I promised in John D’s “I cut my hand on the table saw” thread that I’d get info out on the tight(er) fitting gloves I occasionally wear in the shop. Proved harder than expected — cannot seem to find them on the internet, so here’s a picture of them. They are by Atlas, same brand that you see with the bulkier rubber-lined gloves, but these are a snug nylon knit with neoprene palms and fingers (neoprene? hope that’s right). I’ve seen them at Ace Hardware and other ordinary places like that.
No doubt this thread will develop a “Yes/No-never” debate about gloves around power tools, so right up front I’ll say, when it comes to power tools, I only wear these when I feel I need extra traction at the table saw (usually when cutting plywood), and I’m very careful not to set myself up for getting them caught in the blade. I do not use them at the jointer, drill press or bandsaw.
forestgirl — you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can’t take the forest out of the girl 😉
Another proud member of the “I Rocked With ToolDoc Club” …. :>)
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They are usually marketed as 'mechanics gloves' so they should be easy to find in those stores. I won't bite the debate bait though. But a thought did cross my mind. I wonder what effect they would have on the blade stopping mechanism on a SawStop saw?
"I wonder what effect they would have on the blade stopping mechanism on a SawStop saw?" I don't intend to find out, LOL! The Saw Stop is triggered by anything that grounds the blade, IIRC, and once the blade touches skin, that is done. Might take a millisecond longer with any gloves on.
I'll hve to check with my Chevy-dealer-mechanic son and ask about them. It never struck me that was the category they were market for, and these gloves only came onto my radar about a year ago.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
"triggered by anything that grounds the blade" Ahh! But if both your hands are insulated due to the neoprene from the gloves, and no other part of your body is touching the saw. You're not grounded, and the circuit is not made. Therefore, the saw will keep chomping away until its appetite is satisfied, or it jams up, or that the circuit finally is made when you've laying across the saw. (Shudder!! Opps, too graphic. ;-)I looked at the packaging of a pair that a friend gave me made by the same people who make hand cleaner (GoJo) and they labeled them technicians gloves.Have a Happy New Year.
It's neoprene, not 1" thick Kevlar, LOL. Maybe I'll write Saw Stop and ask them to redo the demonstration with one of these gloves slipped over the hot dog. ROFL!! Too funny.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Well, if you want a little Kevlar with your rubber........then try these!
I've got one of the OvGloves to use when rearranging wood in the wood stove. Tried just using my rubber-coated garden gloves, but it became obvious quickly that wasn't a good idea. What temp does that stuff melt at anyway? LOL!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
I don't know, but you don't see Pamela Anderson standing too close to the fire when roasting marshmallows do you?
The Saw Stop system doesn't work on grounding out the blade or simple continuity. It senses capacitance. Note the hot dog in the demo is sitting on a piece of sheetstock which is an insulator. This is a good thing because the system wouldn't work if you were using a sled. Once the blade cut through the glove and broke the skin the system would work normally. What I'm wondering is if the hot dog alone has enough capacitance to trigger the system. Maybe someone here that has a SawStop saw would try the hot dog demo with the glove if we put up the $500 for a new brake and blade? I'm also wondering if the SawStop system would work on a meat slicer? As anyone with deli or pizza shop experience knows they're notorious for cleanly slicing off finger tips.John O'Connell - JKO Handcrafted Woodworking
The more things change ...
We trained hard, but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams, we would be reorganized. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing; and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization.
Petronious Arbiter, 210 BC
Just so you know, a 10" replacement cartridge for the sawstop cabinet saw is $85, also I have seen the hot dog demo with just a miter gauge, and it worked fast, I men fast fast.
FG,
Someday we'll get you sliding down the slippery slope of handtool-dom at full speed. Gloves will be a thing of the past - ha ha. Just kidding, Ed
How about them Stainless Steel Chain link gloves them crazy folks feed Sharks with?
Yeah I was wearing some of them today when the County Property Tax Assessor was coming through our neighborhood assessing property values for tax re-baselining.
