# Alcohol in the Woodshop



## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

Hey all, I don't mean to step on any toes, Geez, I drink beer in my shop to settle any questions on that!

My question is, do you use any power tools while drinking?

Do you look down on people who drink in the shop?

Do you even care?

To make this a little more honest, I'll give you my preferences.

1. I drink beer in the shop.

2. I will not use any power tools after I pop the first beer.

I don't look down on anyone, Hell, I had a boss who bought a case of beer for himself on the way to work and another case of beer at lunch. He was our cut man with the circular saw and kept up with 14 of us with no problem.
He never got a cut on his skin from a saw and he always got our called out dimensions right.
One thing I should mention, he always had the blade guard on his Milwaukee saw and later his Makita saw pulled back so it had to be set down with the blade pointed up.
I would never do this, even though I can drink like a gold fish that's dehydrated, I just wondered what peoples honest answers would be.


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## bonesbr549 (Jan 1, 2010)

If you are not using any tools both powered and non powered then yes. One of the nastiest cut I ever got was from dropping an expensive chisel, and instinctively grabbed for it, and cut me to pieces. I'm good at sharpening 

Alcohol has zero place in the workshop if any work is going on. After the day is done, have at it. It's just too risky not to have all the faculties in order.

I keep a fridge in the shop and it's got beer in it, but I'd never touch one till the day is done. During the day it's diet dew.

have a good one.


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## DIYaholic (Jan 28, 2011)

I'll only crack open a cold one once tools are no longer in use.
I'll celebrate a productive session in "The Lair" with a cold one as I clean up.


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## RockyTopScott (Nov 16, 2008)

No tools on my deck, which is my place to enjoy a cold one


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

Lol, I probably should have said that I do rough sanding with a beer near by. Never with anything that uses 60Hz electricity!


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## AandCstyle (Mar 21, 2012)

Dallas, I don't drink in the shop because it is too far from the fridge and not nearly as comfortable as my recliner. Normally, I only have any adult beverage at the end of my work day, but in my youth, I would drink a beer with lunch and go back to work on the farm. Now that I don't have a farm any more, I can't afford the calories. To answer your questions:

My question is, do you use any power tools while drinking? No, because I can't operate them with my left hand while holding a beer in my right hand.

Do you look down on people who drink in the shop? Only if they are on the floor.

Do you even care? Different strokes for different folks and besides they often are in the running for Darwin awards.


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## Grandpa (Jan 28, 2011)

I don't drink alcohol and never have. If you want to drink that is your business. If you drive or endanger me or anyone else while drinking that is a different matter. I have a high school classmate that lives in the Dallas area. He is currently on probation. He was hit by a man that ran a stop sign but because my friend had been drinking he was the guilty party. 
Saw a TV show years ago. It was that guy that was married to Marlo Thomas…..and his name has escaped me. They picked 2 people from his audience before the program started. They picked people that had eaten breakfast that morning and they picked people that were social drinkers. They set up a course on the parking lot and had these people drive the course at a given speed. Then they gave them a martini. They waited 30 minutes and gave them a second martini. I have heard that they have an ounce of alcohol in each drink…same as a beer. They waited another 30 minutes and repeated the course. They were all over the course and knocked over several cone. On of the men admitted he was really surprised because it was not unusual for him to stop after work and have a couple of drinks on the way home. If he was that out of control and he did this all the time I can imagine that a workshop would be a bad place for him to try anything except the size of a lawn chair.

I found this really interesting.


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## MikeThrockmorton (Nov 4, 2013)

Phil donahue


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

Grandpa, I quit driving at all when I quit driving truck over the road. I use to love being behind the wheel, but not anymore. My wife does all the driving now, especially since I am going blind in my left eye. 
I drove 3.5 million miles without an accident, mostly with my own truck. I figure anything more is begging for problems.

BTW, look up the episodes where Mythbusters did the alcohol intake myths. That is even more interesting, although not totally scientific.

Oh, and for the record, my graduating class was 36 kids.
Living in a ranching and logging area, everybody drank like a fish.
Too bad 19 of the class died either while driving or while working in the woods.
Sorry, I know my limit. 
That is the first one.

