Lloyd’s Kickback

I was working with a piece of pegboard 96″ long and about 20″ wide, and was cutting about 18″ off one end of the board. My saw is a large 10″ contractor saw mounted on its own portable frame. At the time I was not using the riving knife because the mount had slipped out of adjustment and tended to bind piece of wood between it and the rip fence. My blade was set about 1/4″ above the wood. After pushing this long, flexible piece of wood through the saw, I left the saw running with the 18″x20″ piece between the blade and rip fence. While i stepped back with the 78″ piece (at the time i was more worried about letting that piece flop onto the floor), the piece between the blade and fence shifted enough to bite into the back of the blade, and the thing shot out like a spinning pegboard of death. At this point i was walking back to the saw and about 4 feet from it when the pegboard ninja star was making its way towards me. For whatever reason I had my hands down in front and the piece caught me on the wrist of my right hand, as opposed to more important appendages front and center. I was shocked and couldn’t feel my hand for 2 hours. My wrist swelled probably an inch or so. I could move it, so it wasn’t broken, but it took several months before I regained full motion in it. You can see the pictured taken right after the accident, and a picture from today almost 6 months later. You can still see the scar at the base of my hand.

So why did it happen? Because I’m an IDIOT! Rather than take the 5 minutes to fix the alignment problem with my riving knife, I just took it out and went about my merry way. I probably should have had the blade higher as well.

How did I fix it? I DID NOT go ballistic and buy a saw stop. It wasn’t the saws fault, it was mine for being in a hurry. First I didn’t go back in the shop for a month. Once I got the nerves to go back in, I fixed the riving knife alignment and its now standard policy to never run the saw without it for through cuts, as well as use the anti kickback pawls and saw guard when possible. I’ve also purchased a pair of GRR-IPPERS from Microjig and use them on all of my power tools.

It could have been a lot worse, but this was as close a call as I hope to ever have for the rest of my woodworking career.

Russell’s Kickback and Chisel Slip

Well I think I can definitely contribute to the goal of keeping safety at the forethought of every fellow woodworker out there. I am unfortunate enough to have had not one, but two separate incidents in the shops. My first was in my senior year of high school working on a solid oak firewood storage bin for my parents home. My dad has a nice production shop setup building butcher blocks that I could work in. I had built some 5inch square “feet” for the box that would raise it off the ground by about 2-3 inches. This provided us the ability to move it around easier. Upon final construction, of course, one foot was a little too thick making the box rock back and forth… just annoying is you ask me. So, in the heat of the moment (combined with jamming to some tunes in my headset) I fired up the jointer and made a pass using just my hand pressing the short piece to the table. In hindsight, I cannot believe I was even able to accomplish this one with no real excitement. I tested the foot and of course found that it needed one more pass. Well (you can see where this was going) on this pass the front end of the foot tilted forward right as touched the blades. This shot the piece right out from under my hand and my right index finger dropped into the blades. This incident ended up shattering my finger and I lost about 1/4 – 1/2 inch of bone and all. Luckily they were able to reconstruct the nail bed and after a year or go I regained all motion in it. Obviously most woodworkers should know the two mistakes I made (too small of a piece on that machine and not using some paddles). To those not extreamly familiar with a jointer just know that they recommend a certain length piece for a reason. Just take your time and really think about what you are doing. Oh and the foot was catapulted across the room a good 12-15 feet and put a really good dent in some wood cabinets my father and I had set up.

Now, a few year later, I have finished college and started my career. This has given me the distinct pleasure to setup my own shop in my townhome’s one-car garage. To start with, I did everything by hand (now I have a table saw and miter saw that make things sooo much easier) but still managed to make a crucial second mistake without these big tools. I was making a set of drawers for a cabinet I was constructing for all my tools and was working on paring out some dovetails with a simple handsaw and a set of good, sharp chisels. I made the simplest of split second mistakes by putting my other hand down the workpiece in front of the cutting edge to support the material when I saw it moving a little under my clamps. In hindsight, I should have just tightened the clamps… duh. But no. Once I put more pressure on the paring stroke, the chisel slipped and landed right into the thumb of my left hand. Needless to say it took the entire side of my thumb off in a split second. This one has not healed so nice and I have lost some of my movement in this finger. The main reason I bring this up is that people forget how dangerous even the simplest of hand tools can be when you forget the basic safety rules you are taught as a child. Just be careful, slow down, and take the time to enjoy this wonderful hobby.
I have attached a few pics of the healed injuries just as further enforcement to keeping safety as the number one item on your mind when woodworking.
Thanks for letting me share this. Hope it at least helps someone out.

