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Katie Lester

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Wrist pain
Sep 12^th, 2018 at 6:48pm

Hey everyone. Im new to turning. Like really new. So I had a question that I wanted to ask because maybe its common with an easy fix. I noticed that Im having pain in one of my wrists after turning. I feel comfortable when i am holding my tool. Has anyone else experienced this issue when they first started? Did it go eventually or did you do something to make it not hurt?

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Robert Hayward WR Addict Offline WR Rocks! Posts: 774 Tampa area Florida USA Gender: 3520b	Re: Wrist pain Reply #1 - Sep 12^th, 2018 at 7:03pm I do not have any real answers for you but would like to welcome you to the symptoms of arthritis. Not at all pleasant and I am sure you are not deserving of it. Some days will be better than others and if it is arthritis there is not a lot that can be done for it.
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Katie Lester WR Noob Offline WR Rocks! Posts: 2	Re: Wrist pain Reply #2 - Sep 12^th, 2018 at 7:04pm Dont go jynxing me... Im only 28. Lol
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Leo De Bruin

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Re: Wrist pain
Reply #3 - Sep 12^th, 2018 at 7:23pm

Katie - welcome to the Vortex! LOL

I would suggest that perhaps you have a death grip on your tools and that your wrist is getting sore from that. Some novices I have had in my shop have a death grip on their tools as they are worried about catches and an accident happening. Totally understandable

If you are really new to turning I would REALLY suggest finding an experienced mentor or a turning guild that would help you to turn in the correct manner safely,ie correct tools for the job, cutting angles, sharpening, etc.

Good luck with your new venture!

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Allan Miller

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Laguna Revo 18x36

Re: Wrist pain
Reply #4 - Sep 13^th, 2018 at 7:24am

What type of work do you do? Is the a lot of repetitive hand and wrist movement involved? As with what Leo said a death grip on your tool could be inflaming an early stage carpal tunnel issue from you day job, in which case a small compression wrist brace might help. Just be sure to pick one with no loose straps that could cause injury with spinning wood so close.

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Don Stephan

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Re: Wrist pain
Reply #5 - Sep 13^th, 2018 at 7:41am

A local woodturning group can be invaluable in many areas, including yours. You might be holding a joint at an extreme angle or other posture issue, overly tight grip as already mentioned, and perhaps other issues. The only easy way to look for the issue(s) is to have an experienced turner watch your body and tool positions.

If you can't find experienced turners in your area, I would suggest book/video pairs by Richard Raffan, and videos on this web site, to see how others position their bodies and tools. Too many videos on Youtube show poor or sometimes even dangerous activities, but those available here have been pre-screened.

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« Last Edit: Sep 13^th, 2018 at 7:41am by Don Stephan »

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Ed Weber

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Re: Wrist pain
Reply #6 - Sep 13^th, 2018 at 8:48am

Leo De Bruin wrote on Sep 12^th, 2018 at 7:23pm:

I would suggest that perhaps you have a death grip on your tools and that your wrist is getting sore from that. Some novices I have had in my shop have a death grip on their tools as they are worried about catches and an accident happening. Totally understandable

I agree with Leo and add a few things.
Everyone is different, your grip and tool handle size are important to get comfortable.
I would start with spindle height and stance and then focus on your grip.
Spindle height should be about elbow height.
Stance should be relaxed out of the line of fire.
Grip should be enough to control the tool, not strangle it.
A tool with the incorrectly sized handle for your hand can (and usually does) lead to hand fatigue.
I prefer to turn my own handles because many retail handles I find to be too small in diameter which makes it more difficult to grip which results in hand fatigue
Since your new to turning, I would suggest one of you next projects be to turn a tool handle for yourself.

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Jeff Vanden Boogart WR Addict Offline WR Rocks! Posts: 921 Rural Green Bay Wisconsin USA Gender: PM 3520	Re: Wrist pain Reply #7 - Sep 13^th, 2018 at 8:50am I use something like this for long sessions of roughing out bowls Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to or
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Al Wasser WR Addict Offline WR Rocks! Posts: 626 Pueblo West, CO Colorado USA Gender: Robust American Beauty	Re: Wrist pain Reply #8 - Sep 13^th, 2018 at 9:36am It may help some to tell yourself that this is fun so enjoy it and don't get in a fight with the wood. I sometimes find myself clenching my teeth/jaws when I make delicate cut. I have to tell myself to relax
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Ed Weber WR Administrator WR Patron Offline Posts: 8,939 Wilton California USA Gender: JET 1642 Grizzly G0584	Re: Wrist pain Reply #9 - Sep 13^th, 2018 at 9:46am I will also add, most new turners who tend to tense-up or tightly clench their tools eventually realize (one way or another) what's going on and modify their methods. The sooner one realizes that something isn't quite right, like Katie did, the better. Old habits die hard
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robo_hippy

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Re: Wrist pain
Reply #10 - Sep 13^th, 2018 at 10:04am

From an old movie about Cyrano de Bergerac, a famous swordsman, "Hold the sword as you would a bird. Too tight and you kill it. Too loose and it flies away." This pretty much applies to any tool you work with. Other than that, moving with your body instead of your arms, which is Tai Chi 101. Learning to relax while turning can take some practice...

Most people who mentor are like me, they enjoy the mentoring as much as they do the actual turning... I am in Oregon.

robo hippy

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John Grace WR Addict Offline Everyone needs a good wingman... Posts: 1,278 Bel Air Maryland USA	Re: Wrist pain Reply #11 - Sep 17^th, 2018 at 10:52am As many have already said/suggested...I suspect the fact that you're 'new' to turning means it could be more ergonomically/technique based than anything. If you cannot find a club or mentor near-by, you'll find thousands of videos on YouTube. Good luck and let us know how it works out for you.
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David Hill

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Re: Wrist pain
Reply #12 - Sep 18^th, 2018 at 12:57pm

Welcome Katy!
I too had some wrist/other pains when I started turning and have to protect my hands because of what I do for a living.
I discovered some padded gloves at Harbor Freight that have half fingers--cost about 8-9 bucks, really worked for me.
Other than that, might suggest looking mechanically at how you're doing things--it's easy sometimes to aggravate underlying issues caused by your profession.

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Everyday liberating nice things from ordinary chunks of wood---and I like gnarly wood, the outcome is nearly always better than the start.

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Don Stephan

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Re: Wrist pain
Reply #13 - Sep 18^th, 2018 at 6:51pm

Videos n Youtube and similar are not reviewed against showing poor or even unsafe practices, so they have to be viewed with caution. There are hundreds of videos on this web site that have been reviewed before being made available. You can also watch without reservation videos made by Stuart Batty at Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to

or

too many to watch at one sitting but it is helpful to me to watch some of them again every month or two.

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