# who wears gloves in the woodshop



## ssnvet (Jan 10, 2012)

I always wear the knit gloves dipped in rubber when I'm swinging a chain saw and splitting wood, or doing landscaping outside.

But The conventional wisdom I've always heard is not to wear loose fitting clothes, long sleeves or gloves when using machinery…. and that's what we preach at work… so I don't wear gloves in my shop.

However, this past week I manage to do two stupid things in the shop, that has me rethinking this. First, I stuck a very sharp chisel into the pad of my left index finger while cleaning up a glue joint, and then I slid my hand down an 8/4 maple board while handling it, and jammed a large splinter deep into my palm.

During last summers project (a tree house for my kids) I indulged myself with a $10 pair of those tight fitting mechanics gloves, with cut to fit leather palms and fingers, and stretchy nylon backs. I really like that pair of gloves (though I wore holes in the finger tips in just a few weeks).

So I'd like to poll the crowd and see who is wearing gloves in the work shop???

If you wear gloves, what kind???

And if not, what's your reasoning???


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## woodworm (Jul 27, 2008)

No. 
I touch my lumber, my machines with love not gloves!


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## HalDougherty (Jul 15, 2009)

I've worked in too many factories to ever wear a glove, long sleeves, watch, or ring around machinery. I've seen almost every type of accident that could have been prevented if the operator had not been wearing something that could pull a hand into moving equipment. Or in one case a long haired lady who did not have on a hairnet while running a punch press. She didn't get pulled into the press, but it took a long time for the patch of hair and skin that got pulled off to grow back. A welder who worked for me was welding a big steel plate to reinforce a 150 ton press let his stainless steel ring touch both the grounded plate and machine at the same time… In an instant his ring was stuck tight to both pieces. We didn't have to go to the effort of cutting a stainless steel ring off his finger because it burned right off and cauterized the wound. Yep, I fired him for wearing a ring while welding. He'd been given a list of safety rules to follow one of which specifically prohibited steel rings… He'd also been sent home once for wearing a ring while welding. Nope, I'd rather have a few cuts and scratches I wouldn't get wearing gloves, but they will heal,and something that gets cut off might not get reattached or grow back.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

I never wear gloves in the wood shop.

Reason is for safety, and I don't find them comfortable when milling lumber because 
I concentrate on that spinning blade and router bit etc.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

I typically don't were gloves using machinery like the table saw, but I have two types I do use. I have a pair of leather gloves I wear when using the wire wheel or polishing. They have saved my hide (literally) many times. I also wear rubber coated when apply finishes and sometimes when sharpening. I find these task are hard to clean up after and there is no risk of injury because of the gloves.


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## johnstoneb (Jun 14, 2012)

I depends what I am doing. Around the drill press and most other power tools I don't wear gloves. If I am ripping long board on the table saw, I may wear one glove on my left hand as it slides on the edge of the board. With hand tools I may wear them to protect myself from using chisels etc. wrong.
I don't wear rings! I worked as a mechanic for a John Deere dealer years ago. One of the mechanics was working on a 24V system when he got his wedding ring between a battery and ground. The 24V's burnt the hell out of his finger ruined the ring. When he got home he caught hell for ruining the ring and no sympathy for the burnt finger. He didn't wear a ring at work anymore.


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## renners (Apr 9, 2010)

Bad idea. Snag risk.
I only wear gloves if I'm handling a large quantity of rough sawn timber. 
Won't go anywhere near a machine with gloves on.


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## NiteWalker (May 7, 2011)

No gloves in the shop, only a leather pair when using the angle grinder.
Dem sparks is hot!


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Nitrile gloves when finishing/stripping (furniture,etc.), kevlar woven gloves while sharpening knives, leather with lawn implements.
Bill


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

I wear rubber gloves when applying finish or using certain glues that irritate my skin, however NEVER when using anything with a blade - powered or un-powered.

I do wear gloves with certain power equipment, mostly lawn equipment. Chainsaws for obvious reasons, and the lawn mower/string trimmer to ease the vibration a bit, and I do wear mechanics gloves when working on my cars. Not to keep my hands clean, but I barely have any meat on my knuckles anymore from tearing them up swinging wrenches into jagged metal.

Again, I would never even consider putting them on in the wood shop.