Will: I think that if the blade doesn't cut through the material of the glove then you might (probably?) end up with a "crush" injury. Could be worse 'cause there would not be an opportunity to sew it back on. Maybe one of the Knots physician/woodworkers could comment. DukeKenneth Duke Masters
The Bill of Rights
December 15 1791
NRA Endowment Member
LEAA Life Member
CRPA Member
Well since no one else responded to your question about what happens when you wear clothing (gloves) around power machinery, I thought I would give my observations.I am a one of the orthopedic residents at a large metro hospital, and I have seen my share of various workshop injures. The ones from table saws tend to cause a large "kerf" cut through the body part encountered with the spinning blade. The edges tend to be quite rough and not favorable for repair or replant of the severed body part. Now add the mix of having clothes (gloves) inserted into the equation. Once the glove or clothes gets caught in the spinning blade, the blade forcefully grabs the clothing which forms a noose around the arm and graps the underlying skin. Without going into too much detail, the weakest link is the connection between the skin and the underlying muscle. Thus the skin gets avulsed off the extremity and degloves (removes the skin to the level of muscle) of the involved extremity. Depending on the powertool and forces encountered, can cause other bodily injures (fractures, amputations, etc.)A couple of weeks ago, an individual got his shirt caught in a metal lathe. It degloved his entire arm and he sustained multiple fractures and amputated fingers. After multiple surgeries, he has the potential of having a somewhat functional arm and hand. So being around powertools is dangerous enough, and wearing gloves adds another variable which I am not willing to risk. But to each his or her own. dpr
Dave: Thanks for the detailed reply; my question was more towards this: Will George mentioned wearing chain mall steel gloves like those worn by shark photographers etc so I was wondering that if the blade could not cut through the glove and hand it might "crush" the finger instead of a, at least somewhat, cleaner injury, although I had not considered the "kerf" effect. I know from my reading (pathology is one of my hobbies)that crush injuries are very devastating, that thing about "compartment syndrome". Would that apply to a small area like a finger or only to a crushed abdomen or other large area? Your note also bought up this question: is the degloveing phenomena a way that energy gets dissipated in an injury? It seams like if the skin was more firmly attached to the muscle layers it would pull the whole extremity into the machine and leave a less salvageable arm or none at all.
DukeKenneth Duke Masters
The Bill of Rights
December 15 1791
NRA Endowment Member
LEAA Life Member
CRPA Member
As you wish but I would never, never wear gloves around any power tool! If I need more grip, I lay a piece of silicone rubber (gasket material) on the piece and push with my bare hands on the rubber.
If that is not enough, then I'll do something different. Maybe ask for help from someone.
But I never wear gloves around power tools no matter how careful I might think I am being!!!
Again, to each his/her own!
Be safe!
I also would not wear gloves with woodworking machinery and furthermore I don't wear shirts with long sleeves. I also do not wear a watch or jewelry. I've had a machine grab my clothing in the past (no injury...lucky me!!!!) And I don't ever want to experience that again!
To me it is right up there with safety glasses. Also I would recommend wearing hearing protection. As someone who is 45 and uses hearing aids in each ear I try to protect what hearing I have left.
Sounds like you and I agree on this issue. After years of trapshooting in multiple leagues, I saw many almost deaf shooters. I too believe in ear protection when running the planer, router, sander and miscellaneous other noisy power tools. I usually don't wear ear protection when using the TS/DP/BS/lathe as they don't seem to make a lot of noise but eye protection is a must on all. Using the lathe and using the Leigh dove tail jig I additionally add a face shield.
Stay safe.A bad day woodworking is better than a good day working -- yes, I'm retired!
Do you wear glasses? If so, what kind of protection do you put over them? Not everything fits over them easily.
Prescription safety glasses with sides that snap on and off. Usually keep the sides off unless working outside in the wind which is where I do most of my dovetailing on the Leigh jig. The face shield uses only a headband.
A bad day woodworking is better than a good day working -- yes, I'm retired!
Polycarbonate shooting glasses work well over regular eyeglasses, and provide side protection, too.
Hello I also wear glasses,but I always wear a full face shield.Got tired of digging crap out of my eyes.
Ken
I HEAR ya' on that one!Face shield GOOD for the eyes!
