I had a very bad carving accident two weeks ago, and now every time I walk into my shop my heart starts pounding and I don’t feel like turning on any of my tools, let alone go near the table saw or angle grinder [which is what I tried cutting my left index finger off with…apparently I hate my fingers].
Back story - [warning gross pictures]
I was using my angle grinder with a chainsaw bit [here] to remove a lot of material from a large carving I was finishing up. I hit a knot and the grinder flew into my left hand through my gloveand nearly took my left index finger off. I’ve already had the surgery and now everything is good…well it will be in 10 days.
So right now - I am guessing I am having a bit of PTSD - I’d prefer to carve with a Gauntlet, however, I do not think that is very practical for the kind of wood working I do. I am expecting my PTSD and to abate, and my desire to carve to come back fully [with a healthy fear instilled for my tools] but I am looking for a glove that will protect my left hand and allow me to continue carving.
Any woodworkers out there have any ideas? Do they make a glove with additional protection for my finger? Maybe a glove with a small metal guard on it? Am I going to have to appeal to my SCA friends to make me one?
They make kevlar gloves especially for carving. They are resistant to knife and tool slips. Chain saw blades – I don’t know. It would probably stop the blade by tangling it, but probably not in time to do you much good.
They do make chainsaw resistant gloves that have arresting material on the back of the left hand (which I assume is the most vulnerable to kickback).
Upon thinking about it, I doubt the chainsaw resistant gloves would be useful for this tool – I think they work by tangling the blade which then sets off the safety brake. But your angle grinder doesn’t have such a thing. So it would probably just eventually stall the motor and blow the circuit breaker.
Chain mail safety glovesare readily available and used in various industries involving cutting and sharp knives, but like Harmonious I question whether they would stop a chain-saw wheel.
If you’re using a chainsaw blade on your angle grinder, you should be looking into chainsaw safety equipment. I know they make chaps/pants that are lined with lots of loose fibers that clog/jam the blade before it reaches your skin, but something of that thickness might be impractical for gloves.
There should be a disclaimer in this thread. You should not wear gloves if you are doing woodworking where the glove can get caught and pull your hand into the machinery. This would be if you were using something like a lathe, table saw, band saw, etc. A typical glove is not going to be able to stop a saw blade from cutting your finger. Instead, the fibers in the glove will get caught in the saw teeth and jerk your hand into the blade. It’s better to have the blade nick part of your bare finger instead of grab the glove and pull your whole hand in.
But that’s not the case for the OP. When using a tool like a grinder or chainsaw, your hands are at a much greater risk of having stuff thrown at them and gloves are required to be safe. Those gloves linked by Machine Elf look like they may be what you need to really be safe from these types of accidents.
Wouldn’t the best way to avoid hand injury be to keep both hands on the tool? That is, put the work in a clamp and operate the grinder with both hands.
In the OP you mention a glove with metal guards on it but I suspect that tools would tend to “walk” across the metal plate to a joint and then cut you there.
PTSD is a very strong label. I am not saying you do or do not have it. But if you suspect you have it, you should let a medical professional treat it. Buying new safety equipment is not going to solve the real underlying issue and lack of confidence.
Instead of a gauntlet, would it be possible to look into getting a safety saw that can’t hurt human skin? Just at a quick googling I found this site about a saw that will cut wood without cutting skin. I also saw a pretty cool youtube video with a power saw that turned off and retracted the second it sensed nearby flesh (they showed it working in slow motion, it rocked).
Well, luckily I do not use this tool very often, mostly it’s hammer, chisel, etc…However, the wood *was *in a clamp, and the grinder kicked off a knot - rotating at 11k RPM, it grabbed my glove instantly cutting into the fingers. It was all over in .0005 seconds [felt like]. I am thinking those chainsaw gloves are nice, but getting a larger guard and securing the side mount will keep me [hopefully] safe!
I am using this for large upright installations - think carving a bear out of a huge log. So, table saw won’t work…this bit is for taking large amounts of material off quickly.
Maybe the kevlar glove over the chainmail glove? I’m assuming your right hand is on the handle of the angle grinder, but where is your left hand normally? Is there another right-angled handle you’re holding?
Maybe, short term, you could work on smaller projects with just mallet and chisel. Not that you can’t injure yourself gruesomely with a sharp chisel, but it’s less unpredictable than a power tool.
Usually, people carving bears or whatever out of logs are using normal chain saws to do the rough “hogging out.” I have no idea whether using a normal chain saw or that round “chain saw” blade is any safer than the other.
But seriously - the chainsaw blade on the angle grinder is pretty much the most dangerous thing I’ve seen since my father in law put a circular saw blade on a weedwhacker, then used it to cut pine branches 4 ft over his head.
Sounds like you needed some PRE Traumatic Stress Disorder that would have kept both your hands firmly on the tool, and you would have been prepared for a sudden kickback. Maybe this incident has saved you from a worse one down the road.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go get a chainsaw blade for my angle grinder, they look really cool.
