KJ2
Member
I have noticed that some YT posters wear gloves whilst working, which makes sense to me if they are gripped and to prevent slippage. Are there any particular brands that you would recommend?
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you for your advice. I'll look into both the 3Ms and Marcator; the latter of which could be useful when handling the bees, where I tend to use Marigolds.Beware of what you see on youtube.
Gloves can really help with handwork but it's scary how many people wear gloves while using powertools. There are sensible exceptions like leather gloves when using angle grinders and wire wheels but avoid using gloves where they can be caught and pull your hand into a blade, cutter or a chuck.
Better to lose a finger than a whole hand !
My personal favorites:
1. 3M branded cut resistant gloves. A very tight fitting grey marl coloured style that give a lot of protection from cuts. My wife even uses them as gardening gloves and they are incredibly durable. I've tried slicing through them with a new stanley knife. Good for manual handling tasks but don't ever be tempted to keep them on while you are feeding the circ saw or planer.
I once stopped a workman on a jobsite overseas who was wearing gloves while using a site table saw. I didn't speak the local language so had to explain by mime. I took his gloved hands in mine and pinched the end of each finger - like counting - to make my point. It was disconcerting to squeeze an empty finger in the glove ! He obviously understood and smiled broadly, but I guess he needed to lose some more fingers for the lesson to sink in.
Heavy duty nitrile disposable gloves. These are like the medics disposable glove but much thicker and nitrile rather than latex. Use for wood or metalwork when I'm fed up of getting splinters, or for work on oily machines. My local engineers merchant sells "marcator" brand, about 25 bright orange pairs per box, and they last a full day in the workshop, sometimes two.
Latex and nitrile disposable gloves are thin enough that a blade will cut through or tear them, rather than catching and pulling your hand in, so they are safe to wear at the lathe or mill.
Hi,Beware of what you see on youtube.
Gloves can really help with handwork but it's scary how many people wear gloves while using powertools. There are sensible exceptions like leather gloves when using angle grinders and wire wheels but avoid using gloves where they can be caught and pull your hand into a blade, cutter or a chuck.
Better to lose a finger than a whole hand !
My personal favorites:
1. 3M branded cut resistant gloves. A very tight fitting grey marl coloured style that give a lot of protection from cuts. My wife even uses them as gardening gloves and they are incredibly durable. I've tried slicing through them with a new stanley knife. Good for manual handling tasks but don't ever be tempted to keep them on while you are feeding the circ saw or planer.
I once stopped a workman on a jobsite overseas who was wearing gloves while using a site table saw. I didn't speak the local language so had to explain by mime. I took his gloved hands in mine and pinched the end of each finger - like counting - to make my point. It was disconcerting to squeeze an empty finger in the glove ! He obviously understood and smiled broadly, but I guess he needed to lose some more fingers for the lesson to sink in.
Heavy duty nitrile disposable gloves. These are like the medics disposable glove but much thicker and nitrile rather than latex. Use for wood or metalwork when I'm fed up of getting splinters, or for work on oily machines. My local engineers merchant sells "marcator" brand, about 25 bright orange pairs per box, and they last a full day in the workshop, sometimes two.
Latex and nitrile disposable gloves are thin enough that a blade will cut through or tear them, rather than catching and pulling your hand in, so they are safe to wear at the lathe or mill.
I see you are in the same situation as I am when running a site saw in Finnish winter weather. Using gloves in an inherent risk but working barehanded would be an ever greater risk under those specific conditions.Tricky one this. Having had the lifelong eczema/asthma/hayfever triumvirate as well as being allergic to wood tar (which appears in lots of things - eg paper) I always find it amusing when people generalise totally and say it is unnecessary / wrong. People who get severe eczema will be familiar with skin cracking, blistering and so on, that eventually leads to involuntary bleeding if exposed to irritants. If I did not wear gloves then I would not be able to do woodwork at all.
When handling oak for timber framing, I always wear heavy duty, tight fitting gloves made in Germany. These: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00YC2JS5A?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_product_details
£15.99 for ten. I have tried just about everything going, and these fit my hands the best and are very durable (ie the grip does not wear off easily, unlike many similar gloves). Also used for gardening. And for beekeeping. Unlike marigolds etc they do not het sweaty and have much better feel. I am perfectly happy using electric hand planers, big circular saws, my routers, and heavy duty drills (for morticing and peg holes) and the chain mortiser wearing these.
For finer handwork (not machines) I wear thin white cotton medical gloves. These give good feel and do not get sweaty when planing, chiseling etc. These come in individual boxes online or from Boots etc. Highly recommended for hand work if you have difficult skin. The huge advantage is that you can carry on working even if you have to have cortisone creams or ointments on your hands, as you don't transfer grease to the tools or work.
For any work involving machines, oil or paint I use anti allergenic nitrile gloves. I find these all much of a muchness across brands, but they do tend to make my hands sweaty. Sometimes I wash these and re-use. I can do this because I only wear them when I am operating static machines, which is usually a brief process. It is no bother at all to change gloves for different processes and anyone who is safety conscious will do this quite happily. My hands do not get near saw blades or planer blades (push sticks) but I still change to nitrile gloves anyway. I don't do much turning, but I do wear thin nitrile gloves for that and just replace them when the fingers break out.
Personally I find that barrier creams don't work. They tend to leave residue on wood, and either they irritate the skin in use, or more typically create irritation when the cream is washed off. However, that is with skin that is prone to eczema.
So in my view of 30 years or more of woodworking, gloves definitely have a place in the workshop, are perfectly safe if used intelligently, and can save your skin. I quite value my fingers as I am a pianist.....
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