Without the eyes all the skills in the world are useless.Very few days go by where I don't see someone using some type of power tool or a piece of landscaping equip.with NO eye protection at all.Scarry, As it bring to mind some folks I have know in the past who are walking around with damaged eyes or no site at all.Well sorry about the safety talk,but Maybe someone will read this today and still be able to read it several years from now.
Ken
Edited 1/5/2006 6:37 pm ET by woodsmanplus
Yes!
Here's the key point - if you think you need gloves for protection anywhere near a power tool, you're already at big risk.
Gloves will not save your fingers!
Use your machines so that gloves are redundant, and you'll be OK. Think: if things go wrong, can my fingers end up in the blade/cutter/infeed? If thre answer could possibly be yes, don't do it!
There's ALWAYS a safe way
Malcolmhttp://www.macpherson.co.nz
I wear gloves to protect my skin. I value sensitive, girly-man fingers. I know I need to take extra care to keep them clear of cutting / rotating / grabbing parts.My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
So do I when doing yard work or moving/handling timber ... mostly because I do office work mostly, and most of the year my hands are too soft to take it!
But. Around machinery. No. False security?
Malcolmhttp://www.macpherson.co.nz
I am sure that this probably has been said,but wearing gloves around a tablesaw is asking for trouble.I have worked around more power tools than I can remember over the past 40 plus years and when you start depending on gloves for blade protection on most any tool YOU WILL GET HURT.A spinter is easy to remove,putting a finger back on is not.My opinion for what it is worth is put the gloves aside when you turn on your saws.Good luck.Take your time and be carefull.
If you ask people who wear gloves in the shop, I doubt many will say that the "wear gloves for blade protection." Moronic that would be. It's usually other reasons.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Hello maybe I worded my response wrong,but I have been working around machinery for well over 40 yr's and I can tell of many horror stories that I have witnessed over the years due to loose clothing and yes gloves.Why you wear gloves was not my point.My point was that if you need to wear gloves in the shop this is fine,but please take them off when you get on the tool that have spinning blades and such.Also if you read the topic it was about wearing gloves to protect your hands from tablesaw blades.I am not tring to be rude,I am just tring to offer advice that can possably keep someone from gettting hurt.
Ken
I value your experience, Ken, and I'm not striving to be argumentative, just clear. I hear you about the recommendation to simply not ever wear gloves around our running power tools.
That being said, here is the statement (post) you were responding to (click here for the original). "I wear gloves to protect my skin. I value sensitive, girly-man fingers. I know I need to take extra care to keep them clear of cutting / rotating / grabbing parts." My guess is, John wasn't talking about protecting his skin from blades/bits but from the wood itself and other "stuff."
Not sure which topic you're referring to that "...was about wearing gloves to protect your hands from tablesaw blades." I am the OP for this thread, and it was never about protecting hands from blades. To quote from my 1st post "I only wear these when I feel I need extra traction at the table saw (usually when cutting plywood), and I'm very careful not to set myself up for getting them caught in the blade." I'm certainly not encouraging anyone else to copy me. I started the thread in response to queries about this specific type of glove.
Thank you, sincerely, for your concern. It was a post similar to yours, several months ago, that got me to stop wearing my wedding rings in the shop! The term de-gloving was just too gruesome and vivid.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Hi there again,didn't mean to sound testy there.It is just that I have seen so many horrible accidents over the years where people were maimed by not being carefull or by being careless and I tend to go a little overboard I guess when it comes to safety.
Ken
No problem, Ken, I understand. No such thing as "going overboard" with safety advice.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
It's usually other reasons..Ya' BET! I do for woods that do not like me.. Keeps them little 'sticks' sawdust? from sticking in my hands..I use some pretty hard woods and get all kinds of stuff stuck in the back of my hands if no gloves.. YEP! Dust collection does NOT get everything that fliessss out from that blade!I am sure gloves help me there! I DO NOT expect them to save a finger...Long story cut really short.. Two years ago? About... Cutting down a VERY large Silver Maple... Had cut most of a very large limb hanging over my house.. Geeeeee... Had a i inch nylon rope on it.. Well.. I was pulling and pulling.. It broke loose! Dang.. I went up like being on a elevator.. ER Dr. said "Good ya' had gloves on or you would have had that arm torn off! Thank God my glove came off half way up!True story.. NEVER do it again!
