Shop Safety: Basic Trauma Training

“Before we get started, I’d like to take a moment to talk about shop safety. Be sure to read, understand, and follow all the safety rules that come with your power tools. Knowing how to use your power tools properly will greatly reduce the risk of personal injury. And remember this: There is no other more important safety rule than to wear these—safety glasses.”

—Norm Abram

Safety is the first thing drilled into us when we start woodworking. Norm’s quote is a mantra that extends from the woodworking world. Pushes for hearing protection and specifying no loose clothing didn’t come along until later, but his words covered a wide spectrum of the safety concerns.

Most of us work with fast-spinning blades at multiple stages of a project to cut wood, and those blades have no problem cutting your flesh and bone. We learn about push sticks and blocks, jigs, proper tool use, and…