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Rule #1 (not what you think)

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safety
2K views 11 replies 11 participants last post by  Lifesaver2000 
#1 ·
Rule #1 (not what you think)

A lot has been written about safety in the workshop. We all know there is no more important rule than to wear safety glasses. Breathing protection, hearing protection, blade guards, riving knives and many other things are mentioned repeatedly. But tonight I just happen to be in the mood to talk about MY number ONE safety rule: when to not go in to the shop.

As may be deduced from my username and avatar, my work often has me up at all hours of the day and night. So it should be no surprise that on the day when I (finally) get home, I am often not, shall we say, "well rested." The problem is I often have a project that I have been thinking about or something that I've been working on that I want to get back to as soon as I get home. Today was one of those days.

The thing is, I am just smart enough to know that working with sharp and often rapidly spinning objects on less than half of a normal night's sleep is just not a good idea. I know some are thinking that I could just do hand tool work on these days, but for me at least, not having a power cord doesn't mean not dangerous. And once I am out there, the temptation to fire up the saw "just to make that one cut" could be too great, especially in a state of sleep-deprived poor judgement.

So, today was one of those days to catch up on some woodworking videos, clean up the picture frame clamp someone gave me (it was in the house, so no temptations) and just generally try to stay out of trouble. Sure, I could have taken a nap, but the problem with that is that I would not be able to sleep tonight (can you say "viscous circle?).

So, here I am, writing this nonsense because I'm too tired to know better, but hoping someone may learn that the most important safety device in the shop is a clear, well-rested brain.
 
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#3 ·
I work the midnight shift, so understand where you come from in regards to lack of sleep. Changing shifts made me uptight for quite a while. It felt like I didn't get to do what I wanted to do and that my time was spent solely on things I had to do. So I understand the temptation to work on something when my mind is not there. I have been trying a new method of just biting the bullet, getting what sleep I can, and try and get an hour, at least, in the shop to do single tasks. This way I am not a zombie when working on things and am still making steady progress on the project at hand.

Good advice,

David
 
#4 ·
I follow that rule myself. I'm often too tired and/or sore, after a day at work, to feel comfortable working around "sharp spinny things". So I end up here on LJs. Not a bad alternative…..
 
#6 ·
Great post! As a hobbyist this is my number one rule too. It literally cuts my shop time in half but it also saves me from ruining a lot of perfectly good wood. I can't measure worth a #^%* when I'm tired. Instead of risking my fingers and screwing up my projects, I often use that time to straighten up the shop and organize things so my "up-time" is more productive.
 
#11 ·
As a FF/PM I have become very good at taking power naps. For me 20 minutes is perfect for clearing my head and not screwing up my sleep cycle. The problem comes in if I don't get off the couch after 30 minutes. Then my legs turn into lead and I mess up the whole day.

BJ
 
#12 ·
I used to do that years ago when on duty. I could set an alarm for 30 minutes, be asleep within about 10 minutes and get 20 minutes of sleep. Kept me going through lots of shifts.

Nowadays it usually takes me a lot longer to fall asleep, so I end up either not sleeping enough to do any good or sleeping way too long. I still try it when I am on duty but at home the interruptions usually make it impossible.
 
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