Protective clothing

[Hy Tran]

In the privacy of your own shop--what do you wear?

I wear my safety glasses and a faceshield on top. Sometimes, I wear gloves; sometimes, I wear a face mask (sanding). I almost always also put on a smock to reduce dust on my clothing. Sometimes, I wear socks and croc sandals, rather than shoes.

Oh, yes, I also put on pants

What do you folks do? Do you have issues tracking dust into the house?

 

[hockenbery]

My gear is similar

prescription Safety glasses, face shield,
Dust mask when sanding or working with dry wood, Keep a fan to move dust way or run the dust collector

Never wear a glove. Two reasons. 1 my skin will let go of an exposed chuck jaw a glove won't.
2 I got a bad painful burn from CA glue that wicked under a glove I was wearing about 20 years ago and haven't worn a glove since for turning

Regarding footwear.
I often wear sports sandals with good foot support.
If I were to stand for a long time in crocs my back would tell me about the mistake for days.

 

[Hu Lowery]

they call me the streak . . .

They call me the streak, I'm the fastest thing on two feet!

Brought back memories of a Ray Stevens song and a girl that wanted me to go streaking with her one time. Not me, never!

In the shop I have to admit I wear nothing special other than a face shield. Cheap reading glasses under that. Need prescripton safety glasses. I was looking at an apron someone on video, I think Jimmy Clewes, was wearing. It was like a chest protector but dropped down a little lower. I wouldn't mind having an apron like that with a few layers of protection in it.

Below the waist I don't wear anything resembling protection, jeans and leather lace up shoes. Been looking at a black toe nail on my big toe for months from misjudging how heavy a small piece of wet oak was I noticed might fall on my foot. It landed on my big toe, a little further back and I would have had a broken toe and felt like a real dummy! That wet oak weighed over five pounds.

I know a lot of master turners use gloves. My old machine shop instructor at the vo-tech would get up out of his grave just to slap me upside the head if I wore gloves around any rotating equipment. If my hands can't take the punishment I need to rethink what I am doing or maybe rig a shield for protection. As often as many of us turn in front of a lathe a thousand to one odds against an accident wearing gloves aren't really good odds. How many times do we turn in a week? No gloves, no long sleeve shirts. If I am cold I turn in a vest.

Hu

 

[john lucas]

during the summer in my old shop it was simply too hot. Tank top and shorts. Usually wear my tennis shoes because sandals are too uncomfortable after a long period. Hate getting shavings in my shorts but that's the price you pay for working in hot humid Tennessee weather. I wear prescription safety glasses but 99% of what I turn is small so I seldom wear a face shield. Always have shavings in my shoes and socks and tend to track that into the house. I did buy a pair of those funny looking things that go over your socks and shoes but I always forget I have them and never wear them. Now that I'm getting married to a lady that loves a spotless house that may have to change. Heck I may have to strip naked and blow myself off with a hose before coming in the hose. I am living on a lake now, maybe I can put up one of those outdoor showers like they always have to wash yourself off before you go back inside.
In the winter I have a cheap nylon jacket I wear over what ever warm clothing is needed. It sheds shavings really well and zips up to the neck to stop the shavings. I do have to wear gloves when I work in the winter because it's simply too cold in my shop. I wear tight fitting ones and simply remind myself constantly that I'm wearing gloves and try not to get anywhere near the spinning goods with them. I'm sure that's not the best option but it's either that or don't turn. Cold weather makes my hands hurt. I'm going to try real hard to properly insulate and heat my new shop so that isn't an issue anymore. However money is still an issue so that may not happen.
I am trying to convince myself to start wearing a dust hood type face shield. I bought one last year but can't stand to wear it. However I'm going to try and persist and maybe i'll get used to it. I've been breathing wood dust for 30 or more years now and it can't be good for you. I have always used a dust collector and often a fan at my back to try and keep the dust at bay.

 

[Douglas Ladendorf]

What are the thoughts on close fitting fingerless gloves like Lyle Jamieson wears? Those seem to be useful in some scenarios.

