Working with wood can be quick a risky task, especially if you do not follow some basic rules of safety while doing so. If woodworking is your hobby or job, it can be an enjoyable and fun activity to do if you take your safety seriously. All the safety rules of woodworking are common sense ideas, which everyone should know, and they should be at the forefront of your mind when working with wood.
Moreover, a wood workshop is not a place where you should rush your work, or else you may end up injuring yourself terribly. As such, it is crucial that you take care of every minute detail while working with wood to ensure your safety.
With this in mind, here we discuss a few basic safety points that you should consider and follow without fail to ensure your safety from all the sides.
Always wear safety equipment
This is the most important safety rule while woodworking. It is vital that you protect yourself with safety equipment and precautions, such as wearing the correct PPE. More specifically, the first thing you should take care of is your ears so as to prevent any hearing injury, such as industrial deafness. Therefore, it is very important that you protect your ears from the noise of the blades while working with wood for extended periods of time. You are required to wear all necessary equipment like earplugs that are specially designed to protect your ears from the terrible noise of tools like routers and surface planers.
You will also need to wear latex gloves to protect your hands while applying finishes, as well as wearing appropriate safety glasses or goggles from the moment you enter the wood workshop until the time you leave. All these equipment are necessary for your protection, so make sure that you abide by these safety precautions to prevent injury.
Wear appropriate clothing
It’s extremely important that you should dress properly and accordingly, while working with wood, and avoid wearing loose clothes as they may get entangled in a saw blade or cutting head.
Also, it is important that you wear clothes that are comfortable in the environment you are working. Having said this, it also means that you should protect your attire from any wood chips that may be expulsed when cutting. It is also advisable that you remove all jewellery before you start on any job that requires the operation of heavy machinery when working with wood.
Avoid toxic substances like drugs and alcohol
Mixing or consuming toxic substances when working with wood can prove to be highly dangerous. If you find yourself even a bit under the influence of these substances, then you should refrain from working with wood and operating any heavy machinery. Put simply, this is because woodworking is a task that requires a high degree of concentration, where distractions are a big NO in this field as they can lead to unwanted accidents.
As such, it is crucial for you to keep yourself away from any distractions that may lead to some form of accident at work.
Disconnect the power when not being used
Although this point may seem extremely obvious, it’s often the simple things that are easily forgotten. Even despite it being a major part of a daily routine, some people still forget to turn the power off at the mains when not operating a particular machine. However, the same rule applies here, and it is crucial that you should strictly follow the correct operation procedures to avoid any fatal accidents.
If you need to change the blades or undertake some routine maintenance, you should always check the power switch to ensure it is off. Do not invite accidents with silly mistakes or in overconfidence, and make sure you switch off the power tool before you perform any sort of maintenance to a woodworking machine.
Use one extension cord
As an expansion to the above safety tip, why not try using just one heavy duty extension cord for all your power tools? By doing this, it will make help you to remember to switch off the power before changing or conducting maintenance on the machine.
Moreover, by doing so, you will always remember to plug and unplug the power when moving from one tool to another without any risk. Not only that, but by only supplying the machine with electricity when you need it, you’re preventing any electricity being wasted and keeping your energy bills low.
Make use of sharp blades and bits
Using dull cutting tools can prove dangerous when working with wood. It is always advisable to use sharp tools that will require less strength of yours to put on while cutting the wood. Moreover, when you use sharp cutting blades/tools, your task becomes easier and faster.
To generate better results when working with wood and keeping yourself safe, try keeping the blade sharp and clean of a pitch.
Other safety tips
Apart from the safety tips mentioned above, there a few other tips like:
It is advisable for you to always check for nails, screws, and other metal before you start your cutting process. It is because nails and rapidly spinning saw blades can cause the stock to kick back, which can result in an injury.
Always work against the cutter to get better results and avoid unnecessary hassles.
Do not reach over the blade to remove the waste or you will end up injuring yourself.
Working with wood can be a joyous task if you follow the safety rules and tips outlined above, as it’s always better to be safe than to say sorry. For more information, tips and advice on working with wood, then why not visit Woodwork Machinery.
