SAFETY RULES
Tools and Machinery
In the
Shop
THE JOINTER











Follow the general safety rules ( eye protection guards. sharp tools.
clean work area, etc.) for all machines.
Get your teacher’s permission before using the machine.
Make sure guard is in place.
Keep the fence locked securely.
Stop the machine when making adjustments.
Examine the stock carefully to make sure it is free of loose knots and
nails.
Make sure the stock is longer than 12 inches.
Use a push stick when planing the face of a board.
Do not attempt to plane end-grain. Only the very experienced
woodworker can do this safely.
Always plane a board with the grain. If the direction of the grain
changes. feed the stock slowly.
When a very smooth finish is required, take cuts of 1/32 inch or less and
feed the stock slowly. On edge jointing a 1/8-inch cut will remove most
irregularities.
DRILL PRESS








Operate the drill press only after the teacher has shown you how.
Remove jewelry. Tuck in loose clothing, and confine long hair.
Make sure all guards are in place and operating correctly.
Use proper eye protection.
Hold material securely with a vice or clamps.
Be sure the key is removed from the chuck.
Select a properly sharpened bit.
If a work piece gets caught in the drill, turn off the power. Do not try
to stop the movement with your hand.
 Adjust the table depth to avoid drilling into the table.
 Select the correct speed. Usually it is slower for metal, faster for
wood. The larger the bit, the slower the speed.
SCROLL SAW
 Follow the general safety rules (eye protection, guards,





sharp tools, clean work area, etc.) for all machines.
Operate the saw at the correct speed. Use a slow speed
for thick work and a faster speed for thin materials.
Make sure the saw blade is properly installed.
Don’t force or twist the work into the blade. Blades break
very easily.
Don’t use the machine for materials thicker than 1”.
Keep your fingers away from the saw line; this is the
danger area.
BAND SAW












Operate the machine only after you have been given instructions
from your teacher.
Remove jewelry, tuck in loose clothing, and confine long hair.
Make sure all guards are in place and operating correctly.
Use proper eye protection.
Make sure all adjustments are tight and secure and that the blade
guides are properly adjusted.
Upper blade guides should be about ¼” above the work piece.
Guide the work slowly, letting the blade do the work.
Do not force the work into the blade.
Do not attempt to cut a smaller radius than the blade will allow.
Avoid backing out of a cut.
Place hands or fingers on each side of the cut line, never on the line.
Use a push block if necessary.
Never leave the machine until it has come to a complete stop.
CHISELS AND KNIVES

Clamp the work securely before using a
chisel.
 Use mallets only with socket or solid tang
chisels. If a mallet is used with a pointed
tang chisel, the tang may split the handle.
 Always us a wood or plastic mallet NEVER
a metal hammer to strike the handle of the
chisel.
CHISELS AND KNIVES
 Keep your hands away from the front of
the cutting edge when working.
 Chisel away from your body NOT toward
it.
 Never strike the cutting edge of the tool on
metal, such as the edge of a vise, a nail or
wood screw, or other metal objects.
CHISELS AND KNIVES
 Keep the edge of the chisel sharp.
 Never file the edges of a chisel.
 Never use a chisel for prying open a paint
can or similar jobs
TABLE SAW





Raise the saw blade from 1/8 to ¼ inch higher than the thickness of
the stock to be cut.
When changing saw blades or using a dado head, make sure the
main switch is off. When possible, pull the plug from the receptacle
to prevent accidental starting.
Hold the stock to be sawed against the fence or miter gauge. Never
try to saw “freehand” (without holding the stock against the fence or
miter gauge). Use a ripping fence for ripping operations. Use a miter
gauge for all crosscutting operations.
Keep the saw guard down over the saw blade while operating the
saw.
Make all adjustments when the saw is at a dead stop. These
adjustments include height of the saw blade, angle setting, fence
adjustments, and all special setups Always stop the saw before
changing any adjustments.
TABLE SAW…part 2
 When setting up the saw for any sawing operation, check to see that




the saw blade revolves freely in the correct direction. Check that it is
securely fastened to the arbor. Check that any clamps or knobs on
the fences are properly tightened.
Make sure that the anti-kickback pawls (fingers) behind the saw
blades are always in place. These resist the tendency of the saw to
throw the stock upward and toward the operator.
Use the splitter guard and anti-kickback pawls when ripping. The
splitter prevents this from happening. If the splitter is not used, stop
the machine and insert a wedge in the kerf just as soon as the jut
has passed the back of the blade.
Always use the saw guard. The saw guard covers the blade and the
area around it while allowing the stock to slide under it. Never
operated the saw without the guard in place unless a special jig or
fixture is used as a guard.
Use a push stick to push the stock past the blade if the space
between the saw blade and the fence is 6” or less.
TABLE SAW…part 3
 Stand to one side of the saw blade. No one should ever
stand in line with the blade where kickback could cause
serious injury.
 Stock to be ripped must have a straight, true edge and
must lie flat on the table. Never cut stock on the saw if it
is warped, or has a rough bowed edge.
 Whenever helping to “tail-off”, hold the board up and
allow the operator to push the stock through the saw.
Never pull on a board being ripped.
 Fasten a clearance block to the ripping fence when
cutting off lengths of stock. Make sure the block is
clamp0ed ahead of the blade. Use a sliding miter gauge
to hold the stock. Never use the ripping fence as a stop
when crosscutting. It will cause a kickback.
TABLE SAW…part 4
 Do not force stock into the saw blade faster that it will





