--- title: General Policy Document description: "**General** The Joinery’s facilities and tools are for the general hobbyist wishing to create and build personal and one-off projects.   The Joinery is a shared facility and depends on individual responsibility for keeping the facilities and tools in clean…" url: "https://thejoinery.club/docs/policy-document/" updated: "2026-08-17" category: Policies --- # General Policy Document **General** The Joinery’s facilities and tools are for the general hobbyist wishing to create and build personal and one-off projects.   The Joinery is a shared facility and depends on individual responsibility for keeping the facilities and tools in clean and working order.  Respect for the equipment, facilities, and each other is the minimum expectation for continued use. **Commercial Use** The Joinery is for private use and not to be used to produce commercial products or high-volume items.  Occasional volume use may be granted for gift-making, charitable support or other special needs.  Management must approve all special use cases. **Code of Conduct** **To maintain a safe and welcoming environment for our members and guest, infringement of any of the following may be grounds for termination of membership and use of the Joinery, its facilities, and equipment as determined by management.  ** - Respect others who are using the facilities.   - Leave the tools and facilities better than you found them. - Do not change settings on tools marked as “Setup”. - Do not leave tools in the “Setup” condition for longer than needed. - Put tools away in appropriate marked locations. - Do not leave personal tools or material around – Members should use identified storage locations. - Use age-appropriate language. - Do not engage in discriminatory behavior of any kind. - Do not engage in harassment. - Harassment includes offensive verbal comments or actions related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, sexual images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, unwanted photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention. - Do not operate machinery or hand tools while under the influence of substances that may cause physical or mental impairment. **Certification** Before using any machine tools, members must complete our Shop Safety & Orientation course.  The course is online and self-paced, and takes about 90 minutes to finish.  Members who have completed our Introduction to Woodworking class have already met this requirement.  **Safety** Safety is the top responsibility of every member and guest. - All members and guests are required to use appropriate personal protective equipment. - It is the responsibility of every member and guest to understand the safe use of any tool or equipment before using it.  - Members or guests in an affected work area should be made aware of safety rules if they are not following them (e.g. a request to put on safety equipment or relocate to avoid breathing fumes) and are expected to comply immediately.  - Members must not allow unsafe practices by any guest or other member – they are responsible for speaking up. - Members must be certified to use machine tools (See Certification) - Safety videos for most tools will be available online to refresh your safety knowledge occasionally. - If you are not comfortable using a tool, please ask for help. - If your gut says something is not right, listen to it and stop what you are doing.  Ask for help or confirmation that what you are doing is ok. - The Joinery highly recommends that you do not use machine tools alone unless someone knows where you are and how long you expect to be there and can check on you, or you have a phone that can automatically call 911 and emergency contact if you fall or trigger the alarm. - Eye protection is required when using machinery. - Hearing protection is highly recommended when using machinery - Dust masks are recommended. **Guests** Guests are allowed to be accompanied by members.  Members and guests can work on short-term projects together, but machine tools are used only by the member with certification.  Extended use by guests requires an individual membership or to be added to a family membership.  The member is always responsible for the guest and should not be left alone in the facilities. **Personal Property/materials** During a project, you may be using personal materials and may use personal tools.  We require that you mark your materials and tools with personal identification information.  All personal tools and materials should be removed from the work area, stored in the member storage location, or removed from the facility.  Items left in the work areas will be removed by staff, who will determine an appropriate disposition. **Storage** Full Members can choose to add tool storage to their membership for a monthly fee.  All personal materials and tools should be kept in these locations when not used.  The staff can provide short-term storage locations for large projects or special needs.  These items should be labeled and signed by the staff. **Access** The Joinery is equipped with a facial recognition system which allows access to members.  The member must be the one using the security credentials and always be present.  Access is granted once the online Shop Safety & Orientation course has been completed.  When leaving and you are the last one, ensure that all doors are locked, all tools are powered off, and lights are off before leaving. **Consumables** Glue, sand paper, and various other consumables are available for purchase on site at our self serve station.   Lumber is also available for purchase on site. **Alcohol and Other Drug Policy** Power and hand tools are prohibited while under the influence of alcohol.   No alcohol is allowed on premises unless authorized by management for special events, not utilizing tools. Use of illicit drugs, including marijuana and THC in any form, is not allowed on premises. No one under the influence of illicit drugs, including marijuana and THC in any form, is allowed on the premises. Use of power tools is not allowed if taking medication that may impair you physically or mentally. You may be asked to obtain a drug test if an accident occurs on-site. **Fire Arms** Fire Arms are prohibited in The Joinery facilities, whether in working or non-working form. **Internet Access** The Joinery provides internet access for members to use as part of the membership fee.  Appropriate use of the internet is required at all times. **Media Usage** Members sign a waiver indicating they have approved using their image by The Joinery.  Others are free to take photos and videos of their work; however, they should respect others and ask before taking photos or videos of other members or their work. ### *Related*