Safety question: gloves or no gloves

[bholler]

I dont wear gloves when cutting i do sometimes put them on to handle wood but i prefer not to have them on when running the saw. Just my preference i don't really see a safety issue with them.

 

[johneh]

The wearing of gloves is your chose. Me I always wear gloves I like the protection
they give . No splinters cut and scrapes . I wear them not only for sawing but and handling
of abrasive material. This is the type I use they aren't 2 much money and last
a long time.(broken link removed to http://www.marks.com/shop/en/marks/2pk-white-goatskin-performance-glove-33726)

 

[Dix]

There absolutely is a reason not to wear them. Proper control/handling of the chainsaw is paramount to anything else. I suppose a man with your intelligence, or lack there of, should wear some sort of chain mail protection. If you had paid any attention to the thread, you would clearly see that most members wear the gloves to avoid having to put them on and off after cutting.

If Hogs is in chain mail, pics or it didn't happen

 

[Rossco]

Yes I always try to wear gloves. I find winter rig gloves with plastic / rubber armor are a good glove.

To prevent serious injury, you need to slow and stop the chain before flesh interaction.

When I let people run the saw I always encourage them to curl the wrist forward, close to the brake.

 

[drz1050]

Rule of thumb: moving machinery = no gloves. Sharp objects/ abrasion = gloves.

A chainsaw is kinda a mix between the two.. although like it's been said above, your hands should be nowhere near the business end of one. Gloves won't do a damn thing to bind up a running chain, so throw that argument out. Chainsaw chaps have long fibers inside for that reason.

I don't think gloves really matter much one way or another for running a saw.. it depends on what else I'm doing if I wear them or not. Moving a bunch of large rounds? I'll probably be wearing gloves. Bucking up a small tree and limbing with an axe? No gloves.

 

[Rossco]

Ah, gloves ain't gonna stop a chainsaw at full tilt (Erm logs cannot stop the chain while cutting) but if you let go of the throttle a decent glove will halt the chain pretty quick.

 

[DougA]

To prevent serious injury, you need to slow and stop the chain before flesh interaction.

Ahh ... words of wisdom. I will make this into stickers and sell to put on chainsaws. You can have half the profit.

How is it that simple questions requiring simple answers get so many responses?

 

[blacktail]

The question came about based on some shop safety issues. When working a lathe, mill, or drill press, fabric can get caught and suck you in.

Never though of it that way. I'm going to stop wearing pants when I run the saw. My legs are usually closer to the chain than my hands.

 

[Whitepine2]

Gloves only when it's cold,that's what they are for most times.

 

[bfitz3]

Rule of thumb: moving machinery = no gloves. Sharp objects/ abrasion = gloves.

A chainsaw is kinda a mix between the two.. although like it's been said above, your hands should be nowhere near the business end of one. Gloves won't do a damn thing to bind up a running chain, so throw that argument out. Chainsaw chaps have long fibers inside for that reason..

This is getting interesting! I keep thinking of the lathe rule... No gloves, no baggy clothes. It can suck a person in and destroy them with the larhe's momentum alone. Chaps will engage the chain which will pull, presumably, with large force on a massive object... It will be felt, maybe hurt a bit, but your leg will survive the punch and the saw will stall. Fingers on the other hand (heh) will get a major beat down with the same energy transfer before the sad stalls.Is it better to get a deep gash or a huge blunt force/torque injury that crushes bones and tears all sorts of tendons. Really... I don't know where the least risk is.

As has been repeatedly stated, hands should be nowhere near the business end of a chainsaw. Sadly though, s*** happens. My take on the whole discussion is to be massively vigilant on awareness and best practice. I'm perpetually mindful of my position and what I'm doing and if I get even the least bit tired, I stop.

Some Poindexter out there must have published a study on this...

 

[bfitz3]

Please see post 95. Not gruesome, just illustrative of the question.

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/v...dent-what-can-owner-expect-265328/index5.html

 

[johneh]

How would you get your hand in the chain ?
I cut with both hands on the saw to control and direct !
The only time my hands touch the chain is with the saw off
sharping the chain ,changing the chain or adjusting the chain bar

 

[Ashful]

How is it that simple questions requiring simple answers get so many responses?

