Safety is the most important aspect of working in a woodshop. Proper personal protective equipment like eye protection, ear protection, closed-toe shoes, and appropriate clothing is required. Hand tools and power tools like table saws, jointers, and routers require specific safety procedures to operate safely, such as keeping hands a safe distance from blades, using push sticks, and ensuring guards are in place. Maintaining a clean and organized work space helps reduce risks. Being aware of your own actions and those around you is key to safety in the workshop.

1. Shop Safety
Safety in the shop is the MOST
important aspect

2. Safety Aspects
• Personal
• Hand Tools
• Power Tools
• Working Atmosphere
• Your Actions to Insure Safety while working

3. Personal Safey
• Eye Protection
• Ear Protection
• Clothing
• Footwear

4. Safety Glasses
• Must be OSHA approved
• Full Coverage – meaning they wrap around
protection your etnire field of vision.

5. Ear Protection
• At times you will need to weat OSHA approved
ear protection when using the following
pieces of equipment

6. Proper Attire/Clothing
• No Loose Clothing
• No Baggy Clothing
• No sleeves past your elbow
• No Nylon material
• No tear away clothing
• No Jewelry
• No hair below the shoulders or must be pulled
back into a pony tail

7. Footware
• Must have closed toe shoes
• No Sandles
• No nylon tennis shoes
• Laces must be tied and tight against foot

8. Hand Tools
• Tools must be kept sharp, A dull tool is a
dangerous tool
• Never throw or toss hand tools
• Keep hand tools in top condition
• Always carry tools pointed away from your
body
• Never put tools into your pockets

9. Power Tools
• Planner
• Jointer
• Table Saw
• Chop Saw
• Router
• Drill Press
• Orbital Sanders

10. Surface Planner
• Never operate a piece of equipoment unless
you are 100 percent confident in your ability
to operate effectively.
• Make sure the board if free of warps – twists -
- knots.
• Make sure to measure the thickness of the
board and set up planner accordingly every
time

11. Jointer
• The jointer is one of the most dangerous
pieces of equipment in the shop.
• Make sure the safety guard is in place and
working properly, never pin it back
• Make sure your hands are always at least 6
inches away from the cutting head.
• Let the machine do the work and guide the
stock through with even pressure.

12. Table Saw
• You must have a board planned and jointed
before cutting on the table saw
• Guide the board with your hands until the
back of the board reached the table.
• Use a push stick when your hands are closer
than 6 inched away from the blade.
• Make sure the splitter is in the table and
working properly to prevent kickback.

13. Chop saw
• Before placing your board on the table of the
chop saw make sure the area is clean and
clear of small scraps
• Make sure the board is tight against the fence
• Never pin or hold the guard back shen making
a cut
• Allow the saw to come to a complete stop
before raising the blade.

14. Router
• Make sure to pick out and test on a piece of
scrap with the desired router bit before using
on your project.
• Always make sure to make a conventional cut
and never a climb cut
• Always unplug the router before changing or
adjusting blades.

15. Drill Press
• When placing a bit into the drill press make
sure to tighten the Jacobs chuck on all three
key holes to assure proper grip of the bit
• When you have a small piece make sure to
clamp it to the table to prevent injury
• If your are drilling all the way through make
sure to have a scrap piece beneath to prevent
tear out.

16. Orbital Sanders
• Never sand an edge of the board with an
orbital sander
• When changing the sanding pad make sure to
clean the hook and loop pad of dust and
debris
• Do not put a lot of pressure down on the
sander, allow it to work itself.

17. Working Atmosphere
• A clean shop is a safe shop
• Make sure to stack and organize all working
materials
• Make sure work areas are clear from small
scraps
• Make sure the dust collection system is always
running

18. Your Actions
• Your safety and the safety of others depends
soley on your actions when working in the shop
• Always remember there are 20 plus students
working in the same shop as you, be aware of
your surroundings.
• Common Sence goes along way when working.
• The machines DO NOT HAVE BRAINS, Use your
own please.

19. Get to WORK
• Now you have a general understanding of
what you need to prepare for to be safe while
working in the shop
• BE Smart, Be Aware, and lets fo make some
saw dust!