Shop and Personal Safety:

Being safety conscious should be 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 understand operators manual. This will have important instructions about 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 is most dangerous stationary tool and circular saw most dangerous hand tool.

Aside from reading manuals that come with your tools, protecting your hearing and eyes should be high on 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.

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 in 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 from French “couper” meaning “to cut”. Découpage is art of permanently decorating surfaces with paper cutouts. The cutouts are glued to 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.