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Do you wear a wedding ring in the field?

Started by Jeb, February 28, 2010, 04:11:52 AM

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Jeb

I am just getting started in the farming / timber business and want to learn as much as I can from you! That is, I'd rather learn from your mistakes than learning the hard way all the time.  So, in the area of safety, do you wear your wedding or other ring when you are out working in the field or on the job?  If not, do you have any first hand experience that affected your decision?

Thanks,

--Jeb

breederman

I do not, because I was always bending and I was afraid of getting it caught. A lot of farmers do wear theirs though. How does your wife feel about it?
Together we got this !

Dave Shepard

We had a hired hand when I was a kid that lost his finger jumping off a hay wagon. Ring got caught on a nail. :o All this mans brothers, and I think his father, had lost fingers, or more, working on farms and in sawmills. When his first son was born, he had an extra finger on each hand, and an extra toe on each foot.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

thecfarm

I just about always wear gloves when I'm doing anything with wood.Have never had a bad experience when I had gloves on.But at work,wearing no gloves,I was climbing on a rack to look at something and I jumped down and my ring caught.Than I wonder why they always say to get a ladder.Would of been a lot worse another few inches higher.Did cut into my finger some.I've heard stories about rings getting caught while jumping off the sides or back of trucks.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Norm

Sure do I saw a guy weld his wedding ring on while working on a line accelerator (x-ray system) and that was enough for me to not wear one. As for my wife she knows me well enough to not worry about it.

Magicman

I wear the band, but always remove the one from my right hand.  I did accidentally get my band between two lugs in our camper.  12 volts will heat up a ring instantly.  Ring hazards/accidents can happen even when you aren't working.

Another hazard is allowing solvents. etc. to get underneath and blistering the skin.

I always wear gloves when sawing/working.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Jeff

I do not wear one after a couple close calls at work just in the first year of being married. Once on a log truck mirror, and once on a truck battery. I'm like Norm. Tammy knows me well enough and its never been a question. I have not wore jewelry of any kind since about 1981.

I did have one time when a ring perhaps saved me from injury. I was 16. It was my high school class ring. I was putting a 383 in a 65 Belvadere.  No room to see because of the big engine, so I was felling around down under to see if the motor mounts were lining up as we were lowering it with the engine hoist.  While my hand was down there, the chain on the hoist slipped and the engine tipped, pinning my hand between the mount and the frame. All the weight hit on my classring. It took a couple minutes for my buddies to re-hook and pick the engine up and free my hand, but I came out of it unscathed. We did have to squeeze my class ring back round with a pair of vice grips so I could get it off my hand.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

bull

Wedding ring was put on 1-30-88 @ 6:30 pm and has been there ever since, other than for a short time for cleaning once in a while....... It was put their for a reason and there it will stay till death do us part !!!!   If your worried about it then take care of it, that includes the finger it is on !!!

woodsteach

Because of being a shop teacher and one of the safety rules is no jewelry allowed in the lab I got in the habit of taking mine off and putting it in my pocket.  Well it was getting dinged up by coins and pocket knife so the Mrs. said just leave it at home. 

I've also heard too many stories of jumping off of something and leaving the finger "up there".

A wedding ring is just an outward symbol of a vow that I made to her and God 14 years ago and one that I will never break!

;) Since I almost never wear it anymore I asked if I could hock it for a Ruger?   ;) ;)  Well the ring still sits on the shelf and the gun is still at the gun shop. ;D

woods
Brand X Swing Mill, JD 317 Skidloader, MS460 & 290, the best family a guy could ever dream of...all provided by God up above.  (with help from our banker ; ) )

Mr Mom

Where my dad worked years ago one guy had a gold band tattooed where the ring would go.
My dad was a michinest and never had a problem with his ring. Ran a punch press and has all his fingers.

Thanks Alot
Mr Mom

Reddog

Being left handed it just never worked for me.
I got some bad blisters from trying to use a hammer while wearing it.

zopi

nope. don't wear one at all..I do too much dangerous crap...plus I almost got a finger ripped off climbing up the side of a ship...forgot to take my ring off and slipped...ooops.
Got Wood?
LT-15G GO chassis added.
WM sharpener and setter
And lots of junk.

LeeB

Haven't worn mine in over 20 years. lindy still has it somewhere. Had to dig it out of my finger when I slipped on a ladder.
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

pigman

I only wore mine for a week. It kept getting in the way of shaving my upper lip, so I removed the thing. 8)
Things turn out best for people who make the best of how things turn out.

