Gloves in the woodshop?

[Dan Barr]

Just wanting to post a thread to find out your opinions, advice, warnings etc. on using gloves in the woodshop. (with these tools, not with these tools, etc.)

I'd imagine there are plenty of opinions and i'd like to hear the ones that have reasons behind them.

v/r

dan

[Josiah Bartlett]

I use nitrile/latex gloves a lot to avoid getting greasy finger stains on wood as I am getting ready to finish it.

I started using them when working on cars, and it has been a good habit, my hands stay much cleaner and I avoid small slivers and scrapes that way.

[Pete Clifford]

I suggest that gloves should not be worn when using powered rotary machines with sharp, finger-eating blades e.g. table saw, jointer, planer. The risk is that your glove will get caught and drag your hand into the machine, resulting in a rapid loss of body mass. http://sawmillcreek.org/images/icons/icon10.gif The only time that I wear work gloves in the shop is if I am handling/stacking rough lumber. I do wear protective rubber gloves when using solvents, stains, etc, but this does not involve the use of power tools. My $0.02.

[Mark Rakestraw]

Dan, The other guys are right in that it is a serious safety hazard. That said, my shop is unheated, so if I didn't wear gloves sometimes I'd not be able to woodwork. I use the high dexterity type of gloves you see at all the big box stores nowadays. The are considerably more expensive than standard "work gloves", but do allow for greater movement and are generally stocked in a variety of sizes. If you do decide to wear gloves make sure they fit well, no saggy fingertips hanging over the blade. I'm hyperalert when wearing gloves, they feel a bit "foreign" on my hands and I'm always aware that given the chance (a touch of a blade) they will pull my hand into harms way.
Mark

[Philip Giangarra]

Hi,

My hands get really stiff when it is cold, but I can't pick up anything small when I am wearing gloves, so I solved this problem by cutting off all the fingers of an old pair of gloves. This way, the bulk of my hand is warm and protected from injury, but the first inch or so of my fingers are exposed and save from getting caught in the machinery.

Phil Giangarra

[Aaron Beaver]

I wear some of those Mechanix type gloves (not sure of the kind I have) but they have extra padding in places, grippy fingers, but I mostly use them at the Miter Saw. My hands are not any where near the blade and I mostly do it when cutting rough lumber down to smaller size, just easier to handle and better grip when using the gloves I have.

[frank shic]

i wear the ones by fastcap whenever i'm working with melamine since it cuts flesh so easily!

[Bill White]

I'm with Frank on the melamine issue. That stuff will eat ya alive.
Nitrile for staining, glazing, etc.
Bill

[Joe Unni]

Like Mark, I wear the close fitting, high dexterity gloves when handling rough stock and when jointing. The rubber grips really seam to help holding and pushing stock through. That said, I'm very much aware of the risk and would never consider the cheapy gloves.

-joe

[Rod Sheridan]

After seeing someone lose three fingers in a drill press from wearing gloves, I only wear work gloves when stacking/unloading wood.

I wear nitrile gloves when applying finishing materials or turning wet wood.

regards, Rod.

[Larry Fox]

Nitrile when handling anything messy or with solvents. Other than that - never. Learned that lesson early on as a kid. My dad has a friend who is a very good sheet-metal guy who ran a very sucessful business and had decades of experience. He was in the shop one day and he had a glove on his hand to protect from the sharp edges on a piece of stainless steel as he was doing something with the drill press. Went to reach for something and the spinning bit grabbed the glove on the back of his hand between his wrist and knuckles.

[Mike Cutler]

Dan

It takes a very rare set circumstance for me to wear work gloves in the shop. Finishing work is a different story altogehter.
The only time I have worn gloves while operating a machine was when I was jointing and planing wenge. Wenge can create some wicked slivers. Even then, I used an old pair of cycling gloves that had no fingertips.

[David Tiell]

I'm with Pete 100%. Work gloves for moving stock around the shop ONLY, NOT AROUND THE POWER TOOLS, rubber gloves for working with solvents/stains/finishes.

[Earl Reid]

I wear gloves when handling rough lumber and surgical
when staining and gluing.
Earl

[Charles Wiggins]

Just wanting to post a thread to find out your opinions, advice, warnings etc. on using gloves in the woodshop. (with these tools, not with these tools, etc.)

