I have personal experience with 3 shop fires. 2 were caused by the sparks from grinding metal, and apparently some of the sparks landed in or near sawdust and "caught up" long after the owners had both left the shop, and they looked out to see the shop on fire. So some of the discussions on here regarding caution in grinding metal in the shop are very prudent - I take mine outside. The other fire (mine) years ago was in a two story wood structure with farm equipment below and the wood shop upstairs. My Dad used the diesel tractor to put out some hay, and brought it back and parked it. It was a very raw day about 15 degrees with 25-30 mph wind, crystal clear blue skies, and less than 10% relative humidity (bone dry). After my Dad parked the tractor and left, apparently a spark from the hot tractor engine fell down into loose hay on the ground, and the rest is history. The rough sawed white pine building burned fast & hot, gone in maybe 30 minutes along with a 4000 Ford tractor, rotary hay mower, a round bailer, and all of my woodworking tools and stuff upstairs. The good news was there was farm insurance that covered some of the loses, but that's another bad story that I won't get into, just be sure you know your agent and exactly what you're buying, down to the most minute detail of the policy.
Anyway, lesson learned is to be careful with heat sources, sparks and combustibles. I don't allow gasoline, weed eaters, or lawn mowers to be stored in my shop, primarily because of the users (or supposed users?). We all have combustible chemicals in the shop, and I store mine away from the equipment and work area, make sure the containers are sealed tightly and in good condition. A metal chemical cabinet isn't a bad idea.
As the point of this thread, make sure you have a good fire extinguisher in the shop. Make sure it is a class ABC combination extinguisher. Class A is for general fires with wood, cloth, paper and such. Class B is for chemical type fires, and Class C is for electrical fires. Any of these type fires are likely in a wood shop, so make sure your extinguisher is Class ABC. Someone mentioned CO2 extinguishers and they're great, just a little pricey. No one is more frugal than me, but spend the money to buy a good fire extinguisher, when you need it you want it to work. Get a good high quality, heavy made, metal tank, rechargeable model with a pressure/fill gauge. Off the top of my head, some of the good manufacturer's are Amerex and Kidde, and there's other good ones. You're probably looking at close to $100 for a good 20# one. The better ones can be tested and recertified, which is a big plus because you now it will work when you need it. Many of the el cheapo versions cannot be refilled or serviced. Most towns/cities/areas have fire safety companies that do testing and certification of fire extinguishers, and it only costs maybe $10 or a little more per extinguisher. This is a small investment compared to what we spend on our wood working tools, not to mention having a tool handy that could also save someone from getting hurt.
Jackleg mentioned smoke detectors in the shop. This is a good idea but can be a maintenance problem and there's some things to be aware of. Most common residential smoke detectors are photoelectric type that, simply put, have an optical reader inside that measures the density of the air. In a dusty environment like a wood shop, the optical chamber will become dirty and obscured with dust, just like being full of smoke, and will cause nuisance alarms. It's no big deal, you just have to remember to carefully clean it periodically. I often times have no choice but to design heat detectors for dirty environments, but would probably just recommend a good photoelectric detector for a home woodshop, in spite of the dust problems. If your fire alarm is connected to a home security system that automatically calls, I might go with the heat detector because some places charge you every time you roll the fire trucks (DAMHIKT). For heat detectors, get a type that is 135 degree fixed temperature and also has rate-of-rise features. (They make 165 degree heat detectors, but in most of these shop environments, by the time the qambient air reaches 165 degress, the shop will be toast.) Most heat detectors don't mind dusty environments.
If you implement a good fire extinguisher and fire alarm program in your home and shop, make sure you notify your home owners insurance since it can save signifigant dollars on your premium. It's been mentioned in threads before, but make sure you have a fairly detailed list of all your tools, value, etc. Pictures and videos are great for this. File all of this with your home owners insurance and make sure things are insured and insured properly. Some insurance poicies may require a separate rider policy for an extensive amount of tools, guns, jewelry, etc. My shop, tools and antique tool collection are a separate listing.
Sorry this got so windy and I apologize, but maybe it will help somebody. :icon_thum
My Best
Randy O
