INTRODUCTION TO WORKSHOP PRACTICE,

Workshop practice refers to a structured, hands-on approach to learning and applying skills in
a practical setting, often involving tools, materials, and processes to achieve a specific
outcome.
Here's a more detailed look at what workshop practice entails:
Key Characteristics of Workshop Practice:
 Hands-on Learning:
Workshop practice emphasizes practical experience and skill development through
direct engagement with materials and tools.
 Structured Approach:
It involves a systematic process, often with clear guidelines or procedures to ensure
repeatable and professional results.
 Specific Goals:
Workshops are typically focused on a specific task, project, or skill, allowing
participants to learn and practice in a targeted manner.
 Collaboration and Interaction:
Workshops often encourage interaction and collaboration among participants, fostering a
learning environment where individuals can share knowledge and learn from each other.
 Application of Knowledge:
Workshop practice aims to translate theoretical knowledge into practical skills,
reinforcing learning through real-world application.
 Safety:
Workshop practice emphasizes the importance of safety protocols and procedures to
ensure a safe working environment.

Examples of Workshop Practice:

 Engineering Workshops:
These workshops focus on hands-on experience with manufacturing processes,
production technology, and engineering principles.
 Art and Craft Workshops:
These workshops provide opportunities to learn and practice various artistic techniques,
using different materials and tools.
 Cooking Workshops:
These workshops focus on teaching culinary skills and techniques, allowing participants
to learn how to prepare different dishes.
 Computer Workshops:
These workshops focus on hands-on experience with computer hardware and software,
allowing participants to learn and practice various computer skills.
 Technical Workshops:
These workshops focus on hands-on experience with specific technical skills, such as
welding, plumbing, or electrical work.

GENERAL WORKSHOP ENVIRONMENT

Workshop safety

The safety in Workshops has been written not only to provide appropriate safety
procedures but also to assist trained workshop personnel with the provision of a
reference document outlining the general principles of safe working practices
relevant to the mechanical engineering aspects. It relates to specific are as where
definite safety measures are required for workshop operations

Factories Act and Accident

Various acts relating to accidents are spelt out in workmen’s compensation Act-
1923, The factories act-1948 and Fatal Accidents Act-1855. These acts describe
the regulations for fencing and guarding the dangerous machinery, items and
employer’s liabilities.

Concept of accident

It is very difficult to give a definition of the word‘Accident’. However, a generally

accepted conception that an accident is a mishap, a disaster that results in some sort
of injury, to men, machines or tools and equipments and in general loss to the
organization.

The said injury or loss may be of minor or major nature and the accident is termed
as non-reportable or reportable. For example, a small cut on the body will be
reportable accident in a training workshop. It can be treated by first aid and does
not involve any appreciable loss of time, and will not be considered a reportable
accident in a production unit.

Causes of accidents

The 98% accidents could be easily avoided provided due precautions are taken
well in time. A very familiar slogan goes on to say that accidents do not just
happen but are caused due to the failure of one element or the other, and the most
unfortunate factor is that the human element is the most pronounced of all which
fail.

The common causes which lead to accidents are the following:

1. Unsafe working position.

2. Improper or defective tools or their improper use.

 3. Improper acts- which result in violation of safety rules and non-observance
of safety precautions.

Common sources of accidents

The large number of machines in use and an even larger number of parts

This can be regarded as sources of danger and require guarding for protection
against accidents.

Some common sources of accident are listed below :

Projecting nips between sets of revolving parts, viz., gears, rolls and friction
wheels, etc.

1. Projecting fasteners on revolving parts.

2. Revolving cutting tools, circular saw blades.

3. Revolving drums, crushers, spiked cylinder and armed mixers, etc.

4. Revolving shafts, spindles, bars and tools like drills, reamers, boring bars
and chucks, etc.

5. Projecting sharp edges or nips of belt and chain drives viz., belt, pulleys,
chains, sprockets and belt fasteners.

6. Reciprocating tools and dies of power presses, drop hammers, and

revolving presses, etc.

7. Grinding wheels and stones.

8. Reciprocating knives and saw blades such as cutting and trimming

machines and power hack-saws, etc.

9. Revolving drums and cylinders without casing, such as concrete and other
mixers.

10. Intermittent feed mechanisms.

11. Projecting nips between various links and mechanisms, like cranks
connecting rods, piston rods, rotating wheels and discs, etc.

