WTH is a "quickie saw"?

[derekleffew]

From https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/labor-union-leader-calls-bellagio-death-a-freak-accident-911-audio-released-2911176/?utm_campaign=widget&utm_medium=latest&utm_source=homepage&utm_term=Labor union leader calls Bellagio death a ‘freak accident’; 911 audio released :

Tommy White, secretary/treasurer of Laborer’s International Union of North America Local 872, said he’s been told by workers at the site that an issue with a “quickie saw” Saturday led to the accident that killed 37-year-old Tizoc Antonio of Las Vegas.


“It wasn’t a safety issue, all the safety protocol was in place, it’s just that the blade bound up on the quickie saw and it ran up on the (steel) column and the saw kicked back at him,” White said. “I’ve seen those saws kick back … the last place you want to be is in the way of that saw kicking backwards.”


Cut-off saws, nicknamed “quickie saws,” are portable and used to make quick cuts on various materials on construction sites. They have the potential to be dangerous because they have unguarded blades that operate at high speeds, according to the Missouri Department of Labor.

On Tuesday, Las Vegas police released audio of a 911 call from a woman who reported that “the saw bounced and hit” the worker.

The caller stayed on the phone for more than 7 minutes, directing ambulances to the construction site.

“There’s blood everywhere,” she said. “Please just send an ambulance.”

The caller told police that the injured man, whose age and name she did not know, was still breathing when co-workers put their shirts on his neck and applied pressure.

Co-workers began performing CPR while the woman directed ambulances to the scene. She said the injury was accidental and not intentional.

Four minutes into the call, the woman said the worker stopped breathing.

Google represents it as most likely a hand-held 14" circular saw for cutting concrete.

I used one once for two very simple cuts and it scared the p!ss out of me.

 

[aeh20s]

The History And Innovation Of Masonry Saws and Blades – Masonry Magazine

www.masonrymagazine.com

From what I've read here, a quickie saw is a handheld motorized masonry saw. So it appears you have it right on with that picture. To think that rebounded off his cut and hit him in the throat is horrific.

 

[Van]

Yeah, those things are BRUTAL! and there is no guard on them. They usually shut down pretty quickly, like a chop saw with a brake. I used one a couple of times for cutting metal in rescue drills in ESAR. No thanks.

 

[techieman33]

You can also put a 14" cut off wheel in them like on a metal chop saw. I used one once. Never again. The blade blew up on me, I didn't get hurt thankfully, but it sure scared the hell out of me.

 

[Dionysus]

I've had to use these only a few times. Agreed, they can be scary, especially with a "cut off wheel". Would NOT want to be behind one when something went wrong!
Honestly, when just cutting along plain un-reinforced concrete/cement, they aren't THAT bad, nothing to catch on and they cut very well.

 

[TimMc]

Quickie test of coworker's first aid skills. Quickie trip to the Emergency ward. Quickie speed test of lawyers.

Three quick answers, kind of related, even!

 

[almorton]

I've seen the sled mounted versions of those being used, and those look scary enough.

 

[cbrandt]

I can't imagine a situation where that is even close to the best tool for a stagehand to be using. To me that's firmly in the realm of construction equipment.

What job was it doing that wouldn't have been better handled by a reciprocating saw or a circular saw?

 

[Footer]

7 minute response time on the strip? That alone is something to be concerned about.

 

[danTt]

I can't imagine a situation where that is even close to the best tool for a stagehand to be using. To me that's firmly in the realm of construction equipment.

What job was it doing that wouldn't have been better handled by a reciprocating saw or a circular saw?

This is an article about a construction project. Not about any theatrical work. Presumably it was doing what it was designed to do--cutting concrete.

 

[derekleffew]

This is an article about a construction project. Not about any theatrical work. Presumably it was doing what it was designed to do--cutting concrete.

The worker was building grandstands for the upcoming car race. Who among us has not built audience risers for some event or other? As they say, "It's a long distance call, but you'll get though eventually."

 

[danTt]

The worker was building grandstands for the upcoming car race. Who among us has not built audience risers for some event or other? As they say, "It's a long distance call, but you'll get though eventually."

The safety aspect is certainly valuable and important to be aware of. This still was a full scale construction project, not a theatrical setup.

 

[cbrandt]

This is an article about a construction project. Not about any theatrical work. Presumably it was doing what it was designed to do--cutting concrete.

Ahh, I missed that part, thank you!

 

[Van]

I know a guy who 'almost' disembowelled himself with an 8" grinder whilst cleaning up some Aluminum welds. Luckily he was wearing his welding apron; it provided just enough protection to keep it from burning all the way through his abs. It's easy to get complacent when using a familiar tool. We forget a disc spinning 3000 RPM builds a LOT of kinectic energy. It's also weird how some materials react differently. Aluminum will grab a tool and bind it up faster than steel, it's mushier. When steel binds up it usually binds and grabs and stops or rips the tool out of you hand; aluminum seems to grab the but doesn't hold on. I've been hurt and had more kick-backs with Pink and Blue foam than I ever had with Plywood or dimensional lumber.