Safety Is Sexy!

[Tim Streagle]

Am teaching my wife the fundamentals of WW'ing and having a great time working on shop jigs, tuning up tools as warm-ups to building fine furniture. All of my stationary tools were left back east for the move to Idaho a few years ago. Being responsible for her fingers is keeping me honest about demonstrating safe work habits and using appropriate guards. Funny how we value our appendages more as we get older.

Anyway, we have adopted the Jimmy Fallon mantra, "Safety is sexy" to reinforce our efforts. It always gets a chuckle. Last week a coworker sliced off the tip of his thumb all the way into the nail in a table saw accident - no protection in place. It brought it all into focus for me; I don't want to be a poor teacher to my wife and am so glad I have turned over a new leaf. It is also interesting how responsible we can be in front of others, but cheat when no one is looking. I never want to be the subject of the "Thumbelina" or "Stumpy" nicknames or jokes. I find myself making more accurate cuts and enjoying the work lots more now because of our new, safer approach. Of course I can never admit to her that I have often been really sloppy (and extremely lucky) the last forty years! I guess it's never too late to change bad habits...

[Steve Wurster]

A coworker of mine recently fractured his thumb thanks to a kickback accident. I asked if he used the guard (he does not), and if his saw has a riving knife or a splitter (he wasn't sure). I don't think he uses the saw much, so I guess that's an excuse for him not knowing which safety features came with his saw. He noted however that I was the only person he talked to that understood exactly what happened to him. He also noted that despite having the saw for a long time, this was the first accident of any kind, and that he was tired and therefore acting sloppy.

I haven't taught my wife anything related to woodworking, although at some point I'm sure I'll get into the bigger tools with my son. He's only 6 and has seen me use some handheld power tools, but he's never been in the room when I've used the table saw or possibly even the bandsaw. The small things we've built together were from kits where really only glue was required.

I'm big on safety myself (and dust collection since my shop is in the basement). So when I do teach him how to use any tool I'll be sure to include the safety mantras.

[Martin Wasner]

My wife in the shop makes me want to shoot myself in the face.

[Jason Beam]

Very cool that you've got a wife with interest in that stuff. Mine is not - but I wish she were.

One thing you mentioned stuck out with me -- Something that I see around me quite often that just doesn't add up in my mind. "It is also interesting how responsible we can be in front of others, but cheat when no one is looking."

I've never understood why people do this - it's common as heck, not just in woodworking. I see it in all sorts of areas. Someone told me something that has resonated with me all my life - I can't recall the exact quote but it essentially boils down to "The measure of a man is not how he behaves when he can be seen but in how he behaves when nobody's watching."

I've watched coworkers suddenly fly right when the boss is around, or parents change their parenting methods in front of strangers, drivers only signal when people are behind them, or woodworkers take safety precautions when they're being watched. I can't get my mind around the wasted effort of having to choose which way to behave based on what or who is watching. It seems to be a human thing, though - kids do it at a very young age -- it's just so inefficient and in the case of woodworking, dangerous.


I'm glad you noticed yourself doing that - i really hope it helps you make improvements on those practices going forward to avoid such hard-earned nicknames! Also, kudos to you for your efforts in teaching :)

[Mike Cozad]

My wife in the shop makes me want to shoot myself in the face.

Wow. Lost perfectly good soda on the tablet.... Have you asked her feelings on that??:D

[Kent A Bathurst]

Wow. Lost perfectly good soda on the tablet.... Have you asked her feelings on that??:D

Follow-up question on that:

What caliber weapon does she bring with her for you to use? :D

If it is just a .22, she is giving you a fighting chance..............:p

.357/9mm or bigger, then not so much............

[Alan Morris]

Absolutely agree with you, Tim! It's never too late to change bad habits, but it needs time. People usually forget about responsibility. Your post makes me smile and it causes only positive emotions. This mantra must be admitted as a canon for everybody.

[John Lankers]

Tim, you are touching on one of my most favorite subjects, thumbs up (why is there no smiley for this?)
When I was 12 years old I had to watch a 5 year old neighbors kid being pulled into a grain auger - he survived but spent many many months in hospital and years in rehab. I will never forget this day and trust me that this experience taught me to respect tools and machinery for as long as I live.
1. Safety devices are not there to be removed or ignored, it might take slightly longer to rig something up sometimes but its only a matter of minutes.
2. Do not get distracted, no matter how "sexy" the distraction may be.
3. Always make sure your mind is at least 1 step ahead of your hands, plan every operation in your head before you execute it and expect the unexpected.
4. Trust your gut, when you feel like you want to cross your toes then think of an alternative way of doing it.
These are my personal rules and I follow them whether I'm alone or with company, it's not to say that I'm doing everything right though.