cut.
Never reach over the saw blade. Have a helper take the
stock away.
Do not allow your fingers to come closer than five inches
to the saw blade. Do not use your hand.
Have your teacher check all special setups and blade
changer before the saw is started.
Remove all special setups and the dado head from the
saw after use.
Do not try to cut cylindrical (round) stock on the saw.
COMPOUND MITER SAW
 Never use before receiving operation and
safety directions from your teacher.
 Do not disable the blade guard.
 Make any adjustments to the saw only
after the blade has stopped moving.
COMPOUND MITER SAW
 Unplug the miter saw before changing
blades.
 The stock to be cut should be supported
along its entire length and on both sides of
the blade. Wear safety glasses– wood can
be ejected from the machine at a high
speed.
 Make sure stock is solidly supported by
the saw table. Do not lift stock into the
blade.
COMPOUND MITER SAW
The saw should be equipped with either a
manually operated blade break, or an
automatic blade break. This allows the
blade to be stopped quickly after the cut
has been made.
Surface Planers

Never plane used lumber. It could contain
contaminates such as : nails, screws, old
chunks of wire, or other foreign matter that
could chip the blades.
 Never plane wood shorter than 14 inches.
 Never lower the blade more than a half
turn of the handle.
Surface Planers
 If wood becomes jammed in the planer,
shut the planer off and then raise the
blade to remove the wood.
 Don’t force wood into the planer.
 If material jams, never look into the planer
while it is running
Surface Planers
Make sure vacuum in attached and
running while planing
Circular Saw
 Make sure the teeth of the blade are sharp
and set.
 Never make an adjustment when the saw
is running.
 Don’t stand directly behind blade. If the
blade binds it may kick the saw back out of
the cut. If the blade binds turn off.
Circular Saw
 Always keep the guard in place and the
blade adjusted for the correct depth of cut.
 Use the correct blade for the work to be
done.
 Disconnect the power source to change a
blade. Make sure that the teeth are
pointing in the right direction
Circular Saw
 Allow the saw to get to full speed before
cutting.
 Always keep your hands clear of cutting
line.
 When finished with a cut, release the
switch and wait until the blade comes to a
stop.
 Always support work in such a way that
one piece will fall away from the blade
when the cut is completed.
Pneumatic Nailers & Staples
 Always wear eye protection when using a
nailer. Hearing protection also required.
 Never try to unjam a nailer while its still
connected to an air supply.
 Never carry a nailer with your fingers on
the trigger, you could accidentally bring
the nose of the nailer in contact with
something.
Pneumatic Nailers & Staples
 Never fire the nailer when the nose piece
is not in contact with a piece of wood.
 Never use bottle gases to power the tool.
The driver blade of a nailer sometimes
makes a spark when it hits a nail. Running
a nailer on oxygen could cause an
explosion.
 Air driven nails sometimes ricochet, keep
bystanders away from the immediate work
area.
Pneumatic Nailers & Staples
 Never operate a nailer with a higher
pressure then it was designed for. Check
the pressure gauge or the compressor
periodically.
 If you are using a belt driven compressor
make sure that the belts are protected by
a cover.
 Before transporting a compressor, release
the pressure from the tank. Secure the
compressor so it does not roll around in
the back of the truck
Pneumatic Nailers & Staples
 The hose connected to a nailer should be
in good condition. Never step on a hose,
as this creates premature wear.
 Make sure the nailer is pointing down
when you connect to a pressurized air
hose. Air entering suddenly can cause the
tool to fire.
Router
 Routers generate a lot of noise and
sawdust. Wear hearing protection and a
dusk mask.
 When inserting a bit, slide it into the chuck.
A bit resting against the bottom of the
chuck can vibrate loose.
 Be sure to lubricate the sliding
mechanisms of plunge routers. It ensures
smooth operation.
Router
 Review general safety rules for use of
portable electric tools.
 Make certain the fence or guide is
securely clamped.
 When using the power tool keep both
hands on the handles
Router
 Feed in the correct direction.
 Always lay the power tool down with the
cutter pointing away from you.
 Always hold onto the power tool when it is
turned on.
Router
 Make certain the work piece is securely
clamped.
 Make adjustments only when the cutter is
at a dead stop.
 Be certain the power switch is off before
connecting the power plug