I'd imagine there are plenty of opinions and i'd like to hear the ones that have reasons behind them.

v/r

dan

(Pun fully intended), is not to use gloves if my hands are going to be anywhere in the vicinity of machine movement, like on the table saw. I generally don't wear gloves anyway, except when moving a lot of stock, or when applying finish - then I use nitrile gloves. If I had a cold shop and really needed to wear some, I'd probably invest in a good pair of anti-vibration gloves without fingertips.

[Al Willits]

I wear them a lot, surgeons gloves when finishing and a pair of yellow strechy gloves that have rubber nubs all over them for planing and the jointer, I also use the little handle thing thats rubber coated on the bottom to push on the wood for some reason I have to get close to the blades.

Gloves are only dangerous if you let them come in contact with the blades, keep them away and they work fine, and they also help prevent slivers and such.imho

I don't wear them with my router, hard to keep very far from them blades.

Al

[Jesse Cloud]

I agree that they are good when loading/unloading rough lumber and for solvents. Never around spinny things.

A buddy of mine was wearing gloves while chopping mortises on a horizontal boring machine. The official procedure was to blow debris off the table with an air hose after each piece. Well, the air hose missed a bit of debris and he flicked it away with his hand. The bit caught the glove (a high end, well fitting glove) and dragged his hand into the bit.

Luckily the wounds were not deep. He was back the next day with lots of stitches and huge bandages on his hand. The glove had three fingers torn off and was soaked in blood.

No gloves for me!:eek:

[Kyle Kraft]

I use grippy gloves when edge jointing and my cabbage grabbers are well clear of the cutterhead, for example on 6" wide or >. Never use 'em on the drill press or band saw. Table saw if more than ~12" away from the finger cutter. I'll use them on the miter saw because I've had too many cuts from sharp board corners.

Latex gloves are a must when using contact cement, stain and finishes.

[Jason Beam]

I'm in the camp that only wears 'em when handling hazardous material.

Rough lumber, I have those insanely cheap 'dipped in rubber' sock gloves that are like a buck a pair at HF. I'll use 'em for moving and stacking, but also for the initial milling stages until I have the majority of the rough stuff smoothed out. Once milled, though, the corners can still slice ya open nice, so I take the gloves off but handle with care nonetheless.

After that, it's pretty much no-gloves until the finishing stage. Then it's hazardous material again. Nitrile for the most part, sometimes latex if i'm too lazy or cheap.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Not with Power tools other than maybe a hand drill.
If a BS, TS, or DP snags a glove it'll pull you in faster than you can see it happen. It's unlikely you'll come away with all your parts.

[Ron Conlon]

This is a bit graphic, but I feel it's important to relay. I saw an interview on tv with a gentleman who had been wearing gloves while using the drill press, and got his glove caught. His hand got broken at the wrist, and continued to spin axially along the length of his forearm multiple times (i.e. like a candy cane). Doctors were able to restore some minimal functionality to his hand but it was a real mess. It still sends shivers up my back thinking about it.

So, no. No gloves.

[Glenn Pearston]

Nitrile for finishing and glueing (especially Gorilla Glue)

I have a set of thin gloves with leather finger tips and palm for rough wood moving or working with Melamine - that stuff is worse than razor blades.

[Simon Dupay]

NEVER WEAR GLOVES OF ANY KIND WHEN ON THE JOINTER!!!! I saw someone lose a pinky on a jointer because he was wearing gloves the cutterhead will pull your hand in no matter what!

[Mark Engel]

I am confused!

It seems to me that most well fitting gloves are going to be fairly close to the skin. A good pair of gloves will only 'fatten' your fingers by a fraction of an inch, probably a good deal less than 1/4". That being the case, why would anyone get their fingers within 1/4" of any power tool blade?

I wear gloves all the time in the shop, have done it for years and years without incident. I don't like cuts or slivers.

[Bill Wyko]

I suggest that gloves should not be worn when using powered rotary machines with sharp, finger-eating blades e.g. table saw, jointer, planer. The risk is that your glove will get caught and drag your hand into the machine, resulting in a rapid loss of body mass. http://sawmillcreek.org/images/icons/icon10.gif The only time that I wear work gloves in the shop is if I am handling/stacking rough lumber. I do wear protective rubber gloves when using solvents, stains, etc, but this does not involve the use of power tools. My $0.02.
What Pete sait.:D

[Tony Zona]

I am afraid to wear gloves when machines are running. I am even reluctant to wear long sleeves.