My whole point in this thread is not to say anything is right or wrong or give a personal opinion, rather it is to maybe help others that haven't figured this out yet.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

Folks least likely to post in this thread: those who drink while using tools.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

No beer in my shop for two reasons:
It's dangerous
If anyone ever set a beer on one of my saw tables, I would have to kill them


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

I drink when I have to not think, I smoke when I have to think. I get stoned when I need inspiration. I shoot heroine when I want to disconnect, I do cocaine when I want to be alert, I smoke crack when I am on a tight schedule, I do opium when I need some sleep and religion, I smoke pot when I need some laugh, I do masculan because it comes in red, white and green, I do acid as a science project, I snort bleach to clear my head, I do meth, just for the hell of it. Well, I am not going to tell you what I do when I use heavy machinery; that might be a bad advice! Just for fun; booze do distort your thinking which can be a good thing at times.


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Q: Do you use any power tools while drinking?
A: Nope. I keep beer and soda in the garage refrigerator. Soda during work hours, beer for when the day is done.

Q: Do you look down on people who drink in the shop?
A: Nope. I believe everybody has to take responsibility for themselves … not up to me to decide what is safe / unsafe for others. If they ask my opinion, I will be direct and honest … otherwise, mum is the word.

Q: Do you even care?
A: Nope. See my answer to the second question.


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## 280305 (Sep 28, 2008)

> Folks least likely to post in this thread: those who drink while using tools.
> 
> - CharlesA


Oar thoosh 2 dwunk too tripe…


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

Here is the deal, if I am dependent on a substance to make me "normal", then the biggest danger to me is to not be under that influence. I used to know this mechanic, an ingenious mechanic who couldn't function without his whiskey by 10 A.m. His hands would shake so hard that he was useless. Give him a few shots of whisky and his hands would steady and he could gather his thoughts and fix any problem. Sad indeed, but that is how some folks function. I never judged him for his weakness, but admired him for his knowledge.


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## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

I use it to dissolve my shellac and clean brushes. Oh, wait, that stuff would make me go blind. I do not work in the shop even after, no during drinking one beer. I have enough trouble after a long day of work, let alone moving my attention even more. I have all my digits after 61+ years. Most of the things that caused what I have in the way of injuries (since healed) are from decades ago, for the most part. Learn or lose! I work in a clean room and any loss of attention to detail could cost millions, so no nips there, either.


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## BJODay (Jan 29, 2013)

I like to have a beer in the shop. I save it for when I'm sweeping up or calculating cutting from a materials list. I have drilled some holes with a battery operated drill with a beer nearby. I'm too chicken to use the TS or planer or God forbid the joiner after imbibing. Usually the broom is hard enough to handle with beer on board.

BJ


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## rad457 (Jun 15, 2013)

Beer in the shop no way! Work shop detached from house with no bathroom, only Bourbon, Brandy and perhaps a Scotch? Just like Gibbs on N.C.I.S. Sort of explains why the workshop is always such a mess! LOL!


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## joshuam39 (Aug 13, 2014)

I have a beer or 2 while working in the shop sometimes. Not enough to get drunk. I woodwork to relax. Same with beer. It's multi-tasking. I never got into anything too involved the few times I have, though.


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## mudflap4869 (May 28, 2014)

Iced or hot tea only. No alcohol allowed anywhere near my shop. I am not against a good drink but *Never* around any kind of machinery. Ask any ER nurse and we can give you a thousand examples of why not.
" I am always careful in the shop." "OK, so what are you doing here with your fingers cut off?"


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## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

Good thread!

I drink beer in my little hobby shop once in a while. If i am tinkering with a problem, drawing sketches or developing idears a beer is perfect. This mainly happens late in the day. 
At other times beer is no good at all. But not for the (mainly safety related) reasons mentioned above. If doing work of´production´ character with many equal parts or having to deal wit drawings with many numbers, angles and elements you need a clear head and be straight on with the task.

There is a fine line between having a beer once in a while - and then actual drinking in the shop. In my part of the world there have been a close connection between manual labor and drinking and many older people think of this as fine. It was, for instance, common to serve strong beer (is that the name?) in the dining rooms at many larger companys even in the 90ties..

