Copyright© Chris Pye 2011

You may freely distribute this ebook, without any changes to it.
www.woodcarvingworkshops.tv
 Chris Pye: A Guide to Safe Woodcarving
Take woodcarving safety seriously: Why be glumly and painfully wiser with
hindsight when foresight is always to hand?

Contents
1: Introduction
2: Your Best Safeguards
3: Consider your Workshop
4: Woodcarving Specific
5: Your Body
6: Power Tools and Equipment

Please read this document carefully, even if you think you know everything
already.

Any comments and improving suggestions are very welcome.

Safe carving!
Chris Pye

Disclaimer:
I have tried to be as complete as possible here but, because I cannot know of your
particular circumstances, I accept no legal responsibility whatsoever for any
consequence arising from the application of information, advice or instruction given in
this or any of my publications, or on my websites.

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 1: Introduction

I have been teaching woodcarving for many years, to hundreds of students, and I can
say that the worst injuries sustained in my classes have been small nicks to fingers.
Such cuts are invariably got when picking up tools from the bench or toolroll, rather
than while actually carving.

The most annoying consequence is a blood spot on the work - I sometimes suspect
students are happy mixing this blood with their sweat and tears, to collect the
complete set...

Given that we are handling extremely sharp cutting edges for hours on end, it
surprises some visitors that there is so little bloodshed.

I've written this Guide to Safe Woodcarving to explain why this is so. What follows is
an overview of my attitude to safety in general and a description of some of the
specific precautions I teach. My hope would be that all carvers adopt these practices
from the start.

More than anything, safety is an attitude - as much as it is checklists of do's and

don't's. Because all workshops and carving situations are different, I can't pretend to
cover all circumstances. But with correct attitude, you should be able to carve without
significant accidents.

Although the bulk of my notes are aimed particularly at woodcarving, I recognize that
many carvers work in a more general workshop environment. For that reason, I've
included some wider-ranging comments on certain commonly used power tools. I'll
begin by saying that safety is partly in your hands, and partly in your mind.

How is this so?

Let's start with …

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 2: Your Best Safeguards

What is the best precaution against accidents? Mindfulness. Most accidents are caused
by momentary absent-mindedness - a lack of concentration or presence of mind.

Still, you can minimise the chances of accidents happening by controlling your
environment, and thinking through potential hazards. So for example, the cutting
edge of a gouge is projecting, and you strike your hand on it. What actually causes
the accident is a mixture of unawareness, and the attitude that leaves the gouge or
the hand dangerously positioned. It is easy to daydream or to be otherwise distracted
while carving. From time to time, all carvers will have this happen.

1. Back up your normal mindfulness two ways:

2. Work in as safe an environment as possible.

Cultivate good, safe working practices - specific carving habits and more general
workshop disciplines.

Lack of experience certainly counts too, so make an effort to understand and

familiarise yourself with all tools - especially power equipment - before using them in
earnest. Also, remember that familiarity - while it may not "breed contempt" in the
workshop - certainly invites a casual attitude. And "casual", when carving, is
hazardous. So:

• Be mindful, aware

• Control your working environment.

• Establish safe habits of woodcarving and woodworking

• Beware of distractions

• Avoid overconfidence.

Much of what follows occurs, in broader context and more detail, in my books, where
you can study the issues more deliberately. See the notes that follow more or less as
a whole, rather than "steps" in any particular order.

Before looking at woodcarving itself, let's walk around the place where you do it and …

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 3: Consider your Workshop

Do this excellent exercise. (Seriously... go and do it!)

1: Stand at the entrance to your workplace with a notepad.

2: Challenge yourself to think of all the ways you could be hurt in the space in
front of you, anything from sharp corners to your tools and equipment.

3: Get a friend to do this exercise for you, with a fresh, unbiased eye.

4: Next to the items you have registered as danger points, note safety
precautions, and things you might change.

What you have just done is, in the jargon, called 'risk assessment'.

It's an exercise that makes you more aware of hazards where you work. Workshop
safety is worth taking seriously. Mostly it's common sense tempered with an
imagination like Stephen King's.

Remember, too, that the chances for accidents increase when children and visitors
enter the workplace.

