Almost lost two fingers last month on a band saw in my shop outside Tulsa

It was a bone-in ribeye and the blade grabbed my glove before I even knew what happened. Anyone else ditch the gloves after a close call like that?

4 comments

4 Comments

jesse_williams6225d ago

Man that sounds terrifying. I had a similar thing happen with a table saw a few years back, the wood kicked back and pulled my hand right into the blade. Took the tip off my thumb. After that I tossed all my gloves in the bin, you just can't feel the material grabbing you through them. Now I just keep my hands well clear and use push sticks for everything. Glad you still got all your fingers.

milessmith22d ago

@jesse_williams62 sounds like you learned that lesson the hard way. I still remember the first time I used a push stick and thought "why didn't I do this years ago?" It's like wearing a seatbelt, feels dumb until you need it. Oven mitts are a good comparison too, you're basically guessing at heat levels until it's too late.

daniel47422d ago

Honestly I gotta push back on this a little. Gloves are fine if you're using the right ones and paying attention to what you're doing. I've been using thin cut-resistant gloves with my table saw for years and never had a kickback issue. The problem isn't the gloves, it's getting complacent and not watching your hand placement. Plenty of guys in the shop wear them without losing digits. Feels like people blame the tool or the gear when really it's just a split second of not being focused.

mary_foster9225d ago

You said "you just can't feel the material grabbing you through them" and that hits on something bigger I've noticed. @jesse_williams62, it's like everything these days is about putting a layer between you and what you're doing, whether it's gloves or phone screens or apps that filter your photos. You lose that direct feedback, that little warning signal that something's about to go sideways. Same reason I hate using those big oven mitts at work instead of just a dry towel, you can't tell when the heat's about to get real. Sometimes the old way of just paying attention and keeping your hands clear is the safest option.