[auggy]

I have quite a selection of cuts on my hands from when i first started carving seriously (not long ago) and the other day i had a bad one. I was working on a spiral pattern on a walnut walking stick and i found myself rushing it. Holding the stick in my right hand and cutting away from myself and down toward the floor the blade kind of pinched and slipped, cutting my into the knuckle of my pointer finger to the bone. owch... and owch again.


I learned a couple of things from the experience. One, don't force the blade if it stalls or catches. Second, dont rush, and don't carve when you are tired. Third, and a question with this one, the cheap kevlar gloves are not worth crap. My knife blade cut through it like it wasn't there. all it did was get a bunch of threads in my wound lol. I know i shouldn't depend on a glove for safety but what gloves do you guys use? I am usually pretty careful but i like the idea of a little extra help.


*ps... i learned that kevlar gloves and rotary tools don't like each other very much.
aug

[xsailer]

Most all I've learned has been from experiences. Sorry about yours.

That's not good news on the kevlar glove as I wear one whenever I carve. I bought the "good one" from Woodcraft Shop. I know it has wire in it also. You must have hit the glove pretty hard. Was it a slicing movement or a stab? I know the stab movement would go right thru the glove but a slicing action I'm surprised. I've tried cutting kevlar cloth and it's darn hard to cut it with anything including good sissors.

[Gergie]

I use the fish fillet glove and it works pretty well for me. It has stopped all slicing cuts that hit the glove. But I have stabbed myself with the point of my knife as it gets in between the mesh of these gloves.

But you are right it's when you get in a hurry that cuts occur.

[Dan S]

No safety equipment is perfect. Just imagine what you hand would have looked like had you not been wearing the glove. When you find you are getting tired and rushing a project put it down and walk away for a while.
My last slip up also came from carving when tired. The slip left me with some really anoying nerve damage in my left thumb. I wasn't wearing a glove.

[doris]

sorry to hear about the bad cuts ... clamping your work helps to prevent cuts, as you can keep both hands behind the cutting edge...

[hruukki]

Clamp the work is my advice too. If you carve towards your hand an slit your wrist or tendons by accident, it's all the same what safety measures you have taken. When both hands are behind the cutting edge, you're safe.

When I first tried to start carving around 10 years ago, I hit my wrist with a small gouge. I don't remember how it happened but I can only blame stupidity. I'm eternally thankful it didn't hit deep, or anything important. If that happened now when I know how to sharpen my tools, I would be a goner - so I, for one, will always clamp the work.

[Mischief]

Ok! I am officially scared!

[Lynn O. Doughty]

The fillet gloves are okay in an emergency when you forgot to bring along your heavy-duty meat cutters glove available from the Woodcraft Shop but I wouldn't use one as my main protection. For a little extra protection I wrap the thumb and first two fingers of my holding hand once the glove is on with the rubberized tape and have my wife sew it to the fingers so it doesn't slip off. While extending the life of the glove it also might just extend the life of your fingers. That, with the thumb guard I wear on my carving hand I'm good to go and have never cut myself in the last 15 years.

[Merle Rice]

I will not carve without a Glove on, and glad I feel that way. I was using a Palm Gouge and holding the carving in Left Hand, pushing with a lot of force, Gouge slipped out of the Carving and struck my left Hand in the Palm with a force that would have went thru the center of my Hand and no more Carving for me. I didn't get so much as a scratch. That was enough of a Warning for me. No Glove No Carving. Merle

[Ashbys]

Auggy ,

Sorry to hear of your mis-hap, Hope you heal quickly.

But I am a little confused.

Are you left handed ? If not, you were using a knife in your left hand, cutting away from yourself , and cutting down, and cut your right hand ?

So even though you were cutting away from your body you were cutting towards your right hand ?

Gloves made of cloth, will never stop a sharp knife, no mater what the material is. Lynn is right on target about the meat cutters gloves, they are stainless mesh and can still be cut with a knife.

Most carving gloves are to made to stop little cuts. If you consider the power you had behind the strike , the glove did help slow it down, the fibers in the cut proved that. But the force generated from the action is like the force of a punch , you had weight behind it to drive it forward. hard way to learn how sharp your knife is.

Get well soon .

Garry