No
matter what type of carving that I am doing, one thing I hate is being cut. For
that reason, I take every precaution to prevent injury. Here are a few
suggestions, which will help you prevent accidents in your shop:
1. Secure
the printing block so that it does not move around as you are carving. Many
woodblock carvers use a bench hook to hold the wood or linoleum panel in place
while they are working. You can easily construct your own bench hook with as
few as three pieces of wood. One piece is attached to the bottom of a
baseplate, which secures the bench hook from slipping on the wood surface.
Another piece of wood is attached to the top of the baseplate. As you are
cutting the printing block, pushing away from
you, this piece holds the block in place.
If
you are securing your block with your spare hand, keep it behind the sharp edge
of the cutting tool. If you are carving with a large gouge or chisel, a good
practice is to keep both hands on the tool – one hand to push and the other
hand to guide the blade. When working with a Japanese carving knife some carvers
with use their secondary hand to guide the blade or steady the hand that they
use to hold the knife.
2. In
carving, the blade of your tool should never be pointed at anything that can
bleed. This refers to your body or the body of someone, who may be observing
you as you work. Always cut in a direction away from you, just in case the
blade skips off of the wood.
3. Distractions
can result in accidents. When you are carving, you need to focus on your work.
Do not carry on a conversation while cutting. In addition, horseplay has no place in the work place.
4. A
sharp tool is a safe tool. Only use knives, gouges and chisels that are razor
sharp. It is a good practice to sharpen a tool before you use it. As it dulls
from work, continue to sharpen it during the day. Sharp carving tools will cut wood or linoleum
with little effort. On the other hand, dull tools require more force in cutting
and can more easily slip away from the block.
5. Accidents
can and do happen, even if we are safety conscience. For this reason, your shop
should always be equipped with a first aid kit. It is also important that you
always have a phone handy, if you need to call for help.
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Clean Up After Relief Printing
Japanese Carving Tools for Woodblock Relief Printing
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About Jim Hingst: After fourteen years as Business Development Manager at RTape, Jim Hingst retired. He was involved in many facets of the company’s business, including marketing, sales, product development and technical service.
Hingst began his career 42 years ago in the graphic arts field creating and producing advertising and promotional materials for a large test equipment manufacturer. Working for offset printers, large format screen printers, vinyl film manufacturers, and application tape companies, his experience included estimating, production planning, purchasing and production art, as well as sales and marketing. In his capacity as a salesman, Hingst was recognized with numerous sales achievement awards.
Drawing on his experience in production and as graphics installation subcontractor, Hingst provided the industry with practical advice, publishing more than 150 articles for publications, such as Signs Canada, SignCraft, Signs of the Times, Screen Printing, Sign and Digital Graphics and Sign Builder Illustrated. He also posted more than 400 stories on his blog (hingstssignpost.blogspot.com). In 2007 Hingst’s book, Vinyl Sign Techniques, was published. Vinyl Sign Techniques is available at sign supply distributors and at Amazon.
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