What do you do to spare your hands

[BobL]

Interesting what you say about handle size and that's maybe why sometimes I feel like my grip improves when I wear gloves?

[chuck1]

I get laughed at work as I still use a wooden handled claw hammer when assembling staircases at work, I have seen fingers that got in the way of steel shaft hammers and will stick with old faithful.

[TheNutter]

I have found that lighter weight battery tools save my hands. Using a drill driver or rattle gun to put in screws is very good in comparison to doing it by hand or putting in nails with a hammer. I find the square drive screws particularly good as they don't need so much pressure on the driver.

Regards

Ian

[Robson Valley]

I believe that it gets harder and harder to grip a tool handle as we get older.
I am starting to notice some internal hand pain when I grasp skinny things like wire and pencils.
From the sales of my Kitchen Tools Project, I made several handle diameters. That was a feature that people did
comment upon.

Kestrel Tool, bladesmiths for all sorts of Pacific Northwest style carving tools, claims that you finger tips should just
touch the ball of your thumb. For me that's no less than 7/8", up to 1 1/8." 3/4" is no good, 1 1/4" feels unwieldy.

Slippery tool handles need a tight hand grip. That bothers me and it's started to hurt.
I can relax quite a bit by putting a whip finish of cord on the handle.
The best so far is #18 tarred nylon seine fishnet twine. The tar won't come off on gloves or hands but it's just sticky enough
that I can relax my death-grip, even where striking accuracy (elbow adze) is important.
A 454g spool is at least 300m, try a chandler's for supply.

If you examine the handles of the crooked knives, you should see several sizes.
That was a deliberate exercise in exploring handle size to suit me.

[chambezio]

This thread makes a very interesting read.
I DON'T LIKE GLOVES
Never really have. I suppose the main reason is that I find it very difficult to find a pair that fit my hands. I don't know whether they are larger than the "norm". When we go to Bunnies and have to walk past the display bins of bundles of cheap leather/canvas gloves for ridiculously cheap prices I will try to put one on my hand.....I can only just get my fingers in and that's it.
On the TV you can see "mechanics" wearing gloves to do mechanical work.... How can they "feel" what they are doing. When welding I don't use gloves, but I am conscious of where I pick things up so as not to burn myself. The only time I wear gloves for protection is fuelling up the Landcruiser with Diesel. I have found that 99% of bowsers have some sort of weap that can leave unprotected skin smelling like a refinery for the rest of the day. I have a pair of those really stiff rubber ones, stuffed under the back seat and put them on when refuelling.
The thought of using leather gloves while woodturning is completely alien to me. I maintain that I need to "feel' the tool in my hand and also need to "feel' the tool cutting into the job.
I am not saying I probably don't need to wear gloves its probably a case of never finding any that could fit and be comfortable in. My poor old hands have taken a battering over the time that I have had them and now they are giving me a small amount of pain from time to time from a couple of joints that are starting to enlarge. The quack gave it a long Latin name and said that there is no cure but if I wanted to, I could take Fish Oil tabs that can relieve things a bit. And yes they do

[Bob38S]

Rod, I, like you am not a big fan of gloves.

I have big hands and agree that most of the cheapies are meant for midgets.

When I have needed gloves "that feel" I have used golfing gloves, very thin, plenty of feel but if you really hammer them they do not last nearly as long as the heavier work gloves. The old English driving gloves were good, leather on the inside and mesh on the back -you could even get them with the finger tips cut out for maximum feel. Haven't seen them for a long time but perhaps available in the big smoke. Some of the work store places have deer, goat leather gloves available - not cheap ( what is these days) but thin and good feel.

Hope it helps.

[chambezio]

Thanks for the tip, Bob. We have a work wear/safety shop in town so it would be a good excuse to drop in and see what they have in "big hand" sized gloves.
Uncle Harry, the Vet on Better Homes and Gardens, made the comment in one episode that he doesn't wear gloves for surgery......he says that he learned so long ago that those plastic gloves were not available so he prefers to use his bare hands to be able to get "the feel".