Patty

Yea I had the same problem as pigman...........the diamonds were so big I couldn't get my gloves on. The final straw was when I went to shave my upper lip.  ;D

Women are Angels.
And when someone breaks our wings....
We simply continue to fly ........
on a broomstick.....
We are flexible like that.

Magicman

What does da contract say  ???..... smiley_contract     smiley_whip
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

OneWithWood

I do not wear jewelry of any kind.  Too many moving parts on my toys.
One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

Ron Scott

No, have had too many close calls of nearly leaving the finger behind jumping on and off fire trucks and rapelling from helicopters when I did wear one. Haven't worn a ring in years. Just too dangerous for me.
~Ron

ErikC

 I never have worn one. I never even owned one for the first 7 or 8 years we were married. Now I have one, and I will wear it on occasion when we go somewhere. But I'm not used to it, so 90% of the time I forget. Sarah understands, it's no problem. Dad still doesn't even own one after thirty some years. We just always are around to many moving parts and sharp objects. :)
Peterson 8" with 33' tracks, JCB 1550 4x4 loader backhoe, several stihl chainsaws

Radar67

Haven't worn one since I shorted out a power supply in a computer. Some one else mentioned that they heat up really fast, it's very true. :o
"A man's time is the most valuable gift he can give another." TOM

If he can cling to his Blackberry, I can cling to my guns... Me

This will kill you, that will kill you, heck...life will kill you, but you got to live it!

"The man who can comprehend the why, can create the how." SFC J

Jeb

Thanks everyone for your helpful responses. I don't plan to wear my ring in the field.  I've been married to the same woman for 33+ years and she agrees and supports my decision. She said, "I've gotten rather used to being married to a man with all 10 of his fingers. Leave the ring on the dresser!"

Thanks again.

--Jeb

RSteiner

I have three friends who are missing all or more than half of their ring fingers due to a wedding ring getting caught on something.  Just two weeks ago another friend was splitting wood with a hydraulic splitter.  As he was placing a large chunk of red oak on the splitter the piece of wood slipped in his hands, he was wearing gloves.  The weight of the piece of wood rested on his left hand which was between the wood and I-beam of the splitter.

A half hour later when he took off his gloves he noticed his ring finger was a different color and that his ring had been squashed.  The ring had to be cut off his finger.  There was no damage done to his finger or his hand, the ring had adsorbed most of the force of the chunk of wood falling on his hand.

Now he leaves his ring at home when working around machinery or heavy objects.  I stopped wearing my wedding ring 25 years ago becaause of a near miss, and we just had our 36th anniversary.  So you don't need a ring on your finger to convince your wife that you love her, there are so many other better ways.

Randy
Randy

tonto

I had a similar thing happen to me like RSteiner's friend. I was holding a piece of oak up to the cross on the splitter and a bad angle cut pushed it down to the the I-beam. I took my glove off and the ring was a triangle. I ran to the garage and used pliers to straighten it enough to get it off. The jeweler said he had never seen anything like this and when I told him the story he started laughing - saving money not buying fuel oil - hah.  Tonto.
Stihl MS441 & Husqvarna 562XP. CB5036 Polaris Sportsman 700 X2. Don't spend nearly enough time in the woods.

Ford_man

In 50 yrs have never wore a ring. After reading this I just noticed that my wife is not wearing hers, I wonder :o :o :o

barbender

I wore mine for a year or so, hooked it on a few equipment ladders and my skin would get irratated from getting oil, hyd fluid, etc. under it. Jen gives me a hard time about it every now and again, I don't like tattoos but I told her I'd get a ring tat on my finger if she wanted. I also mentioned tradinf the ring for a pistol or something, mine is still sitting on the dresser as well :)
Too many irons in the fire

Part_Timer

The first thing the old man told me when I started working was to leave the rings and chains at home.  I only wear mine when the wife and I go out to dinner.  Something about working on 4000 volts and puncturing a glove that makes me want to leave it at home.
Peterson 8" ATS.
The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.

ohsoloco

Quote from: tonto on March 06, 2010, 01:56:19 PM
The jeweler said he had never seen anything like this and when I told him the story he started laughing - saving money not buying fuel oil - hah.  Tonto.

My gold wedding ring cost less than what I'd spend on a winter's worth of fuel oil (or electricity in my case)  ;)  Honestly, I always thought I would take my ring off whenever I was in the shop, but I never think about it, and it's always been on my finger.  Had a couple scary moments though, usually when I'm jumping down from somewhere and my ring gets snagged on a board or something. 

