An accident won’t decide if it should happen or not looking at your expertise level. No matter if it’s for electricians, mechanics, DIYers or woodworkers. Accidents take place anytime, anywhere. Nobody can’t really make a difference here.
However, precaution is always a better way to look at accidents. Since you are ready for the mishap to happen and when it does, damage will be less.
So, thinking about proper safety is your first and foremost duty, no matter what sector of work you’re involved in.
Must-have Safety Woodshop Equipment List: Tools You’ll Regret Not Buying
When talking about safety, woodworkers need to pay attention to a lot of protective tools. But for the minimalist, this checklist could be as basic as I’m about to provide below.
You absolutely can’t ignore some elementary wood cutting safety equipment for your workshop.
Even if you are an expert, make sure not to excuse yourself from using these. That’s the most professional and ethical behavior of a conscious and practical woodworker.
Here’s the simple list of woodworking safety equipment.
Your Head Needs the Best Protection
If I ask you, what’s the most important part of your body, then probably answer is going to be really easy to guess. Your Head. It’s the mastermind of your entire body. So risking safety of your brain is never an option, it’s an obligation.
Especially when you are in something as dangerous as woodworking. It’s the sector where falling heavy objects on the head is nowhere near impossible.
I still remember my first workshop where power tools use to be on the very upper shelf because of less space. I was always doubting whether it’s going to fall over me while working on projects.
Not to mention, I did a few mistakes with that confusion going around on my mind. You see, the thought is really scary and losing concentration on a project is very obvious. So, I took my instincts seriously and bought myself a hardhat.
Hardhat is a very common protective tool that woodworkers use for head protection. There are quite a few designs and qualities available at the market. Make sure to pay more attention to the built-quality. It needs to be enough strong for protecting your head from heavy things.
You can also go for a forestry helmet that’s even better at protecting head along with your face to some extent. It’s something that serious and expert professionals are more into using for heavy-duty projects.
Don’t Forget Your Precious Eyes
There’s this one tiny friend who is more like an uninvited guest whenever I try to focus on power tools. It’s sawdust. Not to mention, there are already enough dirt and debris producing on a regular basis inside a woodworking shop.
You see, they are too tiny but extremely harmful once entered inside the eyes. The dust produced by wood is pokey and painful. So, taking possible steps for protecting your precious eyes is part of the safety regime.
Safety glasses are forever the best answer to such dilemmas. These are great at avoiding flying dirt and debris from heavy equipment. Also, they do perfectly suit workers who need to deal with electric sparks.
I’ve seen many avoiding the eye protection criteria. As a result, they had to go for multiple doctor visits. Don’t be on that list and get yourself this very basic safety tool for regular working.
You’ll be able to find a huge variety of styles and fits available. There are even options that come with side screens and impact resistance lens implemented within.
Save Your Ears from The Loudness
Do you know that sound above 85 decibels is damaging for your ear? Also, there’ll be hardly any workshop where the sound level is below this range. So being involved in this profession invites you to the potential of doing a lot of hearing damage. How to resist that?
Well, get yourself right ear protection. There are options such as ears muffs and plugs for that. There are many comfortable choices available for woodworkers. These are usually great for avoiding the sound that surface planers, joiners or routers make.
Ear protection is one of the high priority tools from safety equipment list. Because the noise might not affect instantly but surely, it’s going to lead you to long term hearing loss. So better be warned beforehand and take the appropriate step.
Think About Your Lungs Too
Now this is similar to why you need eye protection. It’s because of the sawdust again. These are dangerous for not only your eyes but also inhaling into the lungs. You don’t want to get these things into your respiratory system.
The most common way to protect your respiratory is by getting a proper dust mask. However, sometimes there are smell of paint, fumes, and stain going around inside the workshop too. These are the main reason behind nauseating lungs. In that case, you need the strongest respirator.
You can also try buying a good over-all face shield. These are very comfortable to wear and work in. You can simply flip the shield up once there’s no need. So, it’s a very convenient way to keep flying chips at safe distance.
