Hello all! I recently completed a 3 month woodworking program where I learned pretty much everything I need to know to get started in woodworking. I successfully completed 3 projects. Had one chisel accident but nothing major. Now I’ve set up a shop in my home and I’m ready to make some furniture but I’m feeling uneasy and slightly scared of my tools! I realize a healthy respect for your power tools is necessary for shop safety but I can feel a definite fear and hesitation about using my table, chop, and circular saw. I find myself taking more “breaks” when it’s really just putting off work because of my hesitation. Has anyone else experienced this and if so how did you get over it? Any advice would be appreciated!
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Replies
We've all had the Table saw kick back or the chop saw bind up.
Everyone- I mean every one, gets spooked once and a while.
If your heads getting in the way and you aren't focused
stop. Come back later and take your time.
A month from now you'll be moving with confidence I'm sure.
By the way that moment when you first feel confident is
the dangerous one.
fear has stopped an entire army from victory. i am a old man and have worked around heavy equipment all of my life from a boy working on tractors to peanut shakers. cutting fence post out of bod-ark with a chainsaw. i still have all of my fingers and tow-es. respect of equipment is a good thing. i still have a great respect for equipment. i can tell you do not be distracted by any thing, such as other people watching you or kids or pets running through the shop. hopefully they will be kept out or at a safe distance. don't be distracted by thought. thinking of other things while you work. i have taught several young people how to work. and do a good job. i would suggest that you get a pile of cheap lumber that you can cut up. do one procedure ma by 100 or 200 times. don't try to make any thing just get comfortable with that procedure. and how it works. know where your hands are at all times. and think about how it will go before you start. make different cuts repeating the same cut until you are comfortable with that cut. you will build your confidence very rapidly.
i hope that will help
good luck
A healthy respect for what can happen with a power tool is ok. I've been working with mine for over 25 years and I still map out every action I'm going to take in my head before cutting the tool on. It only becomes and issue if it paralyzes you. Anybody rushes through a TS transaction generally is an accident waiting to happen. I'll give some advice that you can take or not. Most bad things happen when you are tired! I've had two near misses in my wood working times over the years. Both cases (many years ago) were related to being tired and wanting to make one last cut. Big mistake. Luckily the first one was a kickback on a rip that bound up and threw it back and hit me in the chest. Luckily it was broadside and not point on. the second one was a chopsaw that again I was tired. It bound up kickd out and destroyed the safety shield around my delta 10". Since then simple rule know when its time to quit for the day! Good luck on the career.
If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it.
And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
B,
When you have a good understanding of the mechanics of a powered thing - not just how it works when it is being good but how it works when it does things other than it should - it gives a much greater confidence. It's then easier to avoid configurations or uses of the tool that can cause nasty events. Even if a nasty event does occur, you will feel a lot more confident in having another try if you can understand what the tool did and how to stop it doing it again.
A lot of people, in my experience, learn by pure trial and error. Some of that kind of learning is unavoidable and necessary; but having your learning experiences enhanced by a theoretical grasp of the "physics" makes a huge difference to both your ability and your confidence with a tool.
So, I suggest lots of research on not just what to do but also what not to do; and why.
Of course, you will then develop a craving for a proper, safe European tablesaw and reaalise that Unisaw clones are an invention of the divvil, who enjoys watching folk getting hit in the head by flying planks or shaving off finger ends with an unguarded blade. He is the divvil, you see, and likes the cries of pain or woe.
Lataxe, machine-tamer (down! ye vicious brutes!!)
Why not enlist the help of a freind,or neighbor to come over and spend an afternoon working with you one on one trying to ease your mind of the fear of working with your power tools and just cut up some old lumber, maybe some old pallets just make sure you have pulled all the nails and staples.
What everyone else already said plus a decent first aid kit in the shop along with an easily accessible phone to call 911 if the need should ever arise.
I work alone in my shop, and every now and then I stop and ponder "what if.."
I am not trying to be alarmist here, but I have found that these two things along with mentally rehearsing how to get to them fast gives me some peace of mind. I guess its my hard wired outlook as an old airline pilot that always says : don't get boxed in and always have a way out.
Do enjoy your tools and be happy creating things. Its good for the mind.
