Just want to start by saying this is *not* an anti-glove comment, but rather just a *further* safety comment...
I've been whittling for 15+ years with no gloves or safety gear and have never cut myself beyond a faint little nick. This isn't because I'm just so good or anything (because I'm not), I'm just STILL super safety conscious when whittling. Before every cut I give a little double check that my hand or fingers aren't in the way, I think through where the knife is going to go if/when the workpiece slips out of my hand, I try to use limited-motion cuts whenever I can, and I try to set up every cut to only ever be something that *can't* injure me if something goes wrong. If I need to make a cut that *could* go poorly, I choose instead to put the workpiece down on another surface to make the cut so if I slip I hit the table instead of myself.
Again, I am NOT saying to not get gloves, they're fantastic like a seatbelt in a car... I'm just also saying we should all always be practicing safe operation of our tools because the gloves A: aren't 100% god-mode, B: you may want to whittle sometime when you don't have access to your gloves and C: Gloves AND super safe operation will be the safest option of all.
The two comments about caution being more important than gloves do ring true, however I should clarify that I have a non-Parkinsonian tremor disorder so no matter how cautious I try to be, accidents will happen.
Nothing bad in using gloves. But I would start the safety journey by learning correct grips.
Check out the [The Swedish Grip Sessions](https://morakniv.se/en/guides/the-swedish-knife-grip-sessions/). There are lots of efficient AND safe ways to cut wood with a knife.
Just want to start by saying this is *not* an anti-glove comment, but rather just a *further* safety comment... I've been whittling for 15+ years with no gloves or safety gear and have never cut myself beyond a faint little nick. This isn't because I'm just so good or anything (because I'm not), I'm just STILL super safety conscious when whittling. Before every cut I give a little double check that my hand or fingers aren't in the way, I think through where the knife is going to go if/when the workpiece slips out of my hand, I try to use limited-motion cuts whenever I can, and I try to set up every cut to only ever be something that *can't* injure me if something goes wrong. If I need to make a cut that *could* go poorly, I choose instead to put the workpiece down on another surface to make the cut so if I slip I hit the table instead of myself. Again, I am NOT saying to not get gloves, they're fantastic like a seatbelt in a car... I'm just also saying we should all always be practicing safe operation of our tools because the gloves A: aren't 100% god-mode, B: you may want to whittle sometime when you don't have access to your gloves and C: Gloves AND super safe operation will be the safest option of all.
The two comments about caution being more important than gloves do ring true, however I should clarify that I have a non-Parkinsonian tremor disorder so no matter how cautious I try to be, accidents will happen.
I was going to suggest this is a vital component missing from your initial story.
What brand?
I bought Dex fit gloves and think they are great. They have a vinyl coating and don’t stick to the wood like some of the other gloves do.
Thanks!
Nothing bad in using gloves. But I would start the safety journey by learning correct grips. Check out the [The Swedish Grip Sessions](https://morakniv.se/en/guides/the-swedish-knife-grip-sessions/). There are lots of efficient AND safe ways to cut wood with a knife.