Safety Tips For Your Shop (download a printable version and post in your shop)

1) Think Before You Cut – The most powerful tool in your shop is your brain, use it. Thinking through your cuts and movements before acting can help save both fingers and scrap wood.

2) Avoid Distractions – Pay attention to your actions. Looking up to watch the shop TV or a visitor can result in your hand contacting the blade. Always wait until you have completed your cut before you take your eyes off the blade.

3) Don't Rush – Keep in mind that this is work and you should take a break when you feel rushed or frustrated with a project. Mistakes happen when we rush to complete a job.

4) Let the Tool Stop – Giving the power tool time to wind down after a cut is an often-overlooked safety mistake. Even without power, the spinning blade can still do a lot of damage.

5) Don't Force It – If your saw is resisting the cut, stop and see what's wrong. A misaligned rip fence or improperly seated throat plate can sometimes cause a board to get stuck in mid cut. Forcing the board in these situations may cause kickback or contact with the blade. Take a moment to evaluate the situation and determine the problem.

6) Keep a Clean Shop – A cluttered shop is an accident waiting to happen. Keeping your shop clean will help protect you, and your tools, from tripping hazards.

7) Protect Yourself – Wearing the proper shop protection is an important part of safe tool operation. Goggles, Ear Protection, and Lung Protection should be used when operating tools. Use push sticks when working close to the blade and make sure the tool's safety features are in place.

8) Fumes and Dust – Solvent fumes and airborne dust can present health and explosion hazards. Care should be taken to ensure a supply of fresh air and use only explosion proof vent fans.

9)Wear Appropriate Clothing – Loose clothing or hair can get caught in power tools and cause severe injury.

10) No Alcohol – Too many woodworkers have been injured because Alcohol clouded their judgment. Avoid their mistakes and wait until after you're done in the shop.

Titebond III®, Excel One Polyurethane and epoxy are suitable adhesives for outdoor applications.
     Of this group, Titebond III is probably the most straightforward to use. It is a Type III PVA glue, which puts it in the same family as our 202GF, except that an acid salt catalyst has been added to the formula. This causes the molecules of the glue to cross link to each other as they polymerize into long chains. This latticework of molecules substantially increases the cured glue's ability to resist both heat and water.
     PVA glues, in general, are simply emulsions of plastic in a water carrier and this makes them easy to use. Clean-up is done with water and there are no hazards in disposing of unused or old glue. Also, they are one part; that is, they are pre-measured (unlike epoxies, for example).
     It is a common misconception that these glues are waterproof. A close reading of the label reveals that Titebond III is called "water resistant". This is an important distinction and stems from there being some confusion over just exactly what a "Type III" bond really is. Not surprisingly, different standards organizations have distinct rating systems and they don't always agree with each other. The simplest thing is for the consumer to be aware of this and not expect glues in this group to withstand constant immersion, although they do excel for general outdoor woodwork.
     Polyurethane glues, such as Excel One, are relatively recent introductions to North America; however, they have been in use in Europe for about 20 years. As you would expect, these glues are related to polyurethane finishes. The resins in the latter polymerize to form a coating, whereas in polyurethane glues they create an adhesive film.
     Actually, the chemistry is pretty interesting, because water acts as a catalyst in the reaction. This is one of the few glues that can successfully be used on damp lumber (not green wood, where there may be trouble with shrinkage later), but air-dried material for outdoor use in the 14% to 20% moisture range. In fact, unless moisture is introduced to the system, these glues perform poorly if the conditions are too dry (such as when used indoors in the winter).
      One of the by-products of the curing process is carbon dioxide gas and this can be seen as the excess glue oozes from the joint and "foams out", much the same way that expanded polyurethane insulation does. This is important to realize, as anyone who has worked with the canned insulation can relate, that too much makes an incredible mess, but that the foam is also very weak.
      Apart from the presence of water, the most critical point is that the mating surfaces must meet cleanly. The joinery must be impeccable and any laminating areas must be free from snips or tear-outs.
     Like Type III PVAs, polyurethane's are not strictly waterproof but stand up very well to intermittent exposure to water. Polyurethane's outperform both epoxies and Type III PVAs in resisting heat and this makes them a very good choice for objects exposed to direct sunlight.
     Epoxies come in a wide variety of formulas, but all share the same basic chemistry. They usually come as a two-part system, consisting of a resin and a hardener, which are stable by themselves but, when mixed in a specific ratio, react to form a complex network of interconnected molecular chains. Some epoxies are quite flexible when cured, while others are unaffected by low temperatures.
     Although more expensive than other glues, epoxy is probably the most versatile. Some formulas are thin enough to be brushed on and used as sealers to prevent moisture from wicking into a porch column, for example. Epoxy is also widely used for repairing rotted wood. With the addition of a filler (e.g., wood flour from your sander) to change the consistency to a paste, epoxy can be used to fix fairly large areas without resorting to replacing the original material. Even though this can be quite helpful when dealing with historical fabric, improper placement of epoxy can create a water barrier and actually hasten deterioration.
     In general, epoxies are easy to work with; however, the mix ratio is critical and should be measured rather than guessed. Since the chemical reaction involved is exothermic (i.e., it gives off heat), the glue should be mixed on a flat surface (as opposed to mixed in a container) in order to increase the surface area and dissipate the heat. (It isn't unheard of for a batch of epoxy in a high, narrow container to become so hot that it smokes or cures prematurely.)
      Because epoxies contain toxic ingredients that can be absorbed through the skin or irritate the eyes and nose, always wear rubber gloves, a respirator and eye protection when working with epoxies. Edited from Lee Valley Tools

Some experienced woodworkers doing artistic shapes will tilt their turning tools and maneuver them axially along the work piece. This produces a slicing action on the wood fibers and a smoother finish. On the other hand, this kind of turning requires more skill and there is greater risk of "digging in" and damaging the work.

The beginner will usually want to hold the tool flat and firmly on the rest and advance it cautiously into the work piece. This changes the slicing action into a scraping or tearing action with a rougher finish. The beginner will then compensate by using a greater variety of tools and using more sandpaper to finish up. Unfortunately, the beginner may be driving wood particles back into the grain, thus spoiling the appearance, especially if a transparent finish is to be applied.

Not all so-called "scrapers" are beginners. For instance, patternmakers invariably scrape to the finished shape because this method offers more control and a mechanical shape that is exactly "to the drawing".

The diagram shows how you can quickly modify a flat tool to produce a slicing action while still avoiding the risks of canting a tool on the tool rest. The fact that the tool rests on the tape and on the wood underneath instead of resting steel on steel can be an advantage. There is less vibration, less noise, and a better feel to the work. (Ed Tucker - 6/96) From Lee Valley Tools

If you have ever used sanding drums on your drill press you might have experienced the chuck shank falling out of the Morse taper while you were using the sanding drum. Morse tapers are wonderful locking mechanisms as long as the pressure applied is axial. As soon as any radial pressure is applied, particularly in the absence of axial pressure, there is a tendency for the mating parts to disengage.

Anyone using a lathe should not rely on any accessory to be held in a Morse taper unless there is a restraining bar holding the main parts together. A typical case where restraining bars would be needed is when using buffing wheels on the drive head of your lathe. Without a restraining bar, the axial pressure applied to a buffing wheel may cause the shaft to release from the Morse taper. The restraining rod does not have to be very large, 1/4-20 is ample restraint. Edited from Lee Valley Tools.