John’s Saw Blade Kiss

Hey Marc! I hope you and your family are well bro! Since its safety week, I thought I’d share what happened to me on Sunday 4/29. Feel free to post to your site… Just don’t make TOO much fun- lol… Love what you do bro…

I did something foolish, and I knew better, but I had done it several times before, so hey, what’s one more time….. riiiiiiiight… My “luck” finally caught up with me. I was guiding a piece of stock with my left hand and using a push stick between the blade and fence with my right hand. Big deal- that’s how it’s done (SOMEtimes). But, That isn’t the issue here (big eyes- lol)… I was cutting a small piece of 1 1/2″ stock (8-10″ long) on my table saw as a “test piece” for my project, ripping it in half. When the piece went through the blade, at the end of the cut, the blade grabbed the stock, on the FRONT of the blade and pulled my finger in TO the blade!

At first, it didn’t hurt. Kind of felt like a paper cut. I looked at my finger and said, “why is it bleeding so much”? I walked in the house and ran my finger under cold water and said, “oh my! That is NOT a paper cut! That is cut off!!”

Scared my wife a little, and, I was a little in shock too…

I said all of that to say this- don’t be stupid; I was. I knew better. I don’t care how “good you are”, that table saw will win E V E R Y time… makes me wish I had a SawStop, but SawStop can’t fix foolish…

Skip Evans
Never reach into the Soffet.

One Saturday morning I was working on a building I am constructing. The chore for the day was to install the soffits. I was working on a ladder installing one of the panels for the soffit. Being on a ladder I reached inside the soffit to steady myself while nailing the soffit panel. Well, guess what. Not realizing (not thinking) I pressed the trigger on the nail gun and instantly knew I had done something wrong. I must have projected this error with my look because my wife, standing below me asked, Did you just get your finger? There I was, nailed to the building with nowhere to go. I tried to pull my finger off the nail, but the ridged nail shank was not cooperating. Luckily, a neighbor was home. I did not know he could run so fast. My wife had barely hung up the phone and he was there. I was able to pull back the Hardy Plank panel in order to expose the head of the nail. Using lineman pliers we were able to cut the head off the nail and then pry the nail through the OSB. Now that I was free from the building, to the emergency room we went. Luckily the nail missed the bone. after a few needles full of anesthetic, the doc pulled the nail and sent my on my way. I was back to work the next day.

This poll was created by Tom Iovino of TomsWorkbench.com.

Thanks everyone for making a solid effort toward improves shop safety!

Stu’s Shed – Dust, Guards/Kickbacks, PPE, Misc. Shop Safety, Safety Costs
Woodworker’s Guide – Safety Tips for the Wood Turner Part 1 & Part 2
Julien Lecomte’s Blog – Safety Week 2012
Renaissance Woodworker – Safety Week 2012 Kickoff
Tom’s Workbench – Overlooked Safety Tips
Matt’s Basement Workshop – The Accident

Several years ago, my wife and I decided that we valued environmental sustainability enough to make it a tenet of our custom cabinetry and metal fabrication business, CK Valenti Designs. We sat down to write a realistic sustainability pledge and came away with this: “We believe in being aware of, and minimizing, our company’s environmental impact.” This pledge felt right – felt realistic. The pledge to be aware of our impact, and to seek to minimize it, was something we knew we could do.

As we started to focus on the goals of our pledge, it was easy to find ways to promote sustainability within our organization. We set up recycling stations throughout our office and workshop; we saved energy by using laptops instead of desktop PCs in our office; we cleaned our office with environmentally friendly cleaning projects. What started with our building environment moved to the tools within the building. We focused our shop time to make sure our systems, like air compressors and dust collection, would not be running when the shop was idle. We also installed a fully-enclosed spray booth to trap all airborne particles from spray finishes.

