Official Luthiers Forum!

Something that we never seem to discuss here that I would really benefit from is shop safety. 

As some of you know I never worked with tools prior to a little over 3 years ago when I started building guitars.  So.... after purchasing band saws, sanders, drill presses, exotics like Wagner power planers, etc. I really had no clue how to use these things AND, more importantly how to be safe with them too.

Along the way I picked up the obvious, safety glasses, hearing protection, respirator when finishing etc.  Pat was kind enough to tell me that I need to get a fire extinguisher and so I did.

But I thought that it would be prudent to have a thread where everyone could share some safety tips with each other and don't assume that people like me know any of this stuff.

Tips for the use of specific tools that we use in guitar building with an eye on known things that can go wrong would be greatly appreciated.

One of the things that I do now is keep safety glasses (AND wear them) near or on every tool that I should be using them with.  I actually try to put the glasses in a place that I have to touch them to use the tool.





And although hearing protection is generally not needed for using a drill press this makes a handy place to hang these things.  I do use hearing protection when ever there will be a sustained high level of noise like when using a thickness sander with the vac on or the belt sander with the vac on.



And Pat suggested to me a couple of years ago that I needed a fire extinguisher, fully charged.  Prior to this suggestion it just never had occurred to me in my rush to build guitars.  I figured that placing it at the door to my shop would give me options.



Please add any safety tips that you may have and again don't assume that all of us really know how to be safe in a shop.

Oh, and do you guys keep first aid kits in your shops? 

Many thanks!

Great topic Hesh!
One of the things that I have added recently and has really saved some scary moments in my shop is a Zero clearance plate for my table saw. It stops little pieces of wood (think guitar brace) from falling down against the side of the blade and being shot like an arrow to the other side of the shop!

Another thing is to keep a clean clear floor. Try to keep anything that would trip you up (extension cords etc) out of your main pathways. I know these sound obvious but they do need to be mentioned. We often find our selves walking around with sharp pointy tools in our hands.

Air filtration! This is a biggie in my opinion. I have a Delta dust collector that runs when ever im in the shop.

I have one more and Ill shut up. Wear your safety glasses when using a Go-bar deck. It seems like a harmless jig, until a braces flops over and you have 15 fiber glass rods shooting out in all different directions!
Don't ask

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

From working in a machine shop I saw a few accidents because of

#1 gloves - I actually saw a guy break his arm using leather gloves on a lathe.
#2 Loose clothing - see story below
#3 jewelry - numerous ring stories.


Just an anecdotal story. I was around 17 or 18 and had been at the machine shop for about a year (I worked there 7 years total). I had on an un-tucked t-shirt and was honing a 1 1/4" diameter bore on a metal casting. The hone stuck, the casting turned and grabbed my shirt pulling me into the spinning casting. The casting hit my arm but, luckily, didn't break it. I had to change my shorts and sit down for a while. After that I made sure to listen to the "old guys".

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nay

My blogs
Hand Made Gutar
Woodworker++

*EDIT*

The tips are...

1. don't wear gloves on a lathe
2. Tuck in your shirts, roll up your sleeves, tie back your hair (if you have any).
3. Take off all rings, watches, piercings....

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nay

My blogs
Hand Made Gutar
Woodworker++

Putting safety glasses (not the goggle style) around your neck with those little rope things like the old grade school librarian helps to encourage the use of them. When they are right there within a few inches of your face, you're more likely to actually put them on when needed, just don't get the rope thingies too long or there will be another safety issue going on!

Learn to correctly use and appreciate hand tools -

I'd still have all my fingers today if I had learned woodworking the right way 15 years ago instead of trying to use a jointer to do what a block plane should have been doing.  (Long story, but OUCH! )

Learning to play guitar without the index finger on my right hand has been a challenge, but hey, i never shrink from a challenge...

