Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 16 to 25 of 25

Thread: "Teaching" woodworking??

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,675
    Waivers do not necessarily insulate liability if there is negligence deemed in many states as a lot of folks teaching in the equestrian community have found out. The laws for negligence vary by state, too, so Even with a waiver, insurance is still required because even if someone is ultimately not held accountable, there is cost to defend. it's essential to get legal advice from an attorney in that state to determine effectiveness, etc.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Ogden, UT
    Posts
    1,659
    Blog Entries
    1
    "the first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers"

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    1.5 hrs north of San Francisco, CA
    Posts
    842

    Check on an Umbrella Policy

    Definitely consider liability. We checked with our homeowner's insurance agent about having a couple of high school students helping in the shop, and she recommended an umbrella policy, which has proven useful for a number of unrelated situations.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    NE Iowa
    Posts
    1,217
    Quote Originally Posted by Wayne Cannon View Post
    Definitely consider liability. We checked with our homeowner's insurance agent about having a couple of high school students helping in the shop, and she recommended an umbrella policy, which has proven useful for a number of unrelated situations.
    This. If you've got significant net worth to protect, an umbrella policy is the way to go. But I would check the fine print to make sure it covers the class of liability involved here.

  5. #20
    Thanks for all your replies!!
    I have never let anyone use the tools in my shop even when I was doing multiple kitchens for our high end jobs. So I am not comfortable at all of even considering it. My thinking at this point is to give advice and maybe demonstrate different techniques.

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,675
    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Norton View Post
    My thinking at this point is to give advice and maybe demonstrate different techniques.
    That would lower risk considerably. If you demonstrate, be sure you have safety eyewear and hearing protection where applicable available for anyone your demonstrating to and keep them distant from a running machine, too. But still get the word on liability insurance from your agent.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Los Angeles
    Posts
    1,356
    Nancy Hiller has some things to say about all this in her very readable book Making Things Work.
    It boils down to her saying no way would she take on an apprentice, for the reasons some of you have stated here, as well as, if think, saying she would have to spend so much time instructing the apprentice it would disrupt her working.

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Sep 2019
    Location
    Lafayette, CA
    Posts
    832
    When I emerged from the primordial slime to take my first look at woodworking as a hobby, I looked up a local cabinet maker with an extensive shop. I offered to pay him $50 an hour to walk me through his work flow and introduce me to the machines. I still have my notes somewhere, I believe. After maybe three one-hour sessions I felt informed enough to buy my basic equipment, confident I was buying wisely the first time. I still have and use the table saw, jointer, planer, and drill press that came out of that 1-on-1 training. Time and money well spent.

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    Cambridge Vermont
    Posts
    2,280
    My neighbor is probably one of the best woodworkers I have ever seen. As a teen he wanted to learn but nobody was willing to teach. he finally got his break when he got someone to teach him. But the agreement was (and he had to sign a contract) he was a partner in the company but owned no stake in the business's assets. Any pay he earned was from work he was able to contract (basically he didn't earn a check as he only worked on stuff the real owner was contracted to build). For the first month all he did was sweep the shop as the owner wasn't convinced he was serious. From there he slowly got to learn more and more. I don't know if the agreement or contract was legal and would have protected the owner. But even 30 years ago it was a real concern. Now there's a woodworking school close by so that's a better option.

    My advice would be to just answer questions about how to do something with how you would do it. I would explain the liability issue. If it's someone who has done much of anything with woodworking tool he has to know the dangers. Face it, a lawyer can easily find fault with a missing guard or a tool that hasn't been updated with the latest safety devices. That local woodworking school has put equipment up for sale simply because it doesn't meet the insurance requirements. Things like belt guards that have gaps large enough for a finger to slide into.

  10. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by Richard Coers View Post
    They'll have to have their own business cards, insurance, and in some states, their own license to be a contractor.
    An independent contractor per the IRS has nothing to do with being licensed or not as an actual contractor.

    It's a merely a test of a range of different aspects: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small...ed-or-employee

    Who controls the work, time of work, who's shop they work in, etc.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •