Wrist and thumb pain while building bows

[Scott Gray]

Hey fellas,
I have been experiencing quite a bit of pain in the thumb and wrist of both hands while using a draw knife and scrapers. I looked the symptoms up and found De Quervain's tendinitis. The pain is intense...especially at night. The left thumb is far worse than the right, the thumb feels like it pops in and out of joint, guess thats from being left handed. Gonna let the Doc check it out. Was trying to get a self bow built by the Howard Hill shoot in June but at this pace I might get one built by next June LOL. Anyone else ever deal with something like this? I am sure it is from the work that I do and not from just using bow building tools since I have had the pain for a little while.

[Del the cat]

You have my sympathy, I've got bad tennis/archers elbow in both elbows, it wakes me up in the night.
Using my axe/saw/drawknife/just about anything, is a pain.
Dunno there's much you can do, conventional wisdom is rest/hot & cold/anti-inflamatories.
How do you rest your elbows???!!! Doc says I souldn't take anti inflamatories cos I have an iffy kidney (just the one )
I find moaning about it help... but not much....
I'm not using my 75# bow, but even the 40# gives me aches. Grrrrrr
Oh to be 18 again..but on t'other hand I dunno if I could put up with the angst and the hormones
I might try support bandage on the elbows and a pain killer at bed time.
I take cod liver oil and glucosamine. I searched on the web, weight lifters/bodybuilders get the same problems and they say glucosamine is good.
Del

[JackCrafty]

My right wrist is getting more painful as I get older (I'm right handed) and as I build more bows and related items.  I find that frequent breaks and stretching (during my work) helps a lot.  The trick is not to stay in the "zone" too long...hard, yes, I know.  Especially when addicted to the smell of fresh shavings.

[makenzie71]

bummer.  I get Nintendo-thumb using a draw knife...sounds funny but it's the same kind of stress on my thumb as playing Contra.

The best solution I found to this is...belt sander.  I've changed my opinion of using a draw knife a lot the last year.  There was a time when I simply refused to use one.  Now that I have a good one I actually like it...but it wears on my thumbs and I must go back to my old ways.

[KenH]

Exercise your hands and limber them up before your start woodworking.  The work alone will not limber them up.  Afterwords, alternate ice packs and heat packs on the affected area.  Don't work at things for such a long time.  Substitute a power tool if you can - palm sander with varying grits for a draw-knife and scraper for example.  Take a naproxine based painkiller (Advil etc) not Ibuprofen or other kinds...

[HatchA]

hand/wrist/finger warm-ups can't hurt.

Also, maybe get yourself checked out for carpel tunnel too.

Hope it all works out man.

[sailordad]

ya i get hem sometimes
i dont worry about them though,they arent that bad.(i strecth my fingers/hands/wrist out)
well compared to the problems i have in L4-L5 in my low back,the constant aches in my hips,the leg pain
the back pain,the neck pain

and none of this is from working on rock and wood either
20+ yrs of wrenching will do that to ya,so the other aches dont seem to bad to me
plus they come from something that i still enjoy doing,unlike going to work
im getting to damn old for that 

[El Destructo]

Ya bunch of Sissies...I will trade you Wrist and Finger Pains any day....all of Ya....try getting run over at 70 mph...by a Chevy Corsica....kinda smarts......

[Scott Gray]

Ya bunch of Sissies...I will trade you Wrist and Finger Pains any day....all of Ya....try getting run over at 70 mph...by a Chevy Corsica....kinda smarts......

How about a 1970 Ford pickup going about 60 mph...... miracles happen.....no broken bones just a lot of stitches. Happened when I was 12.

[Pat B]

Overuse syndrome is common with repetitive movement activities. Tennis elbow(bowyers elbow), carpel tunnel syndrome, etc are all part of it. What most doctors will tell you(except surgeons  ) is quit using it and take an anti inflammatory drug(ie. ibuprofen, aspirin) .
  A guy goes to the doctor and says...Doc, every time I do this it hurts. Doc says, quit doing that and it will quit hurting! 

[El Destructo]

How about a 1970 Ford pickup going about 60 mph...... miracles happen.....no broken bones just a lot of stitches. Happened when I was 12.

You are one lucky Fellow...I broke my Scapula....Clavicle....and 6 Ribs on my Left Side.....Crushed my Leg from Ankle to Mid Thigh...Fractured my Hip on My Right Side...got 29 Screws....7 Plates....18 inches of Radiated Elk Ligament...and they patched all the Bone Fractures with Red Sea Coral and Epoxy...I was one of the first 20 people in the USA to receive this...because I refused Cadaver Bone...and Ligaments...no Dead People Parts in Me.......

[sailordad]

  A guy goes to the doctor and says...Doc, every time I do this it hurts. Doc says, quit doing that and it will quit hurting! 

 

[Eric Krewson]

What tools are you using Scott? What kind of rasp and drawknife?

Sounds like you are working too hard at wood removal. Time doesn't matter, a day, week or month to chase a ring is just fine. Lots of time I will limit myself to an hour of rasping because I know much more will cause my carpel tunnel syndrome to flair up and my hands will go completely dead at night while I am trying to sleep.

If you have access to a bandsaw you can drag your stave backwards across the running blade to use it as a rasp. I reduce a belly  a lot his way, just be extra careful to swing your wood wide before making another pass. Those dang bandsaws sure can ruin a stave if you goof up and feed your wood in the wrong way. (wonder how I know?)

[aruge]

Been in construction most of my life.(I'm 64) I know how hands and fingers can hurt. You night try changing tools periodically. Substitute a farriers rasp for the draw knife. You can remove a lot of wood with one and it's a bigger tool to hang on to. You can make larger scrapers from heavy circular saw blades. 1/2 a saw blade makes a great scraper and you don't have to exert a lot of pressure with just your thumbs. Be creative not only with your bows, but with your tools,too. Hope this helps. Al

[Scott Gray]

To be honest fellas, my job is the main cause of the pain in my hands. I think working on a bow just amplified the pain. Gonna see my Dr in the morning.