Do i look down on drinking? Hmm that is for a large part peoples own thing. But i see a tendency of drinking leading to sloppy work - and that i look down upon.


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

My shop not only contains my wood working stuff, (The majority of the space), but also a computer work station, a computer and electronics diagnostic and repair station, a two cycle engine, (Chainsaw, weed eater), station, welding station and my little music recording studio. 
I have learned that the only time I can drink in the shop is when I am working with the computer or playing the guitar and trying to record. 
I just don't trust myself or the tools at the wood working or mechanical/welding end!


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

My shop (which also has a computer and workstation) is NOT off limits to a beer. I don't remember ever drinking one there, but not for any puritanical reasons. If one was being consumed it would only be after all the tools are put away for the day. I certainly see no reason to ban it…..but I usually enjoy mine watching the evening news just before dinner.


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## TheWoodenOyster (Feb 6, 2013)

Nope. I don't drink in the shop.

I cut myself more with hand tools than with power tools, so I think if I had a beer then went to chiseling, things would get ugly fast.


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## NoThanks (Mar 19, 2014)

Sometimes I look at my project and can only come to the conclusion that I had been drinking….


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

In the evening when bud thirty arrives I always sit down in the shop to have a few beers. Although I will occasionally clean my shop up after bud thirty I don't ever use any tools while drinking beer and I don't ever touch the hard stuff any time. I quit drinking the hard stuff about 25 years ago. As a matter of fact my brother taught me a new trick when it comes to my bud light. For the last six months I've been drinking my bud light on the rocks. I fill up a glass with ice and pour my bud light on the ice. I really like it. I probably drink just as much beer but it makes for some good sipping and does not dehydrate you as much. I really enjoy sitting in my shop after bud thirty for an hour or so. It makes for some great thinking about my shop, my woodworking, and life in general.

When is bud thirty? Well it's always bud thirty somewhere. ;-| But seriously though in my shop bud thirty usually arrives somewhere between 4PM and 6PM since I've been retired.

BTW, If I have even 1 beer I won't get behind the wheel of a vehicle and drive nor do I have any sympathy for drunk drivers. Other than that I don't care if anyone drinks or not as long as they are respectful of others.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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## sawdust703 (Jul 6, 2014)

My shop has a small fridge. I keep tea, soda, gatorade, & water in it. I don't believe the shop is any place for alcohol, for any reason. I am yet to lose any fingers due to my misjudgments being sober, & i have my share of "wrecks" anyway. And I do not allow anything to be set on my table saw, or any other tool, just because somebody gets tired of holdin' whatever is in their hand!!!!!! The shop is no place for alcohol!! I don't condemn ya if ya do it in your shop, but don't look here for sympathy when you have the misfortune of a screw up due to your toddy in the shop!!!


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

My shop is my den and even though it's not part of my house it's the favorite room in my house and it is where I do most of my thinking. I can't imagine not relaxing in my shop at the end of the day so I'm naturally going to have my beer there. I do have a nice library and study in my house but I usually go there in the early morning hours and that's coffee time. After I come up from the shop I love to sit on my back porch for a spell. One of the nice things about America is that there are different strokes for different folks.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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## Yonak (Mar 27, 2014)

I believe in personal freedoms as long as they don't tread on the freedoms or safety of others. If you want to drink in the shop or while rock climbing or juggling chainsaws it's none of my business and I expect you feel the same about me. Please don't ask me to subsidize your hospital bills, however.


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## DurocShark (Oct 25, 2010)

I will sand (hand, not sander), paint, and do loose assemblies with a beer nearby. Nothing else. And then only if the "shoparage" is picked up so I don't trip on a cord or something.

Honestly, I don't think about it. Just do it. I hurt myself on sharp pointy things without alcohol.


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## DaleM (Feb 18, 2009)

I'll drink a few later in the night, but won't use power tools except for maybe a sander, dremel or drill. No saws, routers, etc. I do need to spend more time in my shop because I drink less that way. Mostly, that's when I do my sharpening and rust removal/cleanup of my tools.


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## crossfacecraddle (Dec 27, 2013)

Let me ask a question that is related to this discussion, if I may, Ok no one said no. How many of you take medications on a daily basis and work in the shop? Do they cause any impairment to your mental or physical state, good or bad?

