# gloves for the shop



## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

most of my hobby involves real hard woods - oak, maple, etc.

I plane for thickness, I rip for straight, etc.

with the result that I seem to attract a lot of bleeding cuts from sharp edges on the various pcs. using fingers to guide 'feets of stock' through the router, TS, etc. almost always produces 'blood on the boards' - and worse, cuts/slices make for tender fingers and that can lead to disasters when the stabbing pain causes one to flinch....

I have been leery of gloves because there is the snag&drag factor - dragging fingers into a moving cutting blade is really not recommended . . . . plus the general loss of tactile feedback and control.

any experiences on using gloves in the shop? particular brands that offer a snug fit + good friction finger-to-work piece?

just bought a box of 100 bandaids for the shop,,,, so it's not a must fix today issue.....


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## johnep (Apr 12, 2007)

How about a butchers glove. Used by them in cutting meat. Should be readily available from Amazon. Would be in most cooking sundry stores.
johnep


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## Pineknot_86 (Feb 19, 2016)

The butcher's gloves are cut proof but not puncture proof. You can still stick a knife point or splinter through the mesh. Sold restaurant supplies for several years. I have one and it has that info on the label.
I don't wear gloves in the shop and rarely for anything else.


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## Cowpokey (Feb 10, 2017)

I still remember my high school shop teacher telling us "Gloves have no place around machinery in a wood shop; they give a false sense of security. Push blocks and push sticks keep your fingers way from the dangers of blades." 

Safety glasses were mandatory and strictly enforced too...I wish I was better about following that protocol, I usually remember right about the time I get something in my eye.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

I do not understand the problem. I use hard woods and have none of the problems you describe. I take a blood thinner so bleeding can be a problem for me.

I would ABSOLUTELY NOT use gloves when feeding wood into machinery.

I use gloves when handling wood.

George


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## difalkner (Nov 27, 2011)

Ditto what George said; I use gloves when hauling lumber from the sawmill to the truck and the truck to the shop. But I never use them when I'm woodworking in the shop - never. I work with Walnut, Maple, Beech, Cherry, Rosewoods, and other very hard exotics and all create sharp edges off the jointer, table saw, drum sander, planer, etc. and I rarely cut myself. I play guitar so I'm very careful but not shy about handling the sharp wood. 

My $0.02 is don't use gloves.

David


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

Practice better finger placement and build some calluses, glove have no place around tools. If you need convincing, look into accident photos of people who've had their fingers degloved because they forgot to remove a wedding ring, or those who've had their hand sucked into the spinning stock on a lathe because a glove caught. 

It only takes seeing a human arm turned into a piece of spaghetti once, after that you will never even think about gloves, loose sleeves or jewellery. Keeping your fingers away from sharp edges is much safer, and easy to learn


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## Jim Frye (Aug 24, 2016)

If I'm going to be passing a bunch of work past a tool where I MUST use my fingers, I will wrap a flexible fabric band aid around the ones that are going to be pressing on the work piece. However, push blocks, push sticks, and feather boards are the preferable practice.


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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

well, pretty much confirms what I've always held dear about gloves around machines . . .

the advice to simply develop better callouses is splendid. totally impractical, but splendid.
I'm in awe of folks who can manage their cutting/etc to avoid sharp edges. perhaps if I use duller blades/tools I may get there as well.

I have made / make / modify / tweak many hold-down/slide by sticks, pegs, doohickies, etc to avoid having to slide fingers over wood wood pieces - most I find ungainly to unworkable to outright dangerous. in theory I do not disagree - it you can mechanically block/brace/guide it, that's better than fingering it . . . . but, sigh, sometimes that's just not workable. the Rockler Thin Rip doodad is my personal favorite where it applies well. did some test re-saw with the bandsaw using that guide, veddy smooth and issue free...

Jim's "put on a bandaid and go do it" approach is my fave at this point.... 
like . . . if it works after, why would it not work 'in advance' - pretty much some stick'ems first with no blood later....


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## Catpower (Jan 11, 2016)

I agree with everything everybody said, no gloves but I too have thin skin and it cuts pretty easy, tough getting old but I have also found out to keep my hands moisturized dry skin cuts/cracks easier than softer skin


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## Cowpokey (Feb 10, 2017)

TomCT2 said:


> well, pretty much confirms what I've always held dear about gloves around machines . . .
> 
> the advice to simply develop better callouses is splendid. totally impractical, but splendid.
> I'm in awe of folks who can manage their cutting/etc to avoid sharp edges. perhaps if I use duller blades/tools I may get there as well.


You started the thread asking for advice, advice was given, and you didn't like what folks posted. 

I hope the "duller blades/tools" was an attempt at sarcasm on your part; dull blades and tools are extremely dangerous because it causes way to much force by your hands, arms, body to push the material and make those "dull" blades work. Those same "dull" blades/tools won't be slowed down cutting through flesh and bone; I can promise you that.


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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

of course it's on the sarcastic side. same as the "I do all that and never produce a sharp edge" contributions.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Calluses work better for me.


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## JamesTinKS (Nov 15, 2012)

Catpower said:


> I agree with everything everybody said, no gloves but I too have thin skin and it cuts pretty easy, tough getting old but I have also found out to keep my hands moisturized dry skin cuts/cracks easier than softer skin


Yep, keep your hands moisturized (I'm a bleeder too) and you will definitely have fewer cuts. 

Hand placement helps too. (I get sharp edges but have learned to keep my hands moisturized (especially in winter) and to keep they away from the edges (OK, most of the time) but I still keep the band aid supply stocked up.)


