor) kind, rather than the gas-cartridge ones. The gas-operated guns can be really nasty if one is not careful.
As mentioned above, that "U-turn" can cause some real bad "owies" (to quote my children). I heard a story of somebody up on a ladder, who managed to u-turn a nail into his thumb. He couldn't get down from the ladder because of his thumb being nailed. He was alone and had to wait for somebody to return. I don't have any further details; this was a story told to me a little while ago.
Don't sacrifice safety in the name of speed!
[This message has been edited by ThinkGood (edited 01-12-2004).]
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