Full disclosure, I don't drink anymore and I am not an alcoholic. I take several doctor prescribed medications that are not conducive with drinking alcohol also.

Everyone has different tolerances to alcohol, if a person is impaired to the point it is a danger than, no, they should not be in the shop with spinning steel. Is it wrong for a guy or gal to have a one or two beers in a 2 hour stint in the shop? I don't think so. It is all a matter of opinion and what society considers acceptable. Go back 30 years this discussion would have a different direction.

John


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## moke (Oct 19, 2010)

I'm with most of you….I'll have a beer when I'm sweeping up, then only if I have company in the shop. After cleaning we might have a couple, I have some craftsman bar type stools just right for having a beer in. I never drink when using tools, but I am kind of a light weight with alcohol. Now my mentor many years ago had a beer going constantly when we were working. I never saw him drunk, never saw him stagger or slur his words. For some reason, it worked for him. Each to his own…I'm just not holding anything they are cutting.
Mike


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

Funny thing. With 30 years of driving truck, making 11 or 1200 miles a day, my sleep habits got all screwed up.
Add to that at one time I had trucks scheduled for JIT, (Just in Time) deliveries, I would have to be in the shop mostly 24/7 to fix tires, replace headlights, repair broken airlines, etc.
It got so that I would catch a nap when I could and just keep going.
Now days I go to bed around 19:30 and get up around 02:00. I'll do the paperwork I need to keep up for my job and post it to my boss and the bookkeeper.
I start work in the park about 05:00 and am done by about 10:00 or 11:00 for the day.
With my health problems, I may go into the shop and work on a project or not, it just depends. Many times my day is finished by noon and I'll crack a few cold ones. Sometimes more than a few, but I am always in shape when it's time to fix dinner because that's my deal with the wife. I cook because she hates to and I do pretty good at it, and she does everything else around the house. How can I refuse?

After dinner I seldom drink anything but coffee and do it all again the next day.

I quit driving when I quit driving truck, lol. I told the wife that I put over 3.5 million miles in without a wreck and I wasn't gonna push the odds. It's all her now!


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## Woodbum (Jan 3, 2010)

Yep when the power tools are turned off for the day, there is nothing better than a cold, good old American made lager. I retired from the wholesale beer biz after 34 years and have made beer a part of my life for a lot longer than that. The secret is there is a time to work and a time to drink, and knowing how to tell that time. Sanding and cleaning up-beer time. Cutting tenons on the table saw-nope. A good cold beer and a good cigar will top off a perfect day in the shop. In the winter, I will put on a jacket and hat, grab a beer and a cigar, strap on the headphones and sit in the sun on the patio after a good day in the shop, getting my vitamin fix for the day.


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## SCOTSMAN (Aug 1, 2008)

No problem here with an answer from me LOL I Don't Drink Never Have all my life.Simple I don't mind others who enjoy a drink my three sons like a beer or wine or whiskey.One thing I cant stand and don't like are drunks.I never met one yet that was likeable.I saw many me fall over throw up crash into furnitur stagger and fall onto coffee tables etc urinate themselves .I also saw when I was a boy in Glasgow terrible drinking especially the Irish imigrants they would fight over their own shadow.I saw much deprevation with men being carried home every friday night that's when they got paid, to tell their wives they had spent all their wages on alcohol.Those poor women had terrible lives beatings, verbal constant abuse etc.Always when the men got sober they made promises never to do it again and they never did till next friday after work.Some women had to get their men to sign a note and take it to their employers telling the employer only to pay their wages direct to their wives who always collected it before finishing time on friday. So I suppose that must have influenced my decision but really I can't stand the taste of the suff never could.Alistair ps My father never touched alcohol either .


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## joshuam39 (Aug 13, 2014)

Well, that was depressing.


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## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

Nope I dont drink alcohol in my shop…. But that's pretty much because I DONT DRINK alcohol (any more). I had my fill when I was MUCH younger 

But I do drink more than my fair share of diet Mt Dew and diet Dr Pepper while I'm out there!


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## woodsmithshop (Sep 10, 2008)

no beer until after I am done for the day, I make enough mistakes sober, but I do have beer in the shop, my tv is also out there, so usually after supper I'll go to the shop and watch tv and have a few beers.