Doug

 

[hockenbery]

What are the thoughts on close fitting fingerless gloves like Lyle Jamieson wears? Those seem to be useful in some scenarios. Doug

My thoughts are they are bad idea and unnecessary. For me it is all risk and no benefit.
It is a personal decision. Lyle and some others think differently.

It is a what I used to wear about 20 years ago.
If you mix perspiration and CA glue it HURTS, LEAVES A BIG BLISTER.
If a chuck corner or edge of a blank catches the material it will likely not let go until the glove is torn from your hand or you stall lathe or maybe the electronics switch off. What damage is done to your hand?

A bare hand at worst is going to get a cut or a bruise.

I sand the leading corners of jaws making them less grabby

We all know we would never ever put our hand into a spinning piece of wood or a chuck except (demonstrate to students)
We all know we would never drip CA glue on a finger where it can wick under the glove with bare fingers.
Oddly it did not bond to the skin but it had one heck of an exothermic display.

I adopted styles of turning that shoot the chips away from me when roughing so don't have anything hitting me.

If you have some hand issues that make wearing a glove imperative or beneficial. You have a different decision process. Benefits and risk.

Al

 

[robo hippy]

I am always in shorts, slip on shoes, and t shirt. When turning I wear safety glasses, and a smock most of the time. Other than that, it depends on what I am doing. When sanding, I have a full hood, not just a big gulp type cone thing, for collecting dust, and there is no need for a dust mask. I always turn green, so no dust protection needed there. If I am turning green, then I do use the hose up close to what I am turning. I do tend to overheat... Anything above 60 degrees makes me sweat. No gloves ever needed because of how I turn.

robo hippy

 

[Hu Lowery]

A great or terrible example depending on how you look at it!

What are the thoughts on close fitting fingerless gloves like Lyle Jamieson wears? Those seem to be useful in some scenarios.

Doug

Doug,

Lyle made the first good video's I found about turning. I admire him a great deal and have watched those video's over and over. The worn out fingerless gloves with them gaped open around every finger and threads unraveled and the glove material hanging way out on some fingers is impossible to miss. Those fingerless gloves are not safe, in my opinion no fingerless gloves are.

Most accidents aren't caused by one thing. Usually one unusual thing happens and it is compounded by bad practices that were just fine until that one thing happened.

To illustrate, smoking is perfectly safe around tanks holding highly flammable and explosive materials. There is a nice layer of steel and maybe liner separating the smoker from the hazardous material. Long before the government stepped in there was still no smoking allowed in these areas. If one thing went wrong, a leak large or small, it could rapidly be compounded by an ignition source nearby. The smoking ban wasn't for routine daily activities but for when things went wrong. The safety rules against wearing gloves are much the same, they are for when things go wrong, although wearing gloves can be the sole cause of some accidents.

Hu

 

[Hy Tran]

The smock (for me) is to prevent chips/shavings from getting under my shirt, or into my underwear. (I don't turn commando. Don't ask).

I still get shavings in my hair (what hair I have, anyway).

The (occasional) gloves are, I think, because I don't know how to duct chips away from the hand pushing the tool on the toolrest. (This is mostly when using the bowl gouge on dry wood, roughing out). I also use gloves when applying CA on pens, but I hear your concerns about rapid exothermic polymerization with CA. I have a box of disposable nitrile gloves that I use for CA glue. For protecting the hand from hot chips, I use relatively form-fitting mesh-back work gloves that I bought from Costco.

Interesting that most of you (who have responded) don't have anything special for pants or feet.

 

[Douglas Ladendorf]

I've heard similar warnings about gloves (fingerless or not) as well as long sleeves. Yet some turners wear fingerless gloves and vendors sell full-sleeved turning jackets. The turning jacket I wear sometimes has full sleeves and tight cuffs. I've never felt a risk with that. Now if there is material hanging off that could catch, as you say is the case with Lyle, then that does seem dangerous no matter what the garment. I don't wear gloves but I think about it every time I turn something very dry and it feels like hot embers hitting my hand.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Doug,

Lyle made the first good video's I found about turning. I admire him a great deal and have watched those video's over and over. The worn out fingerless gloves with them gaped open around every finger and threads unraveled and the glove material hanging way out on some fingers is impossible to miss. Those fingerless gloves are not safe, in my opinion no fingerless gloves are.

