Note to self, buy gloves to use when handling raw lumber.

[Brian Runau]

Impaled myself yesterday morning. This was the diameter of a toothpick and 3/8" long. Buried in my left index finger. Doctor is using the tweezers to make the hole bigger and digging around trying to find it. I said, "Doc I think it is closer to the skin", and then he found it.

Brian

449109449110

[Charles Lent]

Well that hurt, didn't it?

My son is a machinist/welder/metal worker and somehow ended up with a similar shaped piece of metal in his arm just below his elbow, but it was in deeper and the hole through the skin was very tiny. When he was sitting in the ER and the doc was looking at it he asked my son why he thought he needed to come to the ER for it. My son pulled out a small rare earth magnet from his pocket and waved it over the splinter hole, raising a large bump in the skin. Both the doc and the nurse were quite surprised at how large the bump was. They became instant believers, and went immediately to work opening up the hole to remove the metal splinter. They used the magnet again to make certain that they had gotten it all out. A pain killer, and an antibiotic shot later and we were headed back to my son's house.

It's a shame that in cases like this, that wood splinters are not magnetic. In fact, they aren't even easy to see in an X-ray. Yes, gloves are needed when handling lumber and are a good idea, but not when close to moving machinery where they can get caught and drag your hand into the machine. I'm also glad that the doc got it out for you and you didn't loose much of that precious red stuff. I have gloves in many locations in my shop and also my truck with the right kinds nearest the work that I use them for. Many kinds, and placed near wear that glove design is needed. You need to get in the habit of wearing gloves and changing them to the proper ones as your work changes, but it's also not always a good idea to wear gloves for some kinds of work. We have to train ourselves to make the choices as the work we are doing changes.

I wear gloves often when working, but still usually manage to leave a little DNA on almost everything that I build. Fortunately, it's usually just a scratch and the blood stains can be hidden under the finish or sanded off.

Charley

[Andrew Seemann]

Yep, there are always a couple pair of gloves on the center seat of the pickup, more behind the seat, more in the shop, and still more in the garage. You never want to be caught without them available.

I've never understood how I can be so needle-phobic in the doctors office, yet in the shop I can pull one of those out with my teeth without a second thought and keep on working.

[Brian Runau]

Well that hurt, didn't it?

My son is a machinist/welder/metal worker and somehow ended up with a similar shaped piece of metal in his arm just below his elbow, but it was in deeper and the hole through the skin was very tiny. When he was sitting in the ER and the doc was looking at it he asked my son why he thought he needed to come to the ER for it. My son pulled out a small rare earth magnet from his pocket and waved it over the splinter hole, raising a large bump in the skin. Both the doc and the nurse were quite surprised at how large the bump was. They became instant believers, and went immediately to work opening up the hole to remove the metal splinter. They used the magnet again to make certain that they had gotten it all out. A pain killer, and an antibiotic shot later and we were headed back to my son's house.

It's a shame that in cases like this, that wood splinters are not magnetic. In fact, they aren't even easy to see in an X-ray. Yes, gloves are needed when handling lumber and are a good idea, but not when close to moving machinery where they can get caught and drag your hand into the machine. I'm also glad that the doc got it out for you and you didn't loose much of that precious red stuff. I have gloves in many locations in my shop and also my truck with the right kinds nearest the work that I use them for. Many kinds, and placed near wear that glove design is needed. You need to get in the habit of wearing gloves and changing them to the proper ones as your work changes, but it's also not always a good idea to wear gloves for some kinds of work. We have to train ourselves to make the choices as the work we are doing changes.

I wear gloves often when working, but still usually manage to leave a little DNA on almost everything that I build. Fortunately, it's usually just a scratch and the blood stains can be hidden under the finish or sanded off.

Charley

Yep, I've seen this as a salesman calling on maintenance guys. Did he save the metal piece? Brian

[Brian Runau]

Yep, there are always a couple pair of gloves on the center seat of the pickup, more behind the seat, more in the shop, and still more in the garage. You never want to be caught without them available.

I've never understood how I can be so needle-phobic in the doctors office, yet in the shop I can pull one of those out with my teeth without a second thought and keep on working.

In the truck is a great suggestion thanks Brian

[Jack Frederick]

Some time back, Bill Carey, on one of the favorite tool threads suggested the Grammercy Sliver Kit. On that recommendation I purchases the kit and it has proven to be excellent. I keep a razor blade in the kit to expose things a bit better, but I think it a really good value.

[Ryan Yeaglin]

It's a shame that in cases like this, that wood splinters are not magnetic. In fact, they aren't even easy to see in an X-ray. Yes, gloves are needed when handling lumber and are a good idea, but not when close to moving machinery where they can get caught and drag your hand into the machine. Charley

I work with Stainless steel, so it like wood is NON-magnetic (At least the kind I use, lower grades and stainless for high temp is magnetic). Gloves are a must when working with things that will bitch up your hands, sharp edges, rough surfaces, friction. I also advocate using leather gloves, not the stretchy cloth kind for pulling weeds as they do nothing to protect your hands except maybe from dirt.

[John K Jordan]

Some time back, Bill Carey, on one of the favorite tool threads suggested the Grammercy Sliver Kit. On that recommendation I purchases the kit and it has proven to be excellent. I keep a razor blade in the kit to expose things a bit better, but I think it a really good value.

Have several spinter extractors but sometimes the spinter is too deep. I generally use a #11 blade in a scalpel to cut down to expose and extract deep splinters. (Scalpels are readily available on Amazon) A low-power stereo microscope helps for those in the hands. I've tried to get my wife to do it buy she just looks like she's gonna faint and leaves the room.

