How To Avoid Injuries In Woodworking

By Author: Neil Wenk
Total Articles: 3
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Woodworking, while one of the most rewarding hobbies around, is hazardous! It's a million times more perilous than collecting baseball cards or creating painted birds. When you're working with wood, you ought to know your tools inside and out. It's very important that you are familiar with how to use them and their limitations.

You don't want to loose any fingers. Hazards for working with wood encompass wood dust and chemicals used in finishing your creations that may cause skin and respiratory diseases. You'll find more Internet sites that will elaborate on these hazards besides the one you're viewing at present. Ninety nine percent of woodworking shop injuries would not have happened if safety measures were followed.

Remember These Tips for Your Shop.

1. Organize Your Brain, Think safe and Dress Appropriately and — Concentrate!
Your work area is filled with costly tools, yet the highest and most intelligent tool you have is your mind. Prior to each cut or other move think about what you are doing. Rehearse the cut or the plane with your hands ...
... before you start. Woodworking safety by itself can help keep you safe and your precious fingers will remain intact. Working with a TV or a radio in your shop can be bad news. Cutting plywood on your table saw while watching the big game can be distracting and end up being disastrous for you. And, be certain that you have goggles, ear and lung protection whenever you're using a tool. Baggy clothes or loose hair can get caught up in your work especially around power tools.

2. Pace Yourself and Don't Force the Cut!
There use to be a phrase used in the sixties — Speed Kills. Even though the context is different, remember it still holds. Rushing a cut or trying to complete a project to fast can lead to disaster.

Remember that it's just a hobby and there is always tomorrow. As I'm sure you know, some cuts are easier than others. If the saw fence or the plate is not perfectly aligned, sometimes the wood will become caught. Do not ever try to force the piece of wood all the way or you could lose a digit.

3. Clean it Up!
An untidy or greasy work area that is filled with clutter and with the tools strewn across the bench amidst the empty fast food wrappers, invites a hazard. Be certain to clean-up your working area every time you use it. It will help you to keep your brain organized if you put all your tools where they belong. What I have given here is just a brief list of woodworking safety thoughts and ideas in the hope that they will assist you in your enjoyment of woodworking.

Neil Wenk pens mostly for http://www.insidewoodworking.com , a website on woodworking news and professional woodworking tips. You might come across his abstracts on woodworking over at http://www.insidewoodworking.com .