[Mark Engel]

While I can agree that an injury may be worsened by getting a gloved hand or a long sleeved shirt engaged in a power tool blade or bit, that will only happen if you get that glove or sleeve close enough for the tool to grab it.

Those tools will be spinning/turning whether the operator is wearing gloves or not. If you get too close to the blade, you will be injured, glove or no. Keep your gloved or non-gloved fingers away from any blades or spinning tool bits and you will be fine. Use your eyes and your common sense when using power tools, that is the best safety practice. Wearing gloves in and of itself does not cause injury. If you wear gloves, just be aware of the additional clearances needed while doing so.

Or, maybe we should just shut all the power tools off completely. That may be safe enough for most of us.

[Per Swenson]

Hi Everybody,

Gloves are a very bad habit.

Per

[Jude Kingery]

Dan, I'd have to go with the "no gloves" guys. I may use gloves for unloading tree trunks or some latex gloves if I use CA glue because I don't like that on my fingers. But otherwise? Anytime around the lathe, drill press, grinder, anything running, sander? Nope. No gloves. Any loose edges, cuffs can catch and it even might give you a false sense of security or protection. If I have bare fingers out there, I'm watching carefully. I'd highly recommend no gloves, no sleeves. Just my opinion. Stay safe. Jude

[Bill Brehme]

Michael Jackson wore only 1 glove...

And look what happened to him!!!:eek:

[andy brown]

Hi,
Same message from across the pond- No gloves.

Andy.

[David G Baker]

I never thought about wearing gloves while working with power equipment, it is just something that I have never done. I like to have good physical contact with my work so no gloves even if it is very cold in the shop. I do wear the nitrile or latex gloves when finishing, staining, greasing the tractor, etc. I wear the rubberized palm gloves when handling stock, working with things that will give me blisters or jobs that need a solid grip. I wear Army cold weather mittens when using the snow blower.

[J.R. Rutter]

In my production shop, we wear the dipped knit gloves - thin ones for general handling, thermals for sanding. These things allow me personally to grip repeatedly with minimal hand fatigue. I'm prone to carpal tunnel syndrome, and without these, I would probably not be woodworking. But my equipment is well guarded, and assisted with feeders wherever possible. Awareness of glove and sleeve hazards is part of safety training. The avatar shot of me at the jointer is quite out of date. There is a feeder and permanent bridge guard in place now. You would have to reach inside a narrow slot to hit the cutterhead...

[John Thompson]

I'll join J.R. on this issue and wear mesh gloves. I work with a lot of rough stock and wear gloves ripping on the TS. But.. my TS is set up so that my hands can never come closer than 10" to the blade. And I have it "red-lined" as a reminder at 10" marks on the infeed and out-feed side. I do dadoes on a dedicated slider and tenons on the BS.

My technique on the jointer never puts my hands within 8" of the cutter-head and it is also "red-lined". The planer should be self-explanatory.

But... I will not wear gloves on a DP, BS, SCMS ( I do all my cross-cutting on it ) etc. where I do have to move the hands closer to the blade in many cases.. I did get a glove caught on a spinning DP bit once, but forturnately the press was turned off and the bit had slowed to the point there was no major injury.

Sarge..

[Jim Becker]

I generally do not use gloves in the shop. The only exception is when I'm initially skip-jointing heavy rough boards, I have some latex coated gloves to avoid splinters. I don't recommend that anyone do this as gloves can be a safety issue round machinery, but it's a conscious risk choice I've made for a particular situation. And I take great care when I do this, too.

[Randal Stevenson]

I wear latex gloves around vehicle repairs (where the engine can be running), and for staining and glueups. I wear general purpose leather gloves for handling rough wood, brush, yardwork, etc. Mechanic's type for dealing with a hot engine (oil changes on a warm engine), hot brakes, etc.
I have wore gloves when using a circular saw, as both my hands are on it, and normally it is cutting up splintery stuff.

