Garage Shop: Tools

My high school welding teacher lost his job because of a kid cutting off half his finger with an angle grinder and gloves.

I've worked in almost a dozen shops, but only one that took safety serious. They put us through a yearly 2 week safety class that emphasized no gloves on anything that was powered. They also had a 25 year track record of no on the job injuries. That's insane considering they had 200+ employees.

That said, I'm a mixed boat. I have guards on my grinders, but I still occasionally wear gloves with them. Then again I have spares when it comes to fingers. The one thing I never mess around with is my eyes. I always have glasses or a face shield on when using power tools, but that's because going blind is my biggest fear.

 

It’s all fun and games until you loose a digit. I highly recommend putting any safety guards back in place. I miss my finger everyday and it’s been 13years since I lost it. .....and my wife makes sure I remember it almost daily...
My amputation wasn’t a tool injury but hand in wrong place at wrong time. The effect is the same.

And no, I’m not just bending my finger over....

 

Use the proper PPE for the job. Safety first. This is the motto for everything in the Gulf of Mexico oilfield. Gloves are mandatory along with eye protection.

 

Used to work at a machine shop in CA where one day a guy decided to finish polish the work while the lathe spun down (which was a hella no-no) instead of on the bench. That lathe decided he didnt need an arm below the elbow anymore, and ripped it right off. I didnt see it, but dear god did I HEAR it from the next aisle over. Still curls my toes thinking about it.

 

I knew a guy that lost all 4. Stuck his hand where it didn't belong and lost them before he knew anything had happened. Too many people have become reliant upon the government child proofing everything. In reality they just make sure that your employer has to pay for the doctor AFTER you've fucked up. Workers comp will even give you a small check for the loss of your digits. In reality if you want to avoid pain, suffering, ridicule, and nicknames like stubs or dumbass, you need to remember the golden rule. Your safety is YOUR job, because your safety will always come 2nd-last for others.

 

Pray tell just what company had the no gloves rule?

Interesting taking guards off grinders will get you sent home The same job not having gloves will also get you sent home 3 times your done for good.

Then you may as well apply to fast food.

 

In my case the cost was just for the brand new clamps and the few lugs.

A 50 lead extension that was starting to get beat up enough not to take out on some jobs got donated to the cause giving me nice 50' cables.

 

Ive worked for multiple shops that had a no gloves while using spinny tools policy. The story of mine above had a no gloves policy around the lathes and the dude lost his arm because the lathe caught the cuff of his glove he wasnt supposed to be wearing (while doing something already stupid)

 

Machine Tools is quite different then hand held tools in the field .

I could just picture gloves off to grind gloves on to weld all day long when it is 10 degrees out

 

Southland Machine shop. It was the only shop to have this rule, but as I said, it was the only shop I've worked for with a 25 year safety record. Gloves are meant to protect from burns and sharp edges on the material, not from the tools. If you are looking for them to protect you from mills, lathes, drills, saws, grinders, or virtually any other power tool, then you are not operating the power tool correctly.

 

My issue is when grinding and cutting metal, it’s gonna get hot. I’m constantly touching, moving and repositioning the piece that I’m working on. What am I supposed to do, take the gloves on and off every 30 seconds? I disagree on the point of no gloves while operating handheld grinders, drills and saws. It’s all a matter of opinion though, unless there’s some large study on the matter but I doubt it.

 

I wouldn't be holding the piece to begin with. A clamp or vice would be my first choice. Pliers or vice grips my second. The majority of grinder accidents are cut off wheels shattering and flying back at the operator. The majority of these would have been prevented with the use of the included grinding shield. A quick google search for Angle grinder accidents will show you just how dangerous this can be if you've never met a friend that has had it happen to them (warning very graphic). You have to search a few pages in to see accidents with gloves, but they are there. More often is actually shirts getting caught and driving the disk into the abdomen.

If you're going to wear gloves anyways. The tightest leather gloves are your best bet. They are more likely to be cut with the skin than to be drawn into the tool. Anything woven is more dangerous as it has more surfaces to be hooked onto. Same with loose gloves like welding gloves.

 

Cut a couple small tabs off the end of these free trays with my last Tekton order.

They fit perfect, the rails lock into the trays, socket twist lock onto the pegs. If the metric 1/2” is the same length then I think this is my plan. Tray is on far right in this pic with the impact sockets.

 

Picked up some “BigAzz” pliers, the name does not lie

 

Or maybe you have deceptively tiny hands. Great for reaching wiring that’s tucked away in tight places.

 

Looks like a Rubbermaid tote..

.. but maybe it’s Tupperware..

 

you know what they say about guys with small hands.....

















they wear small gloves

 

The first thing I think of with the big ones is to unscrew the metal lids on PVC cement and primer.

 

Just not with power tools or you will literally die.

 

Truth.