The HARD lesson I learned about wedding rings 

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No ring, no watch, no loose sleeves, no neck tie (I'm a mechanical guy too). Thanks for taking time to tell people these things.

Every shop teacher back in Highschool told us to take off rings and watches before using tools. This was back in the late 1960's

I've known people who've seen degloving happen and when I explained it to my wife she immediately bought me a silicone wedding ring. It's in Stihl colours so I actually kinda like it!

My wife and I switched over to matching silicone wedding rings. It's cheap, comfortable, and the fact that they're identical is pretty nice.

My father never wore a ring. He was a jet engine mechanic in the Air Force. He said he saw too many airmen rip their fingers off while working on an engine. Your commentary is spot on.

How anyone can hear the phrase "degloved finger" and not put their ring away in the shop is beyond me.

Showed this video to my husband. We had never thought about that before. He works with tools all day. Thank you so much!

I caught my wedding ring on a staircase bannister as I was running down them. Feet went up over my head as I stopped dead. I was lucky, the ring only cut into my finger, the medic I saw said I was very lucky to have gotten away without degloving. The ring was stainless steel and had to be cut off by a jeweller some days later because of the swelling. I hope that your video gets to and helps as many people as possible, thanks for making it

I solve this problem by not being married.

My husband had a friend who was wearing a ring when the two of them jumped a wrought iron fence. The friends ring caught on one of the metal spikes and his finger is ripped off. Years later, after my husband became a mechanic, he always refused to wear a ring at work. I am so glad he did.

Taking off my ring and ordering silicon rings right now. Thanks, love your content.

I didn't know, that it is such a big issue. But after reading through comments, I see that people are really confirming your point. And crazy thing is that thus time nearly no one disagrees, which is unheard of in the online world!

Machinist here, just don't.

As a kid in 1991 I was using a power drill while wearing headphones. That drill caught the headphone wire, tore them off my head and slammed them into my no-no place faster than you could blink. I was singing soprano for a week! Needless to say, that was a great lesson about clothing and accoutrements.

Happy you made a video about this. It's crazy the amount of injuries happen from wedding rings. It was a huge problem in the Military as well when I was in.

Switched to a silicone ring - after all things - catching my metal one on a door latch. Was jolly glad I learned the lesson with such (relatively) little pain.

I too learned this lesson the hard way. My ring turned sideways inside my finger. I am still in awe of the surgeon's skill that put my finger back together. It is still on my hand and it still works. If you work in the trades, go get a silicone ring right now.

Decades ago while working for one of the "Big-Three" automakers on the press lines we were strongly encouraged to leave ALL jewelry at home. The only thing jewelry leads to in industrial and commercial settings is added injury and heartache. Great video Stumpy!

OMG! I'm so sorry you had to go through this difficult experience. Thank you for competently sharing this important message!

glad people are properly popularizing this and spreading the awareness

😊As an electrical apprentice, many years ago, we would be sent home without pay if we were found wearing any jewellery. Since then, I've never worn any form of jewellery. A friend lost his finger, tightening a car battery terminal. The wrench was touching his wedding ring, and the ring touched the negative chassis. It instantly vaporised as it became a 1000 plus amp fuse.

My grandfather was an automotive mechanic. Once a screwdriver touched the cars battery and his wedding ring which went red hot instantly. Seared his flesh and hospital had to cut the ring to save his finger. Love your advice!

I always wondered why so many insisted on wearing tungsten carbide or rubber wedding rings while working with their hands or equipment. It's still a snagging hazard, and I never wear mine until the job is done and I'm cleaned up again. I once had someone ask me if I was worried about what people thought of my marriage when I wasn't wearing mine. I told them that if the only thing holding my marriage together is a little gold ring, my marriage is long over and done with. It's not prerequisite to me keeping my vows or being a good husband. Anyway, I'm a shop instructor of sorts as part of my job duties. On the first day, I tell everyone to look up what a "de-gloved" finger or hand looks like. It gets the point across. Basic rules of the shop are to remove anything that can snag, anything loose (or tie it back using appropriate means), and even though it's part of the everyday rules, before we get started working each day, I begin by pulling my own rings off in from of everyone, and making them do the same. it never fails, someone always forgets.