Common Methods of Protection

The common methods of protection against accidents are the following:

1. Safety by position.
 2. Safety by construction.

3. Safety by using interlock guards.

4. Safety by using fixed guards.

5. Safety by using automatic guards.

6. Safety by using distance guards.

Safety by construction

When a new machine is designed, it should be ensured that all its dangerous parts
are either enclosed in suitable housings or provided with suitable safety guards. For
example, the belt drive and motor in a lathe or milling machine are enclosed, the
back gears in a lathe are either enclosed or provided with cast iron guards or
covers. Lubricating points are provided on the outer surfaces so that the interior
parts are not required to be opened every time.

Safety by position

The machine design is in such a way that the dangerous parts are located such that
they are always beyond the reach of the operator. The dangerous parts of all the
machines should invariably be guarded and undertaking should be made to make
them enclosed in the body or housing of the machines.

Safety by using interlock guards

It is a very efficient and sound method of guarding in that the guard cannot be
removed and dangerous parts exposed until and unless the machine is totally

Safety Tips (personal revion)

Safety tips. Workshop safety is important. Most of us knows the basic safety
requirements in a workshop, but very little of us always enforce it. We are
always in a hurry and don’t see the need to take proper precautions before
operating a machine. Workshop safety is actually more important
than setting up your workshop.
How many times have I heard “I was in a hurry ” or “It was a small quick job,
following the correct safety procedures would have taken longer than doing
the actual job”

The saying “Speed kills” does not only apply to our roads, but also in our
workshops. Thousands of unnecessary accidents could have been avoided if
people only made time to think about workshop safety

Most of the equipment and tools used in the workshop can be very dangerous
in the wrong and untrained hands. Every machine and tool is made for a
specific job, and care must be taken not to use it for something it wasn’t
intended for. Proper training must be given to a aspiring woodworker before
he/she handles dangerous machinery.

This is not a comprehensive manual on how to stay safe while woodworking,

but it does cover most of the important rules. I’m sure that I missed some
important rules by writing this article. If you feel something is missing,
please don’t hesitate to let me know.

It only takes common sense and adhering to basic safety rules to make your
woodworking experience a pleasant and enjoyable one for many years to
come. By keeping your mind on the job at hand, and concentrating on what
you are doing there is no reason for injuries in the workplace.
The 10 General Rules for
Workshop Safety
1. Dress For The Occasion
One seldom think of the importance of wearing the appropriate clothing when
working with machinery. As the sign above states, a machine has no brain
and getting tangled up in one happens very quickly. Do not wear baggy,
loose, and otherwise ill-fitting clothing in your workshop. Do not
wear jewelry or any other loose hanging items.

Nothing should be hanging down when you bend over to work on a machine.
Tuck your tie into your shirt, but it is better to remove it completely. Long
sleeves should be rolled up. Some people likes to wear gloves, but this
practice is very dangerous. It can get caught up in a machine’s moving parts
very easily. There is nothing wrong with wearing gloves when moving boards
or timber, but please remove them before operating a machine.

2. Vision Protection
Some rules simply state “wear safety equipment”. Safety glasses are very
inexpensive and can save you a lot of money and heartache in the long run.
I’ve gone a step further and specified that you should wear safety glasses
when working. This is because wood chips & debris can fly up in your face
and eyes at almost any time when cutting, sanding, etc.

You should wear your safety glasses at all times, even when not working on
machinery. The risk is simply to high of damaging your eyes. Hitting with a
hammer, mixing varnish or solvent based stains or sanding a piece of wood
by hand can cause something to enter your eyes. These days you get stylish
safety glasses with different coloured frames for you to wear if you really
need to look pretty in the workshop. LOL

3. Keep Your Workshop Clean

First of all I am going to mention one of the things that I hate the most, loose,
tangled electrical extension cords lying all over. This is the cause of many
unnecessary workshop injuries. I know that one needs to make use of
extension cords on a regular basis, but you can do it in a much safer way by
making use of square tubing coming down from the ceiling. In this way you
make it more permanent, and you can have power anywhere in your
workshop without the danger of tripping over, or damaging the cable.

The workshop floor can very quickly get cluttered up with different obstacles
like timber, sawdust, hand tools and yes even power tools lying around.
Believe me, I have seen it many times in workshops and even large factories
when I still used to have my woodworking business. People very often forget
the importance regarding workshop safety.