Some further thoughts:

• Keep a fully-stocked, first aid box easily accessible. Remember you may have
to get at things with one hand, and quickly

• Include an eye bath and implements for splinter removal

• Make sure that the spaces where you walk are free from the danger of sharp
edges and corners: things to bump into and stumble over

• See that you can easily and safely work around your bench, and that
woodchips and dust on the floor do not make it slippery

• Store and arrange tools and equipment safely, securely and conveniently. (For
example, sharp tools left clamped in vices, with tangs or edges exposed ready
for fitting a handle, are very dangerous)

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 • Long hair and loose clothing etc should be tied back (cuffs and ties)

• Keep jewellery (necklaces and rings) out of the sphere of activity and, in
particular, away from the moving parts of machines

• Make sure all electric wires are properly installed, and either buried or covered
to prevent tripping.

And think about FIRE:

Take every possible precaution against fire: The woodcarver's environment tends to
be dry and littered with flammable wood chips, finishing agents etc.

• Fit a fire alarm and extinguisher in the shop-and don't put the extinguisher in
any place where a fire would be likely to keep you from it

• Never leave a naked flame unattended

• No smoking in the workshop

• Ensure that heat sources are safe before using them

• Bag up and remove dust and debris regularly

• Keep rags used for oil (Linseed, Tung, Danish etc) finishing in sealed metal tins
that are closed when not in use, and away from children, heat, and naked
flames.

• Use and store solvents, glues, turpentine, spirit and oil-based stains -in fact all
other volatiles - in well-ventilated areas.

Once you have a safe place to work, you can relax and get on with what you really
want to do - woodcarving!

In fact let's turn to that now and look at some safety factors which are…

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 4: Woodcarving Specific

Back up general mindfulness and a safe working environment with some safety-
conscious carving habits, disciplines, things you do without thinking:

Work:

• Hold your work securely to a stable bench or surface, so that it can never
move unpredictably

• The rule is: Only the cutting edge moves; the workpiece remains fixed

• Re-position the work to avoid carving dangerously

• Check clamps and fixings periodically.

Bench discipline:

• Lay the carving tools you aren't using flat down, in a row, at the back of the
bench and away from where your hands are working. (Be methodical about
this good habit which also protects the delicate cutting edges from clashing
together.)

Normally, you'd be keeping your cutting edges pointing towards yourself to make it
easier to recognize the particular tool you need. This is, in the main, a safe way of
working. However, when working with the blades like this close by your hands make
sure the tools will push backwards loosely and easily if you knock against their sharp
edges. The last thing you want is for the tool handle to abut something fixed, while
the spike-like, immovable edge is pointing at you.

• Never try to catch a falling carving tool, either with your hand, or by putting
your foot in the way. Let it go!

• Carve in footwear strong enough to protect the feet from falling clamps, tools
or wood

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Sharpness:

• Keep your tools as sharp and clean as possible

• A blunt cutting edge needs far more pressure to cut wood fibres and, at the
end of its cut, a blunt carving tool tends to jerk uncontrollably out of the wood
and into the fresh air. Contrary to what most people think, a sharp tool is safer
because it cuts cleanly and with less effort

• Take particular care when using the benchstrop - especially the forward stroke.

Tool use:

• Keep both hands and fingers behind the cutting edge at all times

• Since only the actual cutting edge is sharp, it follows that it is impossible to cut
your hands and fingers so long as they're behind the edge

• Don't wave your carving tools in the air - something easily and unconsciously
done while talking or demonstrating. Students and onlookers will find such
waving, at the very least, alarming, and you'll feel very silly dressing your own
wounds

• Be very careful walking around the room with extremely sharp cutting edges in
your hand

• Carving tools are offered to the wood at many different angles: be prepared to
re-position the work or your body to avoid carving dangerously

• Never cut, or exert pressure, towards any part of the body

• Both hands should be on the carving tool, with the blade-hand resting on the
wood

• The only exceptions to this are mallet work and specific, one-handed carving
techniques.

• If you need to hold the work with one hand and manipulate the chisel with the
other, use the thumb of the work-holding hand as a pivot or guide to control
the cutting. Never cut towards the work-holding hand. I'd advise protective
carving gloves of thumb stalls too.

• In vigorous mallet work, especially with very hard, brittle or old and dry woods,

wear eye protection.

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Bench height:

• Try to work with a straight back at all times and you will avoid backache. To
this end, the bench (or workpiece) must be at a correct height.

My book Woodcarving Tools, Materials & Equipment, Vol. 2 has a discussion for
figuring correct bench height - which is an individual matter for you, the carver. The
normal woodworker's or joiner's bench is far too low for most people. Raise it on
blocks or fit a false top, and adjust the workpiece as necessary. Relief carvings can be
fixed vertically - details of some vertical carving stands can be found in my book
Elements of Woodcarving.

