From all indication Woodworkers Safety Week 2008 has been a huge success! Throughout this past week there has been a slew (my new word) of blog posts related to workshop safety from a wide variety of woodworkers and from an even wider variety of perspectives. The woodworking forums and blog comment areas were also abuzz with helpful tips and personal ‘horror’ stories.

The purpose of Woodworkers Safety Week was to “refresh our memories about the importance of safety and proper techniques”. Too often we sidestep proper safety cautions, get complacent or are just unaware of the inherent dangers with woodworking. This week focused on these issues, bringing attention to areas of required safety, the necessity of being alert to them and some steps to take to ensure that your shop and your work habits are following these safety guidelines.

When The Wood Whisperer, Marc Spagnuolo, announced the first annual week devoted to safety in the workshop it was quickly supported by the woodworking community. Throughout the week bloggers, podcasters and vidcasters turned their attention to this serious issue, creating a cornucopia of workshop safety articles.

Here is a list of some of the posts that were made over this week. You’ll find some great safety tips, a bit of humor, some gruesome images and lots to think about!

Continue reading 'Woodworkers Safety Week 2008 A Success!'

Working with wood can be hazardous to your health! I’m sorry but there is just no nice way to say it.

The dust and sap from various types of wood can be toxic and cause a variety of health concerns including respiratory issues and eye and skin irritation.

Skin irritation can be caused by contact with the wood, its dust, its bark or its sap and result in a rash or ‘irritant dermatitis’.

Eye irritation includes soreness, watering and conjunctivitis, which is inflammation of the conjunctiva, the delicate mucous membrane that lines the inner surface of the eyelids and covers the front part of the white of the eye.

Respiratory issues include runny nose, violent sneezing, blocked nose, nose bleeds, forced asthma attacks and, although rare, nasal cancer.

Symptoms usually subside when contact with the irritant is removed. However, a serious concern is when instead of just becoming irritated the body becomes sensitized. Once sensitized, the body sets up an allergic reaction, and the body may react severely if subsequently exposed to very small amounts of the wood dust. Unlike irritation, where one can continue to work with the dust once it is controlled below the level of irritation, people who become sensitized will not normally be able to continue working with the dust, no matter how low the exposure. Some wood dusts can cause asthma as an allergic reaction.

Here is a chart showing a list of some woods and their known issues. This chart first appeared in American Woodturner magazine in June of 1990 and has become a standard reference for woodworkers. Obviously, because of the vast array of tree types this list is not complete, it is unlikely that any list could. However, it still makes a great guide to wood toxicity. The key to the lettering code used is located at the bottom of the list.

Continue reading 'Wood Toxicity Is Nothing To Sneeze At'

Since the object of Woodworking Safety Week is for woodworkers to focus on safety in the workshop I did a review of what equipment I use to make my shop safer, any problems that I may have with this equipment and areas where I could improve it.

It certainly was an eye-opener, realizing the good and the bad. Here is my workshop safety review:

Dust Collector

Continue reading 'A Safety Review Of My Workshop'

Possibly one of the most dangerous pieces of equipment in the workshop is the table saw. As woodworkers we often take this tool for granted because of its simplicity in purpose and the fact that it is so common in many workshops. Because of this it is easy to become complacent in maintaining our safety vigilance. However, a sharp, multi-toothed blade spinning at an incredible speed should heighten the awareness of the need for caution when working with this tool.

The saw blade is obviously sharp so therefore caution must be exercised whenever working near the blade. The blade has been designed to cut through heavy, dense wood which is much harder than skin and bone. According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission there are over 60,000 related injuries every year.

Another cause of table saw accidents is what is called ‘kickback’. Kickback happens when the blade catches the wood and throws it back towards you. It can very easily be thrown back hard enough to injure you. Kickback can be caused by a variety of different things including:

1. Internal stress in the wood pinches the blade.
2. The wood moves up or sideways during a cut
3. The wood is pinched between the rear of the blade and the fence.
4. Underpowered saw.

Here is a great demonstration of a kickback in action.

As you can see, minimizing the opportunity for kickback and the potential for blade related injuries is of major importance. However, while there is the possibility for injury while working with a table saw it should not be feared. With awareness, understanding and respect the tablesaw is an invaluable tool. Adherence to safety guidelines and proper techniques will minimize the chance of an injury occurring.

Although no where near complete, here is a collection of safety tips and techniques for the table saw that I have collected:

Continue reading 'Table Saw Safety Is Serious Business'

I thought I was turning a bowl until it turned into a spin top! And boy, did it spin… right into my face! I was merrily turning a bowl out of cherry when out of nowhere it just shattered and the pieces went flying.

One piece hit me square in the face and then continued on into the air. Luckily, I was wearing my new, dandy face shield that I told you about last week.
Continue reading 'A Spinning Bowl Is Not A Toy!'

I couldn’t stand it any longer! The face shield that I was using for the past 20 years is so scratched and marked up that it was hard to see out of. It never seemed a problem before because it was never used for that long. Now with turning it has became quite necessary.

Here’s the before and after:

Back to the shop…

I picked up the Microjig GRR-Ripper System after reading about in on their site and then seeing a great demonstration at the Moncton Woodshow a couple of weeks ago.

The GRR-Ripper is an enhanced ‘pushstick’ system that also works like a movable blade guard for your table saw or router. It’s great for those times when the blade-guard and anti-kick back pawls would interfere with your woodworking like during narrow ripping.

Continue reading 'The Microjig GRR-Ripper System'