Paid work is a fun and fulfilling hobby for many people, but it can also be dangerous. Any time you work with blades rotating at thousands of revolutions per minute, you risk serious injury. I had my own shop-related visit: three stitches after being hit by a piece of wood thrown from a miter saw.
More than 26,000 people visited U.S. hospitals for table saw-related injuries in 2017, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the most recent data available. And this does not count wounds treated at home or inflicted with other tools. A safer woodworking solution combines safety devices such as pressure blocks, safety devices built into the tool, and your perspective as you cut.
Seriously, what you think of in the store can be just as important as safety glasses and hearing protection. A common tip from experienced woodworkers is to visualize the outline before making it. However, this can be difficult to do, especially for new woodworkers. Without experience, it can be difficult to understand what to expect and plan. Because how do you think about the unexpected?
While the specifics vary from device to device, there are some general principles to keep in mind that will help you cope when emergencies arise. Without losing a finger.
Think about what a successful hairstyle looks like (and even practice it).
Plan the correct and reliable cutting shape before working with the tool. One important thing to consider is that there are options for every tool and technique you want to cut, says John Gublerod, shop supervisor at Massachusetts makerspace Lowell Mix. "Anything you do in woodworking, you can do it in different ways," he says. "Choose the safest option for this particular route." So, is it better to try to make these edges on a router table or table? Need to cut that thick board into two thinner ones on a table or band saw? This decision depends on what tools you have, what each one does best, and most importantly, your skill level and comfort level with a particular tool.
After choosing the right tools, make a plan for how to cut properly. If you are moving or sliding the tool over the wood, plan to secure the board to the work area and make sure the clamps do not interfere with the tool. Decide how to dispose of the last part of the scrap and what to do with the scrap. If you are cutting more than one piece, know which hand will be used to remove the finished board and which hand will handle the new piece before you get into the middle of the cut.
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The key to all of this is to avoid overthinking or making decisions when you're in the middle of a clip. They want to know what's next, so there's no hesitation or uncertainty. Deciding what to do next is a distraction from the important task of not touching the spinning blade, and distraction is one of the fastest ways to get hurt.
Every time I make a new type of cut, I practice cutting with a saw. For example, when I first joined a board with a table saw, I started the planer and sawed the board on the table a few times to get the feel of two cameras moving at the same time. I do the same thing every time I use a new sledge or jig. Practice reduces the risk of surprises.
Know the danger zones
"Every car has some things that can go wrong," says Gopplerd. "Knowing and knowing these things will greatly reduce the risk of what you do." And that starts with understanding each machine you operate, he adds. If you are new to the equipment, consult the manual, read books, watch videos and if possible ask someone more experienced in safe operation to advise you.
The most obvious danger with any power tool is touching the moving parts. For example, I rarely bring my hand within 4 inches of a rotary saw blade. If I have to get close, I prefer to use a press, pressure pad, or piece of wood for the job. And focus on the danger. "The key to working safely with any power tool is to keep your eyes on the breaker," says Bron Zij, director of Secret Underground Lab Recovery and Rescue, a furniture and lighting repair and restoration company in Louisiana.
Another common cause of injury is bribery. Each time the blade rotates, it can pick up a tree and throw it at dangerous speeds. Table saws, planers, planers, routers, circular saws and miter saws are all reversible. All woodworking professionals should understand how to reduce the risk of being tripped, how to prevent wood from flying during a strike, and as a last resort, where to stand to reduce the risk of being hit by flying wood if it does occur. To occur or happen.
On a table, for example, backlash often occurs when the board is squeezed between the blade and the fence, flipped slightly, and thrown toward the user. This is why you don't want to stand directly behind the board you are cutting. You're less likely to get one if you're on the sidelines. The most important thing, Gallard added, is to make sure you're using the right panels. Bent or damaged plates are more likely to catch the blade.
Also, always use a blocker that keeps downward pressure on the wood. In this way, if turbulence occurs, the traction unit will catch them and prevent the projectile from happening. Loading blocks also serve the same purpose on a router table. On a miter where the board does not move, clamps perform this function.
There is a plan to stop.
Sometimes things go wrong and you get in the way. You may have been able to get some kick out of your press block, but you're still stuck with a semi-cut insert with an 88-tooth blade at 3,000 rpm. Maybe the plate is stuck, you can't push it further, and when you release it, it slides in the room. Sometimes it is enough to kill the power and leave the cut.
Always know how to turn off your device quickly.
My favorite table saw is a DeWalt bench saw that I can turn off at my hip, leaving both hands free to keep the wood out of my hands. As soon as I see or hear something that isn't right, I can step forward, hit the switch, and get out of harm's way. However, not all of the tables or equipment can be lost in one foot. Always know which hand is safe to turn the device on and off. For example, when I use a palm router, I always hold it with my left hand to turn it off. It's just that I trust my right hand more to let the device work on its own. This way I don't have to worry about powering off the router when it starts leaking wood.
One of my biggest fears is losing my balance and falling on a blade. As a result, I think a lot about my posture and weight distribution. I always try to keep my level so that I don't fall if I accidentally fall. With a few exceptions, I stand in a zigzag position with my left foot forward and knees bent. I never put weight on my hands when I push the wood through the tool. When I'm working hard to reach - something I try very hard to avoid in my practice - I often turn to the left or right instead of leaning on the tool.
[Related: Balance Boards Are a Scary, Fun, and Incredibly Stressful Exercise]
This brings me to my second point: footwork. Some equipment, such as hangers, may require movement. Visualize the steps you will take and practice them. And for Zeage, security starts on the ground. "Whether it's oil or grease or sawdust, the floor needs to be clean and tidy," he says. Always remember to take trip hazards such as cords, pipes, and splinters that you decide to leave behind. Even if I don't plan to advance the device, I want the path clear, in case of an emergency, and that's the best escape route.
Create a process that becomes muscle memory
For each device, you want to set up a standard workflow. The more consistency you can build in how you use each tool, the more automatic and instinctive the process will become. This allows you to make small mistakes, because your body knows how to do the movements. Consistency allows me to spot small mistakes that could lead to disaster.
For example, I always keep the pusher on the right side of the table saw against the fence. I usually use a pressure pad, but sometimes I have to add a stick with my free hand to avoid breaking the 4 inch rule. If you put it somewhere else, there is something wrong. So I turned off my device and restarted my process. The same is true if you get new wood from the wrong hands. I don't think it's that natural; So I stopped and saw what was wrong with my work. Sometimes the same cutting process requires a change in the process, and this is not a problem. But every time you break your routine, it should be a conscious choice.
The only time I need a joint stitch is when I don't follow my normal routine. I didn't feel like I had to carefully place it and fix it because I was cutting junk that didn't need to be weighed. This allowed me to move faster than usual and throw the saw disc before it reached full speed. At the same time, I did not hold the board as tightly as usual, because it is not important to cut exactly where. These two mistakes caused the blade to catch on the wood and come back to me, injuring my finger.
Know when it's time to stop
In my woodworking group, there are regular discussions about the balance between fear and respect for your tools. For Hopplerd, fear is when your instincts tell you that you haven't found the right way to use the tool. If you are still afraid, he said, you are not ready. Personally, I don't want to be intimidating when cutting, but I always want to remember the danger. If I feel restless, excited, or moving too fast, I stop what I'm doing and remind myself that the tool I'm using can remove a finger or four without slowing down.
And if something goes wrong, trust your instincts and stop the process. "Sometimes you have to say, 'You knew it wasn't going to work out today,'" Gublerod says.