Wood:

• A lump of wood can be surprisingly heavy, and toes surprisingly small and
painful. Wear boots with steel toe-caps when shifting and sorting lumber

• Lifting: Don't just bend over and use your back. Keep your back straight and
use your strong leg muscles by bending and straightening your knees.

Mallets:

• Work rhythmically at a regular pace - this is less tiring and easier on the joints
than sporadic, violent bursts of passion

• Use the lightest mallet that will do the job.

• Keep the elbow of the mallet arm in (towards the body) as much as possible,
and strike so as to include the shoulder. This lessens the stress and fatigue on
the elbow and arm

• Use the mallet with either arm - learn to do this from the start

• Wear eye protection with hard, brittle woods

• Mallet work can be hard on the ears! Ear defenders reduce the tension that
creeps up on you with loud, sharp noises.

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Wood shaping:

• Use a tough leather glove to protect the skin if you grip the end of a rasp

• Protect the heels of your hands from sharply-cut edges, splinters and facets of
wood with fingerless gloves

• Use a dust mask without fail when you sand wood, and protect your eyes.

• Never blow away sandpaper grit and wood dust

• Know your material: some tropical hardwoods are toxic to everyone; others
cause allergic and other reactions.

There are other conditions which can affect woodcarvers besides this tool and wood-
related family.

Problems which might affect ...

5: Your Body

Physically, mechanically, carving can be quite hard going, especially for older people
or those not used to handwork. Besides being a satisfying life-long challenge, carving
should be fun! So take it easy. Build up muscle strength slowly with regular practice.
In the first rush of enthusiasm, it is easy to overdo things.

Safety lies in looking after yourself, both short and long-term. If in any doubt about
your ability to stand or carve, then you must seek guidance from your medical
practitioner.

Here are some things to look out for:

• Standing and relaxing:

• As a general practice, it's always best to stand when carving.

However - depending on the size of work - standing may not be important. Indeed,
standing can stress hip and knee joints and exacerbate varicose veins. If you find
standing difficult, arrange to sit comfortably, either at the bench or on a 'carving
horse'

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 • Walk about every so often

• Stretch your arms, particularly behind your back

• Arch your back - carvers tend to use the front-of-chest, pectoral muscles a lot

• Loosen your neck and shoulders

• To relax the eyes, occasionally stare away from the carving into the distance.

Wrists and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome:

Besides the mallet, carvers have always driven their gouges by striking them with the
palm of the hand, perhaps building up quite considerable calluses over the years (so-
called 'carver's hoof'. Although occasional, light thumping may not cause problems,
there is a very real danger of damaging the large numbers of nerves and tendons that
pass through the wrist and palm - the 'carpal tunnel'.

The effect varies between individuals but thickening here can give rise to a well-
recognised, claw-like deformity of the hand (which many carvers also had). The
surgical repair of this condition is often unsuccessful.

If you must strike the handle with the palm, at least use the meaty bit at the base of
the thumb or its equivalent on the other side; and avoid the centre. Do this lightly and
infrequently.

'Palm mallets' made of leather and resilient gel pads are available, and give some
protection. Better still, use the mallet.

'Repetitive stress injury':

Carvers prone to repetitive stress injury will feel a burning sensation in the wrist and
elbow joints, accompanied, in severe cases, by redness and swelling. The condition is
caused by mechanical stress on a particular joint, especially through holding or
repeating the same, tense position in the same joint for long periods of time.

In the elbow, this condition is familiar as 'tennis elbow' or 'condylitis.' In woodcarving,

there may be a case for calling it 'carvers elbow'. The earlier you recognise the
symptoms the better. Don't persist in the activity which is causing pain hoping it will
get better. Pain is a warning. Do not think the problem has gone because you have

taken pain killers, or used ice.

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Seek medical advice early. This is important for reasons of health insurance: it can be
a slow condition to clear up and may be incapacitating in the long term.

Best of all: be proactive. There are things you can do, such as using special forearm
straps to remove strain from the elbow.

To minimize future strain from the joint, you may need to find new carving techniques,
tool grips and working positions. Luckily there is plenty of scope for this in carving.

One of the best things you can do - and all serious professional carvers will have
worked conscientiously on this ability from the start of their careers - is to develop
ambidexterity. Being able to switch hands will not only help your carving, but it will
also distribute the workload more evenly between the arms and muscles of both joints.

