Woodturning and Gloves

[Glen Blanchard]

In the 12 or so years that I have been woodworking, there has been a steadfast rule. Absolutely no gloves. Then I bought a lathe 8 mos ago and began to turn. I have seen many a video where the featured turner is wearing gloves (the kind with the fingers cut out). I had purchased some biking gloves (which also are fingerless) a few years ago for use while sanding (prior to my Festool sander purchase, but that's a totally different subject). With reluctance, I began to wear them while I turn and I have to say that I rather like it. I am wondering what the consensus is here. Is the wearing of fingerless gloves considered safe around a lathe? How common a practice is it?

[Dennis Nagle]

I wear tight fitting mechanics gloves with full fingers. I prefer full gloves to no gloves....unless they were loose fitting of course.

[Rodney Walker]

I haven't worn gloves around my lathe or other tools. Just seems like a bad idea to me. Spinning things and something to catch on them isn't a good combination.
Rodney

[Steve Vaughan]

I don't wear gloves all the time, but I do occasionally. There are some woods - and it seems to happen when turning the inside of a bowl - that just seems to hurt more than others. I wear full finger mechanics gloves when I do...and I wear them more often than not when sanding.

[Fred Perreault]

This was mentioned in the past, and there are a lot of positions on the idea. Myself, I started wearing gloves because I have 2 fingers on my left hand that were cut 1/2 way back years ago in an accident. The whirring lathe made my now sensitive fingers very cold, and the flying chips were sometimes hot and always abrasive on both hands. After wearing the gloves for a short time, I became dependent on them for protection, warmth and safety. The safety part is that the tight fitting full fingered gloves provide a slight additional thickness to my hands, and when getting too close turning or sharpening, the gloves act kinda like "fender feelers", and tell me quickly where I am. I wouldn't turn without them, but that may not be foe everybody.

[Chip Sutherland]

I bought biking gloves when I used to hollow vessels to protect my hands from the pounding. When I noticed that my elbow and shoulders were sore from hollowing....I bought a captive hollowing system. Have not needed gloves since and I am no longer sore from hollowing. Some woods (ash, walnut, etc) turn my palms black but it washes off easily with a little lemon juice.

I occasionally catch myself turning with nitrile gloves on which is dumb. I just forget to remove them when switching between multiple projects in various states of completion. Sticky handles from whatever finish product I am using is a bummer.

[Fred Belknap]

I wear a golfing glove on one hand and on the other a glove with the thumb and two fingers left off. Last summer the backs of my hands broke out with something that looked like poison ivy, might have been. I started wearing the gloves then, it is completely gone now but I still like the gloves, I like to have a couple fingers to feel what I'm doing.

[Thom Sturgill]

I bought and occasionally wear, bikers gloves with fingers cut off below the first joint. They are tight fitting. I wear them when turning dry wood as it can be very hot on the skin. since I use both hands easily, I usually wear both gloves when I wear them. Wearing LOOSE gloves, especially ones loose around the fingers can be very dangerous, as can wearing jewelry, neckties, and loose long sleeves. Of course down here in Florida short sleeves are a matter of course (and short pants most of the year too).

[Steve Schlumpf]

Glen - I wear buckskin gloves with full fingers. I always wear the left hand glove but only use the right one during cold months. I find the gloves offers some cushioning between the tool and toolrest, protects my hands from hot curlies, and helps keep them warm from handling cold steel tools.

[BILL DONAHUE]

As an avid long distance cyclist I have several pairs of bicycle gloves but find that CAT fingerless work gloves sold by Harbor Freight are best (& cheapest). They are partly leather, partly synthetic and have better cushion in the palm area for hitting things. They fit tight so I don't worry about catching them on moving parts. The only upside to the biking gloves is that most of them have a terry cloth area under the thumb for wiping ones' nose. When you're putting on the miles in cold weather you can't stop to wipe your nose so a quick swipe with a glove does the job. This is why you NEVER shake hands with a serious cyclist. LOL!!!

[Reed Gray]

I could see wearing a glove on the handle hand for warmth, and for shock absorption, I guess, but never have done that. I turn big handles, and learned some years back that the 'white knuckle' grip not only wears you out, but adds to shock transfer to your body. Move the tool rest closer, longer handles, light grip cured that. On the hand that goes on the tool shaft, I used to have a big turner's callus on my left pinky finger. Lots of shavings moving across the top of my hand. When using scrapers for roughing, the shavings go up and over the top of my hand rather than across it. Callus gone. I also roll my gouges over and hold my left hand more back on the shaft, so most of the shavings go away, or are so light, they don't abrade my skin. Our temps are rather mild here, so I don't need the warmth factor.

robo hippy

[Ted Calver]

I always wear either golf or racquetball glove on my left hand to keep the hot curlies off. They are pretty much skin tight and have saved me from some nasty slices in addition to the hot curlies and splinters. I have CA'd the glove to my finger more than once though.