Most accidents aren't caused by one thing. Usually one unusual thing happens and it is compounded by bad practices that were just fine until that one thing happened.

To illustrate, smoking is perfectly safe around tanks holding highly flammable and explosive materials. There is a nice layer of steel and maybe liner separating the smoker from the hazardous material. Long before the government stepped in there was still no smoking allowed in these areas. If one thing went wrong, a leak large or small, it could rapidly be compounded by an ignition source nearby. The smoking ban wasn't for routine daily activities but for when things went wrong. The safety rules against wearing gloves are much the same, they are for when things go wrong, although wearing gloves can be the sole cause of some accidents.

Hu

I like your analogy because denial frequently seems to be the reason for disregarding common sense. But, just like stock prices, past performance is no guarantee of future results. The part that bothers me about this is when somebody who is doing something unsafe tells others that it is perfectly safe because he has not had an accident while turning with gloves. Rotating machinery has absolutely no compassion.

 

[Hu Lowery]

annoys me

I like your analogy because denial frequently seems to be the reason for disregarding common sense. But, just like stock prices, past performance is no guarantee of future results. The part that bothers me about this is when somebody who is doing something unsafe tells others that it is perfectly safe because he has not had an accident while turning with gloves. Rotating machinery has absolutely no compassion.

Bill,

It just plain old annoys hell out of me when we can't convince somebody something is unsafe because the person we are talking to sees some respected person doing what they want to do. They can see dozens of people that don't do it but one person setting a bad example they want to follow because it is the easiest or most comfortable path, that is who they will follow. I'm getting inclined to tell them rock'n'roll and please don't carry State Farm insurance.

I'm very glad that the AAW is starting to require some respect for safety from people giving demo's. It might persuade some of the old guard that they really don't need to keep using bad practices they are teaching to everyone they demo in front of. To be pretty blunt about it, a lot of the unsafe practices came down from the top, the safe practices will need to come down from the top too.

Hu

 

[Bill Boehme]

I don't know if you intentionally used smoking in your example to make it a double unsafe whammy, but smokers are the poster children for denial. A friend and brilliant engineer at work who was one of the nicest people that I ever knew was a smoker who wasn't interested in quitting. He didn't deny that it was harmful ... for most people, but he figured that he had made it over the hump so to speak ... and therefore was OK to continue. Unfortunately, the other side of the hump wasn't good news. He never got to enjoy a life after retirement.

 

[John Torchick]

I was around manufacturing for many years and gloves were a no-no around turning machines. I don't ever recall a machinist wearing gloves at any time while working with machinery. They might wear gloves to pick up an object but the gloves were taken off before turning on the machine.
I wear something comfortable- shoes (no sandals), face mask, ear plugs; I do wear an old hoodie (without the hood) in the winter but pull the sleeves up out of the way. Oh yes, pants and shirt in case you are wondering about the rest of my outfit. I do try to coordinate my outfit as to colors, patterns, etc.

 

[john lucas]

Well when I'm rough turning Cherry the shavings hit my left hand and hurt. I often wear a fingerless glove when rough turning because of that. There are positions where I can rotate the gouge or change the angle and avoid this but some cuts are just more efficient so I find the gloves necessary. As I mentioned in another post in the winter my shop is simply too cold and my hands actually hurt so gloves are a necessity if I want to turn. Just like anything else you have to be careful. How many people do you know who have mangled or cut a finger on the lathe who weren't wearing gloves. Accidents happen and we all try to do our best to keep them to a minimum.