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## Oldelm (Jun 11, 2012)

I never wear gloves, jewelery, loose clothes around machinery. i have personnaly seen way too many accidents and even seen accidents that were made worse by one of the things above. I do use gloves when handling lumber and I have taken to wearing a cavring glove on my hand holding the tool more because of the fact that I am not as steady as I used to be and was getting more nicks from the sharp tools. Even that carving glove takes some of the feel of the tool away. It surprising how many of your senses you use in woodworking. I don't even listen to a radio in the shop because I can't hear what the tool is doing, hand or power..


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## 280305 (Sep 28, 2008)

I use nitrile gloves when applying finish. I do have a pair of protective gloves in my shop. I use them when I change the blade on my bandsaw. I remove them before I even start spinning the blade by hand. I also use them sometimes when handling rough-swan lumber.


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

Jim, that is so true. I should wear hearing protection more than I do, but the only time I wear it is with a planer and when sanding a lot (the sander and the shop vac are a noisy combo). My routers are VERY loud as well, but I find I rely on the sound as much as I do as the feel of the tool. I can tell exactly what the router is doing to the wood by listening to it, and a lot of times I will adjust feed rate or depth of cut based on that sound.


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## Mosquito (Feb 15, 2012)

I also wear gloves finishing, and sometimes when cutting joinery by hand. I'll wear gloves when handling larger amounts of rough stock as well. I used to wear gloves while working with my router table, but not anymore. Sometimes I'll wear them sharpening, for the reason Don stated, it's messy.

An expansion: Often when I wear gloves when cutting joinery by hand, it will be just one glove. For example when repeatedly striking chisels and guiding them by hand, I'll wear a glove on the hand guiding the chisel. I've slipped once and put a nasty slice in my finger, and the chisel sides sliding over my finger gave me some annoying cuts. Started wearing a glove for that reason, but leave the other one ungloved so I can keep a better feel when doing other work with the chisel, or a saw, etc


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## ssnvet (Jan 10, 2012)

what about with sanding stations???

I've taken some sizeable pieces of flesh off with a belt sander … and they can't really grab you and pull you like a blade can.


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## Mosquito (Feb 15, 2012)

I guess I wear my gloves when I use the ROS, I try not to use it too often, though. I don't have things like table saw, band saw, drill press, spindle sander, belt sander…


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

I'd still be concerned. Especially if the nylon may touch the belt or disk. Nylon is pretty tough, but melts. Once it melts it cannot be quenched. You would have to get it ridiculously hot (I think something like 500 degrees F) but I have seen motorcycle injuries where the friction was hot enough to melt nylon


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## ssnvet (Jan 10, 2012)

Ouch!!!

We have a dozen hot melt glue stations at work… both roller and glue gun stations… and they run ~350 deg.

We use the old scouts practice of keeping a water bucket at each station….

if you get hot glue on your skin…. put it in the water and it cools almost immediately and the glue fall off.

if you forget and pick the glue off while still hot… you'll tear your skin off with the glue…

Glue burns are our most common workplace injuries….. followed by cut pinkies on the big 36" Tanewitcz band saws.


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## renners (Apr 9, 2010)

There is a carvers chain mail glove, but as I don't do any carving, I haven't got one. I can see how it would be a good idea.

http://www.leevalley.com/us/garden/page.aspx?c=&p=56153&cat=52&ap=1

Note the warning: Never to be used with any kind of power tool.


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## Durnik150 (Apr 22, 2009)

I only wear gloves while handling a bunch of lumber, like loading or unloading wood. When it comes to working anywhere near a power tool, off come the gloves. They are a snag hazard.


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## HerbC (Jul 28, 2010)

No gloves while working with power tools. Here's my reason.

Be Careful!

Herb


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Nitrile gloves when finishing or using chemicals. I will wear a pair of mechanix gloves when handling a bunch of lumber or reclaimed wood but not when using power tools.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

I wear mechanics gloves most of the time when handling 
materials or moving machines.

When operating machinery I don't wear them.

The reason is I have the nails on my right hand grown long
for playing guitar and they get broken if I don't wear the
gloves. Girly, I know.


