[Irish]

I have been reading and enjoying the conversation about gloves that is going on at this time and thought it was an excellent topic to move up into the forum area. There are a lot of great safety ideas, techniques and methods that all of us can share.

OK ... I admit it! I don't wear a carving glove or thumb guard when I carve.

First, I learned to carve way back when the only gloves available were heavy leather gloves which I found awkward and de-sensitizing ... leaving my holding hand with little feeling for the wood. Plus being a left handed woman at the time getting a glove that fit properly was nearly impossible. So it's simply something I did not and still don't use.

But that doesn't mean that when I carve I don't consider safety first and foremost!!!!!

These are my thoughts - Please feel free to add your own and photos if you can.


Susan

[Irish]

1. Keep your knives well sharpened. Dull tools grab the wood causing the carver to add excessive force to the cut. This is the main cause for injuries during a carving session.

2. Use a carving glove or thumb guard to protect your hands. A heavy terry cloth towel or leather apron is excellent to protect your lap as you work and either can be used to hold the project during the working session.

3. Turn your wood carving as necessary to make all possible cuts away from you.
Plan your cuts so that you are pushing the knife away from you and use the thumb of your holding hand to anchor the blade.

4. If a cut must be worked towards you allow extra distance between the blade and your holding hand.

5. Know the direction of the grain of your project. Working against the grain causes the tool tip to dig in deeply. Don't force the cut!

6. Know the curvature of the project. Working a v-gouge on a tightly curved surface can allow the gouge to slip out or roll off the curve.

7. Keep your knives and gouges well placed on your work area.

8. Use common sense! Think about what you are doing and where your knife is headed with each and every cut.

9. It's better to be awkward in your grip for a few moments than to wear a bandaid for a few days.

10. Remove all jewerly including your wedding ring before carving. A slipped knife can grab under the edge of a ring causing greater damage to your hand.

Susan

[Irish]

Of quick note ... the only time in all my years of carving that I have sliced my hand was due to number 7! I wasn't actually carving at the moment, I was reaching across my work area to put a tool back in the tool box. When I did I sliced my hand on the neighboring tool that I had put away point or cutting edge up!!!! I had put that neighboring tool cutting edge up so that I could grab it quickly for the next cut ... Instead it grabbed me

Today, I leave all working tools laying on the table during a session. I put them back, point or edge down after I am completely done that session.

Susan

[squbrigg]

I am like you Susan, I don't use a glove, though I have one ordered! I am going to try it.
Learning to carve over the years, meant learning not to cut myself. We didn't have a carving store, or a book store or even carving magazines, to learn from during those years, so I didn't even know about carving gloves.

Safety is important to me, and while I may be unlucky in some ways, clumsy if you like, and have more scars in me than most folks, it isn't just restricted to carving.

I wear dust masks, hearing protectors, a leather apron, etc , as required. When I worked I followed all the safety rules at my workplaces: the navy, the penitentiary service, a copper/lead/zinc mine and concentrator, a pulp and paper mill, and all extremely dangerous places, I was well trained in safety and in fact have taught many others in health and safety subjects, and I still manage to get disabled through no fault of my own! Stopped in traffic, minding my own business and was hit by a new driver not paying attention! Bad luck!

I point these out because I want the advocates of all the safety paraphnalia to remember something. Even wearing or using safety equipment will not totally protect you. They often give a false sense of security. **** happens!!! It is your own choice to carve, to drive or do whatever ..... and it all involves Risk! That's life! Living in the modern world is risky, but safer than it was years ago.

Use the gear you think will work best for you, if you cut yourself, live with it, learn from it....or take up drawing and try not to stab yourself with a pencil or fall off your chair!

Bob

[AlArchie]

One thing that has kept my thumb intact when using paring cuts, besides a thumb guard (yup, I do wear one of those on occasion), is to be very careful to only draw the knife by closing my grip, not pulling the knife, and keeping my thumb down away from the blade arc. This way the blade seldom actually moves much more than 1/2" to 3/4". It could be that my hand is big enough to hold the knife with just my fingers wrapped around the handle, and I don't use my palm at all, but those types of cuts just don't happen.

Al

[Callynne]

I learned the hard way to wear a glove, I thought I'd just be careful and things would be okay.....wrong!!

I must say, once I started wearing my glove (and thumb guard), I was amazed how comfortable both were. I would never carve now without them on! I think the most important thing is to find the right size for you. I wear the extra small glove and it molds to my hand, the thumb guards I've had to 'take in' a couple times, small from different places seem to be different sizes (sort of like women's clothing....I'll not get started on that one!!).

Honestly, if you give a good safety glove a chance, I think you'll soon grow to love (and depend) on it. I know I do!! Deborah

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Guess I might as well put in my two cents! I started out chip carving and don't wear a glove with that, not necessary...however when I started carving in the round, I did get a couple of smiles on my fingers and decided I needed a glove...I will admit it was awkward at first....but in a very short time it became second nature and now, I feel naked without the glove....do it! force yourself....a good quality 20.00 glove is much much cheaper than a visit to the emergency room!! Another thing, whether you use a glove or not...concentrate or where that blade is going to go if it slips! each time you put your knife to the wood, look where it will go, hummm you mean if it slipped it would go right into the finger..yep!! if you do that and continue to remember, eventually you will automatically move your hand/finger or any other extrusion prior to cutting ha ha (oh and that includes knees Bob Squarebrigg lol). all in my opinion of course!

[BobD]

For me, depending on safety equipment in itself is dangerous. That's why I balk at always wearing a glove (if I'm hand holding that's different, but)...I want to know that I CAN get cut. It keeps me AWARE of the tool. When you get complacent, and don't worry about getting cut, that's when you get hurt. Gloves don't go the whole way up your arm <grin>

The reason I bring that up is that my dad recently cut himself very badly with a chisel. He's a cabinetmaker, and had just sharpened a chisel he was using to clean out a mortis. He was pulling at the chisel, figuring that since it's inside the mortis, he couldn't get hurt (he got complacent) and suddenly the chisel let go, came out of the wood, and buried itself in his arm.

No nerve damage, no major blood vessels cut, but 15 stitches on the inside and 15 stitches on the outside! A glove wouldn't have stopped that, but awarenes of the tool would have!

Bob

[rick-in-seattle]

Originally Posted by BobD

Gloves don't go the whole way up your arm <grin>
Bob

Actually they do Bob.
http://www.lakeland.com/gkutbuster.html

[Irish]

Rick, do they have a complete set of chain mail for us clumsy carvers After reading Deborah's posting in Off Topics - Super Glue some of us may need it.

ROTF-LOL ... Oh, Bob, I just fell off my chair typing at the computer ....

Susan

Susan