Having a vacuum system in place comes in very handy for two reasons, firstly
keeping the workplace clean and tidy and secondly getting rid of another
safety hazard. Having an air duster attachment that you can connect to your
compressor is a must. You must clean out all electrical contactors on your
machines on a regular basis, not only to prevent a fire hazard but also
ensuring malfunction. It happens quite often that fine sawdust clogging up
the contactors and switches is the main reason for machines not starting up.
4. No Drugs, Alcohol Or Other Impairments
Please!
Just like you are not supposed to drive while under the influence, you are not
supposed to work on machinery while having a few. This is common sense,
and while I’m sure there are plenty of guys that like to have a beer or two
while they are working on a project, it’s generally not recommended.

Know your limits, and don’t do anything stupid that will impair your vision or
coordination putting yourself or anybody else in danger. This includes
working while taking medication that dampens your ability to operate
machinery properly. I know you want to show off your project to your buddies
while standing around the braai having a few beers. Stay away from the
workshop, just now you get the urge to mabe show them how it’s done. Bad
idea
5. Please Read The Book
This is definitely a big part of workshop safety. For each machine in your
workshop there should be a operating manual. If not, you will be able to find
information on Google or Youtube. There are thousands of videos on Youtube
of machines in action and various reviews. Know how to operate each and
every machine and make sure that your employees knows them as well.
Make sure that all operating manuals are on hand for your workers and
yourself if you need to refresh yourself on the workings of a specific machine.

Knowing the workings and capabilities of every machine will not only prevent
injury, but you will also be able to get optimum production out of them. Even
if you have a operating manual on a machine it is still a good idea to watch
videos on Youtube to see how other people make use of them. I have learnt a
lot over the years by searching on the net. Remember – Always read the
safety tips and instructions.

6. Keep Tools And Equipment Sharp

This is important in more than one way. Firstly, you should keep all of your
blades sharp and performing well. If something starts to dull, either scrap it
and get a new one or have it professionally sharpened. Dull or blunt tools will
cause poor performance and can result in dangerous situations.

For example, a dull router bit can break apart or disintegrate because it gets
too hot or damaged during operation. A router bit can spin at up to 26,000
rpm. As the diameter of a bit increases (the bigger the bit), so does the
speed at which the outside is moving, and it can reach speeds beyond 160
km/h. If it disintegrates, the flying debris will cause damage or serious injury.

The other way I mean to keep equipment and machinery sharp is to keep it
clean and without broken or missing parts. Be sure it is oiled and set
properly. Q20 Lubricant Spray or WD40 is good examples of lubricants to use.
Also, it needs to be grounded correctly.

If the machine makes funny noises, smokes or you smell something burning,
switch it of immediately and investigate.
7. Avoid Unnecessary Distractions
This should go without saying, it is one of the basic rules. but with the
prevalence of cell phones and other distractions, you should be aware of how
this affects your safety. Each machine requires your utmost and full
attention when working on them.

Your phone may ring or get a text message, but make sure to finish what
your are doing. before you respond. I generally like to have music on in the
background. This may even be frowned upon in some circumstances but it is
not distracting to me, as long as it is not overwhelmingly load. The key is to
always consider what you are doing at any given moment, and not letting
your mind wonder off.

8. Use Safety Tools To Assist You

Make use of tools that keeps the workpiece steady and keeps your hands
away from the cutter blade (this includes making sure the equipment has its
safety features in place). Do not operate machines without their safety
shields and covers that came with them originally. I know that sometimes it is
a pain but they are on the machines for a reason.

Make use of tools that can help you to work easier and more safely. This
includes push sticks, miter gauges, custom built sleds, featherboards,
and push blocks. They can be bought off the shelve or you can make it
yourself. These tools are meant to keep your hands away from the blade and
hold the workpiece in place. A sled on a table saw can hold a panel steady
and also prevent kickback. Featherboards hold boards steady against the
fence of a router table or table saw.

You need to use these mediums on any tool or machine where you move the
timber as opposed to the tool or machine. Sometimes the saw or
router/spindle cutter can grab the workpiece and throw it or jerk your hand
into it quicker than you realize. Using these tools can help prevent that from
happening and increase workshop safety.

9. Inspect Timber For Nails, Knots Or Any

Imperfections
Inspect the wood that you are working with. It can have imperfections that
can cause it to kick back, get stuck or bind on the blade, etc. It is important
to inspect your workpiece before you do any cutting or machining.

