If you are not aware, a zero clearance insert’s saw blade opening is cut to the exact width of the saw blade’s kerf. This helps prevent thin slices of wood from jamming in between the blade and the insert, as well as helps to reduce the amount of tear-out that can happen with the stock insert that comes with your table saw.

Being able to cut thin strips of wood safely and minimizing tear-out are enough reasons to install one of these throat plates on your saw. While I use the term, ‘minimizing’ in reference to tear-out this is only to err on the positive side of a statement. My own experience has shown that tear-out is virtually eliminated.

You may wonder why a zero clearance throat plate isn’t a stock item on your table saw but this is because a wider opening is required for different blade angle cuts, and since a zero clearance insert is not required for most general construction use the added cost for including an additional throat plate would be cost prohibitive.

But this is really no problem because making your own zero clearance throat plate/insert is such a simple process that you’ll be surprised that you didn’t make one sooner. Let me tell you how I made mine:

Continue reading 'How To Make A Zero Clearance Insert'

Woodworking Safety Week is an annual event that attempts to bring shop safety to the forefront of our daily activities.

This was the second annual woodworking safety event which began last year after Marc Spagnuola announced that the first week of May was to be Woodworking Safety week. This was quickly embraced by the woodworking community and subsequently by woodworkers world-wide.

The woodworking community at large works together by writing blog articles, having forum discussions, creating video and podcasts, introducing new products and more with a focus on safety.

Here are some of the articles that were distributed this past week:

Continue reading 'Safety Week 2009 In Retrospect'

Over the years I had tried practically every type of dust mask out there but each of them fell by the wayside for one reason or another. They fogged up my glasses, they didn’t give a good seal, they were hard to breathe through or they were so cheaply made they simply fell apart. The bottom line is that they just didn’t work. Consequently, I seldom wore them, exposing myself to the risks of toxic wood dust.

Within minutes of the Dust Bee Gone mask arriving I tried it on and tried it out. I quickly realized that it was a winner – my glasses didn’t fog up and it was very comfortable to wear. It fit perfectly to the shape of my face, even over my beard and moustache.

The Dust Bee Gone dust mask is made with a patented interlaced monofilament polyester structure that’s effective against non-toxic dusts (it is not NIOSH or OSHA approved) down to 3 microns in size. This unique material allows the exhaled hot air to pass through the filter material so your glasses don’t fog. That’s right, your glasses don’t fog up! Guaranteed.

Continue reading 'Dust Bee Gone “No Fog” Dust Mask'

The one I chose was one with 2.5 Kgs (5.5lbs) of dry, non-toxic chemical extinguishing agent that is propelled by a compressed, non-flammable gas. This is known as a clean agent fire extinguisher. These types of extinguishers store the agent as a liquid, which turns to gas when it hits the air. Clean agent extinguishers act to extinguish a fire by cooling and smothering it

The Class rating for this extinguisher is 3-A, 40-B, C. The ABC Class rating means that this one is a general purpose extinguisher and good to fight wood, paper and cloth fires (A) as well as flammable liquid (B) and electrical fires (C). The number preceding the A and B rating refers to the size of fire they can handle.

Class A Ratings
An extinguisher for Class A fires could have any one of the following ratings: 1-A, 2-A, 3-A, 4-A, 6-A, 10-A, 20-A, 30-A, and 40-A. A 4-A extinguisher, for example, should extinguish about twice as much fire as a 2-A extinguisher.

Class B Ratings
An extinguisher for Class B fires could have any one of the following ratings: 1-B, 2-B, 5-B, 10-B, 20-B, 30-B, 40-B, and up to 640-B.

Class C Ratings
Extinguishers rated for Class C fires are tested only for electrical conductivity. However, no
extinguisher gets a Class C rating without a Class A and/or Class B rating.

Here’s a great video on how a fire extinguisher works:

Continue reading 'A Fire Extinguisher For The Workshop'

The purpose, of course, is to bring safety in the workshop to the forefront of our thoughts, at least for one week.

Obviously, work shop safety is important but all too often it is overlooked, or worse, forgotten. This week serves as a reminder to this all important issue.

There is a list of last year’s Woodworkers Safety Week articles located here and there are other safety related articles located here.

Help make this week a success by being accident free. Keep safe!

Back to the shop…

Now, after using a chainsaw for the past twenty-five years or so, I figured it was time to get some proper instruction on its use, maintenance and above all, safety. Although it’s not a tool that I use everyday, except for the months following Hurricane Juan’s arrival, I do use it quite frequently, especially in the spring and fall. There is always new downfall after the winter and yes, I’m still cleaning up Juan’s mess. Later is better than never and so far I’ve been pretty lucky and had all the gear so it was time.

The Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources recently held a Chainsaw Use and Safety Workshop that I was able attend. This was an all day event that included lecture, discussion, and both indoor and outdoor demonstrations.

The course followed the practices described in The Forest Professional, Guidelines for the Stewards of Tomorrow’s Forest, which, according to our instructor, is the ‘Bible’ for anyone working in forestry or with chainsaws. We received a hardcopy of this manual to take home for later perusal and review.

The instructor was professional forester and certified arborist, Patrick Allan. Patrick began working with chainsaws on his cousin’s woodlot at the young age of 14 wearing only sneakers, shorts, a t-shirt and a ball cap. After many close calls and seeing others get injured he began to focus on safety and proper felling techniques. This, in addition to becoming a professional pulp and trail cutter, led him to becoming an instructor in chainsaw and safety courses in 1985. He was once Bowater’s primary trainer.

Continue reading 'At The NSDNR Chainsaw Safety Course'

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!'

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'

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'

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'