Got a battle wound today

Read my sig

I stopped using that axe called the Chopper one for that reason. you need combat training to dodge the flying pieces.
It really could split some cordwood though.

Backwoods Savage said:

Jake, I hope you heal quickly!

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Thanks . . . I think I should be good . . . the cut is deep, but scabbed over and after 24 hours looks pretty decent.

HDRock said:

Read my sig

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I can't... it's too damn long!

Hi - I have had a couple pieces of knarly dry wood, especially Elm, 'Pop' catching me in the groin, or once in the face. . Learning occured. No serious hits that would leave a mark i nquite a while.

My new neighbor had some tree work done by a friend. I'd guess it took the two fellows all day to trim 2 facecords of heavy limb off the tree. The next week he and his young teens split nearly all of it with a 27 ton gas splitter. The last split cost him the last inch of his middle finger :0.... A couple days later a storm brought down major wood in his yard. His 80YO Mom was there as he was still bandaged up. I told them to ignore the noise for an hour, then sen dhte kids out to bundle the brush when the noise stopped. They were quite suprised what a couple sharp commercial saws can due. I offered to leave the wood, but they wanted no part of it.

I get a fair bit of referal business from little freebie jobs like this. I don't think I've hauled any wood more than 2 miles in a few years.

My electric splitter requires two hands on the controls to operate. I've learned that not only does this keep your hands out of harms way with the wedge, it also means your body has to be back far enough that it's out of the way of flying splits. The flying splits go sideways, but with both hands on the controls, you're back behind the ram.

In spite of all the instructions for bypassing the safety devices, I think I'll keep myself from doing something stupid with the splitter and leave them as is.

Watch those overhead obstruction when swinging with a maul. I have a friend who knocked out all his front teeth when he went to split a round and his maul caught the cloths line behind him and it sprung back directly in his face.

Speaking for myself, I've never used much in the way of personal protection when cutting or splitting. Gloves, ear protection and sunglasses is about it, and I've even been known to use a chainsaw in shorts and sandals. Never hurt myself, except on one occasion when I let my guard down. I was bucking the branches off a tree and was standing back with the saw in my hand looking at where I was going to make the next cut and relaxing a bit before getting at it again. Well I relaxed a little bit too much and just let the, still running, saw rest on my thigh. That was more than 20 years ago and you can still see the scar.

A pair of $5 Wall Mart soccer-style shin guards has saved my legs from numerous wounds from flying firewood.

DanCorcoran said:

My electric splitter requires two hands on the controls to operate. I've learned that not only does this keep your hands out of harms way with the wedge, it also means your body has to be back far enough that it's out of the way of flying splits. The flying splits go sideways, but with both hands on the controls, you're back behind the ram.

In spite of all the instructions for bypassing the safety devices, I think I'll keep myself from doing something stupid with the splitter and leave them as is.

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Same here ,had lots if pieces fly out of splitter , never got hit.
I may hook up a foot switch for the button though

Lumber-Jack said:

Watch those overhead obstruction when swinging with a maul. I have a friend who knocked out all his front teeth when he went to split a round and his maul caught the cloths line behind him and it sprung back directly in his face.

Speaking for myself, I've never used much in the way of personal protection when cutting or splitting. Gloves, ear protection and sunglasses is about it, and I've even been known to use a chainsaw in shorts and sandals. Never hurt myself, except on one occasion when I let my guard down. I was bucking the branches off a tree and was standing back with the saw in my hand looking at where I was going to make the next cut and relaxing a bit before getting at it again. Well I relaxed a little bit too much and just let the, still running, saw rest on my thigh. That was more than 20 years ago and you can still see the scar.

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Oh man, Randy that's awful. If this forum had a dislike feature I would dislike this comment.

I'm able to yard with our splitter. Several years ago, I found some chunks 8 to 10 feet long, 6 to 10 inches in diam, about 30 or so feet off the road and had yarded a small pile about half a cord worth. I was just not paying attention when with the last small log got to the pile, it hit a log that was on top of the pile. The end of that log rolled across my steel toed boots, and it did hurt. Finished bucking, splitting, loading, unloading the pickup and went home and piled the wood. Went in the house, took off the boot, the foot swelled up, but no broken bones. I did not wear a shoe for the next couple of weeks.