If you work with some reclaimed timber this is even more important because
it can conceal nails, bolts and other objects. You can usually cut through
nails, but it may damage the blade or the router bit. I would not recommend
it. You can normally see these objects sticking out on the side of the timber,
but sometimes it is concealed deep into the center of the plank. Get yourself
a cheap metal detector from any good hardware store, they are not that
expensive and easy to operate and understand. Spending R200 to R300 will
be a good investment that you will be glad you made.

The moisture content in timber can also be a factor of timber binding to the
blade, especially when ripping planks lengthwise, the thicker the piece, the
bigger the problem. I recommend buying a inexpensive moisture meter, also
from you local hardware. It will not only limit accidents but also help with the
quality of your end product, wet timber is a no-no. The acceptable moisture
content inland in South Africa is 12% and less, obviously it will be higher at
coastal areas and areas with a sub-tropical climate.

Knots in timber usually do not create issues if you are patient and prepared
for the cutting to take longer. Just keep all blades sharp and you should not
have problems. Loose knots may be a issue, so remove them before cutting
or machining.
10. Electrical Extension Cords
I know that I mentioned this earlier under “Keep Your Workshop Clean”, but it
is worth talking about this issue again. Ideally you will not have the need for
extension cords. This can be done by installing wiring overhead and in the
floor, along with putting tools along the wall. Obviously this is not possible in
all instances.

Because you will most likely have to use an extension cord, you should not
have them strung and tangled all across the floor. Using ONE extension cord
is the best. This way you will only have one machine with power to it at any
time. Also, you will minimize the tripping hazard in your shop, not to mention
damage to expensive power tools falling on the floor because the cable got
caught up on your foot.

CONCLUSION
Always use the correct machine for the job that it was designed for. Don’t try
to make something do it wasn’t intended to do. Always think about the
workshop safety tips.

If you follow the rules above, you are well on your way to a safe work shop
environment and piece of mind. It is not totally inclusive, meaning there are
still some rules and guidelines that I didn’t list here or even thought of.

Accidents do happen, even to experts all the time.

Types of Workshop Machinery – Milling, Grinding, Shaping Machines

Machine plays a very important role in a workshop where metal working or woodworking
tasks are performed. They enable speed process in the workshops and enhance the accuracy
and efficiency of the processes. With tools the bulk wood and metal processing requirements
in workshop can be met with ease. Today various kinds of equipment are available in the
market. By installing these, various tasks like cutting, shaping, drilling etc which are to be
carried out on harder wood and metal surfaces can be easily accomplished.
The workshop machines are a bit different from industrial. Industrial are configured to
handle heavy duty applications in robust industrial environments where as workshop are
usually designed with intermediate specifications and cannot handle such larger workloads as
in industries. Workshop unit are usually compact multitasking which can be stored in smaller
space. These are usually lesser in price than the industrial.
This article is a brief description on various kinds of tools used in metal and wood working
workshops.
Milling Machine for Workshop

A milling machine is often misunderstood as a

lathe work. It is different from a lathe. In a lathe the material is moved in order to achieve the
desired shaping or cutting whereas, cutting tool moves at a high speed for the same. A milling
machine is the best tool for cutting metals to the customized dimensions and shapes
especially if the parts are to be cut or shaped to rectangular or uneven dimensions. Two types
of milling devices are employed in workshops manual and CNC milling. CNC are computer
controlled which automatically perform the process according to set computer specifications
where as in manual devices the process is done manually and therefore takes time for
completion.
Grinding Machine
Tasks like roughing or finishing of surfaces, finishing internal cylinders or bores, sharpening
the cutting tools, removing rough projections from castings, cleaning, polishing, and buffing
surfaces all are achieved through grinding equipment. These tasks are carried out by use of a
grinding abrasive wheel which moves abrasive particles which when contact the work piece
act as tiny cutting tools which cut chips from the work piece to give it desired shape.
Shaping Machine
Shaping machine is a popular form unit used in workshops. It is used for cutting

curves, angles and various shapes from the work

piece. It comes in different sizes, specifications and tooling and can be used for various metal
or wood cutting requirements. As compared to lathe or milling, shaping are much affordable
and are best tools for shaping flat metal or wood surfaces.
Apart from these various other kinds of tools like saws, drills, chisels, routers, planers,
shapers etc are employed in workshops for efficient processing. All these machine tools come
in different specifications and can be selected as per specific requirements for needs in a
workshop.