49 – Safety Week
High Resolution Version
Woodworker’s Safety Week is finally here! No it doesn’t mean that this is the only week we have to be safe, haha. Obviously, our shops are full of danger. So its very important that we adopt the safest practices possible. And with so many folks new to the hobby, its critical that we take a step back occasionally and focus on safety. With the cooperation of the rest of our internet woodworking community, I hope we can create a whole series of blog posts, videos, audio programs and articles that can be referenced all year long. And knowing most of these folks, their contributions will be interesting and entertaining. So enjoy this crazy week of content, fun, giveaways, and more.
The Inspiration for Safety Week – Brent’s Injury
A few weeks ago, Brent told me the story of his injury on the jointer. He also sent me pictures of the damage. I have seen injury photos in the past, but for some reason these had a profound affect on me. I think its partly due to the fact that a jointer injury is one of my worst nightmares! After giving it some though, I asked Brent if I could share his story in the hopes of preventing someone else from making the same mistake. And the more I thought about it, I started to realize that I needed to do something bigger with a much larger reach. And so Woodworker’s Safety Week was born.
Here is Brent’s story:
“I was in my garage and working on a project for a family member. I had worked all day at my job and decided to get some shop time in because this project was taking me forever to complete. The amount of time this was taking was way longer than I originally thought. I just finished gluing up some boards and should of called it quits for the night. I was exhausted and hungry. Instead of shutting the lights out and going inside I decided to use the jointer and flatten some boards for the next step. This would give me a head start for the next day. As I passed the boards over the jointer (not using a push block), I noticed I was getting a large amount of snipe. I don’t know what I was thinking or what I was not thinking due to being tired but I adjusted the out feed table. When I did this adjustment I lowered it a little too much. The next board I ran across started to bounce and I instinctively pushed the board down to control it. The board then shot out and my hand came down on the blades. This accident sent me to the emergency room. When I arrived they stuck a needle in my palm about seven times to numb it. I also received an IV and tetanus shot. I then had to hold my hand under running water for fifteen minutes. The surgeon then came in only to tell me they were shipping me to another hospital where a specialist could work on me. The plastic surgeon operated on me the next day. I received a skin graft from my arm to my palm that resulted in twelve staples and fifteen stitches. Lessons learned: 1) Don’t woodwork when you are hungry and tired. 2) Know your equipment and its correct operation. 3) Push sticks and safety equipment are less expensive than hospital bills (by far). 4) When you rush to meet a deadline it can cost you dearly. The photos are from the day the bandage, staples, and stitches were removed. This was about seven days after the accident. The one good thing I got from this accident was it taught me to respect the equipment and never work without the use of safety equipment. I am now recovering fine and have full use of my hand. I was very lucky it could have been a lot worse.”
WARNING!!! The photos below depict the results of a serious power tool injury.
Ouch 1, Ouch 2, Ouch 3, Ouch 4
Monday’s Safety Links
Here is a quick list of today’s safety-related articles and videos from around the web:
Today’s Safety Links:
Shop Safety – WoodZone.com
Electrical Safety- DIYAdvisor.com
The Safety Dance – Modern Woodshop
Safety Glasses for Us that Wear Glasses – TreeFrogFurniture
Tagline for Safety Week- Adventures In Woodworking
Safety First!- The Village Carpenter
A TS, a Carnation Flower and My Thumb – SandalWood
Safety Dealing with Big Cats – Skiving Off
Injury Stories – Fine Woodworking
Close Calls in the Workshop- The Craftsman’s Path
TableSaw Safety- Tony’s Woodshop
My Story and Others- Popular Woodworking
Minimizing the Risk of Kickback – SandalWood
Sawdust in Your Lungs – Matt’s Basement Workshop
Woodworker’s Safety Week (May 5th-May 9th)
The Wood Whisperer is proud to announce the first annual Woodworker’s Safety Week. Every year, during the first full week of May, I hope the woodworking world will join me in taking some time to refresh our memories about the importance of safety and proper techniques. Most of you probably know that I am by no means preachy when it comes to safety. I am a big believer in personal responsibility. But with so many new woodworkers joining us every day, its important to reinforce the things that may seem like common sense to a seasoned woodworker. And even seasoned woodworkers can always use a refresher course. So I would like to think of Woodworker’s Safety Week as just that, a refresher course on safety.
Now here’s a little back story for you. A few weeks ago, Brent (a friend of the show) emailed me some pictures of the aftermath of his jointer injury. I know the jointer is dangerous and I thought I had an idea of what kind of damage that tool might do. But there was something about actually seeing the pictures that had a profound affect on me. It made me realize how easily something can go wrong, even when we think we are safe. And that was all the inspiration I needed to put something like this in motion. I will start the week off in May with Brent’s story and his pictures. Don’t worry, they will be text links, so if you don’t want to look at them you won’t have to.
Just a few of the things you can expect to see that week are safety-related videos from me as well as a few from Finewoodworking.com. We will also have daily giveaways, sponsored by Rockler. And be sure to check all of the sites in The Wood Whisperer Network. I know folks will be posting articles, videos, and some are even having their own giveaways! And keep an eye out for the LumberJocks/Wood Whisperer Safety Challenge that will be announced soon. Its going to be a great event, and hopefully it will result in the prevention of shop accidents, which is obviously the ultimate goal.
If you have your name in for the regular Wood Whisperer Giveaway, you are already entered into the Rockler-sponsored giveaways. But if you haven’t yet entered, just email us at TWWPromo@gmail.com. Thanks everybody, and let’s make sure the first Woodworker’s Safety Week goes off with a bang (just make sure you are wearing hearing protection). haha.
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