"Toller" wrote

A number of people recommended full face shields. I have one, but it is
pretty thin flexible plastic; I don't expect it would help much against a
high speed chunk of wood. I looked up a few websites (amazon, hartsville,
woodcraft) and they just sell ones like mine, except mine has a metal
frame. Is there something better, or is it strong enough?


I will give my standard rant concerning face sheilds.

When I was setting up a small metal shop, I asked a friend of mine who
worked in steel mills where I should go to buy some basic safety equipment.
He referred to to an industrial safety suppplier. Most cities of any size
have them.

There is an amazing assortment of safety equipment at them and most of is is
much better quality than what you get at the borg. I ended up getting a red
hard hat with a face shield attachment. The face shield was a sheet of
flexible polycarbonate with holes in the edge that matched the frame on the
helmet. It quickly changed out from the old one to the new one.

Polycarbonate, although tough, does have a tendancy to get scratched up. So
replacement shieds are a must. One of the reasons why I bought this setup
was because my steel mill friend had some tall tales of how they saved
somebody's face/eyes. i have had a number of solid objects impact the face
shield when grinding down metal parts.

One time it hit hard enough to knock me over onto my ass from a forward
bending position. I have also taken hits on the hard hat as well. If I am
going to do anything in the shop, metal or woodwork, that has a potential to
do me bodily harm, I armor up. Hard hat, face shield, ear protection, safety
glasses and dust mask are a minimum. I often wear a leather apron as well
with a break away strings on it in case it gets caught in anything.

Call me a safety freak. But I grew up around all kinds of industrial
accident victims. I vowed from an early age that nothing like this was going
to happen to me. And I have been a bonafide safety freak ever since.