Safety, Safety, Wood Carving Safety
In this post we’re going to discuss Wood Carving Safety and some of the supplies you may want to keep handy as you start your wood carving journey. Although, we don’t want to think about getting a cut it is almost inevitable. At some point every wood carver has made a slip with their knife and suffered a cut. If you’re new to wood carving you will find this article and the video to be very informative.
First and foremost you should invest in is a good carving glove. You need a glove at least on the hand you commonly hold your piece of wood with. I like a glove that is comfortable and flexible. Keep in mind that a glove won’t protect you from a stab, so use caution when pushing in with a gouge or a knife. Gloves with a level 5 cut protection should be just fine. The gloves in the photo above are my number one choice.
Thumb guards are also another good choice for your safety. The thumb guards are usually worn on the hand that holds the knife. Thumb guards keep you from cutting your thumb while doing a pairing cut or pulling the knife towards the thumb. A good thumb guard can also provide relief when you are doing a lot of push cuts especially if your basswood is a little tough.
After the Cut
Band-Aids are a good safety measure to keep in your tool bag or tote. Band-Aids don’t keep you from getting cut obviously but if you do get cut it’s nice to have them. I am astounded at how many people in my carving classes never have a Band-Aid.
Super Glue is also good to keep handy as not only can you fix a chip on your carving but it also will close up a small cut. Now I know people will probably freak out over using super glue on your skin but it works. If you don’t want to use Super Glue then carry some New Skin Adhesive. New skin comes in a bottle and works just like the super glue only not as strong. Coupled with a band-aid you should be fine using the New Skin.
Sports tape is another good tool to have as the tape can be used with some gauze if you suffer a severe cut. Just wash the area in cold water, apply pressure to the wound with gauze and wrap it with sports tape. Sports tape is not only good for stopping a bleeding cut but you can also use it to tape back together a roughout your cutting on the bandsaw.
Self Adherent Cohesive Wrap Bandages are another good option for covering a cut. This type of flexible wrap will actually stick to itself for sometime and will also aid in keeping pressure on the wound. Just be sure to put a small piece of gauze underneath to avoid it sticking to the wound. The nice thing about having this in your tool bag is it also doubles as a thumb and finger guard.
Protect your Tools and Yourself
Rubber tubing for covering your knives is also a very good option to have in your wood carving safety arsenal. Using rubber tubing not only protects the tips of your knives and gouges but it also protects you from dropping your tools on your foot or leg. Suitable tubing can be found in local hardware stores and comes very cheap for just a couple feet. One lady in our carving class was carrying her knives and gouges over to the sharpening station and dropped one of her knives. The knife went straight down right into her shoe penetrating her foot, not a serious wound, but just having the rubber tubing on her knife would have prevented this.
Lastly, a good strop is important to have when it comes to wood carving safety. My wood carving teacher always tells us that a sharp knife is a safe knife. This makes a lot of since because most cuts occur when someone is “forcing” a dull knife through a piece of wood and using lots of pressure. The wood instead of slicing off easily chunks off unexpectedly and cuts the finger.
Wood carving is a fun art to take on but it’s not fun when you get a cut. The cuts can be painful and sometimes severe so always practice good techniques and keep your knife sharp. Most importantly always wear your glove and thumb guards.