I totally agree that using for gloves for protection around power tools is non-sensical. I occasionally use the tight-fitting, coated gloves to increase the friction when handling plywood at the table saw. Totally different thing. May be more psychological than anything, who knows, but under some circumstances it feels safer and should I get close enough to the blade to catch a glove, I was doomed anyway because I was doing something s-t-u-p-i-d. forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
I'm with you, although we are probably in the minority here. My shop/garage is unheated, and I live in Minnesota. To do any woodworking at all in the winter I need to wear gloves of some sort. Normally I'll grab my motorcycling gloves (soft deerskin). The point for me is better handling. My skin is very dry, and coupled with very low humidity, the likelihood of slipping when pushing wood across a tablesaw or router table is pretty high. It seems to me that the better alternative is to use gloves. I don't get my hands close to the blade under any circumstances. I try to follow the advice from Mr. Miyagi in the "Karate Kid": "Best defense is not be there."
Bruce, who's not willing to stop woodworking for the four-five months of MN winters.
""Best defense is not be there." I like that!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Checkout... http://www.reddenmarine.com/site/new-detail.cfm?id=ATL370BLKL
It looks like it might be the same.
Edited 12/30/2005 3:08 pm ET by BillyJoeC
Re: gloves
My hands are a mess, and I have been wearing gloves for the last few years. I have tried many, and by the far the best I have found are goat skin gloves from, of all places, Sam's Club. They're called PLAINSMAN BRAND CABRETTA GLOVE (Item: 133852), and cost less than $10 a pair.
The leather is very thin, yet strong, and if I buy them one size smaller than normal, they will stretch some and fit like a second skin. Because they are so thin, you lose very little touch sensitivity. They're only slightly thicker than Nitrile gloves, but they are more comfortable (i.e. breathable) and durable.
Here's the link to Sam's Club:
http://tinyurl.com/b9e9o
I wear them year-round, and yes, I do wear them when running machines. For me, the added risk is offset by the relief I get with my cracked skin problems (especially thumbs) by wearing the gloves.
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
I've been wearing these "mechanix" gloves a lot, especially when moving wood around the shop, to avoid splinters. I don't use them for protection against cutting blades, although they did protect me from a minor cut from my miter saw when I foolishly reached in to push out a scrap as the blade was coming to a stop. Got a small nick on the glove, but not my skin. Very, very stupid.
I like the grip they give when holding wood to machine it.
Dave
Hey forestgirl,
Try this site for your gloves I use them all the time.
http://www.mechanix.com/home.asp
My first post here. Hi all
Scott
Thanks for the web tip, Scott. Now I know where to go Christmas shopping next year for my step-son!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
No problem forestgirl,
My shop is COLD. That and my finger ends get badly cracked are the reason I wear gloves.
They have thin (washable) leather on fingertips and palms. The lycra on the back makes them tight enough to work in and still have pretty good feel.
If they are sized right you should be able to pick up a #4 x 1/2" screw.
Scott[email protected]
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How can woodworking get done in a cold shop? Gluing and finishing require a shop temperature of at least 60 degrees. I wear gloves to move stuff around,10 degree pipe clamps are no fun with bare hands. After 30 min the shop is up to 70 and off come the gloves. I never use gloves on the table saw, I just wait till its warmer.
You are right woodman but I don't finish in there.
I have a smaller dust free heated shop in my basement.
One of these days I will get my Pellet stove in and finish insulation.
Scott[email protected]
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"One of these days I will get my Pellet stove in and finish insulation." Just got mine fired up yesterday, and it is wonderful! Went out there this morning, and it was 58° and all the lumber was smiling at me.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
"If they are sized right you should be able to pick up a #4 x 1/2" screw." The problem I run into with glove sizing: My hands got very muscular back in the days when I rode and trained horses, ran a boarding stable and bucked hay. By the time I get a pair that's wide enough for the body of the hand, the fingers are too long! Drives me nuts! Latex gloves fit well, ROFL!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
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