Hey every one,
Of course I would have never guessed that when band sawing an antler this evening the blade would catch and rocket my hand towards my brand new resaw blade.

Thank god,10 fingers and no blood,but it got me thinking about how quickly accidents can happen.

Now I'm hammered every day at the construction site about safety this, safety always..... but I'm wondering if there is any good tips or rules that any of you experienced bowyers have found over the years that might help any of us "apprentices"stay safe?

As with every thing,when you get too comfortable and get in a hurry that's when it gets you.

Thanks for any input.
Matt

Watch where you lay down your draw knife.  I've laid mine down on my cluttered bench to work on something with a file or scraper then reached to pick something else on the bench and bam.  Sliced a nice gash on a finger.  I finally got smart and hang it up when not using it, even for a few minutes.

Aaron

Make sure your stave is secure in your vise when yanking on your draw knife. A stave end to the chest or belly is painfull!

never look at your wedges from directly over the top cuz they can come shooting out of osage. I haven't been hit, but I have seen them go flying. I can only imagine what a 2 or 4 pound chunck of steel would do to a person.

For safety, take someone with you if you're felling tree's for selfbow or anyhting else!

Use a mask or dust collector to avoid breathing saw dust in the shop! Even stripping bark from a stave generates dust and mold spores.

Be mindful that many exotic, and even domestic, hardwoods are toxic.  A respirator is best, but atleast wear a dust mask when creating dust.

Be very carefull when cutting round stuff like antler or horn on a bandsaw.  It will take it away from you in a heart beat!

Good thread!

Just like with building any type of bow, concentrate on the task at hand, work slowly and make each step along your journey a mindful one. Don't get in a hurry and if you find yourself getting frustrated, angry or in a rush, put is down and walk away! There is nothing about bow building that is so important that you can't do it later when you have a clear head.

I try to use leather gloves whenever possible too.

make sure the band saw blade guide/guard is all the way down when you cut.  and if you get nervous during tillering or shooting the bow for the first time consider wearing googles or a face shield in case it snaps.

If you store staves outside, keep an eye out for unwanted residents. Brown recluse and widows are fairly common, I found this one a few years ago.

Thanks for all the pointers guys.

Does any one know of a list or the specific types of hard woods that are toxic? I remember hearing something about "padauk".

most exotic hardwoods are toxic, all wood dust is at least an allergen and bad for the lungs  rosewood, cocobolo, yew, purple heart, ipe are some of the toxic ones i have worked with.   i once read something about ipe and purple heart in reference to it being used for decking it went something like this:  "There is a reason why bug don't eat it and moss doesn't grow on it, and its not because its pretty...."   Even "non toxic" woods like Maple will do a number on your lungs if you breath the fine dust.  take toxic wood precautions always and your lungs will thank you in the long run.  when i first cut coco i didn't use anything,  my sinuses started pouring snot and i got sick to my stomach, plus i got it in my gloves once and it caused a rash on the back of my hands that eventually started bleeding. no problems since i started wearing good gloves, a respirator and using a shop vac dust collector w/hepa filter.

Watch your fingers when using a belt/disc sander.  They sand skin just as easy as wood.

Keep some scrap wood around your band saw to use as "push blocks" when cutting small stuff against your fence. Never push small pieces of wood into the blade with your fingers, the piece will always lunge when the cut is complete.

I installed a magnetic work light on my bandsaw so I am never cutting in a shadow.

Your right Osagetree. I have take some pretty hard blows to the chest over the years by not having my vise tight enough.

Know your materials. Your antler is a good example. I've seen it heat up and bind a blade.

Most of all, use your noggin and don't take shortcuts. Shortcuts often lead to disaster. In other words, take time to be safe.

QuoteOriginally posted by Osagetree:
Make sure your stave is secure in your vise when yanking on your draw knife. A stave end to the chest or belly is painfull!

Learned this one the hard way!

There's some real good advice on this thread!

Great thread, anything else for us beginners?

Yeah, this is a great thread, great tips - you just gotta think about what you are doing all the time.

I have a problem with my reading glasses (cheaters) fogging up when I'm wearing my dust mask.  I'm not used to wearing glasses and can't get comfortable breathing and seeing at the same time.  Any tips o what works best?

I use hand tools but even raspng and sanding by hand creat fine dust. I wear glasses and hate the masks due to fog up.

To minimize the problem I use a floor fan to draw away the dust blowing it out the door behind my work space. Placing the fan in front of me blows most of it past me before it gets up to my face. Not perfect and not recomending it but it is better than wearing a mask for me.