Wood Shop Fire Prevention

Fire prevention is cheap compared to the cost ofor other flammable solvents. Always put them in a
your equipment.tightly closed container.
The best fire prevention is a clean shop and goodRemember to post a couple of no smoking signs
wiring.around the shop to remind friends who stop by not
Sawdust flies through the air then settles down into smoke in the shop. A hot ash in the saw dust
hard to find places that do not get cleaned up andcould mean new equipment and maybe new friends.
creates a fire hazard. Your first investment should beWith a nice clean shop, and everything in good
a dust collection system connected to your tableworking condition, there still is a chance of a potential
saw, miter saw, and anything else that createsfire. To make sure no fire that might get started
sawdust. The dust collection system should begets out of control you need the right fire
grounded with a copper wire running through theextinguishers on hand. If you do not have fire
inside of the plastic tube to your saw. Sawdustextinguishers, you should invest in them as soon as
traveling through the tube causes static electricity,possible. The best fire extinguishers for a wood shop
which can start a fire in the tube.are ones with a rating of 2A10B-C.
Other ways that fires start in wood shops are usuallyDepending on the size of you shop, you should have
caused by sparks and bad wiring. If the motor onan extinguisher every 25 feet of walking space. They
your table saw shorts out, for example, and throwsshould be mounted near doors in your shop. Keep all
a few sparks that land in sawdust, you have a firethe extinguishers charged and up to date. Dead
starter. Same is true for bad wiring in the shop.extinguishers are as good as not having any
A hazard that people often overlook is spontaneousextinguishers at all.
combustion caused by rags soaked with turpentine