Woodworking is of safest and enjoyable business endeavor that you can venture into.
However, you should be ready and willing to strictly adhere to the safety rules and guidelines to ensure that you do not injure yourself and others in the process.
Woodworking safety is designed so that they are easy to remember as most of them require the users to use common sense.
The safety of the woodworkers is the main priority of the manufacturers while designing the various hand and power tools.
It’s the mandate of the users to practice extra caution while working with the various tools in their working station.
Failure to adhere to these essential rules could expose the user to much peril, including severe injuries.
1. Always Put on Safety Gear
Although this critical safety guideline may seem obvious, most woodworking enthusiasts tend not to put it into consideration, thus exposing them to hazards.
When operating power tools that are loud, including surface planners and routers, you put on ear protection; this will help protect your eardrum from damage.
Similarly, while applying finishes and when operating power tools, wearing latex gloves is essential.
Additionally, you should never undertake any woodworking project without wearing your safety glasses or goggles.
This plays a significant role in ensuring that your eye from any dust and other objects that may injure it.
2. Wear the Appropriate Outfit
The issue with putting on loose and baggy clothes while operating power tools in your workshop is that they may get caught in a saw blade or cutting head.
Thus is very important that you wear an outfit that ain’t loose and one which may not expose you to any peril.
Additionally, if you have any dangling or loosely hanging jewelry, including bracelets and chains, you should keep them away before commencing work. Also, if you have long hair, you should tie it at the back or wear a helmet instead.
3. Never Work or Operate Woodworking Machinery while Intoxicated
While undertaking any woodworking and carpentry project, avoid using drugs, alcohol, and any substance that may impair your judgment and reaction time.
Working or operating woodworking power tools exposed you to too much danger as you may end up severely injuring yourself in the process.
Intoxication will make you not be attentive, especially while operating cutting tools.
Thus, you could end up cutting yourself or even falling on the machine as this could be much disastrous and deadly.
Additionally, you will end up producing low-quality work and full of mistakes and errors. You could also waste much time doing insignificant things.
Thus it is vital to ensure that you always work and operate machinery while sober and attentive.
4. Disconnect Power
While you are not operating your woodworking power tool, you should ensure that you disconnect it from power to avoid unforeseen losses, especially when unpredictable instances of a power outage.
This also helps to save on power.
Additionally, when changing bits or blades in your woodworking power tools, you could ensure that you disconnect it from the power source to avoid electrocution and other dangers.
Also, when connecting your power tool to the power source, you should ensure that you have put the switch off and ensure no electric current is being powered to your woodworking machinery.
If you have fault electric switches in your workshop, you should replace them as soon as possible to avoid electrocution.
5. Never Operate with Blunt Bits and Blades
Apart from producing shoddy and erroneous work, tools with blunt bits and blades could expose you to unprecedented accidents while you work on your workshop.
Furthermore, it’s hard to operate with dull tools as they will struggle to make cuts, and in the process, they could kick back or bind and thus injure you.
If your woodworking tools have blunt bits and blades that are blunt, you should sharpen them or replace them to avoid any dangers and inconveniences.
Your safety as a woodworker is paramount, and thus you should never compromise on it.
Minimize Distractions in your Workshop
Ultimate attention and focus are what you should always aim for while undertaking various carpentry and woodworking tasks in your working station.
Thus, it would be best to eliminate any distractions that could hinder your vision or attention to improve productivity and eliminate the chances of accidents.
To avoid distractions, you should put all your attention on the work that you are doing.
Additionally, your workshop should be organized and neat, power cables should be well fixed, tools should be kept where they are supposed to be.
Finally, avoid leaving unattended workpieces on the path as they could hinder your movement and make you trip and injure yourself.
6. Never Reach Over a Rotating Blade
For quick, precise, and accurate cutting of pieces of wood, rotating blades are powered to rotate at an electric speed.
Unfortunately, the rotating blades can be very dangerous and fatal; thus, DIYers and woodworking enthusiasts should be extra cautious while operating power tools with rotary cutters to avoid peril.
Before reaching over a rotary blade to remove cut-offs and waste, you should be patient enough and let the spinning blade stop.
Then, to be on the safer side, you should use a push stick to remove cut-offs and waste.
Additionally, the power should be off before attempting to remove cut-offs and waste within the blades of your woodworking power tool.
7. Cross-check Stock for Existing Metal
Before making a cut or sawing through, always make sure that the stock piece doesn’t have any existing screws or nails or other metal pieces stuck into it already.
Nails and spinning blades, and other metal pieces mix well and thus damage both the cutting head and the stock.
Ideally, you could use a metal detector to ensure no piece of metal on the stock.