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## rilanda (Jul 2, 2012)

No I never wear gloves particularly when operating machinery. I was always told that if you are wearing gloves and you inadvertently make contact with the rotating tool the chances are a minor accident would become a much more severe accident. Being blunt a minor cut to a finger could easily become the total loss of the finger or worse. I do wear gloves for handling rough timber but never when using machinery. I have actually witnessed the results of fabric being caught into a revolving circular saw, the result was total devastation for the fabric and the saw took almost a day to disentangle the fabric from it, imagine if your hand or arm had been in that fabric. Loose clothing, ties, sleeves, aprons and apron strings etc. etc. etc.. have no place whatsoever in or around woodworking machinery.


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## sixstring (Apr 4, 2012)

I wear either knit gloves with the rubber when I'm handling and prepping rough reclaimed wood, especially dougfir and weathered redwood. Mostly to avoid splinters and cuts.

Never when operating my bench tools


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

There are processes and procedures that call for gloves. Grinding with an angle grinder is one of them. Welding another. But generally speaking, aside from moving materials around en masse, gloves are forbidden in the workshop for reasons of safety.

Actually, about the only power toolls I use when wearing gloves is an angle grinder, a welder, and a chain saw. And with those, I wear tight fitting cowhide roping gloves with positive gathers at the wrists. Something similar to THESE.


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

Nitrile gloves when finishing (I'm a cheapo and reuse them until they break or get coated in finish). Mechanics gloves when moving large quantities of stock. Other than that, nada. Didn't take me long to put a good size sliver into my palm, as well, but I was asking for it, in retrospect. Was wiping dust off a cut piece of plywood with my hand and caught the edge and took a big splinter. Tried and tried, but no amount of expletives would take it out. Needlenose pliers and a utility knife did, though.


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## GrandpaLen (Mar 6, 2012)

You must use your brain when gloving your hands.

I wear gloves for; most manual tasks,loading/unloading lumber/material, gardening/lawn work, mowing/weed eating/chainsaw tasks, stripping/finishing and handling abrasives/fiberglass, shoveling snow and sometimes changing diapers.

I do NOT wear gloves for; any task involving corded/non-corded power tools when the switch is turned on, the motors running and the SHARP thingys are moving or the not sharp thingys are spinning or when I'm washing my hands.

Sometimes I wear one glove when I'm Bar-B-Quing or Baking Cookies, Yes, I bake cookies with both my Great-Grandson and Great-Granddaughter and sometimes Cinnamon Rolls.

Yep, that's about it for gloves or no gloves. - Grandpa Len

Have a SAFE 4th of July. If your kids are going to play with Fireworks, make them wear Boxing Gloves.


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## LepelstatCrafts (Jan 16, 2011)

I only wear gloves when moving boards but never with a power tool or with a hand tool when it will make it safer to use. I also use it with finishes since some are really bad for you and I don't want my hands to fall of.


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

I've always worked in woodworking manufacturing plants. After you've seen a man's hand and fingers wrapped around a drill press spindle tighter than a drum you'll know why you don't want to wear gloves in a workshop. I also don't wear rings or watches. On a multi-spindle drilling machine my finger got caught because of my wedding ring. Gears can also catch them. Loose clothing is also an obvious no no.

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


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## pmayer (Jan 3, 2010)

I wear gloves when I am working with plywood or rough lumber. I buy good quality gloves that fit snugly on my hands and do not present anything for a blade to snag on. Obviously this is not a popular approach, but I hate getting slivers, and I feel that the risk of accident is minimal with the style gloves that I wear as long as I follow good safety practices with respect to operating power tools in general. In other words, the gloves are about 1/32" thick, and if my hands are so close that 1/32" makes a difference that would cause an injury, then I have violated other safety rules and the gloves are not the actual culprit. I would never wear loose fitting gloves of any kind around power tools, however. No question those are dangerous.


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## BigYin (Oct 14, 2011)

No rings, no sleeves. Nitrile gloves with epoxy


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## Mosquito (Feb 15, 2012)

I'm constantly forgetting to ditch my keys (and/or lanyard) and need to remember to so more often, for many reasons outlined in here….


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

I don't care how tightly gloves fit or how careful you are. Accidents are just that - unintended things that can happen even if you follow ALL safety precautions. A glove can turn a superficial or less serious injury into a catastrophic event.

For those of you who are irritated by certain types of wood, there is a product out there that is a "liquid glove". My wife is a nurse and a lot of her coworkers use something along that line. It is applied to the skin and leaves a barrier between you and whatever you touch. I'd have to get specifics as to where you get it. It obviously adds no protection for splinters and what not, but I know some people have adverse reactions to handling certain types of wood and that would be of benefit.


