Woodworking is an exciting hobby for many people, but it can also be dangerous. Every time you use a blade that spins at a thousand revolutions per minute, there is a risk of serious injury. I had my own workshop-related ER visit: three stitches after being hit by a piece of wood knocked out of my miter saw.
        According to the CPSC, over 26,000 people visited U.S. hospitals with table saw-related injuries in 2017, according to the latest available data. This does not include injuries caused by home treatments or other tools. Safer woodworking solutions combine safety features such as pressure blocks, safety features built into the tool itself, and a state of mind when cutting.
        Seriously: what you think in a store is probably as important as wearing goggles and earmuffs. A common tip for experienced carpenters is to visualize your cut before you make it. However, this can be difficult to do, especially for beginner carpenters. Without experience, it can be difficult to know what to envision and plan. After all, how can you imagine the unexpected?
       While the specifics vary from tool to tool, there are some general principles to keep in mind while working that will help you deal with emergencies when they arise without losing a finger.
        Before turning on the tool, plan for a perfect and safe cut. “One important thing to keep in mind is that there are tool and method options for every cut you want to make,” says John Goplerud, store manager at Lowell Makes makerspace in Massachusetts. “Whatever you do in woodworking, you can do it in several different ways,” he says. “I decided it was safest to make this cut.” So, are you better off trying to make a miter on a milling machine table or on a table saw? Should this thick board be cut into two thinner boards on a table or bandsaw? This decision comes down to considering the tools available to you, what each tool excels at, and, importantly, your skill and comfort level with that tool.
        Once you have chosen the right tool, make a plan for how you want to cut. If you will be milling wood or otherwise moving the tool, plan how you will secure the board to the workbench and make sure the clamps do not block the path of the tool. Decide how the finished product will come off the blade and what will happen to any scrap. If you are cutting more than one piece, know which hand will remove the finished board and which will pick up the new board before you make half of the cut.
        The point of all this visualization is not to think or make decisions in the middle of the clip. You want to know what’s coming next so there’s no hesitation or uncertainty. Deciding what to do next is a distraction from the critical task of not touching the spinning blade, and distraction is one of the fastest ways to get hurt.
        I also practice saw visualization whenever I make a new cut. For example, the first time I used a level on a table saw to join a board, I ran the level and board on the table a few times, just to get a feel for what it was like to move two pieces at the same time. I do this whenever I use a new sled or fixture. Practice reduces the risk of accidents.
        “Every car has certain things that can go wrong,” Goplerud said. “Knowing these things and being mindful will greatly reduce the risk of what you are doing.” It all starts with knowing every machine you use, he adds. If you are new to the machine, read the manual, read the book, watch some videos and, if possible, have someone more experienced guide you through its safe operation.
        The most obvious danger of any power tool is contact with its moving parts. For example, I rarely keep my hands more than 4 inches from a spinning blade. If I needed to get close, I would use a pusher, pusher, or even a piece of wood instead. and focus on danger. “The key to the safe operation of any power tool is to keep a watch on the knife,” says Bron Zij, director of Secret Underground Laboratory Recovery and Salvage, a Louisiana-based furniture and lighting repair and restoration company.
        Kickback is another common cause of injury. Every time the blade spins, it can grab a tree and hurl it at dangerous speed. Table saws, planers, seamers, routers, circular saws and miter saws can kick back. All carpenters should know how to minimize the risk of kickback, how to keep wood away from flying logs if they do occur, and where to stand to reduce the chance of being hit by flying logs if they occur.
        For example, on a table saw, kickback is most likely to occur when the board is caught between the blade and the fence, twisted slightly, and kicked towards the user. This is why you should never stand directly behind the board you are cutting. If you stand to the side, you are less likely to get hit. It’s even more important to make sure you’re using the right cut boards, Golerud adds. Twisted or warped boards are more likely to stick to the blade.