Cheers,
Peter
Better life through Zoodles and poutine...
think about each operation, if it dosen't seem safe to you it probably isnt, limit your exposure to as little of the cutting edges as you can, ie adjust tools and fences where the cutting members only extrude past the material as much as necessary. Make fool proof push sticks and use them all of the time.
Push stick wise, I will swear by the two Grippers I use.http://www.microjig.com/Cheers,Peter
Better life through Zoodles and poutine...
Welcome to the world of woodworking. My suggestion would be to read, read more, then read even more. Books, mags, forums. Amazing what help is out there. Above all, don't do anything if you feel uncomfortable about doing it. Find another way or get some help! Also I never use power tools in my one man shop unless my better half is close by in the house. We have an intercom system and the shop has a phone for 911 if ever needed. My rules. Maybe not for everyone.
And yes, I still have all digits and so far, no major blood loss.
A few rules I follow. Never work when you are tired or distracted. I try to avoid power tools right after a meal, (it makes me sluggish). THINK about every move far enough ahead of time. Keep you head in the game, if it isn’t stop. If you have any doubt as to the safety of something you are going to do STOP! Think it through again. Slow down, being in a hurry is a sure way to get hurt. My only bad kickback was due to being in a rush to get a cut done. And remember the seven P’s:
Proper Prior Planning Prevents Pi** Poor Performance
First: Fear is good, it keeps you cautious. Do not ever loose your fear of the machine. Overcome it, but never loose it. When I have been to classes on Safety and Industrial Hygiene, the one thing that comes out is: The most dangerous time for new operators, is when they first overcome / suppress their fears, and get cocky. The second most dangerous time is the fourth year of operating a piece of equipment, because the operators get complacent.
For a few simple rules:
Always use your guards. If you can't use your guards, try to think of another way to accomplish the task that will let you use the guards. For example, you can cut dadoes and rabbits on a table saw or a router table. Frequently they can be done safer on a router table.
Always perform the work in such a way that your fingers are three-inches away from the guard or cutter at all times.
Stop to plan your operation, and install proper guides, feather boards, stop blocks, etc..
Get some good books on how to operate you equipment, then read and reread them.
You're quite right that what's needed is a healthy respect and not fear. The attitude should be like what (I hope) you have towards driving your car - using it recklessly or without thinking makes it a deadly weapon, but that doesn't justify a fear of driving.
Get comfortable by gradually using the tools, and everything will eventually fall into place. And as someone said - don't push yourself to do anything that just doesn't feel right.
David Ring
http://www.touchwood.co.il/?id=1&lang=e
Popular Woodworking is running a series of articles on machine safety. They are written by Marc Adams of the Indiana school. I find them quite good. They refresh old rules and invoke some new techniques.
You might check them out at the library.
Frosty
"I sometimes think we consider the good fortune of the early bird and overlook the bad fortune of the early worm." FDR - 1922
The Popular Woodworking section on safety is good but has there ever been a book on "Woodworking Safety"? I learned how to use machines safely in high school but the days of Shop Class are long gone. Where do new woodworkers learn how to use power tools and machinery safely? There's definitely a gap that needs to be filled in the woodworking section in Borders.
Every once in awhile I'll see some yahoo on HGTV use a tablesaw dangerously and completely wrong and I just wonder how in the world he got on TV.
Not that I know of. I have always appreciated "Bob at Kidderville Acres" tag-line:The sharpest tool in the shop should be woodworker's mind - or something like that. Common sense is is a great asset for all of us.Frosty"I sometimes think we consider the good fortune of the early bird and overlook the bad fortune of the early worm." FDR - 1922
Every once in awhile I'll see some yahoo on HGTV use a tablesaw dangerously and completely wrong and I just wonder how in the world he got on TV.
simple, the people who put him on know even less than he does.
-pjw
I think the advice you're receiving to just do a bunch of operations on some throw-away wood is excellent. Such an approach puts you in a position of being concerned only about the safety of the operation, without any added anxiety about whether you've marked the part correctly, aren't switching right with left, and the other things that we double/triple-check for fear of ruining a project.
If you've set up your equipment properly (everything aligned on the saw, for instance) and read all you can about the safe procedure for each operation, you're ready to take a deep breath and saw/rout away. Rip a few boards, crosscut them, rout some edges and grooves, just enjoy making sawdust, see if it doesn't help! Good luck......