[John Lankers]

Follow-up question on that:

What caliber weapon does she bring with her for you to use? :D

If it is just a .22, she is giving you a fighting chance..............:p

.357/9mm or bigger, then not so much............

I'd suggest the .22 - a lot less messy and cleaner tools make for higher resale value. :)

[Kent A Bathurst]

I'd suggest the .22 - a lot less messy and cleaner tools make for higher resale value. :)


John - you have had no trouble fitting in. Keep up the good work.

Regards,

Kent

[Brian Henderson]

Absolutely agree with you, Tim! It's never too late to change bad habits, but it needs time. People usually forget about responsibility. Your post makes me smile and it causes only positive emotions. This mantra must be admitted as a canon for everybody.

That's the thing that drives me crazy, people go out and buy these expensive Saw Stop saws because they're "safe" and the first thing they do is take all the guards off of them. You watch people on YouTube working with no guards and honestly, engaging in a lot of really risky behavior. Those are not the kind of people that you want to be teaching newbies how to woodwork.

[Martin Wasner]

Follow-up question on that:

What caliber weapon does she bring with her for you to use? :D

If it is just a .22, she is giving you a fighting chance..............:p

.357/9mm or bigger, then not so much............

.45, I ain't limping away.

I love my wife more than anything, and we work really well together, except with hands on projects involving woodworking.

[Tim Streagle]

Thanks for the replies. Most of the shop safety stuff I learned along the way with self-study and observation. While working in a production cabinet shop I learned that safety is largely a personal responsibility, and not always practiced by everyone. Guards and jigs often needed to be fabricated for each project, and some tools were very dangerous without proper protection. After moving to another job where I supervised a volunteer workforce in a large woodshop, it became critical to educate workers and install guards and shields. I note with some satisfaction that the only accidents in 13 years resulted from poor hand tool technique, and these were minor. Perhaps the most important safety items were the locks I installed on the stationary tools!

Having an odd collection of lexan and plexi makes for easy guard fabrication. Taking the time to keep tools tuned and set up with appropriate safety jigs (crosscut boxes, L-fences, feather boards, etc.) is time leveraged against the risk of time spent in an emergency room. Only you can make the choice to work safely. I love the technology behind the new SawStop tools, but these new systems do not replace proactive and protective safety practices. I hope to own one of these saws, but I don't want one just so I can be lazy!

My experience has shown the router to be a common safety risk, even in a table. Shapers without a power feeder are even more serious. Me? I have injured myself more with sanders than all other tools combined! I still have all my digits though, and plan to keep them attached until they are no longer needed.

Thanks for listening to me ruminate about this subject. It is good for me to spend some time with it as I begin to work with wood again after a short hiatus. Now if I could just find all those tools I once had...

[Scott Cenicola]

[QUOTE=Jason Beam;2426879]

I can't recall the exact quote but it essentially boils down to "The measure of a man is not how he behaves when he can be seen but in how he behaves when nobody's watching."

Great quote indeed! It's the definition of integrity. Talk about it at work all the time.

Hope I don't start a riot, but I thank Norm for getting me started in ww'ing. But, he never used a guard, so neither did I. Foolish, yes but who listens to or reads the warnings.

I thank sawstop for teaching me the importance of safety through their advertising. I thank people in this forum for teaching me you don't need to spend 2k to work safely.

[Mel Fulks]

Scott, two small corrections : all celebrities use guards... Otherwise their fans would kill them, and ...you neglected to thank "the little people".

[Jim Matthews]

My wife in the shop makes me want to shoot myself in the face.

She thinking the same thing?

[Julie Moriarty]

That's the thing that drives me crazy, people go out and buy these expensive Saw Stop saws because they're "safe" and the first thing they do is take all the guards off of them.
But I thought that's why you buy a Saw Stop, so you can be as careless as you want.

[Cody Colston]

"Safety" (I hate that word) should be an inherent part of woodworking. It should be second nature if you understand tools, machines and how they can hurt you. I see young "Nintendo Generation" hands come offshore all the time who have no business being out there. They depend on someone else to keep them safe because they have no innate sense of when they are putting themselves at risk. Machines, any machine, be it a 1 hp woodworking machine or a 5000 hp industrial machine is much stronger and quicker than a human. They don't know the difference between destroying flesh and bone or doing their designed task. The only person who can keep you from getting injured or worse is yourself so pay attention. Don't be so concerned about not getting hurt that you forget common sense. If you are constantly worried about safety, then you have probably picked the wrong hobby.

As for my wife woodworking alongside me in the shop...no thanks. It's a dangerous hobby and nothing will ever change that fact. One of us being exposed to the risks is enough.