The hand held control for the winch is short for lifting rounds onto the table when splitting. They say pride goes before the fall. That sure was the case here! On my foot!

Joful said:

I can't... it's too damn long!

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Is That Better ?

HDRock said:

Is That Better ?

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hah... yeah! It was so long that the forum software was cutting off the bottom line, before.

Joful said:

hah... yeah! It was so long that the forum software was cutting off the bottom line, before.

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It was to long
Strange Don't know why but I could see it all

Keeping a firm Grip on your chainsaw, axe, steering wheel Could not agree more!

hobbyheater said:

Keeping a firm Grip on your , chainsaw , axe ,steering wheel ! I I could not agree more !

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meanwhile actively losing grip of sanity

dafattkidd said:

Oh man, Randy that's awful. If this forum had a dislike feature I would dislike this comment.

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So that's one like and one dislike. I guess I'm riding the middle of the road again.
Out of curiosity, what part exactly didn't you like. The part where I say I do use some personal protection, or the part where I've gone 20 years without injury?

Edit: I made a math error, it's been 30 years. I forgot how old I was.

Lumber-Jack said:

Edit: I made a math error, it's been 30 years. I forgot how old I was.

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Yah, I'm long past that stage now.

Lumber-Jack said:

So that's one like and one dislike. I guess I'm riding the middle of the road again.
Out of curiosity, what part exactly didn't you like. The part where I say I do use some personal protection, or the part where I've gone 20 years without injury?

Edit: I made a math error, it's been 30 years. I forgot how old I was.

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I'm all about banging my shins, or scraping my arms up, hell I'll even take a knock in the head here and there, but those injuries (teeth knocked out, and resting the chainsaw on your thigh) are like nightmares of mine.

Tom Wallace said:

To quote Patrick Swayze in Roadhouse, "pain don't hurt".

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That's one of the dumbest quotes ever, and he's now deceased.

Roadhouse!

DodgyNomad said:

That's one of the dumbest quotes ever...

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Without a doubt, correct. However, fault the writer, not the actor.

<-- thought Swayze seemed like a decent guy

dafattkidd said:

I'm all about banging my shins, or scraping my arms up, hell I'll even take a knock in the head here and there, but those injuries (teeth knocked out, and resting the chainsaw on your thigh) are like nightmares of mine.

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Well, I agree with you about getting all one's teeth knocked out being a nightmare,,, but cutting my thigh with the chainsaw wasn't too bad actually. It didn't even require stitches, though it did bleed like the dickens, and it ruined a nice pair of jeans. And if you have to cut yourself with a chainsaw, the thigh is probably the best place to do it, I can't think of any place I'd rather cut myself.
Still,,,,, it might be better to just wear chaps.

I had troubles like these when I saw it as a battle; Now I try to envision it as a dance with the wood, and things are going much more smoothly.

I just received my first splitting scar this past Saturday, spent a couple hrs in the E.R. getting 13 stitches. I was using my x27 and had a chunk on the block that split almost all the way through, it was just barely hanging on the axe so I just tapped it on the ground and kicked the chunks to the side. When I hit it on the ground I felt what I thought was a chunk of the wood hit my foot. I split about three more rounds before I realized there was a nice slit in my boot and I could see my bloody sock inside. The axe was razor sharp at the time and went in right behind the steel toe.

Jtrasap said:

I just received my first splitting scar this past Saturday, spent a couple hrs in the E.R. getting 13 stitches. I was using my x27 and had a chunk on the block that split almost all the way through, it was just barely hanging on the axe so I just tapped it on the ground and kicked the chunks to the side. When I hit it on the ground I felt what I thought was a chunk of the wood hit my foot. I split about three more rounds before I realized there was a nice slit in my boot and I could see my bloody sock inside. The axe was razor sharp at the time and went in right behind the steel toe.

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You just got to close with the x27, Hope ya heal up quick.