Tips and Techniques
by Barbara Mann
Adelle has shared tips for creating a safe shop for wood working in general. I'm going to focus on the one power tool used for making the cutouts we carve—the bandsaw.
Any blade in a shop machine is inherently dangerous and must be used with safety as the primary concern. The bandsaw blade is mostly enclosed as a continuous cutting band behind the closed doors of the machine. The only part of the blade that shows is in the adjustable height between the table and upper blade guide. The height is adjusted so that no more than 1/4 inch of blade shows above the board being cut. No saw with a totally exposed blade should ever be used for making cutouts—it's too dangerous. You need your fingers for carving.
Using a bandsaw comes with a set of safety rules:
1. Obtain instruction from a qualified person if you are not familiar with the operation of a bandsaw. Serious injury is possible if you don't.
2. Use the proper blade size and type for the projects you are doing. For making cutouts, we usually use a skip-tooth, 6 teeth per inch, 1/4 inch blade.
3. Properly adjust the blade tension tracking, blades guides, and blade support bearings.
4. Adjust the upper blade guide so that it is about 1/8 to 1/4 inch above the workpiece.
5. Keep arms, hands, and fingers away from the blade.There is a space of about one and a half inches directly in front of the blade where the fingers should not go.
6. Avoid awkward operations and hand positions where a sudden slip could cause a hand to move into the blade.
7. Never start the machine with the workpiece against the blade.
8. Hold the workpiece firmly against the table. DO NOT attempt to saw a workpiece that does not have a flat surface against the table.
9. Hold the workpiece firmly and feed into blade at a moderate speed. Do not force the wood into the blade.
10. Turn the machine off to back out of an uncompleted or jammed cut.
11. Make "relief" (stop) cuts prior to cutting curves.
12. Always turn the machine off and unplug it before doing any adjusting or repairs and when finished sawing. And clean everything up. A shop vacuum is very handy for cleaning.
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Shop Safety
by Adelle Grosskopf
Club members have long relied on Barbara for carving blanks. If you are interested in cutting out your own blanks and have the space, you can establish a shop in your home/garage.
Shop safety is paramount. Here are some things to keep in mind when establishing or maintaining a home workshop.
1. Make sure there is plenty of proper lighting. Low light or too many shadows will make for poor vision. Marking projects and cutting them out will be difficult.
2. Dust collection/prevention is a must. Have a dust collector installed or use a shop vacuum to keep dust down. Also use a dust mask when cutting and sanding. COPD is not fun!
3. Wear eye protection when working with power tools. Your ophthalmologist will thank you.
4. Consider installing a fire extinguisher. Some of our finishes are highly flammable. All it takes is a small spark to get a fire started.
5. Prolonged use of power tools can damage hearing. Use hearing protection.
6. Clean up after yourself. Sawdust, power cords, wood pieces and tools all need to put in their place.
It always pays to be safe.
If a membership form is enclosed, you have not paid your dues for this year. Fill out the form and bring to a meeting or send with a check to Jim DeLong, 2205 Monticello Ave., Tallahassee, FL 32303.
Wood Carving Schools
Southeastern Woodcarving School, July 8-10, Wetumpka, Alabama. Twelve classes to choose from. For complete info and registration forms go to www.centralalwoodcarving.com.
Carving faces in Cottonwood bark or cypress knees, May 13 -15, in Galax, Virginia. Barbara is teaching this class at the Chestnut Creek School of the Arts. For more information go to www.chestnutcreekarts.org or talk with Barbara. This is in the mountains which will be beautiful with wildflowers in May.
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