Starting a new habit
To paraphrase Norm Abram, “There’s no more important safety habit, than to wear these (tap-tap) safety glasses.
To paraphrase Norm Abram, “There’s no more important safety habit, than to wear these (tap-tap) safety glasses.
I never got into the habit of wearing safety glasses. The reason being, of course, that I already wear glasses, and have done so for several decades. For eye safety in the woodshop, all it took was to be sure that I always got shatterproof lenses whenever I had my prescription updated. For some shop tasks, like lathe work, I wear a face shield over my glasses for extra protection.
But after my cataract surgery, I may not need distance correction. I’ll need glasses for close work, and I have an appointment in two weeks to have my new post-surgery vision evaluated, but for general vision I think I’ll probably be good to go without glasses. But I’ve already noticed a problem.
In working in the shop these past two weeks, it hasn’t occurred to me on several occasions – well, all of them, actually – to don safety glasses before firing up machinery. It’s just not a habit I ever developed. Norm would be shocked.
That will have to change, but it’s not intuitive yet. I’ve addressed it by buying numerous pairs of safety glasses and putting a pair on my band saw table, drill press table, table saw, disc sander and anywhere else I stand to work that might involve flying bits or debris.
It’s a slow process, but I'm beginning to come around. Considering how easily I develop bad habits (sometimes for life), I’m hoping I’ll have similar luck with safety eyewear.
A.J. Hamler is the former editor of Woodshop News and Woodcraft Magazine. He's currently a freelance woodworking writer/editor, which is another way of stating self-employed. When he's not writing or in the shop, he enjoys science fiction, gourmet cooking and Civil War reenacting, but not at the same time.