Warren

Wore out the first (inexpensive) ring turning wrenches and doing farm work.  Bought a nicer heavier ring.  Wore the finish off of it and beat it up prettty bad.  Had it re-finished and left it at home.  Have not regularly worn a wedding band for the past 20 years.   I know I am married.  She knows she is married.   

Made it thru the first 30 years.  Looking forward to the next 30 !   8)

LT40SHD42, Case 1845C,  Baker Edger ...  And still not near enough time in the day ...

Bruce_A

We don't either of us wear a band.  And we have over thirty years together and still know we are married.

Cedarman

About 40 years ago we got a memo at the company I worked at about rings catching on things.  Said one guy caught his ring on something as he stepped down on the steps from the truck. Slipped the skin right off the finger.  Finger gone.  They also told of an astronaut in training that lost his finger when at home as he was on a hay wagon coming out of a barn and caught it on a nail on an overhead board.  Lost finger, then couldn't be an astronaut.  Quit wearing ring then.  Been married 42 years.  My plastic watch band will quickly break away if it catches on something too.
I am in the pink when sawing cedar.

Faron

I haven't seen mine in years.  I'd trade it for a handgun, too, but I imagine the handgun would have an orange tip on it. ;D
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner.  Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote. - Ben Franklin

Rooster

I smashed my ring finger two months before I got married.

I couldn't get the ring on...should have seen it as an omen!!

And no, I am not married to her anymore.

But the new girlfriend has potential.   I don't know if she would want me to wear it at work.

I think I am getting ahead of myself!!!

Rooster :D

PS  Maybe I can talk her into putting that money into a nice team of Percheron gelding!!  (Let 'er Buck!)


Update:  7-15-2011

Well as some of you already know, I got married last Friday!

I had a gold wedding band made special at a local custom jeweler.  It is just like the one my late Grandfather wore.  He was an electrician and a carpenter.  He never wore his ring at work. 

A few months ago, I had Nicole read this thread and talked about her feelings regarding me wearing a ring.  She ws very supportive of me keeping my fingers.  Gotta love a woman like that!

So, the day after we got hitched, I was loading some old 2x6 rafters out of a 100 yr old barn and I caught the head of one of the nails with the ring as I tossed them into the bed of my truck, taking my hand with it. 

Well, that was the first and final straw.  Now when I am working, I cinch the ring to a black nylon cord which is part of a necklace that a Cross made out of horseshoe nails hangs from.  It is tied on and won't come off. And after I am done for the day, I simply un-cinch the ring and put it back on my hand.  It couldn't be any easier.

"We talk about creating millions of "shovel ready" jobs, for a society that doesn't really encourage anybody to pick up a shovel." 
Mike Rowe

"Old barns are a reminder of when I was young,
       and new barns are a reminder that I am not so young."
                          Rooster

Jeb

Although things have died down on this post, a funny thing happened at the farm the other day that I think is worth sharing.

As I may have said in a previous post, I'm 53 and have been married to the same wonderful woman for almost 34 years. That's a long time! So the question 'to wear or not to wear' a wedding ring in the field was strictly along the lines of health and safety; not necessarily about fidelity.

So, we are moving to a farm (our first and last) later this year and I just wanted to make as few dumb mistakes as possible. About a month ago, we were at the farm getting it ready to show our friends and family for the first time. I worked by tail off! Morning, noon and night clearing, dragging, cutting... you get the picture. I got chewed up by more than one tick in the process. The event came and went and was a huge success.

A few days later, while still at the farm, I noticed that my hands were swollen. I let it go. A couple days later they were REALLY swollen. So at the insistance of my daughter, I made a trip to the ER where they promptly CUT OFF MY WEDDING BAND!! They couldn't figure out was causing the swelling but they thought I might loose the finger so OFF with the band of gold and here take these anti-biotics for whatever!

My hands have mostly returned to normal but I miss the band.

Now I'm afraid to ask any more questions on this forum!

Bandless, but with five digits on each hand,

--Jeb

Burlkraft

Mine is nice and new and shiny and has never been out of the box

I prolly won't be wearin' it much. I got enuff hand problems  ::)
Why not just 1 pain free day?

OneWithWood

One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

Bro. Noble

Reminds me of that old sob story-----"I gave her the ring and she gave me the finger" :( :( ::) ;) ;)
milking and logging and sawing and milking

Banjo picker

Its rather difficult to play the banjo without that ring finger...I nearly lost it 30 years ago and the ring hasn't been back on but a couple of times since...now it wont fit the ring finger anyway... ;)   but I don't want to give up that little one either...Tim
Never explain, your friends don't need it, and your enemies won't believe you any way.

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