I know how easy the latex gloves tear and break away, and once considered using them when working with some splintery wood. I decided it wasn't worth testing. Now since I use the GCSS more, I can wear them with splintery stuff and my circular saw (see above).

[Simon Dupay]

I don't care who you are, or how careful you think you are. You never know when an accident is going to happen. What are few slivers or cuts compaired to your fingers? Please don't wear gloves when using any machine.

[Steve Trauthwein]

Anytime your hand comes in contact with spinning machinery you will,, of course loose body mass, one tends to pull away abruptly from such encounters. When wearing gloves, long sleeves, necklaces, ties, long hair and etc. the tendancy is for one to be pulled into the machinery, which is a very bad thing and can result in a loss of much more body mass.

When I first started working as a machinist all of these things were no-nos, and we were advised against wearing watches and wedding rings. I saw the results of a gentleman that was holding a couple of pieces of steel for a welder when a hot piece of slag attached to a wedding band, not a pretty sight, he had a permanent fleshless band that went to the bone, should have been wearing gloves.

Just my opinion and experience, regards, Steve

[John Durscher]

A year and a half ago I was working with pressure treated lumber. I was wearing some tight fitting fabric work gloves to prevent splinters. While working I brushed some shavings off the work piece while using the drill press (power on of course). The bit caught the index finger of the glove and proceeded to wrap my finger around the drill bit (not a natural position for an index finger). Of course my first reaction was to try to pull my hand out but the glove was too strong. It took a few seconds before I realized I could simply shut the drill press off. It took me some time to free my hand from the drill bit. My hand was a real mess.

Had I not been wearing gloves the worst thing that would of happened is I would of simply taken a little meat of my finger. More than likely I would of sensed the breeze created by the bit and not gotten near the bit.

I didn't lose the finger, but it still hurts and will probably never bend correctly again.

I was lucky, and will never wear gloves when using power tools again!

John

[Tim Marks]

A good pair of gloves will only 'fatten' your fingers by a fraction of an inch, probably a good deal less than 1/4". That being the case, why would anyone get their fingers within 1/4" of any power tool blade?
When your hand comes in contact with the blade or bit, it will slice a piece of skin off.

The glove material is stronger then your flesh and is less likely to just give way. When the glove comes in contact with the machine, the fibers (or leather) will get caught on the blade or bit and pull your hand in and wont let go.

Try feeding some string into your drill press and see what happens...:eek:


I use the high dexterity type of gloves you see at all the big box stores nowadays.

Maybe a bit OT, but I also enjoy metal working. I was using a brand new closefitting pair of what I thought were suede leather gloves while doing some brazing. The finger on the glove melted in a split second, and I was really lucky to escape without a large serious burn (synthetic materials melted into a nasty burn can be among the worst injuries you can imagine). Bottom line, it pays to read the fine print. The label on the gloves said "ALL PURPOSE" in large letters, but in small print on the back it said "synthetic". Nowhere were there any warnings that it was not suitable for hot work. HD owes me a new pair of gloves...

The real scary part was that I have made my 5yo wear a pair of those gloves (and a welding helmet of course) when he is helping me with welding or brazing just in case he gets excited and grabs something before it cools. I am glad that "just in case" never happened, because he would have melted a glove. I learned the hard way that just because you have thick leather gloves it doesn't mean you can grab something as soon as it starts glowing red, but the leather just slows the transfer of heat. With those synthetic gloves, there would have been no "slowing"... it would be instaneous melted flesh.

[Bill Bryant]

A man I know came to church services two days ago with a huge bandage on his hand. He's a very experienced woodworker--thirty years in a cabinet shop, makes his own furniture, built his own house from the dirt up including six-panel oak doors and amazing woodwork everywhere--but he put on a glove (just this once) to keep painful flying chips off his left hand while making raised panels on a shaper.

Shaper 1
My church buddy 0

Shaper takes finger

[John Twesten IV]

I'm not trying to steal this thread but does anybody wear those gloves that have a notepad on the back or a wrist notepad for writing down sizing ? They seem like they might be somewhat useful as I always seem to have scraps of paper or wood pieces with sizes written all over them. I have seen them online somewhere but can't seem to find them.

