Turning with Gloves On

[Mark Sanger]

How about needing gloves for those cold days when out with the bow saw or when chainsawing stock for turning, as wooly gloves are too slippy and not safe.

Or how about the times lifting heavy logs that have course bark.

Or those cold days when partaking in machine maintenance but you need to keep a few fingers free for fiddling with small parts.

There are quite a few times gloves are needed in the preparation, cleaning and clearing for woodturning other than turning itself.

[Mark Sanger]

You mean like this Mark, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unmYI5ruEeY I am not endorsing this behaviour and strongly advise against it.

john

Now that is just plain daft. Thanks for showing how stupid people really can be.

[Richard Findley]

I've been resisting joining in on this one as I often get myself on trouble!

Let's look at the facts:

It is bad practice to wear gloves while using woodworking machinery.

I'd say for 99% of the time there is no reason to, and certainly a beginner should not be wearing them.

However, I have occasionally worn gloves for turning. If you have ever made a batch of 8" diameter laminated oak table legs you will know that, without gloves, both hands will end up lacerated and full of splinters. I'd imagine the same is the case if roughing a large amount of large bowls and/or logs.

When wearing gloves I am fully aware of the potential dangers, and take the calculated risk of wearing them rather than suffering with painful hands for the next few days.

I would just emphasise that I would not recommend or teach the wearing of gloves to the inexperienced but feel comfortable taking the measures risk myself when needed - which is not very often I must say!

Richard

[Mark Hancock]

I've been resisting joining in on this one as I often get myself on trouble!

Let's look at the facts:

It is bad practice to wear gloves while using woodworking machinery.

I'd say for 99% of the time there is no reason to, and certainly a beginner should not be wearing them.

However, I have occasionally worn gloves for turning. If you have ever made a batch of 8" diameter laminated oak table legs you will know that, without gloves, both hands will end up lacerated and full of splinters. I'd imagine the same is the case if roughing a large amount of large bowls and/or logs.

When wearing gloves I am fully aware of the potential dangers, and take the calculated risk of wearing them rather than suffering with painful hands for the next few days.

I would just emphasise that I would not recommend or teach the wearing of gloves to the inexperienced but feel comfortable taking the measures risk myself when needed - which is not very often I must say!

Richard

Couldn't agree more.

As a woodturner you should be continually assessing the risk and take the appropriate action to reduce the potential danger.

I would suggest that danger of entanglement with a glove is less than the physical injury to a hand caused by flying splinters.

If you took these risk arguments to their extreme you would never switch a lathe on - revolving timber at high speed and no guard? This situation happened at one of the NEC shows. The H&S people came round prior to the show opening and asked for guards to be fitted to all the lathes.

[Mark Sanger]

I've been resisting joining in on this one as I often get myself on trouble!

Let's look at the facts:

It is bad practice to wear gloves while using woodworking machinery.

I'd say for 99% of the time there is no reason to, and certainly a beginner should not be wearing them.

However, I have occasionally worn gloves for turning. If you have ever made a batch of 8" diameter laminated oak table legs you will know that, without gloves, both hands will end up lacerated and full of splinters. I'd imagine the same is the case if roughing a large amount of large bowls and/or logs.

When wearing gloves I am fully aware of the potential dangers, and take the calculated risk of wearing them rather than suffering with painful hands for the next few days.

I would just emphasise that I would not recommend or teach the wearing of gloves to the inexperienced but feel comfortable taking the measures risk myself when needed - which is not very often I must say!

Richard

Couldn't agree more.

As a woodturner you should be continually assessing the risk and take the appropriate action to reduce the potential danger.

I would suggest that danger of entanglement with a glove is less than the physical injury to a hand caused by flying splinters.

If you took these risk arguments to their extreme you would never switch a lathe on - revolving timber at high speed and no guard? This situation happened at one of the NEC shows. The H&S people came round prior to the show opening and asked for guards to be fitted to all the lathes.

Yes, lathes without guards at shows is common and demo's, but if you use one which I often do, you then have to put red tape everywhere to stop people walking behind them. Even then I have found someone behind me looking through my tool box.

[Mark Hancock]

I've been resisting joining in on this one as I often get myself on trouble!

Let's look at the facts:

It is bad practice to wear gloves while using woodworking machinery.

