Woodworking is a great hobby! Not only does it help you pass time but also the person ends up making productive things. Nowadays people enjoy it, and it has become a huge trend to not buy furniture from the store and instead customize it. Although as creative as it is, it can threaten your safety in carpentry. Woodwork equipment such as a CNC router, router bits, and CNC clamps can harm you in more than one way. If you enjoy woodworking, then there are some rules one should follow. These are some safety rules every woodworker should know to avoid serious damage.
Workshops are a great place to learn something new each day and create things that please your mind and heart. Any physical damage can destroy peace and pleasure. Although woodworking is one of the safest and most pleasurable activities. These woodworking safety regulations are primarily common sense and are designed to be easily remembered. Failure to follow the safety guidelines can result in catastrophic injury and put a threat to woodworking safety. The workshop is not the place for sloppy behavior. Hence, when starting with woodwork at home or in a workshop, there are safety rules every woodworker should know!
Woodworking Safety Rules : Tips & Guides
1. Number One Safety Rule: Always Wear Safety Equipment
The number one woodshop safety rule one should follow is to always wear safety equipment. This may appear to be a self-evident guideline, yet it is critical to remember. The eyes are the most vital element of the body. Safety goggles protect your eyes from chemical spills that can blind you, while safety glasses protect your eyes from smaller chips and other hazards. You’ll also be protected from sparks and shattered tool components thanks to the face protection. You must wear eye protection underneath the shield because the face shield alone does not provide complete protection. Ear protection is just as crucial as eye protection. Excessive noise from some woodworking tools might result in irreversible hearing loss. As a result, earplugs or over ear muffs should be always used to protect the ear against hearing loss.
2. Wear Work Appropriate Clothes
The second tip to remember for a workshop safety rule is that you should always dress appropriately. The difficulty with wearing baggy or loose clothing is that they are much more likely to get trapped in a cutting head or router blade. As a result, they get ripped away or sometimes even end up harming the skin in the process. Always try to dress up in clothes like Woodworking Aprons that are not only appropriate for the woodworking atmosphere but also protect you. Also, no dangling jewelry or metallic, such as necklaces or bracelets, should be worn.
3. Concentrate on Your Work and Minimize Distractions
The third rule is to do your work with full concentration. Even if the attention is diverted for a second, the blades can seriously injure the worker. Woodworking is just like driving a vehicle, you would like to stay out of the drug and alcohol to avoid a crash. In the woodworking shop, the risks are even greater because accidentally using the wrong tool can hurt the worker too. As a result, execute your routing and crafting with care and precision. When encountering distractions, make sure you finish what you’re working on before moving on to something else.
4. Disconnect Power and Keep an Extension Cord
The fourth safety rule for a woodshop is, before changing blades or bits on your power tools, always remember to disconnect the power source. If the power isn’t disconnected, it can result in a mishap. Electric shocks are the most common ones. In addition to making sure the switch is turned off, make sure the tool is not powered by electricity, as the switch can malfunction and/or be unintentionally turned on.
Logically, you can’t roam around and take all your equipment wherever the power switch is in the room. You will need an extension cord. Using a single heavy-duty extension cord for all your power equipment ensures that each tool is turned off. When there are too many cords, it can become confusing and a tripping danger. So, our recommendation is to use a single extension that works for all your woodwork equipment.
5. The 5’7 Rule in Woodworking
The 5 ‘7 is one of the most important rules in the world of woodwork. In this, you must make a mark on the first chamfer’s edge. Then visualize a “5/7” ratio to generate a fresh set of lines on either side a little less than halfway between the reference lines and the corner. This rule makes work a lot easier and more precise for the woodworkers and lessens the chances of any damage.
6. Blunt Blades and Bits
Given how hazardous a dull cutting instrument may be, Dull tools will have to work harder to cut, and as a result, they may bind or kick back, causing serious harm to you. Sharp bits and blades ensure cleaner cuts.
7. Check Stock for Existing Metal
Ensure the piece of stock does not have existing nails, screws, or other metal lodged in it before sawing through or cutting it for woodshop safety. Spinning blades and nails don’t mix well, causing damage to the stock as well as the cutting head. It can also cause the stock to kick back and injure you, so make sure the stock is clean.
8. Working Against a Cutter
The majority of power tools are designed in such a way that the direction in which a piece of wood passes through the tool is the opposite of the cutting head’s movement. As a result, make sure the blade or router bit is cutting against the grain of the wood rather than with it.
9. Never Reach Over a Running Blade
The last woodshop safety rule is to keep in mind that the blade can start moving if switches fail or are triggered unexpectedly. Hence, be mindful. Before reaching to remove waste or cut-offs, always wait until the spinning blade has stopped moving. Alternatively, to be on the safe side, remove waste using a push stick or scrap to guarantee that an unintended power tool switch malfunction does not turn lethal. When you need to remove any cut-offs, you usually grab for a blade. When operating with a blade, however, never approach it until it has stopped. So never, ever, ever relax and get too close to the saw blade. Keep a safe gap between you and the other person.
10. The 6 Essential Elements of Woodshop
To avoid any inconvenience, every woodshop needs five elements, regardless of the size of the shed or the woodworker’s budget
– Lumber and tool storage
– Stationary machine area
– Finishing space
– Safety equipment
These six elements are the most initial for a woodshop, that you should not miss.
Final Thoughts
Beginners and pros alike are at risk when it comes to woodworking. Many people are surprised to learn that many injuries and mishaps occur among people with a lot of experience. Many people believe they can get away with breaking safety standards because they “know what they’re doing” due to their experience. As a result, it’s critical to realize that we live in an ever-changing, uncertain environment. Keep yourself grounded and humble and always keep pondering on the safety rules every woodworker should know. One never knows enough. Even if we are intuitive or experienced, we cannot forecast when accidents will occur.
We wish you a safe woodworking day ahead!
