A GUIDE TO SAFE WOODCARVING

Many carvers regularly use bandsaws, chainsaws, sanders, woodcutting discs on angle grinders, routers and so on regularly.
Sometime in the future, I'll be including in this document more information about the safe use of particular machines For now, what follows is general advice:

Manuals

More and more, because of regulations and increased awareness of customer usage, reputable manufacturers are including excellent, comprehensive instructions and safety recommendations with their machines. Read and follow all safety guidelines!
If you buy power tools or equipment secondhand, contact the maker for missing spec sheets and safety advice.

It is really wise to go on a training course for larger machines - and certainly for chainsaws.
At the very least, familiarise yourself with any tool or piece of equipment before using it.

• Some men haughtily disregard guards, eye, ear, body protection, etc., as being 'unmanly.'
  This attitude is stupid and needs serious rethinking.
• Face and/or eye protection is absolutely essential. Grit and sparks will penetrate the eyeball; wood chips will fly off; and cutters or burrs -however finely made or judiciously used - will sometime shatter.
• Wear ear protectors too.
• Keep face masks, eye and ear protection easily to hand - and put them on before you switch on your equipment.
• Alcohol is right out. Not just while in the workshop but its influence from drinking beforehand.
• Tie back long hair and loose clothing (cuffs and ties). Keep jewellery (necklaces and rings) out of the sphere of activity and particularly away from moving machine parts.
• Properly adjust - and routinely use - guards, rests, etc.
• Use push sticks
• Fix work securely before drilling, power shaping etc.
• Double check everything, including the locking of chucks, the table, or any fence before starting the machine.
• Keep the floor clean of shavings and wood chips. They are a fire risk and dangerous for walking on. Clear up floor and surfaces regularly.
• Keep hands and fingers well clear of moving parts. Remember that most accidents happen quicker than you can notice...
• Never reach over or across machines.
• Keep wiring from machines and electrical hand tools neatly out of the way - not trailing over the floor or work surfaces.
• If you have to sharpen, adjust, or change a blade or cutter, always isolate the machine first, by pulling out the plug.
• Do not drip water from the cooling jar over motors, electrical connections or plugs.

• One of the most dangerous thing you can do with a bandsaw is use a blunt blade. A dull blade forces you to exert more pressure and sudden break-out can draw hands and fingers into the cut. Once you've installed a new blade, kink the old one so it is unusable and throw it away.
• Never exert pressure with your hands directly towards the blade, for the same reason as above; rather push out of line with the blade.
• Make sure the wood is flat to the table and cannot twist suddenly
• Use the guards! - especially the top one, which can be brought down close to the surface of the wood.

• Repeat: face or eye protection is absolutely essential! Chips of wood can fly off, cutters and burrs can break.
• When using a cutter or other accessory with a high speed shaft, never exceed - and try to work below - its maximum rated speed. Used above rated speeds, cutters can - and will - fly apart, bend or otherwise be damaged.
• Never use a bent or damaged cutter or burr - or one that vibrates or chatters - in a high speed flexible shaft. Instead, throw these away.
• Never force or pressure these accessories.

The angle grinder used with these discs (eg Arbortech) flings wood chips and dust at high speed, with and without the guards.
I wear:

• zip overalls;
• leather gauntlets (welder or gardener) to protect my forearms;
• a full head helmet with face visor, fan operated air filter;
• and ear defenders...

OK, so I feel like an astronaut, but anything else, to me, is not protection enough.

• Before plugging into the mains, check the machine itself to ensure the switch is off.
• Don't put the tool down until the wheel has stopped rotating
• Hold the grinder with both hands at all times.
• Keep back from action in case the cutter snatches or kicks
• Keep as far back from the action as feasible, in case the cutter snatches or kicks.
• Use the guards as much as possible. If, in sculpturing, you must leave off the guards, then be sure to take extra care while working.