Some thoughts on gloves
Lyn J. Mangiameli
>Personally, I hate when this topic comes up. Even more than sharpening, the issue of gloves often seems to degenerate into into posts expressive of great passion, with those opposing gloves tending to pronounce absolute prohibitions.
Have gloves been involved in, and at least partially responsible for injury? Of course they have. Many of the instances have been well documented, though the group reports tend to lump all kinds of gloves and fits into one, rather than examining the differential prevalence of injury of different sorts of gloves.
Have gloves been involved in, and at least partially repsonsible for avoidance or minimization of injury? Of course they have. Though like the absence of many things, there is less documentation of absence or avoidance of injury than occurence of injury.
So, arguments and evidence exists to support both sides if we make it an either/or issue (which is usually the way these discussions go). I (and I know I am not alone) prefer to weigh the information both for and against glove use and try to develop from that some personal guidelines.
First, what is it about gloves that tend to cause or increase injury? I think it comes down to four (not entirely independent) physical things and one psychological:
1. Loose material that can get caught up in rotating machinery and work pieces. Loose cuffs on gloves, excess materials at the end of fingers, gloves that are to wide, all can get captured, pulled in, and wrapped in moving parts, usually dragging the hand with them and trapping it in harms way.
2. Glove material with surface qualities that make them more likely to be caught and captured. More "sticky" material, latex and nitrile gloves for example, with their greater coefficient of friction, can turn a glancing contact into a solid grab. Almost problematic are loose weave knit glove backs (and sometime cuffs on both gloves and smocks) whose knit can be caught be a projection on the wood or machinery and pulled in.
3. Glove material that when captured will not tear away and instead cause the entire glove and hand to become involved. It is usually much better to have a chunk of your flesh torn away than have then entire hand captured.
4. Gloves that decrease tactile and propioceptive sensation, thus not allowing one to sense early contact, interfere with knowing exactly where the ends of their gloved hand end, etc. This mostly is associated with loose gloves that have fingers too long, but occurs to a lesser extent with almost any glove.
and 5, The psychological one, gloves can create comfort that results in an illusion of safety, resulting in one engaging in practices that are more dangerous.
But there is a flip side, that is, what is it about gloves that can increase your safety and comfort (the latter not as important as the former, but not without merit in its own right)? I think it primarily comes down to three things:
1. Gloves protect one from the hand injuries of burns, abrasions, and even piercings and lacerations that are associated with the turning of dry woods. occur when roughing out new woods, and can result from contact with a sharp edge when sanding or turning.
2. Gloves, by protecting one from the discomfort and injuries listed above, allows one to maintain proper tool positioning and technique that is often lost when trying to avoid them. As Wally and others have mentioned, trying to manipulate ones tools to avoid the sharp and/or hot chips and bark can make one vulnerable to other injuries (often orthopedic) from poor tool use.
3. Gloves, particularly with palm padding, can decrease vibration and compression injuries, ones that are often less obvious as they are cumulative, but can result in long term disability.
A longer discussion could refine and increase this list, but I think these are the major points, and the ones that have guided my decisions about glove use. Each person will weigh them differently, but here is what I have decided for myself: I believe that carefully chosen gloves are more safety equipment than a safety hazard for my circumstances. Others may rightfully determine otherwise, given their circumstances.
I use antivibration padded palm, fingerless, tightly knit back, tight fitting gloves that I obtained from the Duluth Trading Post. I wear them for roughing out, and for most shaping. I also wear them when sanding the inside of bowls and semi-open forms. I have become vulnerable to nerve compression injury and if I didn't have glove protection, I wouldn't be able to turn but for brief periods. I also find I am so bothered by hot dry woods coming down the flute (I don't have the calluses of a pro turner, nor care to), I end up in unsafe postures trying to avoid them--for me, gloves protect me from this. That my gloves are tight fitting and fingerless allows me to preserved full tactile and proprioceptive function. Most of the gloves are leather, but they have a thin, tightly woven back that is not vulnerable to being snagged. For me, this addresses the primary vulnerabilities of gloves, but I still don't discount the dangers that exist. Most of the equipment in my shop poses some danger of injury (tablesaw, air compressor, bandsaw, etc.) and it is knowledgable, cautious use and selection that limits my risks. Though gloves aren't a tool, I consider their use in the same way.