[BobL]

On the TV you can see "mechanics" wearing gloves to do mechanical work.... How can they "feel" what they are doing.

That's interesting you say that because it probably becomes a matter of getting used to them. I started wearing latex gloves about two years while doing mechanical work and found after a while you can get very close to the same feel as without them, with advantage that my hands don't need to be washed as often and the skin on my hands seems to stay in better shape that way.

When welding I don't use gloves, but I am conscious of where I pick things up so as not to burn myself.

Up until I retired I was a very occasional welder and only wore a glove on my left hand, but doing a lot more welding in the last few years the skin on the back of my right hands started to suffer so I started wearying a light/thin leather glove on my right hand and the skin has improved back to be the same as my left hand.

The only time I wear gloves for protection is fuelling up the Landcruiser with Diesel. I have found that 99% of bowsers have some sort of weap that can leave unprotected skin smelling like a refinery for the rest of the day. I have a pair of those really stiff rubber ones, stuffed under the back seat and put them on when refuelling.

In a number of countries I have been to plastic disposable gloves are provided at the bowser. It would be really good to do that here because the idea of driving around with a pair of diesel smeared gloves in the cab doesn't appeal to me all that much

The thought of using leather gloves while woodturning is completely alien to me. I maintain that I need to "feel' the tool in my hand and also need to "feel' the tool cutting into the job.

Yep - same with me on this one

I am not saying I probably don't need to wear gloves its probably a case of never finding any that could fit and be comfortable in. My poor old hands have taken a battering over the time that I have had them and now they are giving me a small amount of pain from time to time from a couple of joints that are starting to enlarge. The quack gave it a long Latin name and said that there is no cure but if I wanted to, I could take Fish Oil tabs that can relieve things a bit. And yes they do

I don't have hand size problems but I too detested the "poor feel" that cheap gloves provided until I discovered the Ironclad Ranchworkx gloves. They are not cheap but the come in a range of sizes and the thin leather stretches to fit like a glove is supposed to. I can really recommend these.

[chambezio]

When I was a kid and watching those Westerns, like Rin Tin Tin, Hop Along Cassidy even Rawhide I marvelled at the cowboys wearing gloves. Maybe because I never saw anyone I knew wear gloves made me think the cowboys may have been whimps

[BobL]

When I was a kid and watching those Westerns, like Rin Tin Tin, Hop Along Cassidy even Rawhide I marvelled at the cowboys wearing gloves. Maybe because I never saw anyone I knew wear gloves made me think the cowboys may have been whimps

If you have ever seen the rope burns even a small horse can generate in about half a second then you would understand why they wear gloves.

[Robson Valley]

"Roper" gloves have a pull tab at the wrist that you can cinch up with your teeth. Good idea.
When my brother was racing a smallish catamnaran, tight, wet, leather gloves were the order of the day.

[mark david]

Hi I know exactly what you mean.
Although I am not exactly that old at 48 (not young either)
I do go throught periods of having problems with one wrist and some tennis elbow in one arm, also neck problems and sinus issues.
I don't generally wear gloves although should do at times due to the amount of jarrah splinters I get.
Personally I would suggest doing so is is probably rather dangerous when using machinery, maybe at best some fingereless gloves or wrist support may be of benefit.The same goes for wearing any wristwatches or rings that are also hazardous and don't help with blood circulation either.

[Lassezeta]

image.jpgAs simple as safe, just use some old pieces to clamp safetly with when you ar cuting smal pieces in the mitter saw, don't forget to let the saw stop befor raising it, otherwise you kan have a dangerous bit flying when you rise the saw with the saw still spinning.

[shedbound]

I have been a carpenter since leaving school, The trade has taken its toll on my body, especially my hands, Not officially diagnosed but I think I have the start of the dreaded Arthur in a few fingers, I find when I turn I have to use an overhand grip now, and as has been stated I too now make all my handles slightly fatter. And as awkward as it can be sometimes, my middle finger has become my trigger finger.