Yeah I would have never thought about this, thanks for the info! Will continue to take my jewelry off during any physical activity.

I bought a silicone ring for my husband. He says it is super comfortable! I made sure to get him one with the channels. I've recommended silicone rings to many people, but they just don't listen!

25 years ago my physics teacher was missing his ring finger. Said he caught his wedding ring on the top of his SUV while loading luggage and hopping down. Ill never forget that! Hope youre still with us and doing well mr.derf!

I appreciate your safety messages. Keep it up

This is priceless. Thank you.

I crushed my gold band years ago while working on my car, but I was able to quickly take a hammer and tap it more round to get it off my finger. I always took my ring off after that, but for the past four years I have worn silicone rings. They are so much more comfortable than my real gold band that I wear a gold silicone ring when I dress up and most people never even notice.

In the Air Force mechanics are required to remove all jewelry - rings, studs, necklaces, etc. They did show us some gruesome fotos of some accidents - separated fingers, huge gashes, etc. And this was over 50 years ago.

I always wear Groove Ring, which have those grooves on the bottom. They're silicone or something and expand and won't catch or deglove since they just tear off. Probably will be one of the best $30 I ever spent. The design I got looks pretty similar to my tungsten ring so nobody ever notices. It's great and way more comfortable. I find myself wearing that version 95% of the time now. I only put on my real wedding ring if we're going somewhere fancy and dressing to the nines.

We had this poster in shop class that said “take off your jewelry…or the machine will do it for you.” It included a picture of a finger with a ring ripped half through it.

In 1996 I was a painter, I was almost at the top of a 40 foot ladder and it started to go over to the right. I was doing the "Fireman Slide" maneuver ( grab both sides and slide down quickly ) and my wedding ring snagged on something and broke my finger. I had only slid down about 8 feet when it happened. If it had happened further down the ladder It would have most likely ripped my finger OFF. I ended up falling after my finger broke. I NEVER wear a ring at work anymore.

HVAC business owner got his tattooed. Very smart for a guy who is reaching into sharp metal boxes all day.

Thanks for this video.

Hi, as a young Para I was posted to the Persian Gulf in the early 60’s. Our platoon officer took us to some rock formations in Bahrain to practice our cliff climbing and rappelling techniques. One of my soldiers slipped ( no ropes on climbing up) and caught his ring on a ledge and lost his finger. From that day to this I have not worn my wedding ring, in my profession you get only one warning if you are lucky. I am a quick learner so I survived 20 years of soldiering. Cheers mate. Harera

Wow. I'd never really thought about taking my wedding ring off while I was working in my shop. I've never caught my ring on anything. I've never hurt myself on my table saw, either. Even so, I still bought a SawStop saw. So, removing my ring while I'm working in my shop just makes sense, and I'm going to start doing that. I appreciate your commitment to shop safety, James. I've learned a ton from your channel, not only on safety, but on wood working in general. What you do here is invaluable.

I haven’t worn a wedding ring for years, but I decided to wear one and because of a fear of injury. I went with a silicone one and I’m so happy that you are bringing this to everybody’s attention. Thank you.

Wow...I really like your workshop behind you...🤩👍

Thank you for the psa!

