How to Avoid Woodworking Accidents: Potential Hazards and Safety Tips from woodworking.com

"Safety first" is a common slogan, and the woodworker who began this discussion thread wanted to remind others of a few things that woodworkers, especially, should keep in mind about staying safe. Others had their own ideas, as well -- what are your important reminders? - Editor

"Woodworking isn't only about the skill and technical expertise involved in carving, painting, laminating and the likes. You should also give priority to the hazards involved in this type of work...Working with hardwoods can pose a hazard to health mainly because of exposure to its dust that is known to render woodworkers not only skin and nasal allergic reactions but as well as make them more susceptible to a specific kind of cancer. The exterior of newly cut hardwood have saps that can trigger allergies on the skin if there is direct contact. Even hardwood dust can cause the same allergic reactions. A good example of this is rosewood, which is commonly utilized in musical instruments. Other effects of contact with dust can bring about a number of respiratory diseases such as asthma, hypersensitive pneumonia and lung scarring caused by repeated respiratory attacks. Examples would be cork, oak and redwood. Prolonged exposure to hardwood dust is now connected with a specific kind of nasal/sinus cancer called Adenocarcinoma. The latency period of this type of disease is between 40 and 45 years. Studies have shown that 7 of 10,000 woodworkers are more likely to develop this disease.

"Machining can be very detrimental to hearing. Often than not, these woodworking machines can be deafening as they reach a high of 115 decibels. .. Before starting the art of woodworking, it is of importance to protect your body from all the potential hazards that are present. It is especially important to protect the eyes, ears, and the lungs. Wearing clothes that aren't loose and gloves are recommended to prevent skin irritation. Wearing of protective eye gears or goggles protect woodworkers from debris flying from using hand tools to rip wood. Also, these protective eye gears should be worn while applying wood finish because the chemicals might dry the eyes. ... earmuffs or ear plugs should be worn at all times. To protect the airways, there are dust collectors, chip collectors, air filters and dust masks available. It is important to keep the woodworking area well-ventilated and orderly. You never know when dust particles may enter the respiratory tract and cause harm.

"Working with wood means using sharp tools, heavy and sharp equipments, and electrically powered tools. To ensure that long-term damage will be prevented, workers should always check that the tools used are sharp. Heavy equipment should be used properly. There are cutting aids and jigs that guide the wood. If hand tools are going to be used, clamping the wood on the work table is advisable. Making sure that electrical tools are well-grounded or are doubly insulated will prevent electrical injuries or worse, fire accident." -inconlife

"I recommend a full face shield, even when wearing shatterproof glasses and goggles, when you are: • grinding; • routing; • sawing; • turning on a lathe; • working with eye irritant chemicals; • any other place where metal or wood particles are hurled from the machine at high speed. When working with any rotating equipment, keep your sleeves turned down and buttoned. When wearing an apron, keep it tied tightly to prevent flapping edges. I have worked around rotating machinery for 60+ years and am still learning new safety tricks. Bring them on."- Rex M

"Wear all necessary safety gears. And never forget to stay focus with what you're working. You can't be absent-minded while working inside your shop. This will give you space to think well."- Bosox

New Band Saw Owner - Need Advice from Sawmill Creek

This new owner of a band saw needed some tips on adjusting the blades. - Editor

"Just picked up my first band saw, a Grizzly G055LX. Since this is my first band saw, I don't really have much to compare it to, but it seems to be a pretty well-built little machine. I do have a few questions about adjustments, though. In the documentation, it says to adjust the thrust bearing to .016 of the back of the blade. This is no problem, but it also says to adjust the guide bearings to 'evenly and lightly contact the sides of the blade.' This seems to be against everything I had read previous to making my purchase. I'm wondering if this is actually the correct way to go.

"I have heard one preferred method is to wrap a dollar around the back of the blade and adjust the guides to that. I have tried this, but if anyone has adjusted one of these saws before - and it's like mine - you'll know that adjusting the guide bearings evenly never quite works out - one is always slightly different from the other no matter how careful you try to be. Is there some trick to this? Seems once you get them adjusted, they kind of just do whatever they want once you tighten the cap screw down. More trial and error?

"When adjusting them with a spacer, regardless of how carefully I adjust them, even when they look even, they seem to contact the blade periodically when under power. I'm wondering if I have a bad blade or what. I've tried all kinds of different blade tensions and spent quite a bit of time tinkering with adjustments, etc., but something seems to be running unevenly - is this something to even worry about? Am I trying to hard to get it perfect?" - Jason D.

And he received a few ideas. - Editor

"I adjust the bearings so they're just barely not touching the lade. The idea is that they should engage and support the blade when the piece wants to move it out of position, but should not be engaged with no load because they can force the blade out of true and put undue stress on the bearings. Same with the thrust bearing. It is worth it to learn the flutter method of adjusting blade tension. Then you can see how it resonates under different tensions. It might be the case that yorr blade is fluttering which will cause it to engage the bearings." - Prashun P.

"In essence, set up the blade to cut perpendicular and parallel to the table (minimize drift). Use an inexpensive blade built for your intended purpose. As beginners, we'll damage a few blades - best that they be cheap to replace." - Jim M.

"I just set blade tracking so the band is running in the middle of the wheels and have no drift issues. If a band is tracking true and starts drifting, it's time for a new band. I set my guides so they're almost touching but not quite. Don't overthink it. Make some cuts and see how it goes, but bands that come on new saws can lead to frustration." - Curt H.

"Re: setting up guides. They usually move after tightening because they were too loose and wobbly, or because the shaft is marked up from the set screw. I believe on that [band saw] a sleeve tightens around the shaft, so it wouldn't be marked up. Try keeping them a bit more snug as you adjust them. The way I adjust mine is very simple and takes seconds. After I've adjusted tension and tracking: 1) set bearing to a bit behind the gullets; 2) tap on the blade and move the guide in until the "click" goes away...and then back off a touch until it comes back. That sets you up with minimal clearance; 3) do the same on the other bearing; 4) bring the thrust bearing up to the blade, and then gently push the blade back until the gullets are just in front of the bearing. Lock down the thrust bearing. Alternatively, for thrust bearings that move on a threaded shaft, push the blade against the bearing and adjust until the gullets are in the right place.

"The tapping trick is remarkably sensitive and accurate.....and FAST. Also, I generally feel the less tools and devices you use, the more in tune you are with what you're doing. I use a very similar technique to cut the nut slots on guitars, and I can nail the proper clearance more accurately than I can measure." - John C.