Simple people.

 

[bholler]

How would you get your hand in the chain ?

Lots of bad stuff can happen. It shouldn't but it can. From letting go with one hand while the saw is still spinning down to kickbacks stumbles ect.

 

[bfitz3]

It's not that your hand gets on the chain, but the chain could get to your hand.

If the chain can't get to your hand, this whole conversation is moot... Gloves are a personal option.

If you put your hand on the chain, gloves aren't your first problem, basic intelligence is. Put down the saw and take up stamp collecting.

But, when the chain/bar, through some freak occurrence, reaches the skin on your hand, will gloves or no-gloves give you the best chance of playing guitar in a few weeks?

Seems like a reasonable question that has intelligent and experienced people giving different answers.

My instinct right now says if the chain hits you but is not attached to the bar, gloves will help. If the it's still on the bar and moving, a glove won't help and it might cause more damage. With the chain intact, you're gonna be messed up either way... It's a question of degree.

 

[Wildo]

My instinct right now says if the chain hits you but is not attached to the bar, gloves will help. If the it's still on the bar and moving, a glove won't help and it might cause more damage. With the chain intact, you're gonna be messed up either way... It's a question of degree.

Ding Ding Ding... There it is. Sometimes they help sometimes they don't .

Now how much do they hinder? Wet or oily, fit, material type and thickness, weather, personal preference/stupidity/cheapness, all are different variables that must be considered by an individual depending on the situation.

 

[Wildo]

Oh yeah sometimes I do sometimes I don't. 40% yes 60% no, grip on the handles is my #1 reason either way.

 

[Corey]

Assuming we're talking 'good gloves' here ...meaning proper fit, possibly some padding/leather in the right spots, not intolerably hot, etc then, yes, I usually wear good gloves just to cut down on the poison ivy, splinters, abrasions, thorns, sticky sap, etc. A 'good' glove should also give you a firm grip on the saw handle and ideally better control of the saw.

Now, if you have ill fitting gloves or gloves which hinder gripping the saw, make the handle feel slippery, or are too big for your hands, droop from your hands, etc - then that is a safety hazard. I would not wear those gloves during cutting.

 

[mass_burner]

I tend to setup logs first, then cut. When I've cut all the setup logs, I put down the saw, setup more and repeat. I don't wear gloves. I don't cut all that much, so I know this method won't work for some of you more frequent cutters.

 

[planner steve]

I thank you all for this discussion. I am going to order a pair of cut resistant gloves as a result. Maybe these, I'm going to do some more searching. (broken link removed to http://www.ytgloves.com/products.asp?productId=281&categoryId=44&subCategoryId=0&subCategory2Id=0) If someone else has found a good one, please post.

Reading your comments brought me back to my former life as a production manager. When I took over a plant in Maine, I noticed that every year a half dozen people went to the emergency room with injuries from the most dangerous tool, the Stanley knife. None of those people planned to cut themselves. Everyone likely would have said they were too smart to do that. So I instituted a policy of wearing Kevlar gloves when using Stanley knives. I came close to firing a few resisters who thought it was BS. But the knife injuries went away. Completely. Zero.

I like that saying "Dress for the crash, not the ride"

 

[Knots]

I wear close-fitting gloves when running the saw. They are not protective gloves. I always wear the same gloves (just like on the motorcycle) so that my feel for the controls is always the same.

I don't have any illusions that they would protect me from the chain. It's nice to have gloves on when I have to put the saw down and move a log or pull some brush.

 

[ironpony]

If Hogs is in chain mail, pics or it didn't happen

I do not like gloves in general, have not found a comfortable pair.
chain mail is good when shark diving.....

shark feeder certification Grand Bahamas.
Shark in tonic immobility, it works.

 

[English BoB]

Gloves keep your hands warm, warm hands = more safety.

Bob

 

[Ashful]

chain mail is good when shark diving.....
View attachment 159439
shark feeder certification Grand Bahamas.
Shark in tonic immobility, it works.

I thought you were smarter than that, ironpony.

 

[ironpony]

I thought you were smarter than that, ironpony.

I have my moments......