While we get as excited as any toolhead about a new or powerful tool, there are some that simply scare us. This may be because they were featured in a particularly gruesome scene from a horror movie, it may be from personal experience, or it may just be because the tool is plain scary. There are a few out there that just look mean. They look like they'd chew you up and spit you out if they got the chance. While we love taming one of these bad-boys, there is always a piece of us that exhales when we turn them off and put them down. There is also another part of us that knows if the B movie "Maximum Overdrive" ever came true, we're not going anywhere near that thing.

1) Chain Saw

We decided to start this one off with something we're all familiar with - the chainsaw. Even if you've never used one you can clearly see how scary this tool could be. Let's think about all the things that could go wrong - you could drop it and sever your femoral artery or lose a leg, it could kickback and lodge itself half way through your torso, you could cut the tree wrong and drop it on yourself, and the list goes on. If you don't respect this one... well, it was nice knowing you.

Corollary: A walk behind trencher can be a little intimidating at first glance. While it is not exactly a hand held tool, it definitely is hands on. Pretty much take an oversized chain saw, hook some wheels on it, add bigger teeth, and go to town cutting a swath of dirt out of the way, including buried wires, cables, tree roots and pipes. If you are trenching in uncharted territory, it is a good idea to “call before you dig” so that your local utility company can come and mark what might be hidden underground.

2) Table Saw

In the history of tools if there has every been one less forgiving than the Table Saw, we can't think of it. There are no "little" accidents with this thing. A "little" accident usually involves a finger being successfully reattached. In what other situation would you consider an amputation "getting lucky?" We highly recommend you NEVER get comfortable facing down a spinning blade while moving your hands toward it.

3) Wood Chipper

Fargo. 'Nuff said.

4) Router

While you might not think it, a router is a deceptively scary tool. Think about it - it fires up and you tend to put your face really close to it. What's odd is that we don't hear of too many router accidents, but the tool is a truly fast spinning, exposed blade that just seems dangerous by nature. A shaper is like a giant router, but since it's anchored to the ground we have a bit less fear of it - you can't drop it, spinning, on your leg, for example.

5) A Careless Friend

Truly, anyone operating in a less than safe manor near you is more of a hazard than any single tool. For example, our own Tom Gaige has this nasty habit of setting pneumatic tools down with his hand still on the trigger, usually with the tip pointed away from himself (and thus towards anyone standing on his right). Last year while repairing a roof with him, he set down a framing nailer and accidentally fired off a shot that ricocheted off the shingles and hit someone on the inner thigh, leaving a burn mark on their jeans about 2-inches from a place where they would have been rendered severely incapacitated for some time.

The thing to remember is that most injuries come from getting a bit too familiar with the tools. When you get too comfortable, you become careless and don't treat them with the respect they deserve. If you do that with any tool you're setting yourself up for an accident. If you do it with one of the tools we've mentioned, you may be looking at a trip to the hospital. Be careful out there. And keep an eye on that router - it looks a bit hungry.