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Safety
#1
Rule—Your PRIMARY Safety tool is your Brain!
If it seems wrong or feels wrong: STOP and think! Most of us
are only were issued ten digits, two arms, etc., be sure to
think safety protect yourself.
-
Safety Glasses -- When I was in graduate
school, I shot a nail in my eye while framing up a door
while doing summer work as a carpenter. I did NOT have
glasses on! After the doc dug a small silver of the nail out
of my eye, I swore to never cut or pound again without
glasses. Buy a pair that you will wear and USE them! In my
case, I need some with
bifocals, the eyes don't see as well
as they used to.
-
Ear Protection -- I have a couple pairs
of "Mickey Mouse Ears" hanging on the blade cover bar so
they are easy to get at. One is a light pair, which knocks
back the sound level about 20 dB or so, and a second pair is
heavier and cuts the sound by about 25dB. Lately, I have
used
ear plugs as they afford a greater level of protection,
especially when combined with Mickey Mouse ears. My father-in-law,
after working around heavy machinery all his life and
loosing his hearing, reminded me that you only get good
hearing once, save as much as you can. Use your ear
protection!
- Respirator -- I purchased a
3M 7502
silicon half-mask respirator for about $30 (including
filter cartridges). Best money I
have spent in the shop! I purchased two types of canisters,
one for dust and the
other for fumes when I spray. Like your
ears, you are only issued one set of lung—take care of them!
-
Shop Apron -- I never knew what I was
missing until I finally broke down and bought an apron. Not
only does it protect my clothes and make a convenient place
to store pencils, rules, small squares, etc., but also a
good apron made of heavy denim is a extra layer of
protection from splinters and padding from an accidental
kickback. Well worth the small investment. I recommend a
shop apron with double stitched pockets and a cross back
design—take the weight off the neck and places it on the
shoulders!
(Back
to Top)
Splitter, Blade Cover, and a simple mat!
 
On Woodworking.com,
there was a
discussion on the use of guards and splitters. One woodworker
suggested that all one need do is stay out of the line of fire.
Makes sense. So, I decided to place a carpet scrap on the 'stand
here' spot, in addition to the rigid blade cover and removable
splitter to help protect myself against kickback injury. This
way I know if I step off the mat, I am moving closer to the line
of fire of a kickback.
I opted to install Delta's Uniguard Splitter over the
Biesemeyer for a couple reasons. First, cost: The Beise is about
$130. The above (left) Delta $30! Second, the Beise can only be
used with standard 1/8" kerf blades. The Delta can be used with
both standard and 3/32" thin kerf blades. I use both. The Delta
splitter can be purchased directly from
Delta as Splitter
Assembly Complete Part #1349941. The down side is the Delta is
not nearly as heavy as the Biese, but at this cost, I figure I
could go through a number of the Delta splitters. Still working
on #1, however!
(Back to Top)
A
Living Example
 At
left is picture of a kickback. I was cutting dozens and dozens
of strips of AC plywood for a dresser for a new niece. When
making the cut above, there must have been a crack or something
in the strip that got cut off, because in the blink of an eye
this pointed strip shot forward! In fact, you can see where the
point shot through the tape that I have covered the front end of
my blade cover with, because I (stupidly) was cutting a small
strip in half to throw in the scrap bin and instead of using a
miter gauge, I did it by hand. Boom, kickback. Threw the ˝ thick
stock into the cover, it took the blow, but broke out the front
end.
This time, however, I was doing everything correctly; there
was simply an unseen flaw in the wood, which reacted badly with
the blade!
The picture above is a front view of the wood that tried to
skewer me! The picture below shows the pawls doing what they
were designed to do! So if you are wondering if you should use
that splitter and pawls, I suggest YES! Also, remember to stand
out of the line of fire when making a cut!
(Back to Top)
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