Basic Important Personal Protective Equipment for Woodworking

It’s no secret that there are some dangers associated with woodworking. You need to protect your body when working with tools of any kind, or there can be some real risks of personal injury. While the risks are there, they should not sway you from trying out woodworking and building what you want! There is a lot of personal protective equipment (PPE) out there to help you, as well as tutorials, videos, and manuals to teach you how to properly handle your tools.

Everything that I’m going to recommend, I use. On the daily. The opinions given on these products are my own personal opinion, and this post is not sponsored. It’s important to not skimp out on wearing your PPE EVERY time you’re working in the shop. Woodworking is an amazing trade and I absolutely love doing it, so I want to make sure I’m able to keep doing it for a long long time! Hopefully this list of recommended personal protective equipment can help you when you’re making decisions safety while building.

*This post contains affiliate links at no extra cost to you. View my full disclosure here. 

For your hands:

• Work gloves are amazing! When I put my gloves on, I know some serious building is about to go down. I currently have two pairs of work gloves, and I love both of them. They have both given me excellent protection on my hands and have spared me many a splinter and gash. These gloves are also inexpensive, so if you’re worried about spending too much money on PPE, you don’t have to spend a lot to get excellent quality on gloves. Here are the two that I love:
  • These Handyman gloves (link HERE) are the first ones that I bought, and they are still in great shape after countless builds! They are comfortable and I feel like my fingers can move really well in them.
  • Firm Grip gloves (link HERE) are becoming more and more popular, and I’m glad that I have a pair in my arsenal. I don’t think that there is quite as much padding on the palm as the Handyman gloves, but they are comfortable and you can still use your touch screen while wearing them.

• Another important part of woodworking is keeping your hands away from the blades. I bought this 10 Million Dollar Stick (HERE) soon after I started woodworking, and I use it very often. The name of it is accurate, because it implies that each of your fingers is worth one million dollars (basically invaluable), so you should keep all ten of them. I find that I use it most to make small cuts on my miter saw. It has been incredibly helpful, so look into this handy tool either for yourself or as a gift for someone you know!

For your eyes:

• Please protect your eyes every time you’re building! Even with wearing safety glasses, I am still currently sitting here while writing this with something bothering my eye that I might have to get checked out for. I’m thinking it’s a piece of sawdust, because that stuff gets everywhere. Here are the safety glass that I love for woodworking:
  • Dewalt Clear Anti-Fog Dual Mold Safety Glasses (link HERE) are the best. Seriously. End of story. They keep the sawdust away from your eyes really really well because of the rubber mold that surrounds the glasses. The glasses are adjustable, so you can fit them to the size of your head, and since they are fairly large, you can see very clearly. They are also anti-fog, so you can be sweating up a storm in your shop and still see what you’re doing.

For your ears:

• Safety ear muffs are a necessity in my book if you’re going to be using power tools. Sometimes we forget that our ears need protecting too, even if we think we can handle the noise. Don’t put that strain on them, and get yourself some safety ear muffs! Here are the ones I have in my shop:
  • These Mpow Noise Reduction Safety Ear Muffs (link HERE) have been great. I have no complaints. They are comfortable, block the noise out really well, and are only $11. I don’t think that there is too much more to say about safety ear muffs, except for that they don’t cost much and you need them.

For your nose/mouth/lungs:

• A respirator is a key player in your arsenal of PPE, because sawdust is a carcinogen. Always wear a respirator when you will be making sawdust or finishing with paint/stain/poly. Just do it. It may seem like a big chunky thing to add to your face, but maybe it makes it easier to put on when you know that inhaling some of these things can lead to serious health issues. Not all dust masks are created equal, so make sure you get one suitable for woodworking. The respirator and filters that I use (HERE) have a P100 rating, which means that they will filter basically everything that you need to have filtered. When looking for a respirator, I would highly suggest one that also has a P100 rating.

Now that you know some of the basic equipment that you need to keep yourself safe in the workshop, I hope that you have no fear getting out there and building. Remember to respect your tools, read the user manuals for your tools, and to do everything with intention and precision.

Let me know what you’re building and how you’re keeping yourself safe by commenting below.

Happy safe building, friends!

-Whitney

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