Keep your tools well maintained and your blades sharp.  now that I teach woodworking part time, I can't tell you how many times I see someone forcing a dull chisel into a piece of wood and have it slip and end up in their hand.  Sharp tools work better with less effort.  Learn to sharpen and keep them sharp at all times. 

Dust collection.  Huge.  Particularly in an industry that works with exotics like lutherie, it is paramount that you don't breathe the fine dust of many of these woods.  Its toxic.  If you don't have good dust collection, wear a respirator. 

Just because you saw Norm do it, doesn't make it right.  Just because you read it in a magazine, doesn't make it safe.  I regularly see magazine articles with setups where the wood is passed BETWEEN the bit and the fence on a router table.  (yes, that's bad).  Learn to use your power tools the right way.  If you are unsure about an operation, ASK.  There are many competent woodworkers on this and other forums who will be more than happy to share their knowledge. I saw an article on another forum featuring a very well known guitar maker using the blade of his table saw like a shaper...it tightened my colon...

Mistakes in this business won't grow back.  Believe me!

 

here's some more...

How many of you still have the flimsy guard on your table saw?  You just took it off didn't you...it was always in the way..yada yada...

Did you replace the splitter that was attached to it with a good aftermarket splitter?  This is what keeps wood from flying out of the saw at a high rate of speed and sticking into the wall 50 feet behind you...or through you...

There are great aftermarket blade guards and splitters for most table saws that should be a part of your tools.  I won't rip in a saw without a splitter.  Why?  Because I caught an oak top in the belly as it came out of a cabinet saw at "a high rate of speed"  - again, i was young and foolish then...

Never cross your hands in the cutting plane of the band saw.  use a push stick to clear away even the small pieces that accumulate as you cut there.  I have a few friends with no opposable thumbs anymore as they failed to heed that advice.  Bandsaws are especially dangerous because they cut quickly and cleanly, and you may not even know you are in harms way until its too late.  they also continue to spin well after they are turned off, making them prone to accidents...

I got a million of them...

Your head!

The most important safety device in any shop is your head. Use it to think ahead; what happens if...? Where should I keep myself in relation to the machine and work piece, what is the likely direction of travel if the piece gets thrown back, what is the next stop if that chisel slips...

Think through each operation before going through with it. If something feels dangerous it probably is; find another way of doing it.

Always work with a clear mind. If you are tired, intoxicated, absent minded, whatever, go do something else. As much as I like a good cold beer, I can’t believe how many people tell me they will have a beer or perhaps a nice glass of red while performing woodworking. If I have one beer, that means I’m not in the shop.

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

It seems like no matter how safe you try to be, there is that one moment of indescretion that can cause the really serious injury.

I try to always think ahead and keep on my mind what can happen if....  This usually works to keep me  from any injuries. I wear glasses anyway, so I dont even have to think about eye safety. It is my fingers that I have to remind myself over.

I am still nursing a finger that has lost most of its feeling due to one of those momentary moments. It happened with a chisel, sharpened scarey sharp. It slipped while cutting a difficult spot, and stabbed my index finger on my left hand. Went all the way to the bone and took off a big flap of skin with it. That was almost a year ago, and I still have limited feelings in the finger and it is mostly numb from the first joint down.

I guess what I am trying to say is to think ahead where the chisel might go if it slipped. it only takes one slip to cause alot of problems.

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Reguards,

Ken H

After reading someone's advice here (I am sorry, I don't remember who) I always now wear full goggle's when using any super glue bottle that could squeeze and shoot a stream towards my face. Whip tips, eye droppers, anything like that. My eye is one place I really don't want that stuff.

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Burton
http://www.legeytinstruments.com
Brookline, MA.

And family member are not allowed to come up behind me ESPECIALLY when running any machines. They must stand on the stairs in the center of the basement shop, call me (progressivley louder )until I hear/respond. I don't get startled anymore.

I must have a high tolerance to dust. Plus, I'm not really bothered by allergies. But I've noticed a few people visiting my shop, begin to sniff and cough. Some have had to step outside to get some air.

