I recently had a discussion about woodworking safety gear and I remembered a conversation I once had with my cousin. It was right around when I first got interested in woodworking and his response to my overly enthusiastic rant was:
You should stay away from that. Have you ever seen a woodworker with all ten fingers?
My cousin Alex
Now, as a matter of fact I have seen a woodworker with all ten fingers. Dozens of them. Actually I’m not sure if I know a woodworker that’s missing a finger. But his opinion does address a valid point – woodworking can be a dangerous endeavor.
With all of those blades, bits and chisels that cut through hard wood with ease, it only takes a moment of misplaced attention to have your finger where the wood should be. And it’s not only your fingers you need to worry about. It’s your eyes, ears, lungs, toes – you name it.
So without further ado, let’s discuss some of the most important safety gear for woodworking.
Safety glasses
Not only is eyesight one of the most (if not THE most) important senses, it is also crucial if you want to keep on making awesome stuff out of wood. Therefore, it’s a no-brainer that you should protect your eyes. And when you are using power tools on wood, there’s gonna be chips and dust flying in all directions.
You don’t have to go crazy here, if you aren’t ready to invest in some professional grade safety glasses, you can find basic ones at almost every hardware store for just a few dollars. Of course, if you can spend more than that, you definitely should.
I always like to do the “price test” on people. Just try to put a price on your eyes, how much are they worth to you? This will easily show you that you should not cheap out on your eyes. Also, some of those cheap glasses seem to fog up no matter if it’s hot or cold.
Hearing protection
If you’re gonna be using power tools, this one is also a necessity. The noise level varies between power tools but pretty much all of them make a lot of noise.
If you’re gonna be working in the shop once a year, you can probably live without hearing protection. But if you plan on any level of regular work, you better get some now.
There are two basic kinds here, ear plugs and ear muffs. I’ve seen people use both at the same time, but I think this is an overkill, especially for hobbyists who don’t put in too many hours into woodworking. However, if you are a professional who works with loud machines 40+ hours per week, then definitely consider using both.
Personally, I prefer ear muffs to ear plugs, but that is mostly because my ears are prone to infections so don’t like sticking things into them.
Good thing is that you can get basic ear muffs for a couple of bucks, just like basic glasses, so you are still not gonna break the bank if you are low on cash. However if you do have some money to spare, consider getting some higher quality ones. If that’s the case, I would advise that you look into active ear muffs / ear buds. Those are almost like magic! They don’t lower the sound level when there is no noise, but instantly block noise when it appears. I’m telling you, it’s like magic…
Dust mask
This one concludes what I think are the minimum 3 for every woodworker – safety glasses, hearing protection and a mask. You should in no way stop here, but it’s a minimum in my humble opinion.
But let’s get back to dust masks.
It doesn’t take a genius to realize that you shouldn’t inhale dust. But still I see people making saw dust while making silly faces, trying not to inhale it as it fills their tiny workshops.
Why not just wear a simple mask on your face? Sorry for repeating myself once more, but you can get the basic ones dirt cheap. If you want to, you can even make one out of an old t-shirt, but for me at the price you can buy them it doesn’t really make much sense.
Personally, I like reusable cloth masks for most purposes. I even wear them when I’m doing stuff like moving furniture as I’m slightly allergic to dust.
I’m not gonna mention more expensive versions here as that kinda falls into the next category.
Respirator
Respirators are almost like dust masks on steroids. They are air-tight around your nose and mouth and have air filters attached to them. They are like gas mask’s little brother.
Just like dust masks, they will protect you from dust and similar particles, but in addition they protect you against paint, gases, vapors and other nasty chemical stuff.
I strongly advise them if you are gonna paint using air guns / airbrushes, especially in a closed room. And don’t cheap out on these ones. You can find mid-level ones that still ain’t gonna break the bank, but just keep in mind the “price test” I mentioned while talking about glasses above. You can’t really put a price on your lungs, can you?
Face shield
For most applications, especially as a beginner, safety glasses are gonna be good enough. But for some things, like a lathe, you will probably need to step it up.
This is where the face shield comes in. It covers your entire face, not just your eyes. So if you expect a lot of chips to be flying your way, you are gonna be happy you put one on.
Fun fact: the one activity I always use a face shield for is cutting overgrown grass with a trimmer. It stops so much grass from hitting my face, and when I hit an apple hidden below it’s a lifesaver.
Steel toe boots
I know not everyone thinks of steel toe shoes when it comes to woodworking. And I’ll admit, I often work in flip-flops. But if you are expecting heavy stuff to fall around you, it is a good idea to protect your toes.
The good thing about them is that some of them are pretty good-looking, so you can wear them even outside of your workshop. They even make steel toe sneakers, so there is a lot of options to choose from.
Now that I remember, I used to wear some army style steel toed boots back in high school. Not that I was into woodworking back then, I just liked them…
Hard hat / Safety helmet
This one isn’t gonna be necessary when working in your shop. But if you are doing some framing or working in an environment where heavy or hard things might fall on your head, better have one on.
Shop apron
Strong leather (or other material) aprons are useful in multiple ways. Besides providing protection for your body from flying chips and other stuff that might hurt you, they also tie back any loose clothes you might be wearing. Not that you should be wearing loose cloths in the workshop in the first place, but that’s another topic.
Another feature they often offer, is they have pockets that can be used to store tools as you’re working.
Final thoughts
While I covered some of the most common woodworking safety gear, this is by no means a complete list. You must decide what gear you need for the situation that you are gonna find yourself in.
Also, some of the things that are gonna keep you safe aren’t even safety gear. Like I’ve said above, don’t wear loose clothes in the workshop as those can easily get caught in a blade or a bit.
Try to visualize the move you are going to make (be it a cut or something else) and make sure you know what you are doing and what could go wrong.
Use common sense and when in doubt, always err on the side of caution.