One day a Columbia Forest Products rep walked into our office with a local distributor. The rep introduced us to the PureBond line of products. A ha! This was the crucial part that was missing from our sustainability story…options for safer, cleaner, healthier materials. We’ve been working with PureBond ever since. Using urea formaldehyde-free plywood is a healthy choice for our employees, and is an appealing choice for our discerning clients. We especially like PureBond’s prefinished sheet goods – they cut down on the amount of finishing work we need to do in our workshop which is healthier for our employees and less expensive for our clients. Plus, anyone who has ever clear-coated the interior of a cabinet box can appreciate not having to finish spraying after assembly! Our introduction to PureBond products opened our eyes to other materials with healthier options – like water-based finishes, paints with low VOCs, and Greenguard certified adhesives. In addition, with an awareness of our overall “carbon footprint”, we also seek out sources for sustainable hardwoods harvested in the United States. As we educate our clients on these options, we get the opportunity to incorporate more and more of these materials into our projects.

As the options available for cleaner, locally sourced materials continue to grow, we’ll be able to expand our commitment to our pledge – and not only to be aware of and minimize our impact to the earth, but to also to continue to create healthier environments for our employees and clients.

CK Valenti Designs was founded in Chandler, Arizona in 2005 by Chris and Kate Valenti. Chris has a long history of working with wood, beginning when he was very young. His father, a Union Carpenter in New York, introduced him to the craft; he has continued to build his skills over the years. While pursuing his college education, Chris worked in residential and commercial renovation for high-end homes in Manhattan and surrounding areas in New York. An Electrical Engineer by degree, Chris left the semi-conductor industry to pursue his passion of building beautiful works with his hands.

Kate complements the Engineer in Chris with an eye for design, and describes her designs as modern with a traditional warmth. Kate and Chris favor clean lines and patterns that enhance the beauty of the raw wood and metal materials being used.

I own several safety devices for my tablesaw and I use them in various combinations depending on the task at hand. Nearly every cut is done using the riving knife. I try to use my blade guard as much as possible too but I must admit to forgetting on occasion. And I very rarely send a piece through the saw with my bare hands. Push sticks help to keep my hands at least 8-12″ away from the blade at all times.

This poll was created by Tom Iovino of TomsWorkbench.com.

Polls are created by Tom Iovino of TomsWorkbench.com.

A drill press was one of the first tools I ever purchased for my shop. Why? Because Lowe’s carried one for a reasonable price and I remember seeing David Marks use one once. Of course I needed one! As a result of this not so well thought out logic, I didn’t wind up using my drill press all that much. But over the years, the value of this tool has become clear to me and I wind up using the tool for just about any project that requires drilling.

There are two aspects that I really like about this tool. First, it keeps the bit perfectly perpendicular to the surface with the workpiece clamped in position. This makes for much more accurate hole placement. The second factor is drillings speed. Not just the adjustable rotational speed but the level of control you have over plunge speed.

So while I didn’t use it all that much initially, the drill press has become a very important tool in my shop.

The Traditional Joiner

If you are into hand tools, not only do you need to learn how to use the tools but also tune and sharpen them. How many of us toiled away for months or longer trying to figure out how to use a plane that was never sharpened properly? I remember vividly the first time I took a few strokes with a friends finely-tuned smoother. What an epiphany! I felt like such a goober because I always blamed my poor results on my lack of skills. I honestly never suspected that the tool itself was at the heart of the issue. No wonder it chewed up my work like a Labrador puppy!

If you’re using Grandpa’s old tools or some flea-market finds, you’ll need to become fairly competent at tool rehabilitation too. The sharpest iron in the world won’t help you if the sole is shaped like a banana. Just ask my buddy Matt Vanderlist.

The Machinist

If you choose to incorporate power tools into your shop, you now need to learn the ins and outs of tool setup and calibration. If you think you can un-crate that shiny new tablesaw, plug it in, and be on your way to wood-cutting bliss, think again! Every tool needs to be calibrated properly before use. Taking measurements down to the nearest thousandth is common practice (sometimes unnecessarily) and for those of us with failing eyesight, that’s never any fun!

