It wasn't building a prop, but it was in my workshop using all the same tools- I was cutting boards for a fireplace mantle.
The board jerked while going through the table saw. I shut the machine off, thinking I had just marred my fresh cut board. The board was fine. I look at my push stick. YES, I was using a push stick. It was fine. I happen to look at my hand... I didn't know how bad it was, but I knew I'd be going to the hospital. My estimation was that I had cut half way through my ring finger.
I was alone, though I had the presence of mind to lock up the house, put the dog out, and get my insurance card before I drove to the emergency room.
The doctor's report was 3 fractured fingers and 3 cut tendons. I knicked the index finger, went half way through the middle finger, and cut all the way through the ring finger. Only the ligament was holding it to the rest of my hand.
I was told I would lose the end of the ring finger. I had cut right through the last joint. I didn't go into surgery until 8 hours after the incident. When I wake up the doctor told me he, "tried something." He attempted to fuse what was left of the finger. I got 3 pins in 3 of the fingers.
After 6 months I was released and finally told I would officially keep the finger. I lost the last joint and I have 3 separate fingernails at the end because the nail bed was scrambled.
In the pic below, you can see the chunk of bone missing in the middle finger and the splinters of bone in the ring finger. The three fingers are bent at an odd angle because the tendons were cut and thus I was unable to hold them up.