[Rob Bodenschatz]

I'm not trying to steal this thread but does anybody wear those gloves that have a notepad on the back or a wrist notepad for writing down sizing ? They seem like they might be somewhat useful as I always seem to have scraps of paper or wood pieces with sizes written all over them. I have seen them online somewhere but can't seem to find them.

No. I have scraps of paper or wood pieces with sizes written all over them

[Dan Barr]

John,

I'm sorry to learn of your injury. That sounds like a real bad time there. The worst ive done woodworking is knick my thumb on the tablesaw blad and put a 1 1/2" cut on my left index finger with my chisel.

I cringe at the thought of what a drill press would do with a glove on.

hope all is well.

v/r

dan

[Brian Henderson]

I do wear gloves in the winter because otherwise, I couldn't work out there until the heat gets going. That said, I never wear them when working with anything that has a blade. I will sand with them, but otherwise, they come off if I have to push wood past a blade, it's just not worth the risk.

[Edwin Santos]

I know this is an old thread, but it reminded me that I've always wondered why someone doesn't come up with a "friable" glove that would give way more easily than your skin so that if it were grabbed by a blade, it would come apart before (and instead of) dragging your hand in. Like a breakaway cleat on a ski. I suppose such a thing would not be very durable by design.

I like the grip of the form fitting gloves, makes me feel less likely that my hands will slip but I have to agree with the majority of comments about the safety risks making it not worth it.

[Mike Ontko]

Nitrile or latex gloves for finishing work and I've recently started wearing the tight-fitting rubber grip gloves for handling plywood or rough lumber. The added grip actually helps with simple tablesaw related activities, especially during the cooler months. Other than that, I prefer to go au naturel for safety and so I can feel what I'm doing. This is especially true for any Neander type work (sawing, chiseling, planing, etc.).

[mark mcfarlane]

I am confused!

It seems to me that most well fitting gloves are going to be fairly close to the skin. A good pair of gloves will only 'fatten' your fingers by a fraction of an inch, probably a good deal less than 1/4". That being the case, why would anyone get their fingers within 1/4" of any power tool blade?

I wear gloves all the time in the shop, have done it for years and years without incident. I don't like cuts or slivers.


In my opinion, Even with very tight fitting gloves, a small accident that might pinch or cut a little skin can actually pull your entire hand into the machinery if you are wearing a glove. Skin 'rips/cuts' easier than gloves, making gloves much more dangerous than you might think, again, in my opinion.

I wear Mechanix gloves for loading/unloading the truck, and Nitrile gloves for finishing, That's about it.

[glenn bradley]

I suggest that gloves should not be worn when using powered rotary machines with sharp, finger-eating blades e.g. table saw, jointer, planer. The risk is that your glove will get caught and drag your hand into the machine, resulting in a rapid loss of body mass. http://sawmillcreek.org/images/icons/icon10.gif The only time that I wear work gloves in the shop is if I am handling/stacking rough lumber. I do wear protective rubber gloves when using solvents, stains, etc, but this does not involve the use of power tools. My $0.02.

This is me also. I never wear gloves when operating tools. A friend who is a turner learned his lesson when his drill press sucked him in and sent him to the emergency room.

The same safety concern goes for any loose clothing or hair (yes beards too). I wear long sleeve shirts or a jacket when it gets cool but, the sleeves are rolled up to mid forearm. Wedding ring? Wristwatch? Apron? Not this cowboy.

[Ben Rivel]

I wear Mechanix gloves for loading/unloading the truck, and Nitrile gloves for finishing, That's about it.Same here.

[Tom Trees]

Has/does anyone used marigolds for just hand work only and latex or very delicate gloves for machines ?
I have a collection salvaged iroko that I've been collecting for years, and I need to make a Scandinavian style bench out of it.
Trouble is I've only found out I'm allergic to the stuff now.
Gonna buy respirator and make a leather jumpsuit looks like... if I cant find a cheap and suitable purchased garment.
Wondering what the most suitable glove for my situation for my application is ...
Even taking them off, might cause a reaction with my bare skin ...
I think i need to figure out a system like in a clean room ...
Maybe two sets of gloves ?
Their is clear concise evidence that strong gloves is a no no, no no!
Keepin the thread alive
Thanks
Tom

[Matt Lau]

I use nitrile gloves in the workshop a lot.
If there's a lot of rasping, hand sanding, sawing, I'll put some one.
The oils in the woods I use can be sensitizers, and I already have a latex allergy!