There are so many different types of woods that a professional need to deal with. Some might be the reason for triggering allergic issues. There are even cases of workers getting stuck with asthmatic problems. Other serious situations include wheezing, giddiness, skin lesion, lung irritation, and nose bleeding.
You see, the importance of saving your respiratory is so damn high. And that’s why, you’ll have to think about a proper dust mask, face shield or strong respirator.
Never Miss Different Types of Hand Protection Gloves
Working with projects means you’ll have to tackle blades and bits. Your hands getting cut in the process won’t be much of a surprise. In fact, without proper gloves and hand protection, this is ought to happen.
So, make sure you collect some good pairs of gloves for the sake of safety. There are different types of gloves that help you handle different safety concerns. The most common and effective ones are listed below:
- Of course, the first type in this list should be cut-resistant gloves. These are a must if you don’t wish to lose your finger to a power tool with terrifying sharp blades.
- During chores with heavy-duty tools, the vibration is very disturbing. Also, it does a lot of harm to your hand tissue and bones. Be clever to not deal with such vibrations using anti-vibration gloves.
- For days when you don’t really feel comfortable wearing gloves while working, simply put on some high frictional finger wrap tape. To make it even wonderful, these are quite affordable.
- There are leather thumb guards available that are great at protecting from both outside and inside. When carving, these are your best friends.
Attire That Does Not Disturb Your Safety
Anything that hinders while you are focusing on a last-minute project is absolutely bothersome. Especially if that thing is your own clothes. When working with hard-wearing tools, a little bit of distraction can often mean an unexpected accident.
So, don’t forget to care enough about what you wear in your workshop. A woodworking leather apron is not only the finest thing in such a case but also a master-woodworker look creator.
These come in so many sleek designs. Pick whatever feels comfortable according to your priorities.
A Pair of Strong Work Boot
Moving around with heavy objects isn’t a very new scenario in woodworking. However, doing such chores barefoot is quite common with novice woodworkers. Be gone from that group of people.
Get yourself a good quality work boot that comes with tough material. Steel tip boots are a great choice for people who needs to move frequently inside their workshop. These come with steel caps for extra protection. Also, there are puncture-resistant options available with the midsole plate.
Injuring your feet means no working for who knows how many days. However, it’s surely going to be several days, sometimes months. Avoid fracture and mishaps chances with your foot earlier if you don’t want that work loss any time sooner.
Don’t Risk in Limited Lighting
Some projects bring you to an occasion of working in very limited lighting. Cutting yourself and inviting injuries chances are very high here.
The simple inclusion of head flashlight can be a harmless play for such events. You can work in corners and edges with proper clarity and visibility on your side.
Don’t Underestimate Blades
Some mini tools play mega roles in avoiding cuts and scratches easily. These are reasonable and very elementary to have in your safety toolkit.
I’m talking about push sticks and blocks. While pushing tiny stock through table saw, a push block can help you prevent the slightest cut. A push stick helps to remove or insert cut pieces between blade and fence.
Bonus Safety Tips
Besides having the essential protective tools, you should also practice proper safety ethics. In fact, these common regimes help you better than tools. I’ll point out some major ones:
- Never involve in adjustments when the power tool is running.
- Avoid slippery floors by cleaning it every day after your work ends.
- Use metal flammables cabinets for adhesive and solvents. These are dangerous ignition source to store carefully.
- Not using the proper size of blades and bits is equal to inviting injuries.
- Your posture while working with power tools matter. Learn how to deal with kickbacks by learning proper body positioning.
- Keep your arms at least 6 inches away from blades.
- It’s very unsafe to use a router at the highest speed with large bits.
You may love to read this: Best Woodworking Bench Review
Verdict
So, these were some must-have woodworking safety equipment that you need to consider buying. I’m not telling you to buy a bunch of protective gear, since investing in power tools and other things is necessary.
And nobody has the budget for spending extra on anything at all. However, your safety is not something you can take as too extra.
That’s why you should think about safely working on projects and avoid mishaps by using proper gear and safety ethics. Hopefully, you’ll mull over my point!