North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Lon J. Rombough" <lonrom@hevanet.com>]

Title: Re: [NAFEX] grafting safety

I am also having a hard time figuring how someone would cut themselves that much while grafting.  I've been doing grafting and budding for about 40 years (started as a boy) and I can't remember ever having cut myself while grafting.  I have cut myself once or twice while sharpening the knife, but that was a long time ago.    Use a good grafting knife with a proper, straight cutting edge and keep a sharpening stone with you  to touch up the blade frequently so it won't drag or stick in the wood.  Then practice making the cuts AWAY from yourself and you should never have a problem.   
-Lon Rombough
> I'm with Del.  I used to whittle a lot, and I don't entirely understand 
> how people cut themselves while grafting.  The cuts needed for grafting 
> are simple, straight, flat cuts that can easily be done without 
> endangering your fingers.  What you need is not kevlar, which will make 
> you clumsy, but someone to show you better ways of holding the blade 
and manipulating the moving parts.