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## sanchez (Feb 18, 2010)

Plywood edges are pretty good at cutting you up. Regular wood isn't so bad. Avoid gloves. The band-aid idea is pretty good.


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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

... plywood

well, see - this where things go their separate ways. because. . . 
I work with plywood for tops / shelves / etc. right regular.
I'm always putting some kind of banding / edging on it.
the plywood is rough cut over size, then carefully cut to finish size.

it's handled like a pane of glass - simply to avoid bashing up the edges and making a mess of the band/plywood joint.

and it's the blinkity -blankity banding cutting / cutting / routing where I get sliced and diced.
I don't _want_ a nice sanded smooth corner on that join - I _want_ it sharp and crisp.

and lemme say, white oak and maple is real good at holding an edge - red oak isn't far behind.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

With the lone exception of running power tools, I wear cloth lined thin leather work gloves in my carving shop all the time.
It's cold, vibration, hand grime, slivers, skinny tools, all kinds of considerations, safety might be #10.


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## akbrew907 (Jun 14, 2016)

No gloves except when staining so my hands stay clean


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

TomCT2 said:


> well, pretty much confirms what I've always held dear about gloves around machines . . .
> 
> the advice to simply develop better callouses is splendid. totally impractical, but splendid.
> I'm in awe of folks who can manage their cutting/etc to avoid sharp edges. perhaps if I use duller blades/tools I may get there as well.
> ...


Eh, it doesn't take much awe inspiring talent to teach yourself better hand placement, it's just a matter of making sure that you don't run your finger down a sharp corner. There's nothing magical about it, it's just a matter of realizing that a sharp corner on wood will cut you just as well as a spinning blade, and keeping the same mindset when dealing with both, I.e making sure you don't place your hands in a way that would cause injury

You're more than welcome to swing by my shop and and see how dull my tools are (spoiler alert: they aren't). You're also more than welcome to see how I avoid having sharp edges on fresh cuts (spoiler alert: I don't). And yet, no cuts on my admittedly delicate hands


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## Rodrat (Aug 31, 2016)

I sometimes scratch myself on something but I have really cut down on cutting myself since I decided to round over edges on boards with my hand plane. Just one swipe will do it and everything will still be square.


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## allpurpose (Mar 24, 2016)

Steve Neul said:


> Calluses work better for me.


That's exactly what I was going to say. Too bad that you can't buy them, but occasionally my fingers get coated in glue which could be a cheap alternative and just think of all the fun of peeling glue from your fingers during those long lonely nights after a long day of glueups..I know how much fun it was as a kid.

By the way, I got my finger in the way of a spinning blade once.. a few bandages wouldn't have helped. A mile of gause might though


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## amckenzie4 (Apr 29, 2010)

TomCT2 said:


> most of my hobby involves real hard woods - oak, maple, etc.
> 
> I plane for thickness, I rip for straight, etc.
> 
> ...


My thoughts on gloves are much the same as everyone else has mentioned: they're a serious risk while using power tools. Given that disclaimer, you could try some of the inexpensive cloth ones from Home Depot: They fit pretty tightly, give acceptable grip, and tear easily, so they might just rip if they get caught.

That said: I think there's something else going on here. While I have cut myself on plywood, and once on a piece of red oak, it's certainly not a common thing. You mention "using fingers to guide 'feets of stock' through" your machines. Can you give us a clearer sense of what you're doing, and maybe video, or at least a staged photo of your hand as it would be while making a cut? I feel like this may be something like the problem I had early on while trying to use a potter's wheel: I just needed someone to look at what I was doing, and tell me to move my hand just a little bit.


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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

nice idea, but actually there is nothing else going on. I'm not a production shop where I have a pile of 300 pcs to run a 1/4 round on the router table - so the "problem" is not apt to be solved by "just move your finger over here"

last go round it was 
six pcs of 7/16 by 1-3x/4 by 60 inch oak to round over three edges - that's a big 'run' for me - I batched up multiple project pcs since I had to rip the 7/16 off a chunk of qtr sawn & plane for thickness
plus
four pcs 3/4 x 6 x 12 for four edge round over
plus
two pcs of 4 x 3/4 x 24 for four edge round over

if I was dealing in production qtys I'd set up a few dozen feather boards and stops and guide rails and and and . . . however in a one off build environment it's 2-3 pcs of this and that - not really something you want to spend 30 minutes setting up for every dimension.


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## amckenzie4 (Apr 29, 2010)

TomCT2 said:


> nice idea, but actually there is nothing else going on. I'm not a production shop where I have a pile of 300 pcs to run a 1/4 round on the router table - so the "problem" is not apt to be solved by "just move your finger over here"
> 
> last go round it was
> six pcs of 7/16 by 1-3x/4 by 60 inch oak to round over three edges - that's a big 'run' for me - I batched up multiple project pcs since I had to rip the 7/16 off a chunk of qtr sawn & plane for thickness
> ...


I'd still be interested in knowing what you're doing when you cut yourself, if only so I can avoid it myself.

I no longer routinely use power tools (not much space for 'em in a 6'x6' shop!), but I know that when I had a table saw setting up a feather board took a few seconds at most. The fence took longer, but that was because I bought a saw with a terrible fence. So I'm a little puzzled at the time it would add in your shop: maybe it's an issue with your saw? I know there are magnetic featherboards that seem to get reasonable ratings... maybe try one of those?


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

These are the gloves at work and this helps too....


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