I remember when I was about 8 years old, my dad worked as an aircraft engineer for Ansett Airlines in Australia. One weekend he took me in to his work for a look around the hangers etc. The one thing I remember clearly from that visit nearly 50 years ago, were all the posters around the various workshops that read "TAKE OFF YOUR RING, NOT YOUR FINGER" (and the nice gruesome photo on the posters) 😂

Thanks for sharing this - I have /always/ been "religious" about safety in these ways - having sawed a finger up the middle about 1/4 in in high school drama workshop - back before i had forebrain function. Thankfully fully healed. If this saves someone even bit of injury, it's worth it. My dad worked for Illinois Bell, and their pocket notebooks had a series of safety tips that were always with me. " There is no job so important, no service so urgent that we cannot take time for perform our work safely" Yes - the face shield is across the shop - and I'm only going to ... actually, let's go get it ...

Thanks and I love the voice tone, could listen to it all day

Thank you for sharing

Great video about an important subject. I worked in the electrical field for 50 years and kept my wedding band on my key ring. Also, I knew a semi-truck driver who was jumping down from his cab, caught his wedding ring on the door latch and ripped his finger completely off. He had just stopped to re-fuel, but ended up in the emergency room. Thx.

I wear a silicone ring daily. I wear my actual wedding ring when we go out. My wife was not happy at first, and it took some lengthy explanation for her to understand the actual safety issues. I got her one to wear as well for when working outside.

Thank you for putting this safety information out there.

wonderful video.....thank you.....Paul

Smart, smart advice! As always, great safety tips. My dad lost the tip of his finger to a snow blower many decades ago because of his wedding ring. He never wore any kind of jewelry while working again.

FYI: You might wear a size 9 ring, but that's not a 9mm. Size 9 is actually 18.89mm, or about 3/4" Love your channel, keep up the good work!!

Cheers to sharing useful information.

I just celebrated 19 years of marriage. When we looked for rings I went to a local jeweler & asked about titanium. He asked why, and I told him what kind of work I did. He refused to sell me a titanium ring. He said his wife was an ER nurse & there wasn’t a hospital in the county that could cut that ring off if I got injured. …. I’ve never owned a titanium ring.

Now hopefully this will not happen to me as a teacher but the silicone ring is actually a really awesome idea. Thank you!

Wow another awsome and informative video

Thanks! Convincing my wife this was a "real' problem was difficult. She eventually just put mine away for safe keeping since I wouldn't wear it. After 38 years, we renewed out vows and I now wear a silicone ring.

While working on machinery in the past the line was always to remove "watches, rings and dangly things." Thanks for another great video!

This information should be publicized more, very informational, thank you

Started shopping for wedding rings recently. Im really glad i saw this. I also didnt think about the ratifications of super metals, but now i will definitely avoid those materials

I learned about wearing jewelry in Air Force basic electronics class at Kessler AFB in 1974. Not just rings but any on your hands and arms. Also loose clothing. If you've ever seen a gold ring melted into a finger you won't soon forget it. Keep up the good work Stubby!

I had a good friend in the Navy that was an electronics tech as was I. He got a screwdriver in the wrong place and welded the screwdriver to his wedding ring. Taught me a lot that day. I don’t wear my ring when I do any hand work.

I remember my goddaughter got her ring really stuck and she cried. Her mother took her hospital then finally took it off. Your workshop is so amazing and very organized. My grandfather was workshop and it was kinda not bad. lol his workshop was very good worker. Everyone loves him. His last made the jewelry box before he died. I still have it and love it. 🥰 Thank you for sharing about the ring issues. 😉👍🏻

In high school a girl was hoping the chainlink fence to get to the track before the coaches could open it. Her ring caught the fence, and her finger popped off. The medics were like “this is more common than you’d think.” I’ve been nervous about rings ever since.

FYI tungsten rings while incredibly hard i.e. difficult to scratch without corundum or diamond, they are very brittle. So to break off a tungsten ring you just get any pair of pliers handy and clamp down on opposites sides of the circle, then turn 90 degrees and clamp again. Breaks everytime. Easier to remove than gold or silver rings. That said, I wear silicone rings for work.

I have watched your videos for years. This is yet another excellent safety video. Thank you for taking the time to make it.

In Huey school back in 1995 at Fort Rucker we learned a LOT about degloving…lots of pictures too.