 

[dbonertz]

Like it matters but I also wear a glove on my right hand when rough turning the outside of bowls. I rough turn left handed so my right hand is near the flute. My right hand does not go on the blank side of the tool rest. I can direct shavings but it is the junk that comes off that I cannot control. Small bark pieces, if I wasn't able to remove the bark, splinter from hitting a branch pocket, bark inclusion or etc. I don't wear gloves when finish turning, I can feel the cut better without them. It is all in ones perspective. I suppose I rough turn a lot more than most (roughoutbowls.com) so I feel it is safer to not have that pain of trash hitting my bare hand and making me twitch in a cut.

I wear a face shield, smock, jeans/shorts, always shoes/boots. During the winter I wear a long sleeve shirt with button cuffs if it is really cold but again I don't slow a blank with my hand either - let the lathe do that. During the summer I use those foot covers that John mentioned because I wear shorts and I hate chips in my shoes.

BTW I only put the above web address, not to advertise, but to head off the potential guy who may take my above statement out of context.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Many years ago I was using some of the screen like sanding cloth with the lathe running. It grabbed a bark inclusion and did a full circle before it slipped out of my hand. The human reflex time is simply way too slow to match the speeds that these sort of things happen. Anyway, the index finger of my right hand was pointed backwards and I knew right away that was not normal. I wasn't wearing a glove or else my whole arm would have been twisted around until the lathe stalled. But, it was interesting that even just holding the sanding screen in what seemed to be a safe way where it would slip out of my fingers turned out to not be safe at all. I learned from the orthopedic surgeon that the fingers are extremely slow to heal and generally never fully recover full functionality. I had no torn ligaments, but even so it took years to regain most of the use of my finger. The recovery was painful.

There are plenty of ways to deal with hot dry wood chips, shavings, and bark besides wearing gloves. My personal opinion is that fingerless gloves are worse than full gloves for the reasons that Hu stated earlier. As far as being experienced enough to avoid injury while wearing gloves is concerned ... maybe so ... hopefully ... but I don't like the idea of broadcasting it. Even with a disclaimer, it might just be enough assurance to somebody who only thinks that they are skilled enough to do the same thing. The internet is impersonal enough to detach us from emotional involvement, but how about giving the same implied assurance about wearing gloves while turning to friends or relatives?

 

[Jeff Gilfor]

I am a big fan of 9 or 10 mil thick nitrile gloves. Thick enought to protect. Thin enough to rip if caught. I do not like to get those little cuts and abrasions on my hands, as I am an anesthesiologist by day, and my patients don't appreciate their doc's hands looking like I just overhauled my car's engine.

 

[Bill Boehme]

I am a big fan of 9 or 10 mil thick nitrile gloves. Thick enought to protect. Thin enough to rip if caught. I do not like to get those little cuts and abrasions on my hands, as I am an anesthesiologist by day, and my patients don't appreciate their doc's hands looking like I just overhauled my car's engine.

That might work. I have a bunch of Harbor Freight 5, 7, and 9 mil nitrile gloves that I use when messing with dye and chemicals that can cause severely painful cracking of my fingertips.

 

[John Torchick]

Nitrile or latex or non-latex gloves might work but I like to err on the side of caution.

Jeff Gilfor, then you are the ether bunny?

 

[Mark Hepburn]

I know we got off on the topic of gloves and my .02 is that I don't wear them when turning. But I really like Jeff's idea of the nitrile gloves (which I use for finishing).

As to the other safety gear, I just wear the AAW smock I got last year in AZ, shorts and comfortable shoes (and stand on an anti-fatigue mat).

Just to mention for those who are ambivalent about face protection:

I was turning a green blank this past Sunday and it blew off the lathe and right into my face shield. Just a bad spot in the blank and it blew right off. I had it mounted on a 6" face plate with 8 stainless steel oval head #12 screws. If I had only been wearing safety glasses I'd have been seriously injured. This was one of those Uvex "bionic", $40 jobs with a polycarbonate lens.

Just saying, it's cheap insurance and you really get used to it quickly.