Once the tool is up and running, of course you need to learn how to use it. While most power tools don’t require the same manual dexterity as their hand tool counterparts, there is certainly some nuance to it. Tools like the tablesaw and jointer require much more in the way of body movement than simply “passing the wood over/through the blade”.

The Safety Officer

Regardless of which tools you use, safety must be the number one priority. Learning to work safely is not quite as easy as simply reading a manual or watching a basic instructional video. What you need is time: time to familiarize yourself with the normal operation of the tool, time to gain enough experience to be able to identify abnormal tool operation, and time to use the tool in various ways in order to gain confidence in its many potential uses. Keep in mind that time does not automatically equate to increased safety. It’s how you spend that time that determines how often you put yourself at risk on a typical shop day. I have seen many “experienced” woodworkers doing very stupid things with tools.

The Finisher

Once you are comfortable with your tools and you begin cranking out projects, you eventually realize you need to educate yourself on finishing. If that isn’t a can of worms, I don’t know what is! In my opinion, finishing is one of the most needlessly over-complicated areas of woodworking. That’s exactly why I wrote a book in an effort to simplify things for the newbie. “What type of finish should I use on my project?” is the most common question to hit my inbox, and for good reason. There are so many choices out there and they all promise you the world! Fortunately, this is one area where you can truly keep things simple and not sacrifice the quality of your work. Don’t get caught up in the marketing hype and don’t be tempted to try a new finish on every project. Pick a finish that initially appeals to you and take the time to become skillful at applying it.

The Electrician

How about the workshop itself? Once you start to get into the more beefy tools, you no doubt will require 220v power. If you are somewhat comfortable with basic home wiring and you’re cheap like me, you will most likely tackle this work yourself. Whether you should or shouldn’t might be the subject of a different article in the future. Aside from new outlets, you probably want more lighting too. Who doesn’t?! So you may as well run an extra circuit or at least extend the current one. What gauge wire should you use? Should you use romex? Should you tap into the old drier outlet for easy 220? How many wires can you safely fit into 1/2″ conduit? These are all questions that I used to wrestle with until I wised up and called in a professional. Unless you have a background in electrical work, the cost of hiring a professional electrician is well worth it if you can rest easy knowing you won’t inadvertently burn your house down.

The HVAC Specialist

I was standing in my shop recently pondering my dust collection system. My ductwork needs some serious help and I couldn’t help but think, “I should hire someone to do this!”. As long as I’ve been doing woodworking, I still make major mistakes when it comes to designing an efficient system. I’ve read articles, blogs, and books, and I still screw it up. It should be simple right? Hook up the sucky thing to the stuff thank makes dust and you’re off to the races. Unfortunately, its just not that simple. Each tool has its own required CFM (cubic feet per minute) rating and you need to calculate the air movement and how much pressure you lose with your various drops. You then need to install the ductwork with minimal leakage as well as minimal twists and turns. To make matters worse, researching dust collection will make your head spin within minutes of hitting the enter key.

Ahhh! I just want to be a WOODWORKER!!

I’m not bringing all this up to discourage budding woodworkers. Quite the opposite in fact. Consider it a form of commiseration, if you will. We’ve all been there before. If we’re not puzzling over some complicated woodworking technique, we’re trying to figure out ways to improve the shop. As people who build furniture instead of buying it, I believe it’s in our nature to want to do everything ourselves. But frankly, it’s a little silly for us to think that we can master all of these aspects of running a shop.

Becoming a productive and functional woodworker, even at the hobbyist level, is quite an accomplishment. So if you’re new to the craft and you feel overwhelmed, remember that most of the folks you hear from have been at it for quite some time. Eventually, much of this information will find its way into your brain whether you want it there or not. And keep in mind, it never hurts to call in a professional when you aren’t sure about something (especially electricity).

I should also mention that simplifying your tool collection will go a long way in reducing the learning curve. If you decide to favor hand tools, you pretty much knock out electricity and dust collection from your list of crap to worry about.

I know we have lots of experienced woodworkers in the community and I’d like to hear what advice you might have for the folks just coming into the craft. What did you do to make the whole “becoming a woodworker” thing easier?