I bought some saferingz for my army days, must have. No issues with widening, no issues with water and sweat

I work on a cattle ranch, and pretty much everyone I know in the industry does not wear rings (or any other jewelry) due to entanglement risks. And everyone knows someone who lost a finger due to wearing a ring. Evidently, there is an argument *for* the tungsten rings, which is that they are brittle, and can easily be broken off in a swelling/entrapment situation. Most of the negative reviews on Amazon for tungsten rings is people breaking them by hitting their hand on a door or table or something.

44 years as an electrician. I have snagged my ring on ladder rivets, or a screw head, and thought about how easily it could have done major damage had I lost my balance and snagged my ring on the way down

Silicon Ring is a great "Placeholder" while at work and then for nice occasion's switch to the Original/Nice one.

Perfect reminder to put my Oura ring back on ❤

I switched to a silicone ring about 5 years ago for the very reasons you outline. I was usually diligent about removing my ring when working around machines or electricity...but not always. I was fortunate that I never suffered a serious injury through the years. Thank you for the reminder and the heads up to all the viewers that will benefit from your experience.

I used to work with a guy who apparently shorted his gold wedding band across the terminals on a some sort of large battery while working on a vehicle. He said the ring basically liquified and melted through his finger (down to the bone on one side). He had an impressive scar almost all the way around that finger. I do occasionally swap mine for one of those silicone bands. Might have to look at some of those new patterned ones.

I'm glad I saw this video and that you posted it. I haven't had that happen to me, thankfully, but I have had a glove get caught in a line drill (I'm not sure what they call a number of drill bits in a row on a press. My glove got entangled in the bits, and fortunately my hand didn't get injured. This was at a furniture making factory, and no one told me to take the work gloves off. Anyway, I want a workshop of my own someday, and I'd like to keep all of my fingers, so thank you.

UWAAAOW, I'm glad I looked up degloving. I've worn a ring for a decade, I only take it off when I think it can be damaged. I think that's going to start changing at work now

This cautionary tale resonates with me, I work in a bank now and my clients are always asking about my finger tattoo of a ring on my ring finger, I have to explain to them that I worked in a workshop and I was scared of losing a finger because I wore a ring. They are amazed at my commitment to getting a tattoo as a ring but silicon rings were not a thing years ago.

It is not just rings that need to be removed. I am an electrical engineer with 50 years experience. Almost 40 years ago I was doing a simple repair on a dishwasher (installed by someone else years before) at a property I owned. I was trying to stop a small leak where the city water connected to the input valve assembly. This connection was on the front right side of the unit. The AC power connection was on the far left front. A steel rail ran between the two. I was using two wrenches to counter tighten the copper pipe to the valve, when one wrench came loose and my left hand suddenly jerked left. I was wearing a watch with a twist-o-flex band which caught on the metal rail and guided my left hand into the hot electrical connector almost 20 inches away. Fortunately the watch took most of the damage and i was left with only moderate second degree burns. If i had not been wearing the watch, my hand would have been pulled almost straight out when the crescent wrench popped loose. Why did i have power on you ask? Because the place was poorly wired by the builder, and killing the dishwasher breaker also killed every light in the room and it was night-time when i found the leak, and had no flashlight trying to do the energency repair. There were also no GFI breakers in that building at that time.

I worked in security at the ER for a couple years. Seen it so often I stopped wearing rings years ago.

I use a garter spring for everyday use and my nice carbon fiber ring for special occasions.

Great advice. Back when I worked in the semiconductor industry we had a rule about metal jewelry including watches and rings due to high electrical potential in the area. One day a corporate guy came in for a tour and didn't follow the rule. A high voltage arc (looked like lighning) jumped into his ring and out his shoulder! I haven't worn a ring in 30 years...

I had to take off my wedding ring when I worked at a rubber extrusion plant. It kept catching on frayed ends of overused trays etc. I took it off and attached it to my necklace (corrected from previous post using neckless).