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## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

Gloves when loading/offloading lumber to the shop. Other than that no. I find my hat handy though.


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

I often wear weight-lifters gloves when I am working with hand tools and nitrile gloves when I'm finishing ... otherwise, no gloves, no jewelry.

-Gerry


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## Earlextech (Jan 13, 2011)

No jewelery, no loose clothing, no gloves! No exceptions!


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## AJLastra (Apr 19, 2012)

I may be the odd guy out here but I DO wear gloves in the shop. I wear Craftsman Professional series and for one very particular reason. Last September, I had trigger thumb surgery. All those hours using my hands as clamps instead of using clamps as clamps took its toll. Left thumb by the way. Those gloves have the thumb, index finger and middle finger tips cut off so I still have fingertips in contact with the wood. The thumb sleeve of the glove, however, is the best i've used because it allows me to flex the left thumb only so far. Kind of works like a flexible splint. I have just enough movement to grip things but not so much that the thumb aches while I work. There's nothing on these gloves to snag. the palms are rough leather so nothing slips. The gloves never, ever come close to a saw blade on the tablesaw because gloves or no gloves, I ALWAYS use a Grrrper push block device and for thin rips, i use a jig designed by George Vondriska that makes thin rips as easy as you can get. I have no worries about handling rough lumber or any lumber for that matter. No worries with handling freshly cut melamine, which can be like a razor blade at the edges. I really like the support the gloves give me when I'm using a spoke shave or rasps. I don't use the gloves though when I sharpen tools like chisels, card scrapers, or plane irons.


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## NANeanderthal (Jun 2, 2011)

I wear the tight blue gloves for finishing, and mechanix brand gloves when cold. but then again I'm not in a big risk of getting my gloves caught in my handsaw or plane.


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## Nicky (Mar 13, 2007)

Good topic.

I use tight fitting leather gloves when preparing rough stock (I use them with my planer and table saw), this is for splinter protection. Gloves on for stacking wood.

Disposable latex gloves when finishing.


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## Knothead62 (Apr 17, 2010)

Gloves for handling wood or applying finishes. No gloved hands around moving parts on machinery!


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## Gshepherd (May 16, 2012)

I only wear gloves when using the SLR saw, and if they are ragged I throw them away. Never wear gloves with anything else….......Short sleeves,no rings or watches. Winter time in Shop coldest it ever got was around 40 deg and SL ripping 6-8k bf who needs a coat.


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## ShipWreck (Feb 16, 2008)

I handle rough lumber and some types of plywood with work gloves. I never wear them around machinery for the lack of feel.


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

No gloves except Nitrile when finishing and leather when I'm using the wire wheel or welder.

My wedding band hasn't been off in decades, with the calluses, I doubt it would come off.


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## CampD (Nov 8, 2008)

I take it by most of the responses that most live in warmer climes!
I've gotten so used to using gloves all winter that it becomes second nature.
First,...gloves are not a saftey device and one should never think any diffirently, accidents happen because of a lapse in judgement, not the gloves!

First off its in the 80's here so no gloves today, if I'm handing rough lumber or ply I wear a pair with the fingers cut off (once the fingers wear on the pair that I use for outside work, I cut the fingers off).

Wife is a nurse so I have an unlimited supply of nitrial for finishing.


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## WhoMe (Jul 9, 2009)

Like others, I always wear some type of glove when painting (blue disposable rubber), finishing (disposable or nitrile) and for handling rough lumber or wood/doors/anything heavy with sharp edges from machining of the wood, i will wear some of those mechanics type gloves. I have gotten in the habit of wearing gloves when using hand planes on doors and larger edges of projects so I don't slip and cut myself on the sharp edges of the wood. I will also wear gloves when it is cold as I HATE it when my hands get cold. BUT, having said that, I don't wear gloves when using the table saw, router or other machinery that requires some amount of control.

I once was making a couple of tables for my wife's embroidery machine and they were the melamine surfaced kind. The larger tables were heavy and moving around the bare slabs of melamine cut my skin bad enough to bleed after I had cut them to size. So I put band aids on and then started wearing the mechanics gloves for the rest of the material handling.


