Watch out after you power down your angle grinder

[Bird]

We may be in the minority, Tom, but like you, I rarely wear gloves when using any kind of power equipment. I do keep leather work gloves in both vehicles and in the shop to use if I want to keep my hands clean for some reason or to pick up and move lumber, limbs, or other dirty or rusty items that might have splinters, burrs, or spiders on them.

 

[Danno1]

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I agree w Tom and Bird. I knew a kid in high school who got a nasty hole in his arm when a glove got caught in a drill press.

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[40_acre_mule]

At the local Dupont chemical plant...

Wearing leather gloves around rotating machinery is a big No-No. Too much potential for your hand to get pulled in.
They would prefer that the skin rips away as you yank your hand back.

 

[rback33]

OK... Maybe I am missing something here, but I almost always where gloves if for no other reason than I am a wimp. My gloves are never loose and there is nothing to get caught in anything. I only wear leather work gloves that fit very snug. Think football receivers gloves snug.... As far as the wheel goes... I never let it go until it stop spinning. I have worn spots on my wooden bench where I halted the spinning...

 

[BigE_]

I always wear the cloth and rubber gloves when working outside or in the shop. They provide better traction for your hands (wood or metal won't slip past your fingers as easily) and if they do hit a piece of spinning metal, they won't suck your hand in.

I had a few close calls when I was wearing leather gloves, but never any problems with the blue gloves.

 

[Tom_Veatch]

OK... Maybe I am missing something here, but I almost always where gloves if for no other reason than I am a wimp. My gloves are never loose and there is nothing to get caught in anything. I only wear leather work gloves that fit very snug. Think football receivers gloves snug.... As far as the wheel goes... I never let it go until it stop spinning. I have worn spots on my wooden bench where I halted the spinning...

I think in terms of saws more than anything else. The problem there is, even with a tight fitting glove, leather is much tougher and harder to cut than flesh and skin. So, if by chance, the glove happens to contact the toothed edge of a spinning blade, there is a much higher potential of the blade catching even a tight fitting glove and pulling it, and your hand, further into the path of the blade. That could turn what otherwise might be a nick or minor cut into an amputation.

There is probably less danger of that happening with some other types of power tools, but, just in the interest of accident prevention/minimization, I have made it a long-term habit of shedding gloves when I enter the shop. I recently took a welding class at the local vo-tech and the instructors made a big issue out of shedding gloves when we approached any of the power tools, even grinders and disk sanders.

 

[lopezian]

...The grinder started acting funny and gashed my hand. ...

NOW you tell me! I did the same thing about a year ago, and I have the pictures to prove it (after the stitches, unfortunately).

This is the email I sent to friends after getting back from the doctor:

Subject: country economics lesson

Heavy duty DR mower: $1500
Dewalt angle grinder for sharpening mower blade: $59
6 stitches and tetanus shot to close wound made by grinder: $250
Satisfaction at a job well done: priceless
​

 

[3RRL]

Well, I'm with the "Wear Gloves" crowd.
My leather gloves fit well and have protected me on many occasions from the grinder wheel and heavy steel brush wheel or even when handling raw steels. I don't wear gauntlet style, but more of the shorter work glove style. There are some great working gloves for construction that fit great and give excellent grip. I wear those when handling saws and drills etc. I do wear the gauntlet long cuff style when welding though. So there are different types for different work too.

When I was younger I never wore gloves and always cut and scratched my hands and fingers just by dragging them across a sharp tool. Heck, the other day I was filing and managed to file my knuckle pretty good. It wreaks havoc on the golf grip. So I like to wear gloves a lot now.

Like any of your other clothing, take special care not to get anything snagged, including long hair. That's the key. I knew a guy who worked on the bench next to me who got his long hair caught in a drill chuck due to long, curling drill chip. It wrapped his hair around the chuck and popped a nice 1" round chunk of scalp out in about 2 seconds. Ouch!