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Thread: Are gloves safe

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Acampo, CA
    Posts
    15

    Are gloves safe

    Due to cold weather or finger cuts, I often would like to wear gloves while turning. I have heard from a few people that it can be a safety issue should a glove catch the chuck or the piece. I am curious what the views are here.

    And I apologize if this has been covered earlier. I have been out of touch moving a couple of times and resetting the shop, etc.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Tucson, Arizona
    Posts
    632
    As long as I've been around, I've always heard that you NEVER WEAR GLOVES around any cutting machinery... What gets me is Rockler sells Kevelar gloves for wood workers. It's bullet proof, but when I worked in Aviation, we would cut Kevelar with a utility knife and sometimes scissors.... ... Jerry (in Tucson)

  3. #3
    Personally I would never wear gloves, but I do know that there are some on this forum that due use them when turning dry wood and the chips get hot. I would not run the risk as the potential injury is much too great. Just my opinion.

  4. #4
    so far ... the first roughing cuts on very dry wood are the only uncomfortable ones. I am generally not in a hurry, so if it becomes bothersome, I take a break for a bit.

    I, personally, would not feel comfortable with gloves. I like the feel of the tool / wood so it would take something away from me.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Minot, ND
    Posts
    558
    Gloves make things very dangerous when you're using them around power tools, especially the ones that spin and turn. If you get close enough to contact the rotating portion, you have the potential of it catching and drawing your glove and hand both into the tool. If your bare hand contacted the same item, odds are you might receive a scrape, cut, bruise or burn, but the likelihood of it grabbing you and trying to draw you in is much lower. I, myself have contacted the chuck a time or two and the fingernails have suffered, (trying to tear them loose), but the chuck didn't grab anything, which would have been downright ugly. I guess that I do use them outside with portable power tools but avoid them on the stationary types as much as possible.

  6. I would think that if, and I repeat "IF" one made sure he has enough wood to turn a longer tenon, and could keep his hands a safe distance away from the spinning chuck, that it could be done safely, but that is something that if one just got used to doing, then a lapse in proper preparation could easily be forgotten, and there you have the danger again.

    We have a few guys in our local club that use a glove, but I do not recommend it! They may have developed some safe techniques to wear them, but I do not know what they are............seems "iffy' to me! Safety first always!
    Remember, in a moments time, everything can change!

    Vision - not just seeing what is, but seeing what can be!




  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    East Windsor NJ
    Posts
    108
    I agree with everyone that gloves are a danger around a lathe. IF it is considered a necessity at least cut off all of the fingers. And I reemphasize ONLY IF IT IS DEEMED ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Hematite, MO
    Posts
    215
    I have seen some gloves that have the finger tips cut off and not sure if that is safe. I have always following the "No Gloves" rule when working with moving and cutting equipment. You might think about putting a small heater closer the lathe or above it to help out. A small heater might be cheaper than a doctor's bill or loss a finger. At the end of the day it comes down to a personal choice and your willingness for risk and consequence.

    I got knocked on my "can" one time by a small piece flying out from the saw blade and believe me I have a much greater respect for where I stand and where the blade is and consider myself extremly lucky that it was not much work than that. After a personal experience I am with the others here on "Safety First"


    Have a great day Doug.

  9. #9
    Contrary to the majority opinion here, I do occasionally use a glove on my left hand. I’m a segmenter and when rough turning a glue-up, my left hand is brutally attacked every second by hundreds of tiny very dry chips along with the associated shards of dry glue. I’m not a sissy, but that hurts. I am very careful to always keep that gloved hand behind my tool rest. For what it’s worth.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Tyler, Texas
    Posts
    2,041
    I have some fingerless pigskin gloves that I wear sometimes when turning. One's hands should never extend past the tool rest anyway, so I don't view them as a particular hazard.

    Yes, they could catch on the turning or lathe but so can your clothing and all of the turners I know wear clothes while turning.
    Cody


    Logmaster LM-1 sawmill, 30 hp Kioti tractor w/ FEL, Stihl 290 chainsaw, 300 bf cap. Solar Kiln

  11. #11
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    N. Olmsted, Ohio
    Posts
    355
    I wear gloves all the time... just keep your hands away from any moving objects. Woodturning is simple keep your hands behind the tool rest but if your the type to grab a spindle or can't keep your hands off the wood when it's spinning then don't wear them.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Imperial, MO
    Posts
    589
    I have to agree with malcolm, I also where a glove on left hand when roughing out bowls, but I do cut out the fingers and feel reasonably safe. It's really your call here, and sure if you got to close to your work with gloves on and it would grab the cloth of the glove anything could happen. But like Malcolm I prefer not having my hand nicked to pieces and just try to be really extra careful when doing this process.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
    Posts
    6,394
    FWIW - I don't do turning in my shop, but spent many years in mfg operations involving wood [not furniture, but stuff for mfg housing, site-built housing, DIY, industrial uses, etc.] Literally thousands - in many dozens of locations - of ripsaw/resaw/molder/planer/trim saw/lathe/waste grinder/conveyor/etc. operations.

    A few [of the many] fundamental safety rules for machine operators:
    1] No gloves
    2] No loose clothing
    3] No jewlery [none of any kind - incl wedding rings]
    4] long hair securely tied back

    The slightest "hook" by turning blades, gears, conveyors, a piece of lumber moving to a saw - and you are gone with it. No way to stop. Unfortunately, one side assignment of mine was on-site investigation of "ugly" accidents - and there were [rarely, thank God] instances where the operator violated one of these - briefly, casually, where "nothing could possible go wrong" - with disastrous results. Made me want to cry. Never talked to these operators - they were all in the hospital when I arrived on-site.
    When I started woodworking, I didn't know squat. I have progressed in 30 years - now I do know squat.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Gainesville, AL
    Posts
    473
    Never when using bandsaw for sure. A friends dad just recently cut off both middle fingers when his glove got caught!
    David

  15. #15
    I wear fingerless leather gloves almost all the time while turning, especially in the winter. I like the tight fitting soft leather deerskin type and I also use some leather golf gloves with the fingers cut out. But, I wouldn't go so far as to recommend it to anyone that feels uncomfortable wearing gloves around machinery. I know there are safety issues but without gloves I probably wouldn't even be able to turn.

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