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## NormG (Mar 5, 2010)

No to all


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## richardwootton (Jan 17, 2013)

Well, I do drink beer in the shop. Granted, all of my power tools are in the very back of my shop covered up and aren't used I only use hand tools. However, when it comes to cutting joints accurately or dimensioning lumber to consistent thickness and width, or anything with precision, I leave the beer out of the equation. But if I'm planing rough cut lumber and other less precise tasks, then beer is left out of the equation. Oh yeah, I don't touch my chisels when I've had a beer.


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## SierraRick (Sep 2, 2014)

Having a ice cold Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in my hand as I type, I use one hand. 

Power tools are not used when the first beer is cracked.

The only tools used is a broom and a beer opener.
No sanding no design work no MATH! and nothing woodworking related.
That's just my rules.

At the end of the day I like my beer and a ball game on the radio or the tube, in the shop.

The only time I would look down on someone is if they drink during work or come to work drunk.
They would be putting me and my guys in a dangerous environment. 
Pardon me, I have to go get another beer.
Cheerers.


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

I am with crossfacecraddle. I know folks who take tranquilizers to ease their pain and yet drive a heavy machinery; their car. They engage in all kinds of activities using psychotropics and other mind altering meds; but as long as the Dr. said it is AOK, it is AOK. It goes back to how much of these substances you have in your system to make your functioning "normal".


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

To start with, I rarely drink at all. So my opinion probably doesn't count much. However, I would never drink while working in the shop. I can hurt myself with a clear mind, I don't need to tempt fate. On the other hand, I really don't care what anyone else does. I am not their judge, they must follow their conscience.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Sometimes I take bourbon to the shop when I have hand sanding to do. Without the bourbon I can't stand doing something so tedious, but no power tool usage.


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## Pete_Jud (Feb 15, 2008)

If, the beer is out the power goes off to any tool.


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## camps764 (Dec 9, 2011)

suppose I'm in the minority, I'll sip on a Sam Adams while working occasionally - power tools or otherwise. Usually only one and it typically gets warm before I finish it, if that's any indication of how fast I drink while in the shop 

Maybe I'm rolling the dice.

That being said, If the beer starts tasting too good that's my signal that it's time to power down the tools for the day, pull out the stool and spend my time tinkering, sharpening, or just drinking beer.


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## sawdust703 (Jul 6, 2014)

Thumbs up to ya, Mr. Dallas!! I spent 35 years OTR myself. After a nervous breakdown & a seizure in my truck two and a half yrs ago, nearly costing me my life, I told my wife I was washed up!! I lost my Father & my nephew two weeks apart, My Sawbones told me my nerves were "shot"! I would NEVER drive OTR again! That was the first accident I'd had in 35 years of trucking. My pride was shot, my mind was unable to get a hold of everything takin' place, & all the info the Sawbones were givin' us, so I just threw up my hands, told my wife the truckin' industry just lost another professional!! I went into a depression, they called it. My Sawbones put me on all kinds of different anti depressants, pain meds, anti seizure meds, etc. I was in chronic pain for another two years, until Jan. of this year. I had major back surgery. It slowed the pain down, & helped the seizures, but did nothing for not being able to ever drive OTR again. So, living month to month on disability, and trying to learn to live life at home, I made woodworking a full time hobby! I rarely have a drink, NEVER in the shop, I spend a lot of time at my scroll saw, and doing small projects, as I am no longer able to much heavy lifting, and spending time with my grand kids & my wife. Trust me when I tell you, it has been a learning experience to a whole new way of life.


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

Thanks, *Sawdust703*, I was doing custom diesel until about 6 years ago when a bus came off the jacks and mashed up my pelvis. Now there are all kinds of chunks of bone floating around inside me.
Most of the larger ones were removed to keep from tearing up my innards. 
After that I did three more engine overhauls and built a couple of Allison V730's and 754's. From those I learned I can't lift much anymore without causing damage.
They put me on Morphine and Oxycodone and it made it impossible for me to function. I went cold turkey off that crap and now I drink beer, lol.
I haven't re-applied for disability because I feel that as long as I can do some work, I won't need it. Give it to someone who does.
Now I've been diagnosed with a fatal heart issue, and I figure I'll keep going until I don't go no mo!