But yes, gloves.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Just before I retired in 2011, my employer issued "cut resistant" gloves for everybody, several pairs. I was using a pair a couple years later while unloading some lumber and ran a red oak splinter through the glove into my hand. It hurt like crazy trying to get the glove off so I could remove the splinter! Cut resistant? Maybe. Splinter proof? No! I now have a pair of leather gloves in the shop I use for unloading lumber.

[Jim Becker]

https://snz04pap002files.storage.live.com/y4menGL8Gbqkm6k9aLKWfQH244gmT1IR37lqS3ECYFeJZcBR2p FFcM0N7Bje4I60aWFSfOIAgKKj3wbLGcvrO_C2B6IOv-VLRLriiic6RMxLkJEDsInx9-NFWrguytyufTqt6SfFIsrh7RlK6CRH2q9IxNVJbT8KEMGsMb8b qH3T6BAVGqNeoGJH0s8X_AfYR98?width=408&height=479&cropmode=none

[John K Jordan]

Just before I retired in 2011, my employer issued "cut resistant" gloves for everybody, several pairs. I was using a pair a couple years later while unloading some lumber and ran a red oak splinter through the glove into my hand. It hurt like crazy trying to get the glove off so I could remove the splinter! Cut resistant? Maybe. Splinter proof? No! I now have a pair of leather gloves in the shop I use for unloading lumber.

It could be worse.

I used to volunteer to assist our large animal vet when on calls in our area. My job was primarily to hold the baby and fetch things.

Once we went to a friend's farm to look at his horse, being treated for an eye irritation. Looking with a strong light she said "I need some tweezers". We found tweezers on the truck and she pulled a 1-1/4" splinter out of the horse's eye.

JKJ

[Aiden Pettengill]

It could be worse.

I used to volunteer to assist our large animal vet when on calls in our area. My job was primarily to hold the baby and fetch things.

Once we went to a friend's farm to look at his horse, being treated for an eye irritation. Looking with a strong light she said "I need some tweezers". We found tweezers on the truck and she pulled a 1-1/4" splinter out of the horse's eye.

JKJ
Ouch! I can only imagine how bad that hurt.

[Charles Lent]

Yep, I've seen this as a salesman calling on maintenance guys. Did he save the metal piece? Brian

Yes. He has it in a bottle on his desk.

Charley

[Charles Lent]

Just before I retired in 2011, my employer issued "cut resistant" gloves for everybody, several pairs. I was using a pair a couple years later while unloading some lumber and ran a red oak splinter through the glove into my hand. It hurt like crazy trying to get the glove off so I could remove the splinter! Cut resistant? Maybe. Splinter proof? No! I now have a pair of leather gloves in the shop I use for unloading lumber.

"Cut Resistant" is not Cut Proof or Puncture Proof. It's just harder to cut the glove on sharp edges.

Charley

[Jim Fox]

I've never understood how I can be so needle-phobic in the doctors office, yet in the shop I can pull one of those out with my teeth without a second thought and keep on working.

Ditto here.............horrible childhood Dentist and Dr experience growing up. But a sliver...........I have no problem poking, digging, cutting, etc. to get it out.

[Brian Runau]

I bought two pair of these. A9 rating.

Thanks.
Brian

https://www.superiorglove.com/en/endurar-extreme-cut-goat-grain-drivers-glove-with-oilbloctm

[Bob Riefer]

A little late to this thread, but here's a story to prove what you all already know.. leather gloves (or similar) are a must when handing rough lumber.


Year ago when I was in the "barn saving" years of my life, I was routinely crawling all over our old building. One day I reached for my hammer, and a toothpick sized sliver caught under my finger nail on my pointer finger. I could see it about all the way up to my first knuckle.

When this happened, I was on a scaffold an a completely-not-OSHA-certified pose of some sort, so I swore a few times, used my pliers to pull the splinter out, swore a bunch more, and got back to work.

A couple days later, my hand began to increasingly throb, and I couldn't button a shirt or type on a keyboard due to the pain. Then, I started getting red streaks up my arm, and started logging a fever.

At this point, we went to the doctor's office and he told me that my 1902 barn had jammed something nefarious into my finger besides that wood. Old barns, the gift that keeps giving. In short, I had an infection spreading pretty quickly.

A strong dose of antibiotics luckily did the trick. Within about 48 hours, the final remnants of the sliver literally found their own way back out of my finger... seemingly running away from the medicine in my body. I'll never forget the feeling of instant relief when the last shard came out.

Since then, I use gloves when handling timbers, rough lumber, construction materials etc. Only when I'm to a more finished/controlled place in a project to I go back to bare hands.

[Erik Loza]

Count me in as part of the "Glove Crew". I remember getting a wicked sliver off some Lyptus that Sam was doing back in the Minimax days. Not big but had to dig it out and burned like a mother while it was under the skin. I prefer the Mecanix-type gloves that have a fabric glove with suede-type palms.

Erik

[Dave Sabo]

guess I’m soft , but I’ve been wearing gloves when handling lumber since I was kid.

my go too have been thin goatskin, but I’ve started using what Erik mentions. The silly terrycloth brow wipe isn’t that silly in hot climates.

[Justin Rapp]

I have gloves on almost all the time now when getting raw lumber. If I go the the lumber yard to pick up boards they are usually somewhat trimmed and even sometimes rough planned to just remove the mill marks.

However live edge stuff, 100 gloves, even moving it around once I have it home. Only time the gloves come off is when I am starting to work with the wood on machines. Gloves and band saw or table saws are a no-no.