From the article: Woodworking Safety Equipment
Every woodworker knows that it's smart to always wear their safety equipment, but many often do not do so. Why? Perhaps they forget. Maybe they think "it's a quick cut, I'll be fine." This is a dangerous habit to have.
Case in point: Once, I was replacing some screws in a door hinge, and wasn't wearing my safety glasses. A chunk of the driver bit broke off and just missed my eye. A quarter inch higher, and I could have lost my eye.
Have you ever had a close call when you didn't wear your safety equipment? We welcome you to share your story. Share Your Close Calls
Case in point: Once, I was replacing some screws in a door hinge, and wasn't wearing my safety glasses. A chunk of the driver bit broke off and just missed my eye. A quarter inch higher, and I could have lost my eye.
Have you ever had a close call when you didn't wear your safety equipment? We welcome you to share your story. Share Your Close Calls
Safety Glasses
- I am not a terribly experienced woodworker (though I have built a nice pine chimney cabinet and an electric guitar) and am much more familiar with machining, but when I was 16/17 I did on many occasions skip the necessary safety precautions when using tools. I have had plastics chip and shatter on many occasions while using mills and lathes while not wearing safety glasses. Even while using something as simple as a Dremel tool I have had material fly off at my face. Not to mention not tying back my shoulder-length hair on occasion. Oh, and then there was the time I used a Masonry hammer drill/hole saw without safety glasses. I have luckily never been seriously hurt and slowly my safety habits have improved tremendously. For all those with long hair and don't tie it back; consider what would happen should you get it caught in a lathe, or mill or drill press. I am now a healthy 18 and haven't yet been hurt badly. Here's to hoping the remaining years are just as safe.
- —Guest Daryl P
Close Calls
- I built an addition and was constantly using large power tools. It was easier to leave my safety glasses on all the time while doing smaller jobs. I was soldering pipe for the plumbing and there was some water in the line which boiled and steamed and blew a drop of molten solder in the direction of right into the middle of one eye of the glasses. If I had not had the glasses it would have hit right in the center of my eye very likely blinding it. Just a week ago I was pulling nails with a pry bar and some rusted screws. When I jerked on the pry bar the screw popped out and pinged off my glasses in front of my eye completely missing any skin. No one has to remind me to wear the glasses. Every time I am around my grown children and they are working with tools I ask how they would like living the rest of their lives with one eye. I insist they wear glasses and ear protection. Oh yeah, I always wear hearing protection since I am now hard of hearing from my follies of youth.
- —Guest Alaska John
kickback guard
- While cutting some thick plexyglass on my table saw I had removed kickback guard so I wouldnt damage the plexyglass (dumb). Long story short the blade grabed the plexy and sent it soaring through the air inches from my stomach and right where my wife had been sitting minutes before. I heard it hit the garage door behind me thinking it had shattered. I turned off the saw and turned and looked what i saw still sends chills down my back it was imbedded in the steel door 3" I left it there as a reminder that safety has to be first.
- —mgbdad2
Use gloves to protect hands
- I was using my Bosch 6 x 24 belt sander to hog off a high spot on a piece of wood for a deck I was building. Accidents happen when you are in a hurry, but are multiplied when you are doing something that is also stupid. First, I was holding the small piece of wood with my left hand and running the sander with my right, rather than clamping down the wood. Second, I was not wearing gloves - something I always do, but didn't this time. The sander is very powerful - I found that out as it got away from me and climbed up my left hand. Everything happened so fast, I hardly noticed the 2" patch of skin and assorted tissue missing when everything came to rest. The scar now looks quite good, and also gives me a reminder every time I pick up a tool to use common sense and wear safety equipment.
- —wrjames2b
CARPENTER/FORMER MARINE.
- WHILE REMOVING RUST ON A VEHICLE USING A WIRE BRUSH, A PIECE OF THE WIRE BROKE OFF & LODGED ITSELF IN THE CENTER OF MY PUPIL!!!I ENDED UP IN THE BASE HOSPITAL.NO EYE PROTECTION/STUPID!
- —Guest WALT CZAJKA
