Safety rules for a carpentry workshop
Working in a workshop exposes one to various dangers, especially from the large number of nails, screws, cutting equipment, heavy materials, and drilling equipment.
When you are in a woodworking shop, it is important to practice caution and care. This will help ensure that injuries do not occur when the workshop is in use.
Below are the safety rules that every beginner who wants to start a woodworking shop should know.
Always wear safety gear
When you work in a workshop, you can drill holes, cut materials, use nails, use screws, and even transport materials from one place to another. By performing these tasks, he exposes his eyes, ears, hands, and even his body to errant elements that can cause harm.
For example, you can drill holes in a piece of wood to screw two pieces together. During this time, small pieces of wood or dust will fly in any direction. If your eyes are not protected by safety glasses, you will be injured. Before you start work in your new shop, you should invest in safety glasses, hearing protection, gloves (optional), coveralls, and a dust mask.
Avoid alcohol and drugs
Alcohol and drugs damage the part of the human brain that allows us to think logically and act normally. When you consume such substances, they intoxicate the body which makes one not act as one should in a normal situation. If you were to operate heavy machinery like drilling rigs or cutting equipment, accidents are bound to happen.
While it may seem harmless to open a beer bottle during a project, it’s best to avoid it until you’re out of the shop. You must have a clear and sober mind when operating machinery, especially power tools.
Always turn off power after using a tool.
Power tools are very useful as they help to cut and drill holes very easily. There are times when you will need to change the bit or blades. During this time, you must ensure that the power tool is turned off both at its switch and at the power source. Doing so will ensure that no power flows through it, and in the event of accidentally turning it on, no injury will occur.
If this happens, you can injure your body or even lose your fingers.
Never place your hands anywhere near moving blades.
There are times when you will be using highly professional equipment like table saws and miter saws to cut different materials. The only thing to remember when doing this is to never put your hands near the blade. This can occur when one is trying to remove debris or cuts.
What you need to do is wait for the blade to stop moving completely and then you can stretch to remove debris and cuts. You should use a scrap lump or push stick to move the debris and not with your bare hands. Accidents happen and one can start the machine with one’s thighs by hitting it. Always be cautious.
dress appropriately
When you work in a shop, you have to remember that loose clothing will get caught in a saw blade and you don’t want to know what happens next. You should wear clothing that is comfortable for you and the environment in which you are working. Clothing should also be able to protect your body from wood chips and dust that are the result of cutting and drilling. The best clothing that will ensure you are protected are coveralls that can be purchased at a store near you. Lastly, avoid necklaces and bracelets around the neck and wrists.
You can find designs online and try to make them with the available tools. A workshop is not a space where carelessness is tolerated, but it is a place to lean on and adopt good security measures. In our part two series on safety rules for a woodworking shop, you’ll learn more about what you need to do in your shop to prevent injuries.
Use sharp blades and bits
When drilling holes and cutting materials, you must ensure that saws and drills are equipped with sharp blades and bits. Using dull tools with dull blades and bits will also make the job more difficult and dangerous. One will have to use a lot of effort to do a job. This will result in kickback which can cause hand injury. To ensure that the works are carried out faster; you need to invest in sharp blades and bits. It will cut through materials and drill holes without experiencing any kickback forces from the equipment.
Always minimize distractions
Working in a garage is like driving a car, a truck or even a train. The driver must concentrate 100% on the road as well as oncoming traffic and pedestrians. In a workshop, many distractions must be avoided, since equipment with sharp blades and drill bits is used. There are several things that can distract you when you are in a workshop. For example, you have bought a small LED TV to watch Manchester matches because you live too far from the city. While it’s nice to support your team and be a fan, you should turn off the TV when you’re working. You can choose to put on your favorite music playlist and play it while you work. It is less distracting and will motivate you to finish your work.
Keep children away from the workshop.
When you invest in your home workshop, you need to keep children away from the cutting and drilling equipment. These are power tools that have sharp blades and bits. If accidentally turned on, they will injure a person if handled incorrectly.
Children love to run and hide in different areas of the home and your workshop is one of them. One way to keep children out is to invest in locks. You can use traditional deadbolt locks or you can use modern ones that come with electronic keypads. All you need to do is set your password and you can block unauthorized users.
Use only one extension cord
Power is distributed in homes using copper electrical cables that can transmit a certain amount of power. In your home, you will find power outlets in different parts of the house. When it comes to your extensions, you need to use only one in your workshop. His workshop is home to different power tools, from power saws to drilling tools. Pinning your power cords to a single socket will not only overload the extension cord and socket, it will make it difficult for you to know which tool has been turned off and which is on. With a single extension, you’ll be able to unplug at the socket, allowing you to replace dull blades, dull tips, and remove debris near the blades.
Always work against the cutter.
Most woodworking power tools are built so that the direction a piece of wood moves is through it. This simply means that it should move in the opposite direction of the cutting head. Since this is the safest practice, you want to make sure the router bit and blade cut against the movement of the material instead of going with it.
