Popular Woodworking 2009-06 № 176, страница 57

The Wood Whisperer —

Not J ust for the New

Seasoned professionals also benefit from Woodworkers Safety Week 2009.

Did you know thai May 4th. 2009 marks the second annual Woodworker s Safety Week? It begin last >«ar in an effort to raise awareness of woodshop safety. And with ihcaccckrated growth of the Internet woodworkingcommunity. it is vital that we provide a solid foundation for all the new woodworkers Just coming onto the scene.

The entire Internet woodworktngcom-munily came together in an unprecedented way to make Safety Week 2008 a huge success, but perhapsthebest part of all was the content itself Gone were the days of boring recital ion of saktyguiddinesfromamanual. Instead we shared experiences, talcs of near-misses and accidents that truly made the message poignant and effective.

Regardless of your experience level, it never hurts to review the basics. In fact. I believe there arc a number of standard safety items and practices that not only help keep you safer in the shop, but also could wry well improve the quality of your work.

Personal Protective Equipment

Personal protective equipment, more of a category than one specific item. Isone of the most hasicand fundamental things you can do to be safer inthe shop. Protect youreyes. earsand lungs whenever possible. I wear my protective knses nearly 100 percent of the time I am in the shop. Keep a pair at every

machine so eye protection Is never more than an arms length away.

to watch a video of The Wood Whisperer as be demonstrates |>ushstk ks and feather-boards, go to:

For the ear>, 1 prefer headphone-style protection. My headphones have a built-in radio andajacktoconncct an MPSplaycr If you are a fan of podcasts. thisisa major plus! Bui keepin mind that ifyou liven tomuvc. youll hear almost nothing of the outside world. Thtsoould be hazardousaround tools where the sound of a motor or cutting cd$e servesasaneariywamingof potential prd>-fems. Turn off the musk to make cuts.

To protect yourhings. rely on a half-mask respirator. I recommend you stick with one of the bigger names, such as JMorAOSafeiy, as it is much easier to find replacement pats and filters. Also. U's Important to make sure

a respirator fits your face. If tin- mask does not fit properly. It won't suitably filter the air. And. if you are wearing safety glasses, youll want to invest in a respirator with a down-firing exhaust vent to prevent lens fogging

Dust Collection

Personal protective equipment does a fine job of protecting usfrom dangerous dements mour shop, hut dust isone of those things that w e should prevent earlier in the process. Instead of blockingthe dust just inches from our faces, why not collcct it at the source? This is where good-quality dust collection