Shop Terror

[Lynn Kasdorf]

I have a big disconnect for all the big tools (240 single phase, and power to the RPC for the 3 phase). But here is the thing- I have a lamp socket powered by one of the legs and I put a red light bulb in there. So- when the power is on, the big red light is on. So it is an "armed" reminder for myself as well as for the kids. Also, when I leave the shop it it real obvious when I forget to kill that disconnect.

Our 9 year old actually did turn on power to my powermatic table saw when he was about 3 and I was in a different shop. My wife and I were in the shop and he toddled over and pushed the gween button. After all the commotion that I made, he never went near it again.

[Chris Kennedy]

Chris, the image of your son working next to you on his own bench is wonderful.

A couple thoughts. First, I agree with an earlier poster that when I am running power tools, I am (and need to be) 100% focused on that. If my attention is divided, that's an easy way for me to have an accident. Much as I'd love to have my kiddo 'working' with me, he's at a stage now where he has to be watched constantly or he'll find something dangerous to get into. Neither reason nor the fear of God/dad are overly effective with a 23-month-old. Do you worry that he won't stay in his chair when you are operating machinery? For me, if he weren't confined in a cage, I'd definitely be preoccupied about what he's getting into. If he's mature and responsible enough that you have absolute confidence that he'll stay put, kudos to you for your parenting skills and to him for being such a well-behaved kiddo.

Second, do they make hearing protection for little ones? When I was a kid in the seventies, I used to love to go hunting with dad. Hearing protection was never used, and I'm paying for that now. There's a fringe benefit, since I can feign deafness when my wife asks me to do something. But overall, I wish I had all my hearing.

John

So far, I am not worried about him getting out of his chair, for a couple of reasons. In part, the chair was his idea. If I needed to use the saw, he had to be out of the shop, and he took to sitting in his little chair outside the shop and watching me. Now, he can be in the shop, but he has to be in his chair. It has progressed to the point that I turned on my planer to blow out a few chips, and I warned him that I was going to turn it on for just a second, and he got really upset that he wasn't in his chair when I turned it on. So, it seems to be as important to him as it is to me, and it is good system. The first time he so much as thinks about getting up from that chair -- out of the shop while I am running power tools.

I should point out that my boy has been fascinated with the shop since he was born, just about. Shortly after he learned how to crawl, I put him down on the lawn, and he set off crawling for the shop. It must be thirty feet to the shop, and he just kept crawling away. His second word was "drill." I decided early on that I had to arrange my shop to have him out there -- he would settle for nothing less. I have put all my sharp tools high or in cabinets where cannot reach them, anchored the heavy tools so he cannot move them, and locked away finishing supplies. I bought an Excalibur blade guard, both for dust and protection. Nothing is exposed that he can get to.

Now, I should also point out that I don't do major tasks with him there. I will run the planer, and make single crosscuts at a time on the tablesaw. I don't run sheetgoods or make rips or run the dado stack.

Also, I figure that as a hobbyist running a small shop at the back of my yard, I need to plan for this. Even if I didn't have him out in the shop, I need to be prepared for him to come running into the shop unexpectedly. I have taught him not to do that, but I cannot foresee him getting scared by something in the backyard (the neighbor's dog, the odd snake we get around here) or getting hurt and needing help.

As for hearing protection -- I have started acclimatizing him to some regular earplugs on a band. He likes to imitate me, so he is starting to wear them a little. I am working on safety glasses as well (Lee Valley sells some kid sizes).

Cheers,

Chris

[Ben Galluzzo]

I too have added a separate subpanel with lockout feature. I've also kept some lights and a 110 circuit available via a separate panel so I can shutdown and lockout the shop's subpanel without losing lights and such just in case.

[Rob Damon]

I don't have kids, but the neighbors do and when we are working outside the shop building is not lock, so we can go in a wash our hands and use the restroom. My fear is that we will get distracted and one the curious young ones will go in and play and get hurt.

My solution:

I converted all of my stationary tools to 240Volts and put straight pin plugs on them. All of the 240V receptacles on the wall are twist-lock style. It is physically impossible to plug in any of the machines that have straight blade plugs (6-15P, 6-20P or 6-30P) into the wall twist lock wall receptacles (L6-15R, L6-20R, L6-30R).

To plug them in, I have several adaptor cords that have L6-15P on one end and 6-15R receptacles on the other end (also ones for 20A and 30A). I lock the adaptor cords in my lockable tool box, when I am not in the shop. Without the adaptor cords, none of the machines can be plugged in.

Since I am the only one that uses the shop tools, it is not a hassle to use the adaptor cords to plug in a tool.

Rob

[Wilbur Pan]

I converted all of my stationary tools to 240Volts and put straight pin plugs on them. All of the 240V receptacles on the wall are twist-lock style. It is physically impossible to plug in any of the machines that have straight blade plugs (6-15P, 6-20P or 6-30P) into the wall twist lock wall receptacles (L6-15R, L6-20R, L6-30R).

This is a good idea. Do you have multiple 240V receptacles on the same circuit, or did you have to run one circuit for each receptacle?

[Victor Philippi]

My little girl just turned 9 months old. At this point in her life it is really easy as she is deathly afraid of the loud noise of my powertools, but I know that will change.

You guys have some great ideas that I'm absolutely going to use. I like the idea of having a lamp with the red bulb wired into the same breaker the shop equipment is on mentioned up top. I also like the idea of the chair in the shop that the kid has to sit in if the machine is on.

As was touched on earlier in this thread, teaching a healthy fear and respect for equipment is the way to go. My father when I was growing up had a lot of guns in the house. I don't remember at what age this started, but my father took my brother and I out shooting a lot at a very young age. We learned from the start never point a weapon at anything you don't intend to shoot and that they will kill. We were never given toy guns to play with as guns aren't toys. It was so drilled into our heads that we wouldn't even feel right pointing a toy guns at eachother when we went and had the chanceto play with them at our friends' houses.

[John Harden]

Geez, you gus make me look like a total slacker!!! I don't do anything to secure my shop except keep the table saw blade down below the table surface. My son once pressed the green button on the table saw when he was about 18 months or so and it scared him. The blade was of course down, but the noise was enough that he still has a healthy respect for the tools.

He's 4 now and starting to help me with projects and stuff. I had some loose slats on some outdoor furniture and yesterday, I held the gun and safety triger and he pulled the main trigger and fired the headless pins to re-secure them. He shot it about 50-75 times and loved it. He likes wearing his safety glasses as he knows it means he's going to help dad.

He's never really "gotten into anything", despite being a boy. My one year old daughter on the other hand, god what a handful!!!!! She's the one who is constantly into everything, and climbing, etc.

I have a subpanel, and may need to either shut off the breakers or lock out individual tools at the on switch. You've given me something to think about!!

Regards,

John