Who says power tools and hand tools are dangerous? How about the guy in urban legends who had two fingers cut off? Well, just because nobody knows if that really happened doesn't mean it can't happen to you! Power tools, power drills, power saws and power hammers are capable of doing a lot of damage to a person. You may be thick-skinned enough to survive a cut or two, but nobody is immune in the really sensitive areas like the eyes, the lungs and the face. Before you start your next home repair project, remember these five extra tips that are guaranteed to keep you safe?provided you remember them!



1. Treat your power tool like a contractor.

Nobody pays a contractor extra just to stand around and make noise. Likewise, when you ready your power tool do you know exactly how and where you're going to make the cut? You wouldn't tolerate a contractor swinging a sword around you for no good reason, would you? Treat your tools the same way; use them only when they're needed. It saves battery power (or electricity) and spares fingers.

2. Treat your power tool like a killer.

You wouldn't ignore a killer holding a chainsaw, would you? Power saws have downright lethal blades that can do serious damage when making contact with human skin. That sounds reasonable; yet, many accidents are caused because people don't pay attention to their power tools and hand tools. They watch TV, they talk to visitors, and they admire moonlight or posters on the wall?all the while handling a very dangerous object. Avoid any distractions and treat your power tool like a potential killer.

3. Treat your power tool project like a patient.

Power tools are complicated aren't they? But if you're a doctor the last thing you want to do is rush your patient in making a full recovery. Likewise, if you try and rush a complicated project in the garage, the quality could be hindered. Mistakes can be made and worse yet, a person could injure him or herself while working in a state of frustration. Impatience also leads to a worker trying to force something down that just isn't working. If a saw is not cutting properly, stop and see what's wrong rather than just forcing contact. The more impatient you are, the less quality work you do.

4. Treat your power tool like an angry customer.

The first rule is to always let the customer finish a sentence. Likewise, your power tool is not finished ?talking? as soon as you turn the device off. The blade is still running; the drill is still winding down. Put your hand too close to the sharp end and you'll be very sorry you didn't let it finish. All power tools need a few seconds to wind down after use.

5. Treat your power tool like a policeman.

Bad move to be caught by a policeman while drinking alcohol on the road. Likewise, alcohol can also cause power tool accidents. Alcohol impairs your vision and judgment no matter what you do. So for your own safety, have a drink after the big home improvement. It's much more fun drinking with both hands in tact.