Tim McKnight's post about cylclones in another thread is amazing. Looking in the bucket of his little shop vacuum cyclone, is completely convincing. But then to visit the manufacturer's site and re-read claims of health in the woodworking industry and micron sizes of dust. It's even more powerful.

Please take time to read this article located on this cyclone website, it's really worthwhile. I was moved to redouble my efforts or lack thereof reading it and of course seeing Tim's amazing results on a small level.

Great thread Hesh, keep 'em coming.

Dust collection article and info, worth a read. It's called Beginner's Corner.

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

[QUOTE=Arnt] Your head!

Think through each operation before going through with it. If something feels dangerous it probably is; find another way of doing it. [/QUOTE]

This is so correct!

Many stories I have heard/read of shop injuries are prefaced with the comment, "I had a feeling that what I was doing was not right."

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"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

I keep all my solvents, finishes, ect in a metal air tight cabinet with a lock on the door. Hope it will negate the necessity of using my fire extinguisher.

Bob brings up a good point about finishing -

what do you do with your rags when you are done with them?  Spontaneous combustion is a real thing!

when you are done with solvent based products, oil finishes, etc - soak the rags in water first, then hang them on the end of the barrel to dry before you toss them.  This is a real hazard...

 

As an Orthopaedist in a rural referral center in MN for 28 years I took care of enormous numbers of farm and power tool injuries.
For loss of digits I would say that the table saw was the big one by far.  Usually kick back problems cutting without a splitter and not using a push stick.  Jointers tore up digits but they could usually be salvaged.
DON'T WEAR RINGS, and tuck in your shirt.  Absolutely the most devastating  injuries I saw were from loose clothing getting caught in a power take-off on the farm.  I was thicknessing wood on my Performax the other night and had my shirt hanging out.  It wouldn't be that hard to catch it in the belt feed.
Lastly Don't rush!!  When you get a a little frenzied and that voice in your head says "take a break", walk away. (I'm still working on the discipline to do that)
Terry

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Good tips here guys!
Thanks for starting this Hesh.

One of my favorite and versatile tools is my old table saw.
In my mind, it is also very dangerous.
One of the most helpful safety things I’ve done was to completely tune-up my old table saw. This helped to correct some of the shortcomings of the machine as well as making me focus on safety issues.
Others have said this, but focusing on keeping your gear tuned up can help you to have the right “mind set” every time you approach your tools for an operation.
Know what makes you tools tick!

Wishing you all a safe New Year!

Wade

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Wade
Nashua, NH
http://www.wadefx.com

Safety first.

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“If God dwells inside us like some people say, I sure hope He likes enchiladas, because that's what He's getting”
-jack handy

RE: table saws. I see a lot of photos and people cutting something, and the blade is 3" taller than the wood! Fercryinoutloud, lower the stupid thing. rule of thumb is to only allow the blade to stick out no more than you can afford to lose from your hand.

As for push sticks, lose 'em. Yes, toss your push sticks, I say!! Instead, make push -blocks-. Especially for the small things we cut on the saws, make a block that will not only push the work through the blade, but also hold it down. and for the smallest items, like bindings, the block covers the blade, also. A few minutes at the band saw will yield push blocks of all sizes. They look like bench hooks if you've not seen them...

Still on te table saw, unless you need to cut something thicker than 2 inches, use the little thin kerf, 7-1/4" Freud Diablo blades. You don't even have to push the work through these little buggers... The less effort you have to put into feeding the work, te safer it is.

Make zero clearance inserts, and use them all the time.

Make good and sure the fence is dead square to the bade. Ignore the old timer's who say to skew it off to one side a bit.

If you don't have one, move or install the stop button so you can knee it with your left knee.

as for shop equipment, for sure, fire ext., but, more than one! have a few, and never mind the little wee things. Get some large ones. Then, at least once a year(twice is better), hold them upside down, and give them a few solid whaps on the bottom with a rubber mallet of soft faced hammer. The dry chemical gets compressed at the bottom becaue it's under pressure, and if not loosened once in a while, it won't help you one dang bit when you NEED to use it.

