Woodshop Rules

Always Wear Safety Equipment

The first and most important rule of woodworking is to wear appropriate safety equipment. While hearing protection is necessary for some very noisy tools such as routers and surface planers, and latex gloves may be necessary when applying finishes, there is no time in the wood shop that you should be without your safety glasses.

Wear Appropriate Clothing
Avoid loose-fitting clothing, and if you have long sleeves on roll them up. Wear shoes, not sandals. In Addition, remove any dangling jewelry i.e. chains or bracelets, and tie long hair back.

Absolutely No Drugs and Alcohol
Intoxicants and woodworking are a dangerous mix. Stay out of the wood shop if you are even remotely under the influence of any intoxicants.

Disconnect Power Before Blade Changes
Whenever you need to change a blade or bit on a power tool, always disconnect the electricity to the power tool before even beginning the blade change.

Use One Extension Cord
By using one cord you are forced to switch the cord from tool to tool before the tool can be used. In this manner, you are always remembering to plug and unplug the power when moving from one tool to another, and you'll be more cognizant of the need to disconnect the power when making bit or blade changes.

Use Sharp Blades & Bits
A dull cutting tool is a dangerous tool. If a saw blade is not as sharp as it ideally should be, the tool and the woodworker will have to work harder to complete the desired task. In such cases, the tool will be more likely to kick-back or bind. A sharper cutting tool will produce a cleaner cut. Blades and bits should never produce smoke.

Always Check for Nails, Screws and Other Metal
Always check the material you're preparing to cut for any metal (nails, screws, staples, etc.) before beginning a cut. Nails and rapidly spinning saw blades are not a good mix. This can damage the blade the stock, and can cause the material to kick back.

Always Work Against the Cutter
Woodworking Power Tools are designed so that the direction that the wood moves through the tool is in the opposite direction of the movement of the cutting head. In other words, a router bit or saw blade should cut against the motion and not with it.

Never Reach Over a Blade to Remove Cut-Offs
Never put your hands anywhere near the moving blade, especially when attempting to remove waste or cut-offs. Wait until the blade has stopped moving and THEN reach for the cut-off. Better yet, once the saw blade has stopped, use a piece of scrap or a push stick to move the waste away from the blade. Remember that switches can be inadvertently bumped or malfunction, so just because the blade has stopped, don't relax and put your hands too close.

Avoid Distractions
If you are called or distracted while in the middle of a cut, remember to always finish the cut before dealing with the distraction. Taking your attention away from the woodworking tool is a recipe for disaster.

No Epoxy, Spray Paint, or other Hazardous Vapors in the shop.
Anything that smells strongly is probably toxic, and should only be used outside.

No Plaster, or Hazardous Material down the sink drain.
Plaster will settle and clog the sink; Solvents and chemicals pollute our water supply and must be disposed of properly. All Hazardous materials should be stored in the flame-proof cabinet.

Never use the Table Saw when an instructor is not in the room.
Always lock the tool room and cabinet when leaving the space.
We spend a lot of time each year replacing stolen, or permanently borrowed tools. It is important to keep the tools locked up when our class is not in the space to prevent others from coming in and borrowing things. Under no circumstances are students allowed to borrow any tools- the tools are for use on campus and if one student takes something home, someone else will not be able to work.