Well, once again we give a nod to safety in the workshop with Woodworkers Safety Week 2009! This is the second year that members of The Wood Whisperer Network who blog and podcast have gotten together to create an abundance of safety related articles.

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…

You know, it’s just one of those things. You pick up a new tool and start using it. Oh sure, you read the manual, but only to read how to quickly get it started. There is no thought of proper use or concerns for safety. It’s a tool, it makes lots of noise. Let ‘er rip! That was then.

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'

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'