I'd say for 99% of the time there is no reason to, and certainly a beginner should not be wearing them.

However, I have occasionally worn gloves for turning. If you have ever made a batch of 8" diameter laminated oak table legs you will know that, without gloves, both hands will end up lacerated and full of splinters. I'd imagine the same is the case if roughing a large amount of large bowls and/or logs.

When wearing gloves I am fully aware of the potential dangers, and take the calculated risk of wearing them rather than suffering with painful hands for the next few days.

I would just emphasise that I would not recommend or teach the wearing of gloves to the inexperienced but feel comfortable taking the measures risk myself when needed - which is not very often I must say!

Richard

Couldn't agree more.

As a woodturner you should be continually assessing the risk and take the appropriate action to reduce the potential danger.

I would suggest that danger of entanglement with a glove is less than the physical injury to a hand caused by flying splinters.

If you took these risk arguments to their extreme you would never switch a lathe on - revolving timber at high speed and no guard? This situation happened at one of the NEC shows. The H&S people came round prior to the show opening and asked for guards to be fitted to all the lathes.

Yes, lathes without guards at shows is common and demo's, but if you use one which I often do, you then have to put red tape everywhere to stop people walking behind them. Even then I have found someone behind me looking through my tool box.

Mark

Probably didn't make myself clear. The guard requested by H&S was a cage around the revolving timber! They backed down when it was shown how ridiculous the idea was because the turner wouldn't be able to turn with the cage in the way

But I agree with what you say regarding shields up in front of lathes. It then encourages the public to come around the side and from behind.

[Paul Disdle]

This is turning into an interesting read.

I like Eric and for the same reasons wear gloves for winter turning and any other work I carry out in my multi disciplined workshop. I wear these http://www.screwfix.com/p/stanley-general-handling-3-finger-framer-gloves-grey-large/41324

I am fully trained from my job in the dark art of risk assessment and on the face of it what the bowler hatted turner says can not be argued against. But the reality is some people need gloves to be able to facilitate their turning. At the point you have to re assess your risks and implement using gloves in the safest way possible.

We all take care of the postion of our hands un-gloved as getting fingers bashed and trapped hurts, so why would you take less care when you put gloves on.

Just my thoughts

Paul

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

here is another thought. It might only apply to me but when I am turning I am constantly touching and feeling what I am making, this may be down to failing eyesight but I think I have always worked this way on the lathe.If I was to suddenly start wearing gloves I feel that could be the cause of an accident in an unguarded and unconscious action.
Regards
John BHT

[Paul Disdle]

I think that sums up why a lot of people have accidents, its familiarity or the unconscious action. These are the hardest things to guard against.

Paul

[bodrighywood]

Like most turners there have been times when I have carelessly caught a sleeve or something, it's easily done and the resultant tearing is enough to stop me wearing gloves. Like John I rely as much on touch and feel as sight and that would not be possible with gloves either. As far as it being co0ld at times I have used a directed fan heater when it has been so cold as to be a problem. Doing it for a living means I don't have the luxury of not turning jus because the temperature drops.

Pete

[Mark Hancock]

here is another thought. It might only apply to me but when I am turning I am constantly touching and feeling what I am making, this may be down to failing eyesight but I think I have always worked this way on the lathe.If I was to suddenly start wearing gloves I feel that could be the cause of an accident in an unguarded and unconscious action.
Regards
John BHT

John
I would have thought that is simply a different situation where there is no benefit from wearing gloves. You'd be pass the stage of flying splinters and hopefully having re- assessed the risks involved concluded that wearing gloves would now be more of a risk than not wearing. As I said before continually risk assessment.

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

I think what you have just said is correct Mark, it would be past the stage of flying splinters and yes continual RA is the way to go.
Funnily enough today is the first day this year when my hands have got cold in the workshop and this thread sprung to mind (I know I know, I should have been thinking of the work in hand not letting my mind wander)and this was enough for me to reassess my workshop heating.
 I am contemplating making up a polythene screen to drop down so that I do not have to heat such a large area, but of course that then presents other risks to be assessed, fire and escape routes.
 I used to have a woodburner for heating but took it out because it got too hot but I am seriously thinking of re-instating it.......... if only I had a wall spare.
Regards
John BHT

[Eric Harvey]

this debate will go on and on with peoples differing views as no 2 views are the same.