workshop fire safety

[herb]

Hi,

This post is triggered by a previous thread on spontaneous dust explosions. I have gotten a little paranoid about a fire in my shop which is in the basement and of course has a lot of fuel (wood, finishes,etc.) What precautions have some of you taken?

Herb

 

[Jake Gevorgian]

I keep my shop dust free every time, specially the electrical outlets. I blow them off with air compressor air. The stains and finishes can be very flammable, specially if you're mixing different chemicals, color tints together. I've got fire extinguishers at about every 15 feet distance, although I believe osha requires at every 30 feet distance. I always keep my shop well ventilated too. I better be safe than sorry.

In case of the basement, I don't have much experience, since I live in California.

 

[Greg Keddy]

I wouldn't worry about dust explosions since you are very unlikely I achieve the dust concentration in air required for one in a woodshop. I would worry about things like oily rags that can self heat and cause a fire and also keeping metal sparks ( from cutting or sharpening etc) separate from your piles of woodworking dust. Best practice is to not let dust or shavings accumulate, have your fire / smoke alarms in working order and have fire extinguisher handy. It os also best to have your shop alarm tied into your house alarm, even if you think youll be able to hear it from upstair, you might not.
I used to be part of a volunteer fire dept and I have two things to say about consumer grade fire extinguishers 1) buy one that is way bigger than you think you need because it runs out faster than you'd ever expect and 2) call 911 either way but if it seems like the fire is too big for your extinguisher, don't waste time trying to fight it and get yourself an your family out if the house. Anything larger than couple square feet isnt something a homeowner should attempt fighting

 

[odie]

Hardware outlets have empty paint cans cheap! (I believe it was 99 cents a couple years ago.)

I converted an empty 1gal paint can into a good usable oily, and finish soaked rag bin for storage of combustibles. Since I don't create a lot of these rags, this is about the right size for my purposes. In the lid, I installed a little metal drawer pull to make it handy to use.

This fire bin is emptied for the weekly garbage collection.

(Yes, I know it's misspelled! )

ooc

 

[Mark Wollschlager]

I don't allow my shop to have any concentration of floating dust.
If I am sanding or band sawing dust collection is on from multiple points.
All flammable liquids and sprays are in a paint locker except for the amount I need at that time.
All rags and paper with finish are put in a fireproof waste can.
I don't allow shavings to build up on the floor.
In the shop I also have several fire extinguishers and a phone with 911 on a speed button
In real life I am not an extremely neat person. I don't have my tools all lined up and organized.
I just don't want any accidents that I could have prevented.
I'm not a production turner and my workflow can be interrupted by random stuff so I clean as part of the process so I can walk away without too much worry.

But that,s just me.

Mark

 

[john lucas]

I try to keep my shop free of shavings.
I'm not as good about dusting everything as I used to be. I do periodically go over the entire shop with my shop vac and brush.
I'm more worried about the obvious. Any oily rags are layed on the concrete floor and spread out and at least a foot from anything, until they are dry.
I heat with kerosene and propane so I always sweep up around these machines and never let dust collect on them. They scare me as they should and I think that makes me safer around them.
I do keep a large fire extinquisher nearby.
I have to keep the gas for my lawnmower, chainsaws, and kerosene in the shop so it's all stored in one area alone with all the various solvents.
All welding and grinding is done outside to keep sparks out of the shop.

 

[Dean Center]

Somebody in the know once told me that the proper place for the fire extinguisher is at the exit. I always thought is should be near where it's most likely needed, but he pointed out that if you actually have to use it, you don't want to let anything get between you and your way out.

 

[John Lawson]

Somebody in the know once told me that the proper place for the fire extinguisher is at the exit. I always thought is should be near where it's most likely needed, but he pointed out that if you actually have to use it, you don't want to let anything get between you and your way out.

When we sold our house in NJ, new code required us to put a fire extinguisher in the kitchen. It had to hang in the open on a wall between the stove and the exit. That made a lot of sense to me.

 

[Sean Boyle]

I agree with all the replys

Control Dust

I have a dust collection system conected to all the tools in the shop
A 650cfm air filter hanging from the ceiling if I am in the shop its running
A comercial sized fire extinguisher mounted near the door
and a CLEAN shop
a weekly blow down with the garage door open and the air hose even in the winter

I have posted a pic of the dust collection I have hooked up to my lathe it seems to do better than anything else I have tried. I have stuffed a block of foam under the head stock as well as one under the tail stock. If you look at the piece I turned thats all the shaving on the floor the rest was collected

 

[Dan Hines]

I'm going to have to get the fire safety in my shop. What about tung oil from using paper towels for application?

 

[Mark Warden]

I agree with all the replys

Control Dust

I have a dust collection system conected to all the tools in the shop
A 650cfm air filter hanging from the ceiling if I am in the shop its running
A comercial sized fire extinguisher mounted near the door
and a CLEAN shop
a weekly blow down with the garage door open and the air hose even in the winter

I have posted a pic of the dust collection I have hooked up to my lathe it seems to do better than anything else I have tried. I have stuffed a block of foam under the head stock as well as one under the tail stock. If you look at the piece I turned thats all the shaving on the floor the rest was collected

Hi Sean does that setup turn your whole bed into a collector ? Also you might want to turn that battery around in the picture it looks like lt could make contact with the legs and short out.

 

[herb]

shop fire protection

Hi,

Thanks for good input, as usual. I have since talked with my local fire dept. and can contribute this additional input: If you don't want to have the metal receptacle for oily rags, take them outside after use, have both an ABC fire extinguisher (for chemicals, grease, etc.) and a water fire extinguisher for wood or paper fire. Do get a paint locker or metal cabinet for your finishes. Since smoke alarms are sensitive to dust, get on that is sensitive to heat - it wall go off at about 135 degrees. Finally, consider having sprinklers installed.

Herb

 

[john lucas]

As much as I worry about fire, I could have easily been involved in that Tornado this weekend. The front went right over my house but apparently didn't touch down until 10 miles later. Early on I joked about have no place to go and said I would just tie myself to my anvil and sit in the backyard. It's not a joke now.
to follow up on this How much insurance do you all have. I have enough to cover the big machines but if I have a fire or tornado that destroys everything I'm up a creek. I have hundreds of dollars in router bits, files, rasps, carving tools, Burrs etc. Not to count all the hours spend rebuilding old hand planes that to me are worth a lot but can't afford to cover that stuff on insurance.

 

[Sean Boyle]

yes Mark it turns the entire bed into a collector it is most effective for about the first 18" fromt the head stock also once the tail stock is in place I stuff a piece of foam under it and when turning longer work I place a 1x6 on the bed near the head stock as I am working towards the tail stock this increase the suction towards the end