A guide to keeping your respirator in hygienic working order.I’m a big proponent of wearing a respirator in the shop. Dust collection systems are never perfect so it’s important to protect our lungs whenever it’s feasible. There are lots of respirators on the market but I have always used 3M. There
Improvements in my personal protective gear including eyewear, a respirator, and bluetooth ear muffs on the cheap!There aren’t usually a lot of new innovations in the world of woodworking safety gear but there are occasional improvements that can really make a practical difference in the shop. Let’s
Find out what to include in your shop first aid kit!A long overdue upgrade to the Wood Whisperer shop is a quality first aid kit. A typical first aid kit comes with a bunch of stuff we don’t really need in the wood shop, so I set out to create a first aid kit specifically for woodworkers. While ther
A recent apology published by Fine Woodworking has me thinking about who is truly responsible for safety.I have been a subscriber to all of the big woodworking magazines for years now. At least a few times a year, these magazines will publish a reader’s letter that castigates them for demonstrating
Sometimes, a compelling story and a gruesome picture can have incredible impact on our personal shop safety! Warning! Graphic Photos!Every year during Safety Week, I receive lots of stories from woodworkers about close calls as well as major and minor injuries. This year, I actually requested your s
Every year during Safety Week, I like to spread the love a little and share links from my fellow bloggers and podcasters. Last week, I was quite distracted with website trouble so here’s a quick list of links that were brought to my attention. If you have a blog and you wrote a safety-related articl
The MJ Splitter SteelPRO system is a great way to prevent kickback at the tablesaw, without breaking the bank!The tablesaw can truly be your best friend or your worst enemy. While it is one of the most versatile tools in the wood shop, it is also one of the most dangerous if used improperly and with
Don't let fatigue impair your judgement. Get some sleep instead!There was a time not too long ago when I thought I knew what “tired” was. Memories of taking exams while enjoying intravenous espressos after all-nighter study sessions come to mind. But since then, it’s pretty clear that I’ve been on e
MicroJig's GRR-Ripper is a solid investment in your personal workshop safety!The MicroJig GRR-Ripper is an ingenius safety device from the folks at MicroJig. Most power tools can injure you in two primary ways: kickback or blade/bit contact. The GRR-Ripper protects you from both types of injury. It
Tips from community members that will help you become a Safety Hero!Last week I asked you folks for your favorite quick safety tips and you were kind enough to respond with some fun and insightful tricks of the trade. So I took a few of my favorites and bundled them up in this 50’s style educational
Yet another reminder about the dangers of improperly disposing oil and oily rags.This Safety Week special article is brought to you by MicroJig! This cautionary tale was was written by community member Tyler Reichelt.I had a close call today.I’m relatively new to the craft and have read up on safet
Could SawStop be their own worst enemy?!?! Check out the Whirlwind system.A recent article on USA Today’s website states that the Consumer Products Safety Commission is on a mission to prevent debilitating tablesaw injuries. The goal? To require saw-makers to include “flesh-detecting technology” in
A look at some close calls from the Wood Whisperer community.So as Woodworker’s Safety Week comes to a close, I thought it would be fun to talk about our close calls. You know what I’m talking about. That time you tried to cross-cut a 4 foot long board with no miter gauge…. or that time you pared
What happens when the lights go out in your shop???Glenn sent in this great tip about emergency lighting in the shop.With Safety Week here again I wanted to give everyone something to think about. Here is the scenario that I think we can all relate toâ?¦. You get to have some shop time and evening
A review of basic tablesaw safety gear.This video is an accompaniment to an article I wrote for the June 2009 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine. The video focuses on featherboards and push sticks, and the article covers a broader selection of safety issues. Download the PDF of the article for
A safety reminder concerning your router table.Here’s a viewer submission by Henry. I thought it was a great tip so I wanted to share it with you folks. Hi Mark, since you are promoting ‘safety week’ at the moment, I thought I’d share a simple piece of router safety for a beginner. We’re all aware
Is it safe to have your K9 buddy in the shop with you?I received an interesting question from Armando on Facebook the other day and I thought it would make a good discussion topic here. He asked:What are your ideas on having your dogs in the shop? Besides them running around and possibly knocking s
A heated debate about a man winning a lawsuit for cutting his hand on a tablesaw!Dean alerted me to a blog post on FineWoodworking.com, who found an article from the Boston Globe (ain’t the internet great?). But the story was so interesting, I wanted to bring it to your attention to see what you th
Working with small parts, installation and safe use of a dado blade, and disposal of chemicals and hazardous waste in the shop.I received a number of great questions for Safety Week and this video covers three of them. The first question concerns running small pieces over the tablesaw and router. Th
A quick review of the dust and fumes that can make our lives miserable in the shop, and why we need respirators for pro-active protection.The most common topic request for Safety Week was dust and respirators. So here’s a quick review of the dust and fumes that can make our lives miserable in the sh
Although David got a nice bite from his jointer, I call it a “close call” because I can only imagine how much worse his injury could have been. Let’s hear David tell the tale:Well Marc I had an accident on my jointer on 04/25/09. I was milling maple for your cutting board design when the accident (c
We lead Safety Week 2009 off with a story of a devastating shop fire.We are leading Safety Week 2009 off with a story of a devastating shop fire. Really, this is one of my worst nightmares. If you haven’t thought about fire safety in your shop, you sure as heck will after you hear this story and s
Just because it doesn't smell bad, doesn't mean its not bad for you!This article was inspired by a question from Adam. He writes:“I’m using lacquer to finish a project. I’ve heard a lot about needing to use a respirator when applying lacquer since the fumes are very strong and offensive. I bought
A review of Hendrik Varju's DVD, "Revelations on Tablesaw Set-up & Safety".Hendrik Varju recently released his epic DVD, Revelations on Tablesaw Set-up & Safety. This is not your everyday average DVD. At 9 hrs and 55 min. running time, this is really like a private weekend class. Hendrik is thoro
