So I'm at Home Depot picking up a plywood blade for my circular saw. This old guy in front of me sees the blade and says "hey, be careful with that", and shows me his left hand missing most of his first 2 fingers. I asked what happened, and he simply said "Never hold onto the outfeed end of a piece of lumber".
So I'm guessing he was working on a table saw, was holding onto the outfeed end of the work piece. When it kicked back, it pulled his hand back into the blade :Q
So anyway, got me thinking on the way home and I decided to start this thread while my steak is grilling 😀
Work Shop Safety Tips
1. Pay Attention.
If your heads not in the game, hang it up for the day. Inattentiveness is probably one of the biggest causes of accidents.
2. Keep a clean & neat work area.
Tripping on something while working around power tools is not a good thing.
3. Don't wear gloves or loose clothing around power tools.
If you wear a tie in the shop, you deserve to get up close & personal with a lathe chuck :roll: Ladies, tie up you hair, guys, get a haircut 🙂
4. Understand your tools. Know how to use them.
Understand how accidents happen with a given tool, what's likely to go wrong and how to prevent it.
5. Keep your tools sharp & have enough tool for the job.
Dull blades & under powered tools are more likely to bind & kick back.
6. Never hold onto the outfeed end of the work piece.
Like the 3 fingered man said. If it kicks back, it will happen so fast you won't even have time to think about puling your hand back.
7. Never stand directly behind a piece being ripped, fed through a shaper, etc.
I had a 3' x 1" x 3/4" piece of oak kick back out of my unisaw once. Hit the edge of my workbench and shattered A friend of mine doesn't patch a hole in the drywall of his basement shop as a reminder of a similar incident.
8. Listen to that little voice in your head.
You know, that nagging voice that tells you something isn't a good idea?? If you don't have one, woodworking may not be a good hobby for you.
9. Take the time to do it right.
Yea, it takes time to set up a jig to make a safe cut. I'd rather take the time on that then sit in the emergency room for a few hours. This is a good tip for quality as well.
10. Safety glasses.
Everytime, all the time. Nuff said popeye.
11. Always unplug tools when adjusting them, changing blades, etc.
Never trust a switch. If you blow a breaker, unplug the tool before resetting it.
12. Turn down the music.
If your bopping to the beat, your not paying attention.
13. Be extra careful with twisted & warped wood.
More likely to bind & kick back.
14. Think it through.
Rhearse the entire operation before you start. What could go wrong? How do I prevent it? What do I do if it happens?
15. Be extra careful when doing repetitive operations.
You fall into a rut and stop paying attention. Mix it up a bit.
16. Never rely on guards/safety equipment.
That's the last resort.
Feel free to add your own.
So I'm guessing he was working on a table saw, was holding onto the outfeed end of the work piece. When it kicked back, it pulled his hand back into the blade :Q
So anyway, got me thinking on the way home and I decided to start this thread while my steak is grilling 😀
Work Shop Safety Tips
1. Pay Attention.
If your heads not in the game, hang it up for the day. Inattentiveness is probably one of the biggest causes of accidents.
2. Keep a clean & neat work area.
Tripping on something while working around power tools is not a good thing.
3. Don't wear gloves or loose clothing around power tools.
If you wear a tie in the shop, you deserve to get up close & personal with a lathe chuck :roll: Ladies, tie up you hair, guys, get a haircut 🙂
4. Understand your tools. Know how to use them.
Understand how accidents happen with a given tool, what's likely to go wrong and how to prevent it.
5. Keep your tools sharp & have enough tool for the job.
Dull blades & under powered tools are more likely to bind & kick back.
6. Never hold onto the outfeed end of the work piece.
Like the 3 fingered man said. If it kicks back, it will happen so fast you won't even have time to think about puling your hand back.
7. Never stand directly behind a piece being ripped, fed through a shaper, etc.
I had a 3' x 1" x 3/4" piece of oak kick back out of my unisaw once. Hit the edge of my workbench and shattered A friend of mine doesn't patch a hole in the drywall of his basement shop as a reminder of a similar incident.
8. Listen to that little voice in your head.
You know, that nagging voice that tells you something isn't a good idea?? If you don't have one, woodworking may not be a good hobby for you.
9. Take the time to do it right.
Yea, it takes time to set up a jig to make a safe cut. I'd rather take the time on that then sit in the emergency room for a few hours. This is a good tip for quality as well.
10. Safety glasses.
Everytime, all the time. Nuff said popeye.
11. Always unplug tools when adjusting them, changing blades, etc.
Never trust a switch. If you blow a breaker, unplug the tool before resetting it.
12. Turn down the music.
If your bopping to the beat, your not paying attention.
13. Be extra careful with twisted & warped wood.
More likely to bind & kick back.
14. Think it through.
Rhearse the entire operation before you start. What could go wrong? How do I prevent it? What do I do if it happens?
15. Be extra careful when doing repetitive operations.
You fall into a rut and stop paying attention. Mix it up a bit.
16. Never rely on guards/safety equipment.
That's the last resort.
Feel free to add your own.
