Workshop Practice, Project Work and Occupational Safety
Workshop organisation
Store timber off the floor on bearers, stickered and covered; keep machining, assembly and a dust-controlled finishing area separate; a tool board or crib; clear gangways; fire extinguisher and first-aid box; bins for offcuts and sawdust.
Project sequence
Read the drawing → cutting list → select and check timber → plane and mark from face side/face edge → cut joints → dry assemble and check square and diagonals → glue and clamp → clean up → sand and finish → inspect against the drawing. Keep a logbook of sizes, time, cost and difficulties. Assessment rewards accuracy (±1 mm), squareness, joint fit, surface quality and safe working.
Safety rules
PPE: safety glasses, dust mask, ear protection, apron, closed shoes. Machine rules: never wear gloves at a rotating cutter, use a riving knife and push stick at the table saw, clamp work on the drill press, feed the router against rotation, keep guards in place, isolate before changing blades. Wood dust is both a health hazard and a fire risk; oil-soaked rags self-heat, so put them in a lidded metal bin. Electrical: earthed plugs, RCD/ELCB, no trailing leads, no wet hands. Manual handling: lift with the legs, get help for long boards. Know the first-aid and fire procedure; water or a class A extinguisher for wood, CO₂ for electrical fires.
Worked example
Cross-cutting a 50 × 100 batten: risk assessment - kickback (riving knife, stand aside from the blade line, push stick), flying chips (goggles), noise (ear defenders), dust (extraction). Clamp the work, set the fence, check the guard, then cut.
Traps
Gloves near the planer; reaching over the blade; removing a guard "for speed"; rags left in an open bin; skipping the dry fit; no dust mask when sanding.