Safety disclaimer

Our safety notes supplement the instructions that came with your tools and materials. They never replace them, and they cannot see your workshop, your tools, or your project.

What this site is not

• It is not a substitute for the manufacturer's manual, warnings and guards for any tool you own. Those are written for that specific tool; we are not.
• It is not professional, structural, engineering or electrical advice. Anything that will carry weight above head height, be climbed on, hold a person, be wired, or be used by a child needs judgement from someone qualified who can see the job.
• It does not tell you a project is safe for you. Skill, tools, materials, workspace, ventilation and physical ability all vary, and only you can see all of them.

The rules we write to

• Eye protection, every time. Wear it whenever anything is being cut, drilled, driven, chiselled or sanded — not only for power tools.
• Hearing protection for power tools. Hearing damage from noise is permanent, and it accumulates quietly over many short exposures.
• Control the dust. Wood dust is a respiratory hazard and some species cause allergic reactions. Sand with a mask rated for fine particles, work outdoors or with ventilation and dust extraction where you can, and clean up rather than sweeping dust into the air.
• Clamp the work, never hold it. A workpiece that moves is the most common cause of both an inaccurate cut and an injured hand.
• Guards stay on, and hands stay out of the cut line. Never remove a guard or defeat a safety switch to make a cut easier. If the cut needs that, it is the wrong method.
• Unplug or remove the battery before changing a blade or bit, and before clearing a jam or adjusting anything.
• Tie back long hair, remove gloves, rings and anything loose before using a tool with a rotating bit or blade. Gloves and spinning cutters are a bad combination.
• Read the label on every finish, glue and solvent and follow it — for ventilation, skin contact, and disposal. Rags soaked in oil finishes can self-heat and catch fire; spread them flat outdoors to dry or follow the maker's disposal instructions.
• Do not work tired, rushed, or impaired. Almost every shop accident story has one of those three in it.
• Stop when you are unsure. Every project guide here names the points where the honest answer is to stop and ask someone with more experience. Take them literally.

Reclaimed, treated and unknown wood

Do not cut or sand wood when you do not know what it is or what has been done to it. Pressure-treated timber, old painted wood, railway sleepers and salvaged timber can carry preservatives, lead paint, or hidden metal. When in doubt, buy new boards — they are cheaper than the alternative.

Children and pets

Keep them out of the work area entirely while tools are in use, and store blades, bits, finishes and glues where they cannot be reached. Woodworking with a child is a supervised activity with hand tools, at a bench, with eye protection on both of you — never around a running power tool.

If something goes wrong

Treat any cut, splinter under the skin, eye contact with dust or finish, or breathing difficulty as a reason to stop and seek medical advice. This site cannot give medical guidance of any kind.

Our commitment

We write safety guidance conservatively and we would rather over-warn than under-warn. If you find something here that is wrong, unclear, or less careful than it should be, tell us on the contact form and we will fix it.

General woodworking guidance for beginners, not professional, structural, or safety certification advice. Always read and follow the instructions and warnings that came with your own tools and materials, work within your own skill level, and get qualified help for anything you are unsure about — especially fixings that carry weight.