 

[Hu Lowery]

played a bit with math

I know we got off on the topic of gloves and my .02 is that I don't wear them when turning. But I really like Jeff's idea of the nitrile gloves (which I use for finishing).

As to the other safety gear, I just wear the AAW smock I got last year in AZ, shorts and comfortable shoes (and stand on an anti-fatigue mat).

Just to mention for those who are ambivalent about face protection:

I was turning a green blank this past Sunday and it blew off the lathe and right into my face shield. Just a bad spot in the blank and it blew right off. I had it mounted on a 6" face plate with 8 stainless steel oval head #12 screws. If I had only been wearing safety glasses I'd have been seriously injured. This was one of those Uvex "bionic", $40 jobs with a polycarbonate lens.

Just saying, it's cheap insurance and you really get used to it quickly.

Mark,

I played around with the math a bit. The surface of a ten inch piece moving at 1000 RPM is going to move five or six feet before a human can react. Even at 200 RPM there is no chance for a person to jerk back. I like the nitrile gloves for finishing but when roughing I have to put a little thought into things to not get beat up by bark and pointy stuff routinely. While the nitrile might tear there is also an excellent chance that it will not tear enough fast enough to not guide a hand into danger since we aren't really resisting movement when turning, we are trying to gently guide the tool.

I got hit while standing in what is generally considered the safe zone. Same face shield as yours and it rung my bell but did no damage to me or the shield. You know you are used to the shield when you try to wipe your face or drink something with the shield down. It is my #1 piece of safety gear. I would like to add some chest protection, as far as I know none made like I want. I'm thinking some type of small trauma plates that overlapped or were layered to allow free movement but would still insure the force of any blow, particularly over the heart, was spread over a wider area. Impacts over the heart sometimes kill people hours later when they think everything is fine.

The piece blowing up when solidly secured is the kind of thing that it is very difficult or impossible to prepare for. Glad it didn't do you any real damage. No doubt an attention getter at the time! Kinda like an explosion near you in a petro-chem plant, if you hear it, things are all over and you are fine. Takes a few minutes to convince your heart of that!

Hu

 

[Mark Hepburn]

Mark,

I played around with the math a bit. The surface of a ten inch piece moving at 1000 RPM is going to move five or six feet before a human can react. Even at 200 RPM there is no chance for a person to jerk back. I like the nitrile gloves for finishing but when roughing I have to put a little thought into things to not get beat up by bark and pointy stuff routinely. While the nitrile might tear there is also an excellent chance that it will not tear enough fast enough to not guide a hand into danger since we aren't really resisting movement when turning, we are trying to gently guide the tool.

I got hit while standing in what is generally considered the safe zone. Same face shield as yours and it rung my bell but did no damage to me or the shield. You know you are used to the shield when you try to wipe your face or drink something with the shield down. It is my #1 piece of safety gear. I would like to add some chest protection, as far as I know none made like I want. I'm thinking some type of small trauma plates that overlapped or were layered to allow free movement but would still insure the force of any blow, particularly over the heart, was spread over a wider area. Impacts over the heart sometimes kill people hours later when they think everything is fine.

The piece blowing up when solidly secured is the kind of thing that it is very difficult or impossible to prepare for. Glad it didn't do you any real damage. No doubt an attention getter at the time! Kinda like an explosion near you in a petro-chem plant, if you hear it, things are all over and you are fine. Takes a few minutes to convince your heart of that!

Hu

Hey there Hu. Been a while since we talked.

Yes, It was an attention getter for sure. Happened so fast that t was over before I realized it and I had to go poking all over the shop to find the piece! Five or six feet is huge when you think of how fast these things are moving and how slow we humans are.

Not trying to be funny here, but you could get one of those thin life vests with the snap release for chest protection. Light, cheap and plus they're available in a very stylish fluorescent orange or yellow!

As to the gloves, I'm still on the fence. I do like the nitrile idea but then I don't really care too much for wearing them for extended period.

And yes, I still keep trying to drink coffee through that shield. If only it were semi-permeable!!!

