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Thread: Elbows

  1. #1
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    Elbows

    On monday I was at home, and got quite some work done on prepping a bunch of wood for my cabinet project. I did most of the work by hand, using a jackplane and a tryplane most of the time. After a while my elbows started to hurt, I should have stopped at that point but I didn't. So, long story short: I blew up my elbows, mostly the joint on the inside, golfers elbow it's called. Both sides. It still hurts a little bit. And this is not the first time it happened to me.

    I am curious, do other handplane users have troubles with their elbows too, or is it just me?

  2. #2
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    I developed some temporary elbow and shoulder pain when I was using western planes to prep rough stock. A jack and a jointer. The bench surface was a few inches too high for me, and that probably contributed. No pain since using Japanese planes, but in fairness I never use them on rough boards.

  3. #3
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    My bench is very low, so that might be a problem. I usually bend my legs very deep.
    I can see how japanese planes are easier on your joints. You can use them with nearly stretched out arms. I really try to plane as much as possible with my body instead of my arms, but things don't quite work out like that.

  4. #4
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    I like using both western and eastern for the variety of muscle groups used. I've injured myself badly one time, with a twisting injury pushing a metal jointer over a the center of a table.
    Bumbling forward into the unknown.

  5. #5
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    In a word, yes. For me it's the shoulders. Age is taking its toll. To save the bones, I typically rely on a lunch box planer for cleaning up rough stock before the hand planes.

    My only advice from a non-medial professional; when something starts to ache...take a break.
    Last edited by Phil Mueller; 06-08-2016 at 10:18 PM.

  6. #6
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    Just a friendly reminder from your body that you are getting older. The older you get the more these things happen. Avoidance is the best thing, however, if you must, you need to get into training for this sort of thing and work your way up in rep's, not just dive in and wear yourself out. But, remember the old NFL saying - "You can play(ne) with pain but not with an injury".

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kees Heiden View Post
    On monday I was at home, and got quite some work done on prepping a bunch of wood for my cabinet project. I did most of the work by hand, using a jackplane and a tryplane most of the time. After a while my elbows started to hurt, I should have stopped at that point but I didn't. So, long story short: I blew up my elbows, mostly the joint on the inside, golfers elbow it's called. Both sides. It still hurts a little bit. And this is not the first time it happened to me.

    I am curious, do other handplane users have troubles with their elbows too, or is it just me?
    Hi Kees

    Golfer's Elbow is caused by overuse of the forearm when gripping something, and in your case, a handplane. The pain is from tiny tears in the tendons.

    I have not had golfer's elbow for many years, not since the days when I played serious squash and mucked about on the court when playing less serious friends - lazy shots and poor posture led to my holding the racquet and striking the ball in a way that strained the tendons. You are likely doing something similar with your planes.

    I have likened the ideal posture for planing as a movement where the strength comes from the hips. Bend your knees. A bench that is too high may force one to push with shoulders. A bench that is too low may place more stress on the wrists and forearms. What do others think?

    In any event, the cure is rest. Damn!

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  8. #8
    Yes. A couple years ago. My doctor called it tennis elbow. Hurt so bad I couldn't shake hands or grip for a while.

    Tricep extensions were good therapy for me.

    I now take many breaks during planing sessions, wax the sole often and resharpen often.

  9. #9
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    I got tennis elbow (outside of the elbow) a while back playing... golf :-). After fighting it for a while I found an exercise for it called the "Tyler Twist" that helped a lot. The internet has a bunch of videos if you search. There is a reverse tyler twist for golfers elbow. If it is persistent you might want to give it a shot. But resting a few days sounds like a good first move :-).

  10. #10
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    Prashun, tennis elbow are the name given when the pain occurs on the outside of the elbow, and golfer's elbow is on the inside of the elbow.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  11. #11
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    I have had both elbows operated on from "tennis" elbow. Tore the ligaments loose on one elbow when swinging a hammer. Tore the other when a 5 gallon water bottle slipped while putting it onto the cooler in the tool shop. Great!! 5 gallons of water all over the floor!! I laid down planks to walk on till it evaporated or drained away through seams in the concrete.

  12. #12
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    At least today it doesn't hurt in daily life anymore, so i feel that I am going in the right direction. And indeed, I must take this task of planing all the rails and styles and panels in small stages!

    I was planing the legs, chunky pieces of wood with a wooden plane, so my low bench might not have been so low in reality! The legs plus the wooden plane easilly add an inch or 5. BTW, I had most trouble with my left arm. The unusual pose with the left hand clamping over the wooden plane stock might need some training.

    The idea now is to take some more rest. And then start to train the musles with some specific exercises. Those triceps extensions are the way to go if I can trust the Internet...

    And just a warning to myself and everybody else, if it hurts, quit doing it

  13. #13
    As for the t-extensions, one of my colleagues tipped me off to that and said his tennis elbow 'magically' disappeared after a couple weeks of this. Skeptical, I tried it, and mine went away too. I am certain this is BS, but maybe the BS will work for you too...

  14. #14
    Aside from blisters on my hands I have not hurt myself while hand planing. This being said it became very obvious to me that I was losing strength and more prone to injury over the past ten years, nothing like asking for help to move a dry piece of lumber that you used to move alone - when it was green from the mill.

    The above circumstance was the final push to get me to the gym three days a week and undertake a strength training program with my friend who is a trainer. I was shocked at how weak I had become. Results were obvious in 3 months and after a year they were dramatic. The cost to me is three time a week in and out in one hour. This is not a religion for me but I now know that it has to be part of my routine if I hope to be active and able for the remainder of my days. Strength will protect you from a lot of injuries.

    Squash is a killer on the body but so much fun! Strength training has improved my squash game and my ability to endure the beatings I get. Perhaps some very simple strength training would help all of us who are north of 50?

  15. #15
    I suspect that wooden planes take more of a toll on the body because they lack the mass and inertia of metal ones. My use of wooden planes is limited, admittedly, but observing those who use them well tells me that user is somewhat more involved in keeping the tool on the wood and moving forward, particularly since many wooden planes lack any kind of handle. This may sound like a bias toward metal planes on my part, which is not deliberate. Hopefully others here can speak to this point.

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