[Jon Lanier]

I'll admit, I'm a wimp. I started wearing a mechanics's glove on my left hand when clearing bark. Man, that hurts without a glove. But when putting on the final smooth cut I don't wear a glove... I need to have better feel.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

I usually wear a heavy leather work glove with the finger tips removed then I rough turn. I wear it only on my left hand. I wear it for the aid it gives me gripping the big gouges and to buffer the back of my hand from flying debris. I see no added danger by wearing it. I also use a "Sanding Glove" from the company of the same name when I hand sand. If you haven't tried it, you're missing a treat.
faust

[Timothy Mann]

I wear a tight fingerless glove on my left hand.

[charlie knighton]

i wear the buckskin gloves when roughing out blanks with bark. i wear the blue skintight gloves when turning oak. other than that no gloves, but there are plenty of situations i have not encountered yet and would not hesitate to use globes if they would protect my hands.

[Thomas Canfield]

I willl wear a mechanics type tight glove sometimes for warmth, and a vinly glove with some green sappy wood, oak for sure, for stain protection.

[James Combs]

When turning dry wood I will put on and old golfing glove on my left hand to protect it from the hot curlys.

[Harry Robinette]

I wear a tight pig skin glove on my left hand to keep the flute from digging into my hand.

[Tom Wilson66]

My shop is unheated so I wear deerskin gloves with the fingers cut off for warmth in the winter. Don't bother the rest of the year, unless I'm getting hot curlies on the left hand.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I wear a weight lifters fingerless glove. Padded palm works pretty nicely to when roughing.

[Mike Cruz]

I wear a leather glove (the yellow kind...I'm sure you've seen them) on whichever hand I have near the lathe (sometimes, I have to reverse). I am completely in agreement with Steve S. I really hate hot curlies landing on the back of my hand. I find it distracting. Likewise, I don't like the feeling of the cold (or hot) steel, either. Again, it is a distraction for me.

I'm the kind of person that, if in a conversation with someone, and the TV is in the background, I have difficulty NOT glancing at the TV, or having my ears perk up at something being said. That has gotten me in trouble on a number of occasions (once with a boss a long time ago, and numberous times with my wife). I finally learned to turn the TV off. So, rather than feel heat, cold, wet, whatever, and pay attention to that "feeling", I wear a glove.

Now, I wear a leather glove because, for some reason, I feel it will tear/cut before getting "caught" and tangled. May all be in my head, but that is what I'm comfortable with...

[Cheryl A. Prince]

I wear a tight fitting leather glove on my left hand. I like the kind that have the velcro tightening strap at the wrist so theres nothing loose or flapping. I may have to check out the mechanics gloves that you guys are talking about. I am constantly aware of keeping my hand on THIS side of the tool rest!

[Tim Rinehart]

Only when roughing, I'll use a pair of fingerless anti-vibe gloves with double Velcro closures.

[Richard Jones]

I wear a weightlifting glove, golf glove, or mechanics glove on my left hand, depending on what I'm doing. Mostly for green or rough stuff, haven't needed them for finish type work. I cut the fingers out of the golf gloves.

[Jeff Gilfor]

We fought this battle over at the AAW forum several months ago.

Consensus was that gloves (the standard type) are BAD with rotating equipment of any sort. Too many horror stories. Will you absolutely get hurt? Likeley not; but the risks are MUCH higher, and IF you get caught, the results are often horrific (multiple ripped off fingers, and degloving injuries... that's all the skin ripped off your hand... like taking off a glove).

I, however, do use heavy weight nitrile gloves (from HF) while woodworking. My day job requires that I not look like I chaanged the oil in my truck ten minutes before meeting patients (I'm a doc in a surgical specialty). They are somewhat protective, tear easily if caught, and keep my hands and fingernails clean.

I've seen the fingerless gloves thing, but still tink you put yourself at increased risk.

[Ken Barney]

Use weightlifting gloves. Tight fitting, made cutoff at the middle knuckle, and some padding in the palm. Mostly for protection from the hot curlies but have found that they also help to dampen some of the vibrations.

[Kirk Miller]

I almost always wear gloves whenever I am working in the shop. Living in Alaska I keep the shop cold unless I know I will be in there for quite a while. I have severe neuropathy in my lower extremities and the cold metal will make them ache for days. I have several pairs but my favorite are tight fitting with good grip on the finger tips. I am not sure how much of the vibration they absorb.

[jared herbert]

I always wear a mechanics glove on my left hand-nearest the wood- to protect it from hot wood chips and splinters. I was turning a rectangular platter out of dry wood today and if not for the glove I would have had several very large pieces of wood stuck in the side of my hand. As long as it is a tight fitting glove there should be no problem with it getting caught on anything. My glove has protected me from several potential injuries over the years. Jared