Hello,
I was watching one of those reality shows last night, and I was amazed by the idiocy of the carpenter they had on the show.
The show was called Top Design and the carpenter was pushing a board through his table saw with his hands and promptly cut his left hand near the thumb. So off he goes to the hospital, a few stitches and he is back on the show. Through the magic of editing this takes only a commercial break.
The carpenter then explains that he will do it correctly now and the next camera shot is the guy again pushing the board through with his bare hands, just this time with his right hand. Had this guy never heard of a push stick? And you’d think after cutting himself the first time he might have remembered Shop Class 101.
I’ve seen this a lot on these reality shows, a complete lack of protective equipment and common sense. Now I feel for the guy, he did get his hand cut, but there are amateurs out there that will emulate this guy in a very dangerous fashion.
Is there anything we can do as a community to combat this barrage of bad habits?
Replies
There will always be those in the population that can only learn from their own mistakes. Why the networks tend to put these yoyos on camera (other than AFHV), I'll never understand. If they have to have someone using their hand as a push stick on TV, at least it could be a nice looking naked woman.
"The carpenter then explains that he will do it correctly now and the next camera shot is the guy again pushing the board through with his bare hands, just this time with his right hand. Had this guy never heard of a push stick? And you'd think after cutting himself the first time he might have remembered Shop Class 101."
So much for the theory of the gene pool being self correcting.
Steve
Maybe we could get him to demonstrate how to do it using the top of his head? At least that would help Darwin's theory.
"Maybe we could get him to demonstrate how to do it using the top of his head? At least that would help Darwin's theory."LOL, thanks Big Steve,Awareness at all times when using the machines was how I was taught to work in the shop growing up. Its the lesson I want to pass on to my kids.
I don't remember which show it was, but recently on one of the DIY channel shows they were cutting a board freehand on a table saw! No miter gauge or fence! Dumb!!
When I was in Junior High shop class, yes it was a long time ago, a kid came in at lunch time a turned on the jointer and sharpened his handheld pencil! I saw that and was shocked, and I was only about 12 at the time. The shop teacher saw him also, and that was his last day in shop class!
I like to watch Norm, go figure, and he is always talking about safety and shows safe shop practices, as does David Marks, and that is the way it should be. Too many people watch the "experts" on TV and emulate their ways. Show the correct way to handle tools and maybe someone will learn how to not cut off a finger, or worse.
I always love it when Norm says "read, understand and follow all safety instructions that come with your power tools. Knowing how to use your power tools properly will greatly reduce the risk of getting injured. And remember, there is no better safety protection than to wear these, safety glasses." Points to his glasses. They're not even safety glasses. They're normal everyday glasses with no side protection.
I think one of the reasons that generation Y and Millenium kids (whatever they're called) don't have any idea about using power tools properly is the fact that a lot of public school systems have removed shop class from their curriculum. It's an absolute shame. You constantly hear about non profit organizations cry "Save the Music", about the importance of keeping music classes alive in school systems but you never hear anything about saving Industrial Arts programs. Fifty years from now woodworking will be what blacksmithing is today. A lost art.
Edited 11/26/2007 8:59 pm ET by mvflaim
How do you know that Norm's glasses aren't safety glasses? Over the years, I've bought a few pairs of prescription safety glasses made by Titmus, and unless you look closely enough to see the "Z87-2" marking on the frames, you can't tell that they're safety glasses. They come with sideshields, but they're removable.
-Steve
hmm.. maybe they are then. I always thought if they didn't have side shields they wouldn't be considered safety glasses.
Here at work we get prescription safety glasses pretty cheep. BUT, if we go out into the shop they MUST have side shields. I think you are right, they aren't safety glasses without side shields.
I see TV people using nail/brad guns all the time without any eye protection. Yikes!!!!. I was nailing up some trim last weekend and that 2" 16 gage nail made a 90 deg turn and came out 1" in the air.
See them using those cheap portable table saws with no guards, no outfeed roller, blade too high, and no push stick. I have a scar on my hand to show how stupid that is.
Jim
A long time ago, I remember a show with an older gentleman who had some old equipment - in particular a joiner with no guard. And he did not use push sticks. AND, several of his fingers were a knuckle shorter than normal! Nothing was said on the show, but as I watched him pushing boards through I knew how he lost those joints!
I worked for a company that made safety bifocals. Technically if the lenses were made of polycarbonate, they were saftey glases. Now to what degree is the question. In our work environment, you had to wear the side shields, or the glass covers (job requirement). Norm's glasses are probable prescription safety glasses, and true they would be better with the side shields, but every bit of protection is better than nothing.
Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
Edited 11/27/2007 6:39 pm by bones
"Technically if the lenses were made of polycarbonate, they were saftey glases."
The frames have to meet ANSI standards, too, to be accepted as safety glasses by most authorities.
-Steve
I have a woodworking friend that taeches at a high school, he's not the shop teacher for the school. Though he does teach adults in the evenings. I guess the new trend is to teach what he calls fluff classes (Forensics etc.), classes taught for interests sake by unqualified people. In the end they have no bearing on the students jobs prospects or life. He believes as do I that students (make and female) would benefit from shop and home economics classes much more.
Buster
""Fifty years from now woodworking will be what blacksmithing is today. A lost art.""
You won't have to wait 50 years. It has already started. Look at IKEA, there is nothing I would call woodworking there, and they are probably one of the world's largest furniture retailers.
The issue of no or dwindling shop classes is sad.
We can thank uninformed educators for not looking to the future, budgets that favor frills, insurance companies and lawyers.
...The unspoken word is capital. We can invest it or we can squander it. -Mark Twain...
Be kind to your children....they will choose your nursing home.
...aim low boys, they're ridin' shetland ponies !!
You're right, the "safety glasses" norm wheres probably aren't NIOSH approved. I'm assuming though that they are polycarbonate lenses.
The lack of shop classes in the public school system has several reasons behind it. I think the first issue which sort of touches on all the other issues is the lack of funds of many school districts. In my home town the school board has only been able to get one levy through in the last 20 years or so. And as prices for everything go up so does the cost of maintaining equipment and facilities. Shop classes are inherently costly because they involve maintainance of tools and equipment, supplies, etc. And in schools equipment takes quite a beating. Another issue related to the first issue is liability. School districts can no longer afford to take on the legal liability of some kid munching their hand in some piece of equipment. And I think the last issue is that schools are in the business of pushing kids through the system with the least amount of resistence while giving them basic survival skills. And in todays world that means for the most part being digitally proficient so most funds in the district budget for acquiring equipment go towards computer labs etc. As you mentioned this is unfortunate because kids today are constantly being spoon fed an electronic palate that is fast moving and short lived. They learn to expect instant results and gratification. And the idea of the development of manual dexterity or developing critcal thinking skills linked with eye-hand coordination skills has fallen by the wayside.
I've seen Norm do dumb things like that on TV. Once he wasn't using a push stick and as his hand neared the saw blade he quickly grabbed the nearest piece of wood and it was pretty small. It's a good thing Roy Underhill doesn't use power tools because he would end up a double amputee.
My high school sold off all it's wood and metal shop machinery back around 1980. Now everything is computers. America doesn't manufacture much of anything anymore so there is no need to teach the kids how to safely run machines.
The declining shop classes is occurring here in Canada as well.Then the government complains that we dont have enough trades people for the economy. There arent enough skilled construction workers to build the houses, so the standards go down, and the repair bills go up.The only good part of that is that my friends that are class A type carpenters can now make a very good living.
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