[RussL.]

I put a skew knife right through a cut-resistant glove and well into my left index finger the other night. This got me to thinking. Might the board think about having a permanent topic for Carving Safety?

I suppose somebody might have posted "Don't cut yourself with a sharp knife." earlier and it might have kept me from injury, but I doubt it! ;-)

RussL.

[Ashbys]

I hope no tendon damage.

I think we post it a lot about being carvful , but if your working with knives as sharp and as often as we do you are going to be cut from time to time.

That said yes there are prcautions that can be taken to lesson the damage. But the gloves used are first off knit. Which makes about as much sense as putting a beaver in a wooden cage. Yep it will work for a while but sooner or later the cage is going to fail.

There are gloves which will work , but they are basically chainmail, they take some getting use to but they will protect your hands. Knit gloves are more confortable and they will give some protection but they are a long way from being perfect. They are more designed to give protection from slicing cuts.

But I think another section would be a bit of a waste.

[RussL.]

No tendon or other permanent damage, and it's looking pretty good this morning.

I did have on a cut-resistant glove.

This is the second cut-resistant glove that I've put a knife clean through, and a second design and material from the first.

Two things come to my mind, and I say this mostly to be thinking out loud:
1) I will switch to two layers of glove on my "holding" hand.
2) Even though the knife is wicked sharp I WAS pushing too hard, trying to take too big a chunck of wood with a single cut.

Lessons learned, I think.

Thanks for being a sounding board for a subject that I have little other outlet for discussion on.

Best regards,

RussL.

[Kenny_S]

Sorry to hear of your accident and hope recovery is quick
Skew and small gouges will go through the fibers of Cut resistant gloves.
properly placement of the gloved hand on the carving should help out. That is what I have been told.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I buy the 20.00 gloves that have the stainless wire in them as well as the teflon and although not a guarantee of stopping a puncture , they have on numerous times done so.....but the key is to always try to be aware of where that knife is going should it suddenly cut loose...I always wear a glove, but at the same time, try to watch where my left hand is in relation to the blade.......glad you are doing better..!

[Just Carving]

My kevlars are just starting to get holes and worn in spots. I've been thinking of switching to a rawhide glove--something like a welder's glove since all I need the left hand to do is hold the wood. Either that, or I'm going to start using a bird's mouth board with two runners and use a sling of rope over the carving to hold the piece down with my foot. Then both my hands will be free and out of the path of the carving tools.

[JIM QUILICI]

I had two of my Grandsons over on Tue. teaching them how to carve, when the oldest looked up at me and said Grandpa I just cut my self through the carving clove . I ran him into the bathroom and cleaned the cut ( deep)got out my super glue and glued it shut. it was a point cut which most carving gloves don't protect you from.
Just old Jim

[Kenny_S]

Ah the old Nam wound helper. I know a little different than what was used over there but superglue none the less. I use it to Jim, right after I take my glove off and make that last cut. Happens every time. Ya'd think I would learn!

[susieq]

Carving safety should be a regular topic on a forum like this. It applies to all kinds of carving including power carving. I started carving with a little group that met on Tuesdays at a community club. We all carved with gouges and knives. I carved with them for quite a few years, even after I started power carving more at home. One thing I never did was take my power carvers to group because of the dust. The group was not set up for that. No dust collectors, no good ventilation, etc...

But after a while, slowly at first and then pretty regularly, people would begin bringing their little battery operated Dremels to sand and putter with. Fine dust filled the air. An older couple who had been with the group longer than I, had to quit coming because they both had bad breathing problems and couldn't handle it.

It bothered me too and I tried to say something about it in a nice way. The usual response was something to the effect that it was just a little dust they were making and they weren't worried enough to wear a mask. Well, what about the guy sitting next to you? Not wearing a mask is your choice but you shouldn't inflict it on the guy next to you. It's not fair to him. Or they would say, "I sit over in the corner and it doesn't bother anyone". The dust drifts through out the room and they are in total denial. It is dangerous to bring power tools to a class or group that is not set up for that sort of thing.

I felt that the guy in charge of the class should have put a stop to it when it first started but now it's too out of control, just about everyone brings some power tools to the group.....even the big Foredoms! I stayed on friendly terms with everyone but I quit going years ago.

It isn't just that one group either. Many little carving groups in the area started out as gouge and knife groups but the Dremels and Foredoms made their way into the groups. I am all for power carving in a properly equipped setting.
susieq

[wade clark]

I think we bleed pretty regularly on every thread...if we can't learn from hearing ...wade...or...Hi_Ho...or Ash...or Russ...or Colin...or Kenny...or BobD...or Bob...or Jim...or all the rest of us 'cause I could do this all night, then another thread won't help us bleed any less! I just thank God that none of us hold our work with our chins or armpits, 'cause I saw in a movie with Kim Bassinger that a good cut to the neck or underarm can finish you in 30 seconds. A spurt from a finger may scare the whatever word you choose out of you, but it's just a cut...you can't possibly pump 6 quarts through that itty bitty surging squirt! So grab a bandaid or your super-glue, deal with it, and tell us all about it in the morning! If you die, don't! Just post the pictures of the carving, not the cut, before it's too late! I'm having fun, hope you are too! Wasn't fun when that Kutzall bit grabbed me, took 3 months to mostly go away, but I prize it now right next to the Barbary Ape bite! Admit it, you enjoy your scars once the scab's gone!
For those of us/you who didn't know or figure it out by now, my other hobby is winemaking...stop by for a glass or two! but I never misks...er...mix the two! (hey, it's 11:13 pm!)
Wade