For power tools, the nitriles will easily tear away before anything can happen.

Also, I have the habit of gloving up before any serious work-- hey, I'm a dentist!

-Matt

ps. Tom, you might want to check out Amazon. At $11, you can go through a hundred of these in the time it'd take you to make something with even free leather.
https://www.amazon.com/DuPont-TY122S-Disposable-Elastic-Coverall/dp/B0008F4HPQ/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1486060050&sr=8-1-fkmr2&keywords=dust+suit+osha

pps.
For you latex guys out there, be careful!
Recently, powdered latex gloves have been banned because they are known sensitizers.
Most of the dentists that I know (that practice over 3-4 days a week) tend to have latex allergy.
My office is latex free, since there's a cross-reaction with nut allergies.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

My former employer provided and insisted we wear some "cut-proof" gloves. When I retired, I backed my company van up to my shop and unloaded it. Sometime later I decided to wear a pair of those gloves when handling wood. Right off the bat, a splinter on a piece pierced the glove entered my hand and broke off just under the surface of the glove. It made getting the glove off really difficult and painful. While being cut proof, they weren't splinter proof. Now I wear plain old leather gloves when moving wood in and out of my lumber racks. I don't wear gloves when cutting, turning or milling wood.

[Rob Damon]

Since you asked for a list, My practice:

Drill press: never wear gloves
14" bandsaw: never wear gloves
18" bandsaw: depends
YES. for resawing rough wood where I mostly use push sticks and push blocks
NO - If I am hand feeding s4s stock
10" Tablesaw: No only because I never use it to cut wood that is not already surfaced and I 98% time use push blocks (gripper)
8" jointer: No.
16" Jointer: Yes for surfacing 12-16" wide rough boards because I always use pushblocks after the board is set on the infeed table.
18" radial arm saw: yes if handling rough saw wood, No if S4S wood
20" planer: Long boards 6' plus yes if it is still rough on two side, smaller than 6' long No.
Shaper: No
Router table: No

Vertical panelsaw: Yes, mostly handling large sheets
Belt/disc sander: No
Osc. Edge Sander: No
Osc. spindle sander: No
Mortiser: No
SCMS: No
Lathe: depends on the wood

Handling/move rough lumber: yes
Hand power tools: generally no, except not with a drill

finishing - yes rubber gloves

[Shawn Pixley]

Just wanting to post a thread to find out your opinions, advice, warnings etc. on using gloves in the woodshop. (with these tools, not with these tools, etc.)

I'd imagine there are plenty of opinions and i'd like to hear the ones that have reasons behind them.

v/r

dan

No, no, and no. I would never uses gloves around spinny things for the same reason that loose
long sleeves and untied long hair represents a risk of maiming or death.

I might use gloves stacking rough lumber.

[Yonak Hawkins]

My two favorite kinds of gloves are : Showa Palm Fit gloves, for when good dexterity is required, such as for handling small pieces on the band saw and for router operations. ..And Terminator Dyneema gloves for table saw, planer, jointer and handling lumber. Both are tight-fitting and provide good handling without getting in the way. The Terminator gloves seem to be pretty much splinter-proof.

Disclaimer : I have been wearing gloves for most all of my woodworking operations for about 30 years and I would find it uncomfortable, even dangerous, not to wear them. That said, if you don't feel comfortable wearing gloves around power equipment, by all means, don't do it. Everyone has their own methods and level of comfortability with safety.

[Tom Trees]

Thanks Matt
That's exactly what I'm after ...I will be looking like someone from the EPA
The landlords gonna get a fright next time he calls round :)
Advice heeded bout the latex too
Cheers

[Keith Weber]

Not really in a woodworking shop, but a metalworking lathe has to be the worst. Slower speeds and much higher torque than its woodworking counterpart, it will grab onto you and won't stop until it rips your arm out of your shoulder or kills you. Actually, neither of those will stop it either. I don't wear gloves, roll up my sleeves and tuck my shirt into my pants when I use the metal lathe.

[Martin Wasner]

No gloves for anything that is power fed or cuts anything.

What's with threads bring dragged from antiquity into the future lately?