Shop and Personal Safety

Written by Dave Markel


Don't let your table saw catch you working unsafely inrepparttar workshop.

Shop and Personal Safety:

Being safety conscious should berepparttar 116177 priority for everyone whether they are a serious wood worker or just a week-end warrior. Shop safety begins when you buy a new tool, before operating it you should read through and understandrepparttar 116178 operators manual. This will have important instructions aboutrepparttar 116179 safe operation of that particular tool.

Lets face it! All wood working machines are made to remove wood, which is considerably harder than flesh and bone. Some tools are much more dangerous than other. I would say that a table saw isrepparttar 116180 most dangerous stationary tool andrepparttar 116181 circular sawrepparttar 116182 most dangerous hand tool.

Aside from readingrepparttar 116183 manuals that come with your tools, protecting your hearing and eyes should be high onrepparttar 116184 safety priorities list. Some people, me included, rely on prescription glasses for protection. This is OK but really doesn't provide full coverage.

If you don't protect your ears you will loose your hearing. This is not debatable! After 25 years of operating power tools without protection my father wears a hearing aid.

One aspect of safe wood working that is often overlooked is dust. Wood dust is a carcinogenic. Recient studies have shown wood workers that don't use dust masks or have a dust collection system have higher rates of nasal cancer.

The Art of Découpage

Written by Eileen Bergen


The Art of Découpage By: Eileen Bergen http://www.theartfulcrafter.com

Découpage is a very accessible craft for beginners but can also be taken to artistic heights. In fact serious découpage artists are known as découpeurs (sometimes spelled “decoupers”). There is a National Guild of Découpeurs (NGD). NGD is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing education inrepparttar art of découpage, to encouraging a high level of quality, and to offering an exchange of creative ideas. NGD is worldwide and holds an Annual Convention and Exhibition each April. To see some beautiful examples of découpage, visit their website:http://www.decoupage.org/theguild.asp.

The word “découpage” comes fromrepparttar 116176 French “couper” meaning “to cut”. Découpage isrepparttar 116177 art of permanently decorating surfaces with paper cutouts. The cutouts are glued torepparttar 116178 surface and then several coats of varnish, lacquer, glaze or clear-drying glue are applied to give a lacquered finish.

The list of items that can be découpaged is virtually endless but most common are: furniture; wooden boxes and trays of all size and shape; clear glass objects such as plates, platters, bowls, vases, candle holders and paperweights; metal trays and boxes; clay pots; and of course, wall art.

Any theme can be employed but Victorian designs are probablyrepparttar 116179 most popular because modern découpage is a revival ofrepparttar 116180 art that flourished in 18th and 19th century Europe.

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