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## ThumbHammer (Sep 25, 2014)

A beer in my shop? Uh oh. Don't look at my shop picture of my Laser work area. Hey…it's a Bud Lite.


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

No to all….I do not think that alcohol and power tools mix IMHO.

However, if you want to drink and use power tools, the only one that is at risk is yourself.


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## fuigb (Apr 21, 2010)

Humankind has been making and drinking alcohol from the dawn of recorded history. One of our most enduring urges is to manufacture escape from reality. Anywhere that there are people you will find alcohol, even at Baptist weddings.

To answer the question: yes, but under controlled circumstances. When I'm cleaning up it's not unheard of. I'm a hobbyist and much of my shop time comes after a day of work, so it feels natural to want to chew on a little bourbon or scotch. If I'm flattening the sole of a plane or hand sanding some pieces what is the harm?


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## Tugboater78 (May 26, 2012)

Don't drink at any time, did enough in my early 20s to do me good for a while. If you are in your shop using machines and drinking, all fine and dandy. I'll make sure im not in line of fire in case things go awry. In my shop you can drink while watching, I don't want to pay for an injury if something goes wrong.

To each thier own, could almost say that is my motto.


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## joshuam39 (Aug 13, 2014)

I think everyone who said they would never try alcohol whilst woodworking should try it. Post your results please. : )


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## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

I don't drink much, but don't care if someone else does. It's pretty much what my people do when off work. A couple is one thing but drunk is another.


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## joshuam39 (Aug 13, 2014)

Next topic. How I severed my finger.


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## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

And if you ride a motorcycle and don't wanna wear a helmet that's your choice.


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## realcowtown_eric (Feb 4, 2013)

No consumable alcohol in shop or on jobsite. One of my subs was on my case for a few years insisting I should have some schnapps…

I like my beer, but just don't want to go there 
in a working environment….watched too many folks go down that slippery slope.

Eric


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## rustfever (May 3, 2009)

After 37 year in business as a General Contractor, I can proudly say I terminated EVERY employee that had alcohol upon their breath while on the job.
Yes, I enjoy my wine. 
No, I never consume any alcohol during business hours.
Anyone drinking before quitting time must leave my life.
O' tolerance.
Yes, my daughter was run down by a drunk driver.
She is now totally dependent.
Thank your, little people. Now, grow up…
Yes, I am a mature adult.
Sorry to hear there are some many children in the world that are not responsible.


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## Blackie_ (Jul 10, 2011)

This is an easy one for me, first I mind my own business if anyone wants to drink in their shop during the work by all means have at it, if someone needs a beer / drink during shop time then I'd say they might have a drinking problem so it probably wouldn't do any good for me to say anything anyway, so yes I'd mind my own business there. As for as myself goes, I rarely drink if at all and when I do drink it's in a social setting with others and never alone, so no I don't and would never drink in my shop or around my power tools, heck I'm to much of a light weight anyway  it doesn't take much for me to get a good buzz.


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## fuzzface (Apr 12, 2013)

Absolutely no alcohol in the workshop….never, ever. I'm clumsy enough when I'm sober. Razor sharp knives and blades spinning at a high rate of speed. What could possibly go wrong ??? After the work is done, I'll enjoy several. Cheers !!


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## Andrewski (Sep 22, 2013)

Nothing stronger than coffee or Dr Pepper in my shop. Eight years in the back of an ambulance proved to me what booze does to a person and the outcome.

I will have a beer or other adult beverage only in the comfort of my chair in my living room.


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

Like Dallas said in the opening - I can also drink like a dehydrated goldfish and I love me some beer! In the workshop I hardly drink though, maybe a couple of cold ones every few months.

But as soon as the beer comes in the circuit breakers go out - no powertools except a ROS. I have hurt myself on the TS while stone sober, so I am not about to take any chances while buzzed.

I don't care if people drink in their shop - not one bit, we are somewhat free to do as we wish after all. But in my workshop, if you want to work with me, you work sober, if you're drinking you're watching. My Dungeon, my rules after all.


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## ADHDan (Aug 17, 2012)

I'll be completely honest - I sometimes drink while using power tools (but certainly I don't get hammered). When I do, I follow a few rules:

(1) I don't make cuts on the table saw without the riving knife, blade guard, anti-kickback pawls, and (where appropriate) featherboards in place, and I always use push pads or sticks.
(2) I don't use the router table without the guard and featherboards in place, I don't use any scary bits (e.g., panel raising) or work narrow stock, and I almost always use push pads or sticks to feed stock.
(2) I don't use a handheld router.
(3) I don't perform precise, delicate, tricky, or particularly dangerous operations.
(4) I constantly gauge my "comfort" level to see if I'm feeling "too" comfortable, and if so I stop.

I may be in the minority, but my view is that it's possible to drink and use power tools responsibly. I'm pretty heavily ADHD (duh), and I find myself in more trouble when I'm sober but distracted than when I'm drinking - which often tends to make me hyper-focused and heightens my use of safety gear.

My worst shop accidents have all been with hand tools (backsaws and chisels) while completely sober but not paying close attention. The only power tool injury I've ever sustained is when my miter saw caught a knot in a piece of oak and kicked it back into my thumb. I didn't get cut but my nail was totally black and hurt like hell.

But I also know that people get really hurt while drinking and using tools, and that my anecdotal experience doesn't support the proposition that drinking in the shop is fine.


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

I googled "woodworker's code of ethics" and didn't find anything. With so many woodworkers here, I bet we can come up with a good one.


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

I like to have a beer or three when finishing, depending on how long it takes, mostly because I like beer and don't like finishing. I only do wipe or brush on finishes. Same with cleaning up. Not before or while using tools.

I can't seem to find the statistics related to deaths/injuries sustained while under the influence and operating Arm-R-Seal, but surely they're on the internet somewhere.


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

*BinghamptonEd*, The only statistic I remember is that Women who are over weight live longer than the husbands who mention it.


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

LOL, Dallas. Once you are married, you have to choices in life:
1- to be happy
2- to be right


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## Hammerthumb (Dec 28, 2012)

I drink beer in the shop. I doesn't have any alcohol. NA beer.


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## DaleM (Feb 18, 2009)

At least one person on here has confused a hobbyist working at home with someone working on the job for someone else. I work full time in a cabinet shop and wouldn't dream of drinking at all either before or during work, there or anywhere else I have worked. I do however sometimes drink in my home shop when doing things I don't consider inherently dangerous. Don't be so judgmental because you have comprehension problems. The original question was about using power tools while drinking, not going to work while drinking.


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## ThumbHammer (Sep 25, 2014)

A buddy once set a beer can on my table saw and when I finally noticed it a ring had formed on the steel table top. I schooled him about that but the ring is still there today after 20 years. He hasn't made that mistake since. 
People who don't know really don't. I always say that I don't know what I don't know and that is what scares me.


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## ThumbHammer (Sep 25, 2014)

Oops…don't push the post button more than once else people will think you have been drinking.


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## Peterfab (Sep 30, 2014)

No drinking in my shop! Too dangerous.
No looking down on anyone unless they are on the floor.
Peter F.


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

The only time alcohol comes in my shop is if I'm giving a tour of it to someone while we're relaxing and socializing. I totally agree with Andy up above. I'd come un-glued if anyone placed a drink on any power tool tabletop. Drinking and power or hand tools usually don't mix well. i.m.o. That's my story, and I'm stickin to it. OH, I do have plenty of empty beer boxes that is around the shop for cut-offs.


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## ADHDan (Aug 17, 2012)

> At least one person on here has confused a hobbyist working at home with someone working on the job for someone else. I work full time in a cabinet shop and wouldn t dream of drinking at all either before or during work, there or anywhere else I have worked. I do however sometimes drink in my home shop when doing things I don t consider inherently dangerous. Don t be so judgmental because you have comprehension problems. The original question was about using power tools while drinking, not going to work while drinking.
> 
> - DaleM


This is a really good post. I'm a hobbyist, and I'm comfortable having a beer or a scotch when I'm doing putzy hobbyist things - ripping or planing a board to size (with full safety equipment), sanding, etc. I do my work in the evenings, usually in the hour or two between when my kids go to bed and when I go to bed, which is also when I like to have a few drinks.

If I worked in a professional shop I would never drink in the shop, just as I don't drink during my daytime job. That's a different world with a different set of expectations, norms, and laws/regulations. No one else depends on me in my shop, I don't put anyone else at risk, and I don't have client expectations to meet (except for my wife's).


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## NoThanks (Mar 19, 2014)

Sure are a lot of purists here. I don't drink anymore, haven't in 10 years or so, but I never batted an eye to having a beer at lunch and coming back to the shop and working. If I felt any at all to impaired to do a specific task than I would just put it off and do something else. A beer never made me so incompetent that I couldn't figure if what I was doing would/could be harmful. Heck, I could have gotten just as hurt without drinking.
I also think that your level of experience has a great impact on your ability to do something.
No, I wouldn't attempt running tools if I had more than 1 beer.


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

No…not in my shop

It used to be pretty common for people to have a beer at lunch and then come back to work. In this day and age, coming to work at many industrial plants with any level of alcohol in your system could get you sent home or fired. Personally where I worked, I did not want anyone that I am working with or around impaired to any degree by anything..alocohol, drugs, too tired…...


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

These are a lot of interesting comments, some I have replied on.
A little history, and I don't have time to tell the whole story, but read at least this little bit.

In the 1800's and before beer was used instead of water. Water wasn't safe. Even little kids drank beer. Little kids like 6 and 7 years old.

Even up into the 1920's or later, beer was the standard in many places.

My grandmother came across the pond and left from the same set of docks 4 *HOURS* before the Titanic left.
Water was for washing and cleaning, not for drinking in Steerage.
Funny, when her ship docked it was 4 hours before the Titanic was suppose to dock.

At the time she was 6 years old. Came from Munich and had never had a glass of water in her life.


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## AandCstyle (Mar 21, 2012)

Slightly off topic, but see this article and decide if you would like to ride the rails in France.


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

Beer in the shop? Yes, thank you.


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## MrGoodCat (Dec 5, 2013)

I do drink in my shop, that's when I'll sit down and sketch out ideas. There is one piece of machinery I will operate. I have a hand crank pencil sharpener and being a little OCD I don't like sharpening pencils while working so I'll just grab another pencil. That's my zen beer+ sketch book+ dull pencils+ hand crank pencil sharpener= peace


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

^ love that post, love the tag line even more!


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## spclPatrolGroup (Jun 23, 2010)

I've had a beer while working in the shop, as a 6'2" 250lb guy a beer or two has very little effect on me. Normally this happens if I am in the shop after supper waiting between coats of finish, glue to dry. Most of the time I am too busy to pay attention to a beverage so its not too often, because forgetting your beer and letting it go warm and flat is alcohol abuse.


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

Dave, my son and his family also live in Fargo. I have a very good friend of about 30 years that lives on 4th St. N.
With your moniker, are you related to Franklin Investigations?


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

This topic actually made me thirsty when in the shop… Cracked open my 5L (1.3 gallon) vat of beer in the shop.

Only have a week to drink it before it is supposedly not good anymore. Luckily as it stands after 2 days I am well and truly ahead of schedule…  And before anyone gets upset, no electrons have been killed in the process, just rearranging and clearing my shop. And obviously, I am a hobbyist.

Got an electrical guy coming in today to add 2 ceiling lights to my dungeon - I'll definitely drink to that!


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## EPJartisan (Nov 4, 2009)

Wine, wine coolers, hard ciders and hard lemonade…. and in the winter… its Bailey's in my coffee. I usually have something towards the end of the day. Even as a professional artisan, I really only touch the power tools once and a while… the rest of the time I am carving things, designing things, researching stuff, sanding (sanding without a good drink is intolerable)... on top of painting, and sculpture… and currently I am sewing 7 pull down window shades… yep I drink in the shop and on every surface is a coaster and ash tray for my pipe. In fact it is now 5:00… got my cider in hand already!


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## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

I don't even drink while sanding. I need a good eye for when the surface is flat enough for my liking, which is pretty particular, depending on the project. I should probably switch to polishing telescope lenses. I'll post some pix of my pinewood derby car pics, sometime. "...the sides were like glass, and if any man's hand…, etc" Name that tune.


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