Passing judgement on yourself is no simple task. Some of us think we are way better than we are and others consistently downplay their skills. But I encourage you to take some time and think critically about where you fall on the scale of woodworking craftsmanship. Then think about where you would LIKE to be on that same scale. This exercise may very well make it easier for you to plot out your personal path to woodworking greatness! So where exactly do you rate yourself as a woodworker?

You may remember Carole Rothman’s guest article A New Approach to Beautiful Bowls where she discussed her method for creating amazing bowls without a lathe. Well now she’s turned her attention to boxes with her new book Creative Wooden Boxes From The Scroll Saw. And as you’ll see below, her work is simply….delicious! Carole was kind enough to offer up a copy of her book for this month’s giveaway. So get those comments in! In the mean time, let’s learn something from Carole!

When you think “box”, what comes to mind? Probably something square or rectangular, with mitered corners, dovetails, or box joints. Nice enough, to be sure, but a bit predictable. And even the simplest boxes take a fair amount of time, care, and precision to complete, along with appropriate tools and jigs.

But what if you could make a box that was unusual, creative, and eye-catching, yet quick and easy, and looked like a pumpkin? Following my conviction that fine woodworking needn’t always be complicated, I set out to design an assortment of boxes that were different and attractive, yet within the reach of most woodworkers. I began by looking at the “best of the best” in the world of boxes, to see what top flight woodworkers were doing and to learn more about the shapes, woods and techniques they used. I looked for themes that could be developed, such as boxes that looked like food or furniture. And I looked for projects that were quick to make and easy to customize—both useful for those who sell their work I established four working principles: First, my boxes could be any shape at all. Second, they could not use conventional joinery. Third, they would require no staining or painting. Fourth, only the scroll saw, drill press, and various sanders could be used for their construction.

My first project was a radical departure from “square”. It consisted of a six-section box disguised as an apple tart. Inspired by a cookbook illustration, it was made of a bottom “crust” with fluted rim, covered by a lid of aspen “apples”, and garnished with slices of real cinnamon stick. Encouraged by this success, and intrigued by the food-like colors of many woods, I merged my love of baking and woodworking to create a “bakery”. The apple tart was followed by a cupcake, which was followed by a pineapple upside-down cake, coffee cup, ice cream box, and Linzer tart.

Forsaking convention frees you from being tied to “the way it’s always been done”, and challenges you to find better and easier solutions. Take the cupcake box, for example. The inner recess, created with a Forstner bit, and the outer profile, cut at a steep angle with a scroll saw, satisfied my desire for simplicity. But my stroke of genius (well, not quite genius, but pretty darn close!) was the discovery that an oversized spiral scroll saw blade made it a snap to cut perfect indentations on the sloping cupcake sides.

The use of the Forstner bit for the cupcake box worked so well that I starting thinking “drilling”, rather than “cutting”, for other projects. Larger bits proved ideal for the recesses of ring and jewelry boxes, and were a reliable way to make smooth inside curves in wood too thick to cut easily. Small bits made quick work of the fidgety smaller curves found in bow loops, hard to cut evenly, and tricky to correct.

I also did some “tweaking” of the band saw style box, sensing untapped potential in its simple design. By adding overlay drawer fronts, a beveled top piece and compound-cut base, I created a dollhouse-sized chest of drawers. Delighted with my results, I pushed further, and overlaid an entire box front to make a bookcase. Then, to complete the “suite”, I added a hutch to an overlaid base to create a china cabinet. Feeling the need for a personal touch, I decorated my furniture with mini scans and tiny objects, doing in wood what I had once done in sugar on my custom decorated cakes.

My discoveries were many, but two stand out. The first is a new appreciation for the vertical belt sander. Using it to even out surfaces of boxes and lids is obvious, but that’s just the beginning. I discovered that it was by far the best and easiest way to make bevels, both decorative and functional, like those needed for barrel hinges. It made quick work of truing up small strips of wood, sanding to a line for precise fitting, and shaping loops and tails for bow top boxes.

The second discovery was the unexpected usefulness of veneer. Added to glue-ups and laminations, it lent a touch of class with minimal cost or work, and when dyed, provided drama and accent not otherwise possible. When the last project was done, I relaxed and smiled, confident that I had met not only my stated goals, but a larger, ongoing one: to help woodworkers of every skill level make projects that please the eye and warm the heart.