Been buying a lot of tools lately to get ready for this wing project I was talking about.  Two weeks ago, I hadn't a single power tool other than a drill and a jigsaw.  Now I have a belt sander (tabletop one with the disc on the side), scroll saw, circular saw, and now my biggest saw yet; a 12" table saw   Pretty much all I need now is a drill press and I'm done with it.  It's not just because I decided to do this project.  I've been wanting this for a long time and now that I have room for it, I'm going to do it. 

I have manly man tools!   

Do you agree Paul?

Today I am a man...

Tomorrow I am an injured man



Good luck & we are expecting pics of your handiwork.

I remember my jr. high school shop teacher quite well.  His name was Roy Richardson and he only had one thumb.  Needless to say, he didn't need to remind us much about safety.

Good for you, but remember: three things you do not want to skimp on are eye, ear, and respiratory protection! Take it from someone who used to spend 40+ hrs a week using power tools...
Mind your fingers, too. Always use a push stick when ripping any cut narrower than your hand on the table saw, and never use your finger to brush sawdust off the work when using a scroll saw... take it from the guy with a nice scar on both his thumb and forefinger. A minute or two to make sure you're safe is nothing compared to sitting in the ER for an hour waiting to get stitched up. 

Webb wrote on Mar 23^rd, 2012 at 9:34pm:


Duct Tape is also quite useful for stemming blood flow...

..and WD-40 can be used to prevent infection in open wounds*.. ...!

Paul...Hammering home the importance of safety when operating various tools... ... ...!

* perhaps... ...!

Yep, the joys of woodworking.  Power tools: Both eyes open, think ahead.  Woodworking is really cool, you get a great sense of acomplishment when done with whatever.

High school woodshop:  two near accidents: 

Table saw, partial cut, forgot to set the blade height, fortunately my hands were not in the blade path.

Band saw:  Really dumb.  If someone says, "Hey, I know an easy way to do this", think about it 1st.  Instead of chiseling off my bowl's faceplate, some guy says, "Hey, just cut it off with the band saw."  Really dumb.  Y'awl just know what happened, the band saw spun the bowl, and my hand just missed the blade.

That bowl was small, about 6 inches diam, mahogany, and I somehow got the finish to shine like glass.  Gone with the wind, but at least I've got my fingers.

These days, I can't use power tools for fear of injury, being a musician, no way I'd take chances, so I use precut lumber, plan around that,  and cut by hand.  It's possible to get accurate cuts, usually crosscuts, with planning, practice, and ingenuity. 

Have fun, let us know how's it.