I have read the posts here in response to your question? Much good advice. Taking breaks between cuts is probably the best and a very safe way to build up your confidence. This fear will pass naturally . The correct SHARP blades for ripping and cross cutting, Leave all guards in place if possible, Seek out push sticks /pads that you feel comfortable with ,use of feather boards where possible. Out feed supports for fall off stock. The repetitive nature of cutting parts can lead to carelessness while anticipating you next step, take your time. Safety has nothing to do with luck, its practiced, Thomas Love
If you're lucky, you'll always have a certain amount of "fear and hesitation" when you're using any tool. (The other day, I managed to stab my thumb with a utility knife!!). The more macho of us call it "healthy respect", but it's really the same thing. - lol
The trick is to work slowly and think thru each operation before you flip the switch (I'll stand like this, hold the workpiece like that, move this way, etc). This will build your confidence and you'll eventually become comfortable enough to tackle more difficult operations. Then - if you're like the rest of us - you'll eventually get overconfident and get yourself into some kind of wreck. One "skill" I've managed to develop is the ability to freeze when something goes wrong and hit the kill switch.
For the past few weeks, I've been helping my daughter and SIL build a small cabinet and it's been a great learning experience for me as well as them. The first day, we spent over an hour doing dry runs on the table saw with the blade lowered and the power off. I showed them how and where to stand, how to feed the work, how to use the push stick, etc, etc. With each new operation and tool, we repeated the process. An interesting sidelight is that my SIL and I are left handed and my daughter is right handed. My SIL was able to copy my techniques pretty easily, but I had to work at it to teach my daughter. - lol
One thing I've had to push them about is being overcautious. They did fine on the dry runs, but when the power was on, they wanted to move further away and were off balance and/or trying to reach too far. It took a while to convince them that being overly cautious can be just as dangerous as taking chances.
As I said, go slowly, think thru your operations, and keep it simple. Remember that the most complicated operation is just a series of simplier operations. If you're concerned about working alone, have someone be there while you work. If possible, a more experienced woodworker might be able to watch you and offer suggestions to improve your techniques and confidence.
I watch a number of people who seem to have less fear when the noise is deadened by good ear protection. In truth some turn off their hearing aids. I think Dave 45 said, things were fine when the saw was not operating. I now think that the loud noise is as much a part of the lack of concentration as is the uncertainty of inexperience. Good hearing protection is a must. Don't just put your safety glasses on then your going to make a cut, wear them around so your comfortable wearing them and then its no longer a distraction. Good lighting makes life easier in the shop and eliminates shadows.The other folks have given you very sound advise. Please join us and keep us appraised to your progress. We all care how your doing. We all started at the bottom so ask away.They have here on the Knots page "Woodworking for Beginners", free for your viewing pleasure. Check it out.Ron
b,
a more experienced woodworker might be able to watch you and offer suggestions to improve your techniques and confidence.
You have received a lot of really good advice from the folks in here. I'm curious to know what power tools you have/use in your woodshop? Also, please, please, please fill out some geographical info. in your profile. You don't have to be exact, just some reference.
The reason I say this is that there very well could be a fellow Knots denizen nearby who might be able to stop by our shop and offer you some support with your healthy respect for power tools. I see it as healthy respect, not necessarily fear (could be wrong). I would welcome the opportunity but have no idea where you are.
In my mind there is no way, other than experience using your tools, that you will learn how to use them SAFELY and efficiently. You can watch someone else make thousands of cuts with a tool but the day of reckoning comes when you do it yourself.
As others have suggested start with simple cuts. Use pine scraps of suffecient size so as to keep away from blades. If you have a bandsaw, start with that. There is no pat answer, i.e. no one size fits all.
Those growling electic beasts aren't all that difficult to tame but you really need to turn that fear/healthy respect into confidence. Remember that you are not the first one to travel down this path nor are you the last. I'll betcha everyone in here has had the same/similar experiences when they first started.
Oh, and one other thing. You'll have even more healthy respect after the first miscue but how is one to learn.......... Don't be afraid to ask questions.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Thanks for your reply, and everyone else's. I'm in Sarasota, Florida. I think what I didn't make clear is that I've been trained to use all my tools safely. I took the 3 month course at The Center for Furniture Craftsmanship. I've made and sold successful furniture. Yes, I'm a beginner but I've worked with all these tools enough to be comfortable. I've done plenty of test cutting. That's why it's so odd to me that im becoming anxious with my tools. After talking to lots of people I think it's just come down to me needing to spend more time in my shop. I recently went back to college so I've been away from it for a few months and I think I just need to get back into the swing of things and I'll be fine. But regardless, since I'm accident prone my next purchase will definetly be the saw-stop!!
b,
One thing I neglected to add in my previous post was to make sure that all saws are setup properly. Have you gone thru your TS to make sure the blade is parallel to the fence, mitre slots, etc. This step is critical to getting safe and accurate performance out of this tool.
If you're not sure about this please ask. Another reason why it is helpful to know what tools you are dealing with.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 3/17/2008 9:43 am ET by KiddervilleAcres
All the other replies are great. Not much to add except:
Every area of activity and/or knowledge has its own particular set of rules/guidelines. Knowing something from one area (how to work on a car's transmission doesn't necessarily help in another area.
For each new tool you use (and for each new type of use), make sure you find a source for the rules on how to perform the procedure safely. There's so much accumulated wisdom, it's a shame to not take advantage of it!
Good luck, and have fun
hi,
i see lots of good advice listed here. i might add that you should learn to (safely!) use the guards and safety devices on your tools -- hold-downs, push-sticks, feather-boards, etc. build and use jigs to help with tricky cuts; they'll improve accuracy and safety.
there's an excellent series on shop safety by marc adams in a competitor's magazine right now which goes through some simple rules to help ensure you stay safe. i might also add once you learn a safe way to do something, always do it the same way. free-wheeling can lead to accidents.
most of all, make your mind the sharpest tool in your shop. if you're tired, angry, distracted, etc, then stop. also, train the voice in your head: if you don't feel safe doing something, then find a safe way to do it and feel comfortable before you proceed. small parts can be double-stick taped to larger parts for routing or bandsawing, for example.
be safe and enjoy,
bert
I find myself taking more "breaks" when it's really just putting off work because of my hesitation.
I for one would say... NEVER break that habit (acquired pattern of behavior)!
If you do not feel safe you are probably not! AND if you feel safe.. Proceede with caution.
I have worked around machinery all my life. Some HUGE and some small. Always respect it and THINK about what you are doing.
Even if everything is correct.. You can still be in danger. Just like crossing the road after looking both ways and somebody runs the red light!
and if so how did you get over it?
I never did for some machines (Like changing a 100 + inch long paper cutter blade). Never hurt by one but I still felt uncomfortable doing it and I'd bet I changed a 100 or more of them!
I do have one serious problem. I use my routers tables all the time. Never been hurt on one but I feel I am WAY to comfortable using them.. Accident waiting to happen!
Go slow and take that 'break' if you need to.. Practice makes perfect.. Well, almost!
All of the advice given earlier is great. I practice most, if not all, of the safety measures mentioned. Glasses, hearing, and dust protection. I have one cardinal rule which, to date, I have never broken. The moment I feel fatigued, I am out of the shop. And I am not an especially disciplined person. But some rules are not made to be broken, and that is one of them. My day job is exhausting. I would love to put in an hour at night. WILL NOT DO IT. Just as an aside, I feel that I am a risk taker. I've never been afraid of the equipment. Actually just the opposite. Which probably puts me even more at risk. But I guess my sense of self preservation (fingers) has allowed my natural inclinations to take a back seat to safety in my shop.
Lastly, and then I will shut up, as I try not to be long winded- one of my favorite subjects on knots is when a colleague has an accident and explains it to the rest of us. Not long ago someone was badly hurt when an offcut hit the back of the blade and then used his hand as a backstop. I haven't looked at offcuts the same way since I read that thread. PMM
Lastly, and then I will shut up, as I try not to be long winded-
As I remember all in here are OK with a bit of wind!
Speak as you want! Hardly any hate in here!
First I think you learned enough to get your self in trouble :)
Takes a lot more than a few months maybe a few years at least..
Never lose your fear, if you feel scared thats your senses trying to warn you, just like you walk down a dark steet and you feel funny.. You get the funny feeling for a reason..
I just read a post and see a pic of a WW missing his finger.. I have worked for 35+ in a machine shop with loads of folks missing fingers on both hands.. So far I have been very lucky with a few stiches twice
Think Safety
-rarebear-
http://www.rexmill.com My Hand Plane Resource
There is loads of good advice in this thread; but perhaps I might raise one little flag and wave it timidly? There are quite a few exhortations along the lines of: if it feels unsafe it probably is; trust your instincts and stop. This certainly makes sense but perhaps needs a qualification.
