Are carving gloves worth the money?

[whittlinwill]

Hi all!,

Just joined the ranks today {LOVE the magazine!}, & had a question about carving gloves. I was whittling on a gift for my mom, when OOPS! the knife slipped & went straight to the top of my finger, cutting about 1/2 way down the back of the fingernail, ALL THE WAY ACROSS! OUCH!! Do carving gloves really help much? If they DO I'll get one, but I had read that they mainly keep you from getting the "papercut" type of cuts. If someone could answer this, my digits would be MOST appreciative! This is the second time I've gotten cut like this, & I would prefer NOT to go for strike 3! Thanks gang! Bill Head Bange

[cannuckcarver]

Welcome aboard, You found the best carving forum and I have to agree with you on the magazine....They sure are doing great job.
Sorry I can't help on the glove...I myself never tried one.

[TOEKNEE]

yes, gloves will keep you ALOT safer when carving. they stop "slicing" cuts, but they do not always stop "stabbing" cuts. after many cuts, and even 2 plastic surgeries on my left thumb (don't ask) , i bought a glove and don't regret it.

[oldbearx2]

Most definitley they are worth it. If the glove saves one trip to the ER for stitches it's paid for it. Just make sure you get a good quality one.

[Buckskin]

Ditto oldbearx2's comment. I have one and have not lost blood when I use it!

[Ron T]

Hello and welcome, Bill. Nice to have you here and happy to hear you're safety conscious, now.

[whittlinwill]

THANKS GANG!!

What a GREAT & giving group I just joined! I WILL purchase a glove. Kevlar seems popular, so guess I'll try that. I'll miss the feel of the wood in my hand, but I WON'T miss the feeling of the KNIFE in my hand! Thanks so MUCH again to each & every one of you! ALREADY feels like a family. happy Carving!
Bill

[CarverFromNoWhere]

I have used them before but I do not now, I could never find one that fit right and they always seemed akward to me. I also had trouble keeping them clean they seemed to get dirty fast and it would transfer to my carvings. If you do use one don't ever forget it because you will become reliant on it for stopping cuts without you knowing, and the time you forget to wear it or lose it ect. is when you'll get cut bad.

Yes they do stop the majority of slices, they will not stop a stabing cut. My advice is to carve safer, just make sure you always know where the knife will end up in case it does slip, or to much woods gives way. Another thing that may help is to make sure your knives are as sharp as possible, you are much more likely to get cut with a dull knife then a sharp one.

A product I use when I am carving knives is finger pro safety tape you can buy it at many carving stores one place it is easy to get is,
Wood Carvers Supply, Inc.
just scroll down to finger gaurds/safety, very handy if you only need to cover one or two fingers. It also will not stop stabs.
GoodLuckHaveFun
CarveSafeEveryone

[Keoma]

Hello hello! Listen you can buy an expensive "carving" glove or you can go the the hardware store and pick up a pair of $5 Nitrile gloves. They are covered in neoprene and you can hardly poke em if you tried. I have They are thin and have great moveability, Ithink you'd like em. Hope that helps

[GeorgiaCarver]

I guess we all feel different....

I would not carve without a good kevlar carving glove. It will absolutely save you from a slice. A stab will still get you but a glove keeps it from being too bad.

I can't imagine carving without one....

My two cents.

GReg