        Also always use pressure blocks to maintain pressure on the wood. This way, if a recoil occurs, the push block will catch it and prevent it from becoming a projectile. Push blocks also serve the same purpose on routing tables. On miter saws where the board does not move, this function is performed by a hold-down clamp.
        Sometimes things go wrong and your tailoring can turn into a mess. You may have been able to get some kickback with the pressure block, but you’re still stuck on a partial cutting board on an 88-tooth blade spinning at 3,000 RPM. Maybe the board is hanging and can no longer be pushed, and if you let go, then it flies across the room. Sometimes you just need to kill the power and refuse to cut.
        One of my favorite features of my table saw is the Dewalt working table saw, which I can close with my hip, freeing my hands to keep the wood from falling out of my hands. As soon as I see or hear that something is wrong, I can move an inch forward, hit the switch, and be out of danger. However, not all table saws or tools can be covered with legs. Always know which hand is safe to let go of what you are doing and turn off the tool. For example, when using my portable router, I always hold it so that my left hand turns it off. I just trust my right hand more to control the instrument itself. This way, I never have to think about how to turn off the power when the router starts to jump off the tree.
        One of my biggest fears is losing my balance and falling on a knife blade. So I think a lot about how I stand and where my weight is distributed. I always try to get up so that if I accidentally fall, I don’t fall forward. With few exceptions, I stand in a wobbly stance with my left foot forward and my knees bent. I never use my hands to push wood with tools. If I’m making a cut that requires my reach – which I try very hard to avoid in my practice – I usually move to the left or right around the instrument rather than leaning on it.
        Which brings me to the second point: footwork. Some tools, such as fittings, may need to be moved. Visualize and practice the steps you will be taking. For Zeage, safety starts from the floor. “Whether it’s oil, grease or wood shavings, floors need to be kept clean,” he says. Always, always, always pick up any items you might trip over, such as cords, hoses, and scraps of things you decide to drop. Even if I don’t intend to bypass the tool, I still want to have a clear path in case of an emergency, this is my best escape route.
        For each tool, you want to develop a standard workflow. The more consistency you create in how you use each tool, the more automatic and instinctive the process will be. This allows you to make fewer mistakes because your body knows how to perform the movements. Consistent procedures also allow me to notice small errors that can lead to disaster.
        For example, I always place my club to the right of the table saw, on the other side of the fence. I usually use pressure blocks, but sometimes I need to add a stick to keep from breaking the 4 inch rule with my free hand. If I put it somewhere else, something will be wrong. So I stop my machine, restore my process and reboot. The same is true if I take the new wood with the wrong hands. It didn’t seem natural, so I stopped to check what was wrong with my workflow. Sometimes a particular incision requires procedural changes, and that’s okay. But it should be a conscious choice that you make every time you step out of your routine.
        I once needed wood embroidery because my typical process wasn’t running. I’m cutting out a piece of scrap that doesn’t need to be measured, so I don’t think I need to carefully align and secure it. This allows me to move faster than usual and I lower the blade before the miter saw is fully up to speed. At the same time, I didn’t hold the board as tightly as I usually do, as the exact location of the cut didn’t matter. Those two misses caused the blade to grab the tree and throw it back at me, cutting my fingers.
        There is an almost regular debate in my woodworking group about the balance between fear of one’s tools and respect for them. For Goplerud, fear comes when your intuition tells you that you haven’t found the right way to use your car. “If you are still afraid, then you are not ready,” he said. Personally, I don’t want to be afraid of cutting, but I always want to be aware of the danger. Whenever I catch myself feeling comfortable, calming down, or moving too fast, I stop what I’m doing and remind myself that the tool I’m using will chop off a finger or four without slowing down.
        If something doesn’t feel right to you, trust your instincts and switch off. “Sometimes you just have to say, ‘You know what, it’s not going to work today,’” Goplerud said. “You must have a clear head.”
        Jean Levasseur is a self-made author of Popular Science. He is a passionate carpenter and housewife of the twin boys. When he’s not at home, chasing twins or trying to fix or build something, Jin is a science fiction writer, musician, and avid gamer.