Mark

 

[Hy Tran]

Chest impact protection

So, I don't own any chest protective gear. But if you're looking for something to distribute impact, two things come to my mind:

(1) A fencing vest
(2) A catcher's chest protector, baseball umpire's chest protector, or paintball chest protector

Those (esp. (2)) would be relatively easy to find in a sporting goods store, and should be relatively easy to don.

I do wear safety glasses under the face shield. Sometimes, I forget that I've got the face shield, and try to blow off some chips (and look really stupid )

 

[Douglas Ladendorf]

There are baseball chest protectors like this that would work well. Easton Youth Torso Tection Shirt, Gray, Large https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001EZRO1S/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_Cimxvb0H27MDZ

 

[Mark Hepburn]

So, I don't own any chest protective gear. But if you're looking for something to distribute impact, two things come to my mind:

(1) A fencing vest
(2) A catcher's chest protector, baseball umpire's chest protector, or paintball chest protector

Those (esp. (2)) would be relatively easy to find in a sporting goods store, and should be relatively easy to don.

I do wear safety glasses under the face shield. Sometimes, I forget that I've got the face shield, and try to blow off some chips (and look really stupid )

The safety glasses idea is a good one Hy. I wear trifocals but have a pair of prescription safety glasses for my occasional offshore trips and otherwise they collect dust. I think I'm going to adopt that idea too (sort of like wearing suspenders and a belt, but your pants don't fall down!)

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

Don't really have anything new. I use a Trend shield and have a Bionic for backup when the battery dies. I wear jeans and short sleeved shirt. My smock is old Pharmacist smock with velcro to close the collar and over pockets to keep chips out. From the time I started flat woodworking over 40 years ago have always heard gloves to be a no go. I wear work boots with the jeans over them (just cannot stand chips in my socks). The heavy leather has saved my toes from a few bruises. I have mats at all workstations and then some in the shop.

 

[AlanZ]

When looking at chest protectors, it's worth checking out martial arts chest guards.
They are lightweight, and often have only chest and abdomen protective surfaces, with no need for padding in the back area.

 

[Hy Tran]

Safety glasses under face shield

So, most prescription glasses are impact resistant, but do not necessarily meet the ANSI standard for safety glasses. The side shields in safety glasses are important for safety glasses--but less important if you have a face shield.

For those of us whose regular prescription is relatively mild (not a lot of astigmatism), and whose arms are getting shorter, there are safety "reading glasses" and safety "bifocal reading glasses". Ballistic glasses are apparently more protective against impact.

At our local club, one of our experienced members recommended both the Uvex and the Elvex brand (under $15 at amazon) for protective ballistic, in bifocal and reading only. I have the Uvex bifocal style.

Interesting that many of you with industrial experience were taught no gloves. In the environment where I went to school and worked (with high precision machining), we were taught always gloves--in fact, specific types of gloves, both to protect the items being machined from finger oils, and to protect ourselves from the burrs, sharp edges, etc.

 

[Hu Lowery]

Thanks for the chest protector ideas!

All of the ones I am familiar with have merit, some suggestions I will have to look into, not familiar with something like the martial arts equipment or really the sports equipment. I think the flotation vest might be a bit clumsy to turn in, I never fished in them only wearing one while moving. However, the material it is made out of might be ideal to both absorb and spread force. the front of it with maybe a few modifications in the foam might work great. The protectors that must leave you able to move easily are all possibilities too.

Didn't realize there were so many options out there. Thank you to everyone for your suggestions.

Hu

 

[Mark Hepburn]

So, most prescription glasses are impact resistant, but do not necessarily meet the ANSI standard for safety glasses. The side shields in safety glasses are important for safety glasses--but less important if you have a face shield.

For those of us whose regular prescription is relatively mild (not a lot of astigmatism), and whose arms are getting shorter, there are safety "reading glasses" and safety "bifocal reading glasses". Ballistic glasses are apparently more protective against impact.

At our local club, one of our experienced members recommended both the Uvex and the Elvex brand (under $15 at amazon) for protective ballistic, in bifocal and reading only. I have the Uvex bifocal style.

