Today’s entry is simple but critical…RESPECT your workspace!

As a woodworker you can become very familiar with your tools, their location in the workshops and their ‘best suited use’. Can you get too familiar or comfortable though? Yes, I think so.

R = Relearn the basics every so often each year. Know the safety switches, procedures and how to stay safe on a particular tool.

E = Every time you start a project or procedure, think safety!

S = Stay alert & focused. Forget your phone, noise from outside or where that spider crawled too on the floor.

P = Practice proper procedure for whatever tool or machine you’re using.

E = Every time you start a project or procedure, think safety! (see what I did there 😉 )

C = Control what you can with project speed and your patience.

T = Take your time (see the theme here??) — stay slow and you’ll be able to focus on safety

The ‘RESPECT’ writeup above may seem silly or cliché, but after 25+ years of working with power tools and on a vast variety of projects I still have all ten fingers & two eyes to type this out with 🙂

What are your go to safety tips? What habits help keep you safe in your workshop?