I have alway worn my ring, since my wedding day, except at work. In the 1980s, I worked at a shipyard, as a pipe fitter. The company I worked for was real conscientious about safety meetings and after seeing a video about fingers being degloved, I started putting my ring on my key ring, while at work.

I considered getting a tungsten or titanium wedding ring, but a jeweler friend told me to go with gold because it's easier to cut off in an emergency. Turns out that was good advice. Also I will be taking it off when working in the shop from now on. Thank you for the warning!

I have a stainless steel wedding band I made myself. I wear it most of the time... But not while crafting. I always take it off to protect the ring. The protection for me is a bonus. :-) I believe "no rings" is a requirement at my makers space, too.

I always take off my wedding ring & leave it in a particular place in the house. That way, I'm into woodworking mode & when I've cleaned up after I'm done and put ring back on, I'm done messing around with tools . Same with my dad's WWII dog tag. 70 yrs. old with all my digits (close call a couple of times though🤔. Great advice.

One of the only woodworking youtubers who has something to say, rather than making sponsored “buy this tool” lists and pouring plastic epoxy into slabs. From choice of subject matter and even your sponsors it’s evident that you care about your viewers and the companies you choose to work with.

I’m getting a gold ring and only going to wear it when I go out and when I’m lounging, never while working or exercising

As a shop teacher, I made a scarf cut right through my band and two other radial cuts a third of the way through from the inside, 120 degrees apart. That way, if it snagged on an object, the ring would rip off without taking the finger with it.

A tip for folks who get a tungsten carbide ring stuck, you can generally crack them with locking pliers.

CNC machinist here. Get a silicone ring. Getting a size down is great advice. I had to do the same.

James, I was a software developer... And I don't know about others, but I could never use a ring, because it would bump into my own fingers all the time! But yeah, for working with machinery... It's definitely not good. Either way, I have some flight controller boxes which are perfect for keeping a ring when needed. I gave one to my father and he uses it exactly for that. Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

I don't even do woodworking but I love watching your vids because you are very thorough with your explanations and your very safety conscious. Thank you.

I used to be a firefighter, and I wear a silicone ring on my finger.

I was teaching at a school and the teacher in the classroom across from me, lost a finger. Teaching is not usually a physically dangerous job. He was standing on a step ladder, lost his balance and reached up to grab the wall. His ring caught on a hook, used for hanging maps. As he fell to the ground, his finger was ripped off. A freak accident for sure.

Many many years ago, i was in 2RTR ( UK Tank regiment) you were allowed to wear rings, up until someone else in a different reg degloved his ring finger....He was loading the main gun, rested his hand on the breech as the gunner fired, breech recoiled, took his ring and flesh with it. From then on, no rings allowed.

A couple years after getting married my dad had his ring get hung in/on a cattle trailer door. It bent the ring, broke his finger, and had to be cut off. In the following 40+ years of marriage he never wore another ring of any kind.

I switched to one of the rubber rings. Comfortable, I can change out colors if I want, cheap if they get torn up. I had a tungsten carbide ring that just broke when it caught on a door knob wrong.

Hey! I just read an NPR article that quoted you on table saw safety.

I've had a silicone ring for years. I love it. It's super comfortable to wear and there is no risk at all. I have replaced it once when it got torn and was just a couple bucks. Mine doesn't have the channels, but is thin and just as narrow as a normal sized ring and I've never had issues with moisture. I pretty much never take it off. The thicker rings I think have more issues and need the channels.

My father never wore a wedding ring. Never knew him with one. Back when he was a small engine mechanic after he was newly married it got dented and had to be cut off. Told me that story when I was a child, and took it to heart. After I got married, and was working with small engines, I always took it off and put it in a small drawer of my toolbox. Honestly though, I am not much on jewlery for that reason. Too many stories heard and wisdom learned.