Superjaws and Mr Mechanical

**kymcha** · 26th January 2009, 11:44 AM

Mr Mechanical (my 3 yo boy) is always watching and asking me what I'm doing over and over every few seconds ... a lot of you would know the score on that one.

Anyhow the other day I was at the assembly table concentrating on applying some traditional wax to a display sawhorse a timber shop commissioned me to make and instinctively turned around to check on him (the requests for a detailed explanation of what I was doing every 10.4 seconds had stopped).

Just in time to see him standing at the front of superjaws (the later one with the slide up / down button arrangement) with one little hand hooked over the front jaw (the jaws were about 15 mm apart at the time), his foot in the clamping pedal and pretty well ready to step up.

I'm already vigilant and safety conscious aware but it nearly wasn't enough.

**Tex B** · 26th January 2009, 08:39 PM

Glad you caught him in time. Amazing how quickly a toddler can get into trouble.

Really glad to hear it was a near miss. Good catch!!

Tex

**kevjed** · 28th January 2009, 07:37 PM

Great save.

**Fencepost2** · 28th January 2009, 10:19 PM

Well done. I was actually holding my breath in the paragraph where you described the situation. What a relief. I once trapped my son's finger in a door when he was crawling around inquisitively, and still 40 years later I still suffer a smidgeon of guilt. You need eyes in the back of your head with a three-year old in a workshop. Glad it ended well, and I hope Mr Mechanical grows up to be a great inventor.

**Andrew_B** · 29th January 2009, 07:45 PM

Originally Posted by Fencepost2

I was actually holding my breath in the paragraph where you described the situation.

that makes 2 of us,
those super jaws are a bad design,
for the prices you would think someone would think a little more about the safety rather than their income,
maybe tthats just me

**reuelt** · 1st February 2009, 08:18 PM

Superjaw owners, PLEASE report/send safety suggestions to Triton (new owners soon I hope).

As an temporary measure, is it feasible to chain a small piece of scrap wood to grip tight with the jaw tight whenever we walk away from it?

Better safe than sorry.

**Andrew_B** · 3rd February 2009, 11:12 AM

thats an idea...
but when your using the thing every 5 minutes all day long...
its gonna get quite annoying clamping up a bit of wood in the jaws every time you walk away,
and i would say while working 60% of the time you will be too caught up in what your doing to remember to throw the bit of wood back in the jaw when you walk away.

also after 4 or so years of heavy heavy use my jaws are at the stage where, to unlock them is an effort all in its own....

i also think all these items should come with interchangable rubber/plastic feet

an interchangable rubber/plastic protecter on the foot lever would be good,
with a 5mm - 1cm gap between the lever and the plastic, so that there is what i like to call "cushion room" so you dont get a full impact, whether you run in it or it hits you

so how do i get intouch with triton?

**kymcha** · 5th February 2009, 10:45 PM

I'm sure with a watchful eye and perhaps a guardian angel from time to time, Mr Mechanical will have made his first and last appearance in the safety forum. Thanks to everyone for the well wishes.

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