A warning

[R-Bowskill]

Accidents happen

Sharp things and distractions are a painful combination. This afternoon while chopping an onion to go in a chicken in the woods stir fry, in the kitchen of my flat with a freshly sharpened knife a little voice behing me said...

"Is it OK if I sit here, I won't say anything to you"

A second later I was on my way to the first aid kit for a plaster.

So PLEASE PLEASE remember, DON'T distract someone when they've got anything sharp in their hands. and definately never tap them on the shoulder as they might turn around and then it gets painful.

Amazingly I've even heared of similar incedents where it was a shotgun and the results of that can be imagined.

[pumbaa]

I did the same thing whilst chopping wood with a hand axe !!! Hit my thumb 3 times before i realised !!!
Wont be doing that again in a hurry!!!
Pumbaa

[Goose]

3 times? Thats not careless its a fetish!

[pumbaa]

Now you know why no one will let me use a chainsaw !!!

[boaty]

On the other hand, it's good to try to get used to dealing safely with unexpected distractions

When sitting and carving quietly in the woods, I've been startled by bird staking flight, or a deer taking off after smelling me cos the wind has changed, or other sudden noises - but I've still got all my fingers and toes

[ranger]

I went camping with the kids and a friend who is getting into bushcraft this weekend. My friend has bought himself the basic Mora knife and it was his first outing with it. On Sunday morning when I got up my friend was standing there with lots of blood on his hand and his son’s sock tied around his finger. Naturally, I enquired what he’d been up to. Apparently, all he’d tried to do was remove the knife from the sheath and he ended up slicing his finger open! He felt rather silly as you’d imagine, especially as he hadn’t bothered to pack a first aid kit either.

[arctic hobo]

Or simply not thinking about what you're doing with a sharp object; if your mind's elsewhere, the simplest actions become dangerous. I cut myself drawing my knife!

[TheViking]

Accidents happen Bowskill. A few days ago my new golok bit me, and it was even while in the sheath. Long story.

But no matter how many safety precautions we take, there will always be accidents. I think we just got to live with that, unfortunately.

[jamesraykenney]

Or simply not thinking about what you're doing with a sharp object; if your mind's elsewhere, the simplest actions become dangerous. I cut myself drawing my knife!

I have to be carefull when sharpening my knives...When using just a stone, I get so relaxed that I tend to nod off(That means Fall Asleep, if the expression is not used across the pond)

That is NOT safe!!!

It is a GOOD thing that I do not tend to drop knives when I nod off...I will drop almost anything else though...I guess my subconsious is good enought to take control in cases like that!

The bad part is that I do not STOP sharpening the knife as I am falling asleep!!! I sometimes wake with the knife still moving over the stone

[Wayland]

I've still got the scars of a Golok bite from years ago.

Mine was a blood thirsty old sod that bit at least three people in the years I owned it.

It got me while I was cutting through some undergrowth and I put my foot into a brush covered hole that was about two foot deep.

[bothyman]

simplest actions become dangerous. I cut myself drawing my knife!

Heck thats scary, you cut yourself on a Pencil , you could have got Lead poisoning.
You were Lucky

[arctic hobo]

Heck thats scary, you cut yourself on a Pencil , you could have got Lead poisoning.
You were Lucky