Many carvers use electrical tools. But those who do so only occasionally will be more
at risk than woodworkers who are familiar with power tools through routine use.

So finally let us look at safety concerns with using …

6: Power Tools & Equipment

I know of carvers who have given themselves serious cuts and even stab wounds with
gouges, but that is nothing to the damage that fixed or portable power tools can inflict.

Steel versus flesh is no competition.

Many carvers regularly use bandsaws, chainsaws, sanders, woodcutting discs on angle
grinders, routers and so on regularly.

What follows is general advice. There's a lot of it, because there's a lot that can go
wrong:

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Manuals:

More and more, because of regulations and increased awareness of customer usage,
reputable manufacturers are including excellent, comprehensive instructions and
safety recommendations with their machines. Read and follow all safety guidelines!

If you buy power tools or equipment second-hand, contact the maker for missing spec
sheets and safety advice.

Training:

It is really wise to go on a training course for larger machines - and certainly for
chainsaws. At the very least, familiarise yourself with any tool or piece of equipment
before using it.

General advice:

Some men haughtily disregard guards, eye, ear, body protection, etc., as being
'unmanly.' This attitude is stupid and needs serious rethinking.

• Face and/or eye protection is absolutely essential. Grit and sparks will
penetrate the eyeball; wood chips will fly off; and cutters or burrs -however
finely made or judiciously used - will sometime shatter

• Wear ear protectors too

• Keep face masks, eye and ear protection easily to hand - and put them on
before you switch on your equipment

• Alcohol is right out. Not just while in the workshop but its influence from
drinking beforehand

• Tie back long hair and loose clothing (cuffs and ties). Keep jewellery (necklaces
and rings) out of the sphere of activity and particularly away from moving
machine parts

• Properly adjust - and routinely use - guards, rests, etc

• Use push sticks

• Fix work securely before drilling, power shaping etc.

• Double check everything, including the locking of chucks, the table, or any
fence before starting the machine

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 • Keep the floor clean of shavings and wood chips. They are a fire risk and
dangerous for walking on. Clear up floor and surfaces regularly

• Keep hands and fingers well clear of moving parts. Remember that most
accidents happen quicker than you can notice...

• Never reach over or across machines

• Keep wiring from machines and electrical hand tools neatly out of the way -
not trailing over the floor or work surfaces

• If you have to sharpen, adjust, or change a blade or cutter, always isolate the
machine first, by pulling out the plug

• Do not drip water from the cooling jar over motors, electrical connections or
plugs.

Bandsaws:

• Never use a blunt blade.

It's one of the most dangerous things you can do with a bandsaw. A dull blade forces
you to exert more pressure and sudden break-out can draw hands and fingers into the
cut. Once you've installed a new blade, kink the old one so it is unusable and throw it
away.

• Never exert pressure with your hands directly towards the blade, for the same
reason as above; rather push out of line with the blade

• Make sure the wood is flat to the table and cannot twist suddenly

• Use the guards! - especially the top one, which can be brought down close to
the surface of the wood.

Flexible drive shafts:

• Repeat: face or eye protection is absolutely essential! Chips of wood can fly off,
cutters and burrs can break

• When using a cutter or other accessory with a high speed shaft, never exceed -
and try to work below - its maximum rated speed. Used above rated speeds,
cutters can - and will - fly apart, bend or otherwise be damaged

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 • Never use a bent or damaged cutter or burr - or one that vibrates or chatters -
in a high speed flexible shaft. Instead, throw these away

• Never force or pressure these accessories.

Disc Cutters:

The angle grinder used with these discs (eg Arbortech) flings wood chips and dust at
high speed, with and without the guards.

I wear:

• zip overalls

• leather gauntlets (welder or gardener) to protect my forearms

• a full head helmet with face visor, fan operated air filter

• and ear defenders...

OK, so I feel like an astronaut, but anything else, to me, is not protection enough.

• Before plugging into the mains, check the machine itself to ensure the switch is
off

• Don't put the tool down until the wheel has stopped rotating

• Hold the grinder with both hands at all times

• Keep back from action in case the cutter snatches or kicks

• Keep as far back from the action as feasible, in case the cutter snatches or
kicks

• Use the guards as much as possible. If, in sculpturing, you must leave off the
guards, then be sure to take extra care while working.

That's it! Thanks and bravo for taking your safety seriously. Joy and success
to your carving!

Chris Pye

www.woodcarvingworkshops.tv

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