Many activities that are rewarding to do are dangerous. Who would naturally go into a large shore break with 8 - 10 foot waves or clamber up a vertiginous rockface if he or she listened to their instinct for avoiding danger and preserving oneself intact? The same applies to the shed, especially if it has a number of sharp blades whizzing 'round with 3 - 5 horses kicking behind them.
But we do these things because they offer many pleasures. However, we won't do them too long if we merely plunge in with no understanding. Soon we will be drownded, squashed or gazing folornly at fingers twitching some distance away, as blud sprays the shed walls a not-too-attractive red. We ignored our instincts just to begin the activity then......oops.
Understanding is of two sorts: the theory (telling of the mechanics or physics and the possible outcomes of, say, surfing, climbing or woodworking); and the practice (experience from ever more adventurous doings in sea, mountain or shed). I would suggest that relying on only one of these or (worse|) mere "instinct-in-the-breech" is insufficient. ("I knew summick was wrong and I was right, as the saw ate my thumb")!
You need all three "mental tricks" to be both confident and competant. If that fear-instinct kicks in, one needs to find out why. Was I just tired and emotional or was that machine going to do me a bad turn because it, not me, was out of sorts in some way? We need to know not just the warning signs but what gives rise to them. We need to know otherwise one day the instinct will be asleep and gremlins will take advantage of us. Best to also know all about gremlin behaviour and hiding places, then.
Lataxe, who likes to live dangerously but also to survive intact so other dangerous things can be attempted. Tomorrow: skydiving in the nude! (Not really, too dangerous with no parachute, although hypothermia will probably get yer first).
yes I had it happen to me(shaper fear) but I simply said to myself, allways be aware of what your fingers are doing, and where they will be in relationship to the blade.
It is about being self consience of what you are doing.
An old timer once told me- You don't look down, but never forget.
Hi B....... When you open 'Knots', scroll down the front page. You will (should) see the heading 'Recent editorial listings'. Two or 3 lines down there is a listing 'Clubs'. Click on that link, scroll down to Florida and you will see that there is a 'Florida West Coast Woodworkers club in Sarasota. Go to the club, see what it's about, and see if someone there is willing to spend some (brief) time getting you used to working alone (not in classroom situation.) Yes, you'll find some grumpy old coots there, but there will also be a lot of people willing to help you. They may even have a 'beginners' group.
SawdustSteve...... Long Island, NY (E of NYC)
An excellent book on power tools is Cabinetmaking and Millwork_by John L. Feirer. You will most likely have to buy it used.
Hello!
I have been professionally working with wood for over 30 years. Fear is a good thing!!! Before you do something look at what you are doing and try to figure out what can go wrong. Can the blade move? Can my hand slip from what I an holding on to and go where it can be hurt? Can pieces after they are cut go where they will be safe for you?
I can say that most of the accidents I have seen could have been stopped if thought was applied. Of course I can attest to the fact that #### happens. I had a piece of wood go through my left hand after it hit the saw blade and was propelled towards me. I knew this could happen and had set up the machine so any flying wood would go past me. For all I was looking at everything would have been o.k. but what I did not figure on was the fact that on the saw I was using it was possible for a long narrow sliver of wood to slip between the blade and fall below the table. I figured the power feed and the hugh metal fence which weighs about 75 pounds would protect me. I had the feeling this could happen but I did not pay attention to the feeling, well actually I did as I moved. The piece of wood hit my hand instead of hitting my mid section. It could have killed me. This could not happen on a regular table saw as the blade protrudes through the throat plate and only very small pieces could get there, and usually if they do they fall below the blade.
One thing I would definitely do is figure out where you are going to go if you get hurt. Knowing a good plastic surgeon is a good idea. Actually it can be a good idea to market to them as they usually make very good clients.
Mainly be careful, keep your hands where you can see them and if you get into trouble turn off the machine, or quickly get out of the path of anything that can come towards you.
Dale
It's hard for a young'un like me to say this to a wise one, but with all due respect, don't fear your tools, respect them.
there's no need to reinvent the wrench
I live by my "by line" It refers to fingers !!
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
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