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Finger protection from sanders?

2K views 23 replies 16 participants last post by  kelvancra 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Making some small gift pieces using my belt/disc sander. These pieces are really small and have accidentally sanded my finger tips a couple times. Its 120 grit, but even a second is too long. Tried using normal bandaids. They help take the brunt if one touches but looking for something a little tougher. Something that will provide more "meat" than a bandaid but rip off if it catches too much, while still providing the dexterity of bare skin or bandaid. Any ideas?
 
#4 ·
I'm pretty sure mine is 3M but can't swear to it. I'm not particular. Just so long as it's fairly elastic and stick to itself well. I like it because it's tougher than a bandaid when I'm working, doesn't catch on stuff like splinters like bandaids can and the elasticity lets me use it as a snug covering for a small cut or a tight turniquet for a big one :) Avoid the latter!

For your situation, I would think that the smooth surface and toughness would prevent it catching on the paper but also not get sanded through before you realized it was touching. Purely a theory though, never used it for that specifically so take it with a grain of salt…
 
#5 ·
Why not use a clamping jig for repeat work.
For one off jobs, use vise grips.
Vise grips are PITA to clamp every time, but it's better than bleeding fingers.

Might look at Swingline rubber finger tips from office supply store? Fits your description: more meat and slips off if it catches. They work well for avoiding paper cuts in office. They come in different sizes

Best Luck.
 
#9 · (Edited by Moderator)
i use the finger rubbers for reloading and misc things where i need a little more grab, my fingers get so slick and well sometimes i either don't squeeze tight enough or too tight, that age thing,

on another note the anti vibration gloves and misc, i've purchased are ok, i just get cramps in my hands as i need to hold everything tighter, ugh,
happy days
rj in az
 
#10 ·
I'm naturally averse to any hand coverings near rotating machinery. Too many people with less than enough fingers because the glove / tape / bandaid /etc got caught and dragged down.

Take it like a man, man (lol)
 
#11 ·
I recently picked up some 8 mil nitrile gloves by Gloveworks to wear in the shop. An old neck injury has left most of my fingers with less than stellar touch sensation. Got tired of playing the game "where'd that blood come from" in the shop.

I don't know how they fair against a sander but I can attest they will take a light hit or two from the wire wheel on the bench grinder before they tear through.
 
#12 ·
I learned my lesson with wearing nitrile gloves while using my disc sander. The sander pulled the glove into the 1/8" gap between the table and the disc forcing me to pull back hard enough to tear the finger off the glove. To add insult to injury, when I turned the sander on the next day, the finger of the glove came flying out and hit me in the eye (yes I had glasses on)
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#13 ·
Glue or tape the sandpaper down flat and move the piece by hand. If the pieces are that small a power sander is overkill (as you are finding out.) Hand sanding works well on small pieces as power sanding takes off too much material too fast as well as being a hand/finger risk.

NEVER wear gloves with power tools-if they snag they can drag your hands in. Use gloves while humping lumber but not when using power tools.
 
#15 ·
I have used the leather fingertip carving protectors (there is a separate one designed for the thumb) with the assumption that you can pull your finger out should they get caught but I also make sure that the gap between the table and the belt is really tight to reduce the chance there is room for a finger (or small part) to get pulled into the gap in the first place.
 
#16 ·
The narrower the gap, the more likely the material is to snag.
Us really old people who were "trained", rather than self taught from others and nowadays utube, had it drummed into us every day.
NO gloves, NO long sleeve shirts with undone cuffs, NO long hair, NO ties, NO finger jewellery.
Better to lose a bit of skin than a finger or more.
 
#17 ·
Making some small gift pieces using my belt/disc sander. These pieces are really small and have accidentally sanded my finger tips a couple times. Its 120 grit, but even a second is too long. Tried using normal bandaids. They help take the brunt if one touches but looking for something a little tougher. Something that will provide more "meat" than a bandaid but rip off if it catches too much, while still providing the dexterity of bare skin or bandaid. Any ideas?

- SMP
If I'm sure I will sand myself, usually when a part is very small I don my chainmail gloves that I use for carving, again small items.

I ordered, and returned a few pairs of them for myself, and the LOML for carving too. She likes one brand, and I another. Hers were cheapies, mine were not, but I needed large size, and flexibility.

Anyhow on a sander, or grinder you'll feel heat a little bit, but no chunks of flesh, at least for a while.
 
#18 ·
If nitrile gloves get sucked into a tool and take your fingers along, those are some badass gloves. I worked as a machinist for years and of course was trained not to wear gloves around rotating machinery. However, tight fitted nitrile gloves were an exception. I wear them in my shop regularly and use them with grinders all the time. I've had them get ripped and torn and lost the finger tips off them but never had to worry about getting my fingers sucked into anything because of them.

YMMV of course, this is just my $.02 and worth at least half that much.
 
#19 · (Edited by Moderator)
I too think nitrile gloves would be safe given their tensile strength but anything more aggressive would be potentially dangerous, especially something strong and loose fitting where the kinetic energy of everything driving a spinning bit/blade/belt could suck in a hand as could slow high torque applications.

It sounds like a fixture or hand sanding would be your best bet if this is something that's happening regularly.
 
#20 ·
If the nitrile gloves are to release quickly, which I think they would unless the gap is so large that a significant amount of a finger could enter, I doubt they would offer much sanding resistance. If the OP is wondering where the blood is coming from while sanding I think the glove will just be the first layer of epidermis to go.
 
#21 ·
You're absolutely right CF. For me, the gloves serve as kind of a warning layer when I'm wire brushing parts on a grinder. With small parts I often burn a finger because I didn't realize how close I was to the wheel. The gloves give me just enough warning when I feel a finger get torn to back off before my finger nail gets cleaned real good ;-)
 
#22 ·
You re absolutely right CF. For me, the gloves serve as kind of a warning layer when I m wire brushing parts on a grinder. With small parts I often burn a finger because I didn t realize how close I was to the wheel. The gloves give me just enough warning when I feel a finger get torn to back off before my finger nail gets cleaned real good ;-)

- HokieKen
Yeah thats what i'm looking for. Mainly an "oh s#1$!" Reminder that my middle finger is longer than the rest. Hand sanding would take days to do the shaping I can do in 2 minutes on the disc/belt sander.
 
#24 ·
For some small parts, these work well and are cheap to make:

https://www.lumberjocks.com/projects/301810

I, also, use double back tape for some applications.

I make things for my wife's jewelry and some of it's very small. I use my drum-disc with a zero clearance work surface to rough them in, but switch over to palm sanders for the fine stuff.

When I can use these clamps, it speeds the sanding process of significantly, because it cuts back on the item vibrating at the speed of the sander. Even the double back helps with that.
 
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