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I was talking with a relative who is an EMT. I asked them what thing I should have in my first aid kit that wouldn't be obvious to me (or that would not come in a typical store-bought first aid kit). Their answer was immediate: A tourniquet. "Everything else we can help with, but you have to stop the bleeding until we get there."

What are the less commonly discussed must-haves in your woodshop first-aid kit?

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    This question isn't going to attract a "best" answer because you are asking for a list, which will probably be incomplete. For example: instant cold packs. But what else? – jdv Jun 19 '20 at 17:08
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    I am ashamed to say I once knicked my thumb on a table saw. Outside of lots of paper towels the most important thing is to have a friend nearby to drive you to the emergence clinic. Its hard to drive while applying pressure on a wound. Oh yeah, plenty of big bandages to cover any nicks (even a tiny scratch seems to get blood stains everywhere on a project). – Ashlar♦ Jun 19 '20 at 20:34
  • Not exactly a first-aid kit item, but a safety item for right next to your first-aid kit is an "ABC" fire extinguisher. – Chris Bohn Jun 19 '20 at 20:39
  • As expected, this question is just going to collect a bunch of incomplete answers, mostly because the question doesn't have a single answer. Voting to close. – jdv Jun 20 '20 at 20:18
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    I literally can't believe nobody has said superglue yet. Superglue, or CA (cyanoacrylate) can be used in place of bandages for wound closure. And IME it promotes faster, cleaner, healing by about a factor of four. I use nothing else for small cuts and nicks. – Graphus Jun 22 '20 at 6:18
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Butterfly bandages.

Finger cots.

Splints. (you can use those table legs you have been saving)

Gauze, lots of clean gauze.

The aforementioned tourniquet and a Ziploc bag full of ice cubes. (to put your severed finger in while transporting it to the emergency room.)

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  • That must be some of that ice that lasts forever without melting? – jdv Jun 20 '20 at 20:16
  • @jdv they would be the instant-cold ice packs that you can operate with teeth and feet while you're writing in agony on the floor, holding the finger stubs with your other hand. – FreeMan Jun 21 '20 at 19:57
  • This is a decent list of things to include, but I'm not sure if it fills the remit of the Q. It asks for less-commonly mentioned items, and butterfly bandages, cots and gauze are hardly that. Butterfly closers are I think least common, but finger cots and gauze are virtually ubiquitous. – Graphus Jun 22 '20 at 6:30
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    Never put a severed body part directly into a bag of ice. Put it in separate bag which then goes into the bag of ice (this is assuming you value a chance to reattach it...). – Jimmy Fix-it Jun 26 '20 at 18:31

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