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CHAPTER 2 SAFETY FIRST

Everything about this hobby is dangerous. Life’s tough; get a helmet. I’m serious, you should be wearing a hard hat when logging or transporting materials. These days such items are called PPE, which stands for Personal Protective Equipment. PPE is the minimum safeguards you need to stay safe. You owe it to your family to put them on each and every time.

Chain saw chaps and a hard hat—required PPE for working in the woods. The chaps are made from special fibers that stop a chain saw dead if an accident should happen.

Safety in the Woods

Let’s think about this. We’re using a chain saw that can cut a leg off without even bogging down. The trees we’re cutting can weigh enough to crush us like a bug. Trees don’t always fall the way we want or act the way we want. Look up as you walk through the woods. Often you’ll see broken limbs, dead branches, or heavy vines hanging high above you. One wrong move and they can come crashing down. They don’t call them widow-makers for nothing. They don’t have to kill you to ruin your day or even your life.

If you’re operating a chain saw, you should be wearing chain saw chaps at the very least. Chain saw chaps are made of special fibers that bind a chain saw blade and kill the engine, hopefully before it cuts you. They are cheap insurance.

Wear a hard hat. Remember what I said before? I can’t tell you how many times things, large and small, have hit me as I worked in the woods. Every time I wonder, where in the heck did that come from? An accident is an accident because you weren’t planning on it happening. If you were planning on it, then it would be an “on purpose.” That’s deep, isn’t it? You can mess with fate and wear a hard hat on purpose in case an accident happens.

Wear goggles. You’re in the woods, a place filled with swarming bugs that seem attracted to sweat-stained eyes. Let’s not forget the branches that somehow find their way to your eye level as you turn your head or stand up. Chain saws throw out wood chips like a beaver on a cocktail of steroids and antidepressants. If you’re not wearing eye protection, stuff is going to get in your eyes. Squinting your eyes is not protection. Prescription glasses are not going to save you either.

Wear work gloves. Hey, there’s a lot of splinters in this line of work, but more importantly, there’s also a lot of poison ivy, biting ants, scorpions, spiders, thorns, stickers, fangs, spines, and a zillion other things just waiting to plunge into your flesh if you don’t take precautions.

Lastly, wear ear protection. Chain saws are loud enough to cause permanent hearing loss. Do I really need to go into all the reasons why you want to preserve your hearing? How about the clatter of aspens, or the whisper of pines, or the bugle of an elk? How about the “I love you” whispered as a child falls to sleep, or your soul mate’s intimate desires as you lie close to each other? ’Nuff said.

Always check around you before cutting trees. Loose branches and widow-makers can ruin your day.

Safety in the Shop

There isn’t a tool made that can’t be misused or abused somehow. Woodworking by its very nature is dangerous. We all need to follow safety guidelines.

1. Keep your tools in good condition. Dull saws, knives, and chisels force us to apply more force than normal. When something slips, things go bad real quick.

2. Keep cords in good shape. The grounding blade is there for a reason, so don’t cut it off. Replace frayed or damaged cords.

3. Keep the floor clean. Remove any trip hazards or roll hazards. (Sticks and log remnants have a tendency to roll under your feet.) Wet sawdust causes mold.

4. Beware explosion hazards. Just about any finish or stain available has a flash point. If you read the label, it most likely says to keep away from open flames. Do I need to remind you that almost all gas water heaters, dryers, stoves, and furnaces have an open flame?

5. Keep the dust down or eliminated. Few people realize wood dust is explosive, and a wood shop explosion can blow the doors and windows out of a shop, or even lift the roof. Have a good dust collection system that is properly grounded, or work outside.

6. Beware of exotic woods. Some exotic woods cause respiratory issues or contact dermatitis. Even common hardwoods can cause problems. I get a headache after working in an enclosed shop for too long, so I move my gear outside when possible.

7. Beware knots and defects in the wood. Knots can come loose or explode when going through a surface planer, or when being cut by a saw. I had one hickory knot explode with such force that it broke blades off the dust fan and blew a hole in the side of the plastic blower housing on my surface planer.

Safety in Your Products

It’s a litigation-happy world out there, so don’t leave yourself open for a lawsuit by building something dangerous. Years ago, a gallery had a footstool (that someone else made) that used deer antlers as the legs and a cross-section of a log for the seat. It was so top heavy that if someone walked near it, it would fall over, exposing the sharp antler tines like punji sticks. Imagine what would have happened if a child tried to sit on it.

Plan your projects to use materials and fasteners that are appropriate for the task. Plan to have 400-pound (180 kg) people sitting on your benches and chairs. The logs can take it, but can your design or fasteners?

Let’s talk about beds. Think of all the activities that happen in a bed. You know what I mean. Can your bed stand up to the rigors of two large people enjoying life? Again, the logs can handle it, but can your design handle the stress?

Your products and artwork have to stand the rigors of normal and abnormal use and abuse without hurting someone.