Kevlar Glove for carving

[Bluemerle]

Do any of you wood carvers/whittlers wear a Kevlar glove on the hand holding the wood, if so any recommendations?

 

[hiho]

i just use a cheap pair of ebay
Here

 

[Indoorsout]

They look good I do have a pair but rarely use them. If you do get some make sure of the size, you do not want them too big! Makes things hard to hold.

 

[Sawyer]

@ Hiho - nice find. cheers

 

[Bluemerle]

Thanks for that Hiho i might give them a try,not sure if medium will be big enough.

 

[hiho]

i'm sure there the ones i've got... they look identical but the seller i got em from ain't on ebay now...

 

[Hoodoo]

Do any of you wood carvers/whittlers wear a Kevlar glove on the hand holding the wood, if so any recommendations?

Always. And I wrap the glove thumb with rubberized carving tape (not vet wrap) as well as the thumb on the carving hand.

This kevlar glove came from Woodcraft and it is probably my favorite. Finding a carving glove that fits you well is usually an iterative process.

 

[Mojoracinguk]

how do the users of these gloves find them for cut ressistance

another section of the factory used them as they cnc some pretty intressting structural aluminium.....this (if not deburred properly) can shave skin or cut very deep (Yes aluminium)


I managed to get hold of a pair of 'Kevlar gloves and thought i'd try the cut resisstance out....they help but did get slashed through.


The main use i have seen for kevlar is in abrasion ressistance (biker gear) rather than cutting (shear) ressistance.


Just after your thoughts.....and even if you are 'wearing' don't try the gloves out on purpose....you might end up regretting it

 

[birdbrain57]

I was given a pair off a friend who is a glazier. They have definitly saved me having a few extra scars.

 

[_scorpio_]

could you cut one of the fingers clean off the glove with an axe? i rarely cut myself lightly, so they could be more of a problem than help if i you had fibres of kevlar stuck in a wound...

 

[Baggy]

Hmmmmm

I am tempted to say that protective gloves would lead to bad technique.... fx: dons flame proof clothing

 

[Bluemerle]

Thanks for all your replies,defiantly given me food for thought!

 

[robin wood]

Personally I never use them. If you use good technique there is never any reason to cut yourself. If you do cut yourself you were using incorrect technique. It is fairly easy to learn 6 or 7 different knife grips and how to use them safely and efficiently.

 

[Sawyer]

Personally I never use them. If you use good technique there is never any reason to cut yourself. If you do cut yourself you were using incorrect technique. It is fairly easy to learn 6 or 7 different knife grips and how to use them safely and efficiently.

Interesting. Any online resources you would particularly recommend for learning the grips Robin?

 

[forestwalker]

Not Robin, but Willie Sundquists book is a good start.

 

[tommy the cat]

I get them free from a mate. I agree about the comment on bad technique however I keep one glove with my crook knife and use it when sharpening the axe or knife. Not sure really how good they work.... but I haven't cut myself!
D

 

[rancid badger]

Personally I never use them. If you use good technique there is never any reason to cut yourself. If you do cut yourself you were using incorrect technique. It is fairly easy to learn 6 or 7 different knife grips and how to use them safely and efficiently.

I'm in a similar mind as Robin on this,( particularly; as he taught myself and a few others how to carve safely a couple of years ago) though I do sometimes use a kevlar glove if I haven't done any carving for a while.

As well as technique; you need to factor in the suitability of the tool you are using and the tool's sharpness.
If a cutting tool is blunt; it will cut you accidentally, far more easily than a sharp one ever would.

A point to remember ( no pun intended, but what the hxll!) ; a normal kevlar glove, will not protect you from puncture wounds, such as you might get if you slip and stick the tip of a knife into your palm. They are more for sharp edges and slash/incision protection.

There are numerous different types of glove with a range of "protection levels" you'll need to try a few, as different gloves of the same levels will have different "feel" and flexibility for example.

R.B.

 

[rancid badger]

Interesting. Any online resources you would particularly recommend for learning the grips Robin?

You could consider a carving course with Robin;
[video=youtube;mAthW-2IjsI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAthW-2IjsI[/video]

We did and it was truly excellent.

I'm the gonk at the end, who has to put the the knife down, due to giggling!

cheers

R.B.

 

[Bluemerle]

Ok guys, decision made, no Kevlar glove! i appreciate that good technique is far more important. Thanks for all the advice and helping me come to my decision.

 

[Hoodoo]

Ok guys, decision made, no Kevlar glove! i appreciate that good technique is far more important. Thanks for all the advice and helping me come to my decision.

Good technique is always important. But if you are carving figures or very detailed carvings, you will use far more different techniques than what are in Sundquist's book, and many different tools. If you go to the Woodcarving Illustrated forum, you will rub shoulders with some of the finest caricature carvers in the world. I would say most of them recommend and use gloves. Some of these folks have been carving for over 60 years and their pieces sell for hundreds or thousands of dollars. There is not one technique for carving wood, there are many. When you do very fine carving on very thin pieces, a small unseen blemish in the wood can lead to a serious cut. Cut a tendon and the damage can be permanent. It only takes one serious mistake.