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## Johnnyblot (Mar 2, 2012)

Nitrile [disposable] gloves for finish and dirty jobs. Keep my hands clean. [prevent dermatitis].
Cycling mitts, with open fingertips, for handling rough timber. I find these give you some tactile sense while protecting most of your hand.
Nothing when using bandaw, table saw etc.
Excellent question by the way.
Incidentally- The workshop is the only place I get to wear the trousers;-)
cheers,

John


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## Brad_Nailor (Jul 26, 2007)

I wear tight fitting, nitrile dipped gloves when ripping on the table saw. They have allot of grip and help me control the wood. I was thinking of trying that tacky tape, wrapped around a few fingers instead, but the gloves are snug on my hands and I always use a push stick when my cuts get near the blade. I never wear them when using the drill press or routers….


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## TorqNut (Apr 29, 2012)

I wear anti-vibration gloves (padded palms and fingers) for lawn work and chain sawing; cowhide gloves for handling rough cut lumber and boards; nitrile gloves for staining, painting and polishing. If I am working with a bandsaw, drill, lathe, router, TS or anything that moves faster than I can blink - no gloves.


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## Doss (Mar 14, 2012)

I don't wear gloves with any machinery besides the chainsaw really. Well, I also wear leather gloves when I'm using tools that can slip and cut of my hands (like a chisel). I'm so used to wearing Mechanix gloves while I'm wrenching that it doesn't really bother me. Of course, when I'm handling rough lumber or sharp materials I wear gloves too.

I also don't wear my ring (I don't wear it when playing sports either), long sleeves, or loose shirts.

There's just too much that can happen and it's just one more thing that I would have to pay attention to.


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## Magnum (Feb 5, 2010)

I don't wear gloves except when Staining or handling Rough Lumber. *Then I found these. *

They fit Nice and Snug…........ Leave your Fingers free in case you want to Feel the Wood Finish if your Sanding or the occasional Itchy Ear or Whatever else might Itch or get Clogged Up…............. They even have a Special Slot on the Palm Side if you want to Slip a Tool in there for a Better Grip! ...........They're also Washable and Disposable if you get some kind of Junk on there that won't Come Off/Out.
=============================================









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*Sorry Guys. Just couldn't resist it. Pics have been on my Computer for Months!!! * At least I didn't put up a Pic of the *HAT/CAP/BEENIE *that comes with the Set…LOL….

*ssnvet:* Don't get Mad at me Please!! I Cry Easily!!


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## Jenine (Sep 6, 2013)

Old thread, but I'm still posting for the next person who reads through…

I've always heard never wear gloves in the shop, and 95% of the time I don't. I also tie back my long hair and stick with skinny jeans and tight tank tops for safety. Definitely leave my rings and necklaces on a hook at door.

Sometimes I wear gloves if working with rough lumber, ESPECIALLY reclaimed lumber. The risk of getting a massive splinter that leads me to a flinch is pretty big, my gloves are full of splinters! I found a really choice pair of mechanic's gloves, they fit skin tight even at the wrist. I cut off the little tag that was on them just in case. Used to give me (still gives me) the heebie heebie at the jointer. But, I think that in some cases, it's safer to be protected. I don't ever wear them working with new wood, best to be safe! I'd say, if you will flinch from a splinter, get some skintight gloves and reserve them for nasty wood


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## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

So you're saying I *SHOULDN'T *be wearing this glove while I'm in my shop???

Well DANG ! NOW you tell me!

.
.


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## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

No gloves


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## Yonak (Mar 27, 2014)

I wear gloves for almost every operation in my shop. I've got a dedicated pair for many operations. For instance, at the drill press I've got a rubberized glove on the hand that handles the material and a leather glove over a jersey glove for the hand that pulls the lever.

For the router and the band saw I wear a pair of tight fitting rubberized gloves for gripping material and to protect against sharp wood edges. On the sanders I either wear the pair of tight fitting, thin rubberized gloves or thicker grippers for manipulating for pivot points.

Indeed, all my gloves, save the ones for handling rough lumber, are tight fitting for safety. I have a separate pair for laying out and marking with templates. On the table saw I have two different pairs depending how much control and how much cushioning I need.

I have never had an injury in my 35 years of woodworking caused by gloves but I've been saved a few times by them. Working smart and paying attention is the answer to safety. Mine is a production shop and gloves are a necessity for me.


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## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

Wow lots of posts.

For me:

Only when handling rough lumber: loading, unloading.

Depending on type of wood, occasionally when running thru planer.


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