And have some water nearby at all times. Just fill a pail and leave it somewhere out of the way. Wood or sawdust fires don't really do well with general purpose fire extinguishers, but water takes care of it better. Also, install a smoke detector. yes, it will go off once in a while wen you used that dull blade to cut the 2" maple board, but it'll also give you an early waring at 3am.... If your shop is separate, there are wireless smoke detectors that will sound each other if one goes off. Or simply install a intercom, and lock the one in the shop so yo can here what's going on in there while you're in the home.

And no drinks in the evening while working, please.  Leave the Everclear consumption for french polishing....

Never work distracted. I know many of us like to work on things to clear our heads, but a foggy mind has no business being around powertools. If you need to work on something to clear your head, clean your shop or reach for the sand paper. Hmm, could this be why Hesh's shop is so clean? Oh and is that a speck of dust on your goggles? 

Never work with distractions in the shop. If you have a visitor who wants to visit, either stop working or explain you need to concentrate.

Never work when tired. I make three times as many mistakes when I am tired, I'd hate for one of them to cost me something I can't afford to lose. When in doubt, walk away or reach for something that isn't sharp.

Another must-have item that we never think of, until we need it, is an eye wash station or bottle. I keep mine right above the exit of the spray booth, as that's where most chemicals are.  If I should get something in an eye, as i stumble out, I ca reach for the bottle and begin fushing.

I had a close call about year ago when some MEK and MEKP squirted up in my face. Luckily, I WAS wearing goggles over my glasses, and these days, I have a full headgear outfit with supplied air, but the warning still stands. How will YOU flush your eye(s) if they get splashed with thinner/alcohol/etc....?

Invest $15 for a bottle and solution today, please.

Lighting lighting, lighting.

grumpy, thanks for the eye wash tip. Hadn't occurred to me.

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Thanks Grumpy...the eye wash thing hasn't occured to me either. And I'm bad to put my face right down onto the workbench because of my eyesight...good advice.

And I keep meaning to get around to those Freud Diablo blades, but haven't yet. Maybe I can put that on the Christmas list.

Bill

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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

I would say never operate a table saw unless you have had adequate instruction. It's a dangerous tool and every cut has its own hazards. If you take the extra time to set up the cut you never have to get your fingers near the blade. I like to use featherboards, zero inserts, biesemeyer aftermarket splitter (way too expensive but a great splitter), also I often use two grippers, especially for thin rips that are common in guitar making.

Thanks for all the tips, everybody, and thanks to Hesh for starting this overdue thread.

[QUOTE=grumpy] RE: table saws. I see a lot of photos and people cutting something, and the blade is 3" taller than the wood! Fercryinoutloud, lower the stupid thing. rule of thumb is to only allow the blade to stick out no more than you can afford to lose from your hand.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for all your other tips, Mario, but this is one that I can't agree with. You seem to be recommending that the circular saw blade should be flush with the top surface of the wood- since most folks don't care to lose any part of their hand.
Somewhere along the line I was taught that the gullets of the blade should be fully exposed above the work, if possible, for the blade to cut most effectively. Also, having no blade showing above the work seems to be an invitation for having the work 'ride up' on the blade- this is a prime cause for kickback, and one of the reasons that dadoing and molding on the tablesaw can be so dangerous.
I like to see the blade (not 3" of it) above the work, and keep my attention on it 100% of the time. I also use push sticks (long ones) and never stand behind the blade. The only shop 'accident' I've had was while using a tablesaw to rip some 1/4" ply- the work rode up on the blade and then dropped back down and jammed, then kicked back- I just received a nasty scratch on my arm, but the scars (1/4" separation) are still there to remind me to pay attention, and stand 'out of the kickback path'!

John