Woodworking Safety: The Ultimate Guide

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Woodworking is an inherently dangerous craft.

It's a sobering message, but here's the safety notice that we print in every issue of Fine Woodworking magazine:

"Using hand or power tools improperly or ignoring standard safety practices can lead to permanent injury or even death. Don’t perform operations you see here (or elsewhere) until you’re certain they are safe for you. If something about an operation doesn’t feel right, find another way. We want you to enjoy the craft, so please keep safety foremost in your mind.”

Below is a list of references to help you stay safe using a variety of tools or when woodworking in general.

Overall safety information:

General Woodworking Safety: 10 Great Rules of Thumb
Safety is Rule One: Tips from Michael Dunbar
Protect Your Lungs from Cancer-Causing Dust
Protect Your Eyes
Protect Your Hearing
Push Sticks: Essential Shopmade Helpers

Tool-specific safety information:

Bandsaw: Best Practices for Using this Tool
Circular Saw Safety
Hand Tools: Chisels, planes, saws, etc... they can do a lot of damage
Jointer Safety
Miter Saw Safety
Planer: Best Practices for Use
Router: Routing Safe and Sound
Router Table: Video: Router Table Safety
Router Table: 12 Tips for Router-Table Safety
Sanders: Protect Yourself from Dust
Tablesaw Safety

For more, go to our roundup pages on Shop Safety and Safety Equipment.