Interesting that many of you with industrial experience were taught no gloves. In the environment where I went to school and worked (with high precision machining), we were taught always gloves--in fact, specific types of gloves, both to protect the items being machined from finger oils, and to protect ourselves from the burrs, sharp edges, etc.

Mine are ANSI Z-rated, super heavy duty with side shields. I spend some time now and again on offshore platforms and the requirements are very stringent these days. On the gloves, for years on offshore sites and also in the fab yards where I've spent a good bit of time (working up punch lists for galleys and accommodations), gloves were not permitted. Over the last two years, I've found that on more locations they are now required. In fact, I now have a nice collection of very nice gloves courtesy of the yards from Mobile to Ingleside

So I guess the jury is out and this is something that continues to evolve as our understanding of root causes deepens.

My face shield is a Uvex and I have a Trend but use that mostly when sanding because it's far less comfortable.

 

[dbonertz]

Gloves are just another tool. If used properly they are safe. If not then it is like misusing any tool, you may get hurt.

 

[Hy Tran]

All of the ones I am familiar with have merit, some suggestions I will have to look into, not familiar with something like the martial arts equipment or really the sports equipment. I think the flotation vest might be a bit clumsy to turn in, I never fished in them only wearing one while moving. However, the material it is made out of might be ideal to both absorb and spread force. the front of it with maybe a few modifications in the foam might work great. The protectors that must leave you able to move easily are all possibilities too.

Didn't realize there were so many options out there. Thank you to everyone for your suggestions.

Hu

Should your lathe and yourself encounter unexpected turbulence and land in water, your chest protection device also doubles as a flotation device

 

[Bill Boehme]

There are baseball chest protectors like this that would work well. Easton Youth Torso Tection Shirt, Gray, Large https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001EZRO1S/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_Cimxvb0H27MDZ

The padded t-shirts only have polyester batting for filling ... the same thing as in pillows. What is needed to provide any significant chest protection would be something that is hard.

Regarding the nitrile gloves, I think that if they were grabbed by the chuck or wood, the speed versus the inertia of one's arm wouldn't permit the hand to move before the nitrile was ripped apart. The part that I don't like is sweaty hands since I turn outdoors in hot weather. So far, I have never felt the need to wear gloves and I seem to find a holding position and tool orientation that reduces the problem down to being insignificant. I am also wondering if the surface of the gloves might be too "grabbly" ... not allowing me to glide the tool between my fingers. Thick gloves significantly reduce tactile feedback for tool control. So, I'll just let my hands go au naturel.

 

[Dean Center]

I am a big fan of 9 or 10 mil thick nitrile gloves. Thick enought to protect. Thin enough to rip if caught. I do not like to get those little cuts and abrasions on my hands, as I am an anesthesiologist by day, and my patients don't appreciate their doc's hands looking like I just overhauled my car's engine.

Jeff,
Come practice here in Montana. Our patients only care that you get them well under and remember to wake them up.

 

[Dean Center]

As I mentioned in another post in the winter my shop is simply too cold and my hands actually hurt so gloves are a necessity if I want to turn. Just like anything else you have to be careful.

+1
Last fall I walled off 1/4 of my garage for a turning shop and this year was the first time I turned out there in the winter. I discovered that rough turning green wood in a 50 degree shop was painful as the chips bounced off my hand. I also rough turn the outside of bowls left handed, so my hand doesn't get anywhere near moving objects.

One surprisingly effective garment I've found is a sweatshirt with the sleeves cut off just above the elbow. It's warm, comfy, cheap, washable, safe, and sheds chips pretty well. If only they came with a fleece lined velcro turtle neck collar, it'd be perfect.

 

[John Torchick]

I thought I was the only one who tried to blow off chips with the face shield down. As for nitrile gloves, they are tougher than you might think. Get one and try to tear it. I see some brands advertise that you can't stick a dinner fork through it. I'll pass on the gloves completely.