All About PPE

Safety is #1 in the workshop.

- Collin Knoff

Before you're ready to lift a single hammer or cut a single board, you're going to want to understand the impact of safety in the shop. Accidents can happen to anyone, even the most careful of us out there, so taking the appropriate precautions can mean the difference between losing a fingertip and a whole hand. Not to mention the long-term health complications that can arise from poor use of protective equipment. While this guide on PPE is far from comprehensive, it's a good start to a long, healthy life of woodworking.

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE)

PPE is the first line of defense in the shop. You should always be protecting your eyes, ears, and lungs while woodworking. You may not see it all the time in photos in the magazine, but believe us that we always have our PPE on behind the scenes.

For Eyes...

Safety glasses are my number one safety device in the shop. I treasure the use of my eyes far too much to risk anything happening to them. While I'm almost always wearing my personal glasses that are impact-resistant, I still take the precaution of throwing on real safety glasses whenever the need arises. You literally cannot have too many pairs of these, and you can buy ANSI-certified glasses at the home center for less than $5. Whenever I lose track of the pair I was most recently wearing (which is often) I go grab a fresh set off the pegboard on the wall.

...and Ears