# Are there times when it is appropriate to wear gloves?



## utwoodhacker (Feb 23, 2015)

I've always removed my wedding ring and never worn gloves when working with wood. But I ran across a post from fine woodworking where the guy in the video is wearing gloves. Is he being a poor example or are there times when it is ok to wear gloves?

Here's the post from FW


----------



## SirIrb (Jan 12, 2015)

If you need them then wear them when picking your hardwood. Other than that I wouldnt. Cleaning the saw? I never have and never will. Back in the day my hands were pretty tough and I didnt need them. Now I have gotten soft sitting at a computer all day. I still wont wear them so I wear blisters.


----------



## jdh122 (Sep 8, 2010)

When I use an ax for spoon or bowl carving I wear a mail glove on the hand holding the piece. When carving with gouges I wear a single bicycling glove on the hand that is registered on the piece of wood in order to avoid getting a blister on the ball of my hand (people who carve more don't need it, they have calluses there).
That's it. I wouldn't with power tools or most hand tools.


----------



## jmartel (Jul 6, 2012)

If you want to, whenever you're not using power tools. I only wear nitrile gloves when finishing, and that's about it.


----------



## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

It's not a good idea to wear gloves while using machinery if there is a possibility of the glove getting caught in the moving parts. In our plant we had a guy get his glove caught on the spindle of a drill press and wrapped up so tightly that he came close to loosing two fingers. He was told never to do it but he didn't listen.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


----------



## rad457 (Jun 15, 2013)

Construction/shingles, always! In the shop never except for finishing, really got to start for glue ups! Only time my ring comes off is for an X-ray!


----------



## Yonak (Mar 27, 2014)

I use gloves in my wood shop at almost every machine as well as for handling lumber. I wear tight fitting gloves, of various thicknesses and with various coatings. At the drill press, for example, I use a latex glove on the hand that holds the material and a jersey glove over a leather glove on the hand that pulls the feed handle.

Heavy coated latex gloves have saved my hide numerous times at the table saw, as well as providing good tack for managing the material. As others have said, don't wear loose gloves while using machinery.


----------



## ElChe (Sep 28, 2014)

Wire wheels on bench grinder


----------



## jdh122 (Sep 8, 2010)

Odd. I watched that video and there wasn't a glove in sight. Is the link right?


----------



## ArlinEastman (May 22, 2011)

UT

I have never used gloves in working flat work except when handling lumber. I do turn wearing gloves and never had any issues in 6 years. Then again I never touch the wood while it is turning.


----------



## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

Use them all the time when handling rough or partially milled lumber, and to feed the same through the planer, I get tired of digging splinters out. Otherwise no. Nitrile gloves for finishing.


----------



## utwoodhacker (Feb 23, 2015)

> Odd. I watched that video and there wasn t a glove in sight. Is the link right?
> 
> - jdh122


The main picture for the vid shows someone wearing gloves.


----------



## firefighterontheside (Apr 26, 2013)

Same as OSU. I only wear them for planing rough lumber.


----------



## Ghidrah (Jan 20, 2015)

I learned my lesson in the service, no rings or chains, still don't. I wear my wedding ring when we go out, around running machinery with exposed moving parts no gloves and sleeves rolled up even in my cold ass shop.


----------



## DocSavage45 (Aug 14, 2010)

Some folks wear a fingerless glove. I have Kevlar gloves for use with my chainsaw. I wear neoprene when finishing and gluing up, when I think about it.

I wear no jewelry and only have tight long sleeve shirts rolled up to my elbow.


----------



## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

I wear gloves when handing certain woods like Douglas fir or Wrc.Esp when the boards are rough.After I get all the sides planed I will use them a lot less.Splinters from Western red cedar are no joke.Only leather of buck skin.


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

I wear gloves when it's cold outside,not in the shop


----------



## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

I generally never used to wear gloves. But now that I am "old" (62), I find myself wearing gloves while finishing projects. I worked as a mechanic for many years, and never wore gloves, while exposed to gasoline, oils, grease, all kinds of OSHA and EPA banned solvents, etc. I'm lucky to be alive, really. I've trained my spawn to use gloves, goggles and ear protection. We survived a lot, those of us who are relatively uninjured.

This is not an endorsement for lack of use of protective gear, by the way. We learn more about health threats from what we do as we experience it. I do not condone ignoring protective gear.


----------



## devann (Jan 11, 2011)

The only gloves I ever wear when working with wood are the kind your doctor wears. I buy them 50 pair at a time from the drugstore. I wear them when I'm using stains, glues, anything that I don't want sticking to my fingers. Get the good ones, the cheap ones will disintegrate when used with some stains or chemicals.


----------



## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

I wear gloves when I feel feminine.


----------



## REO (Sep 20, 2012)

The gloves in the picture are tight fitting and grippy on the palms and fingers they protect from abrasion. in the dry weather we are having here in northern US they are helpful instead of licking your fingers or spitting on your hands. In the incidents where gloves, clothing hair etc got caught in equipment it was a failure of the operator to properly asses their work environment. If the glove gets caught in a saw blade or piece of equipment you most likely would had your hand in the wrong place regardless of the glove. Saying the injury would have been less intense without it is the same logic used for lobbying gun control. Lets apply the same style reasoning to a big truck. They are heavier and do more damage when they hit something so in order to make the roads safer they should haul smaller loads.


----------



## sawdust703 (Jul 6, 2014)

There's logical thinkin', REO! Haul smaller loads so the big outfits can hire more wannabes to attempt to be truck drivers! Gloves in the shop have their place. Using your planer, jointer, maybe. All your other power tools are no place for gloves, imho. Glue ups, staining, finishing, absolutely. There is no reason, unless you have an allergy to the gloves, not to wear poly gloves for those tasks. Clean up is faster & soooooooo much easier. I use the heavier black gloves from Napa, simply because I can get more for the money than I can from the drug store. If you've ever had a hand injury wearing gloves, common sense would tell ya that might not be a good idea, a second time. Providing you're not in a situation that calls for gloves. Just my .02/worth.


----------



## mountainaxe (Jul 17, 2011)

I wear tight fitting fingerless gloves all the time…never had a problem.


----------



## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

I wear these when I'm sanding the bowls on the lathe. I bought 3 dozen at an auction a few years back for $3. 
.








.
.

The first bowl I turned I tried it bare-handed and burned my thumb and 2 fingers. That friction builds up the heat pretty QUICK!
.
And I wear latex gloves when I'm applying finishes to my turned bowls.


----------



## Pimzedd (Jan 22, 2007)

Taught shop for 34 years. Had a student that was running a drill press at a shop for an internship. He was wearing a brown cotton glove. It got caught by the bit or the chuck and started to wrap his had around the chuck. Adrenaline is a wonderful thing. He pulled his hand out through the back of the glove. Good think it was a cheap cotton glove and not something stronger!

He let me thumb tack it to the bulletin board for the rest of the year but would not let me keep it as a teaching tool.


----------

