Woodworking is a fun, fulfilling hobby for a lot of people, but it can also be a dangerous one. Anytime you’re working with blades spinning at thousands of revolutions per minute, there’s a risk of serious injury. I’ve had my own workshop-related emergency room visit: three stitches after getting hit by a piece of wood kicked out of my miter saw.
According to the most recent available data, more than 26,000 people went to US hospitals for table saw-related injuries in 2017, the Consumer Product Safety Commission says. And that’s not counting injuries treated at home or caused by other tools. The solution to safer woodworking combines protective equipment like push blocks, safety features built into the tools themselves, and the mindset you have when performing your cuts.
Seriously: what you’re thinking about in the shop can be just as important as wearing