Safety gear using an axe

If you were already using a maul to split I see no reason to worry about an axe. Sharp or not, if you were to whack yourself with a 12 lb maul the damage would be similar to the axe.

Chainsaw chaps are meant to clog up a fast moving chisel chain and stop it. I doubt they'd do much against a hard-swung axe. Even if it didn't penetrate the kevlar, you'd still have a nasty gash from the sheer force of it, if not broken bones.

Mettlemickey said:

steel toed rigger boots and a pair of safety glasses and gloves

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Seems like you've got the important parts covered. Use good technique, and you won't have any problems.

Mettlemickey said:

Hi, i've been lucky enough to receive a Fiskars x27 for Christmas and have been thinking what sort of safety gear i should use.

I've been using a run of the mill splitting maul made by Rough Neck up till now, but im thinking the x27 is sharp as opposed to blunt like the maul.

I have steel toed rigger boots and a pair of safety glasses and gloves. Should i be using anything else? Im thinking particularly of knees and lower legs?

My technique is reasonable, based on videos and advice from this forum, but you never know, you can always slip etc....

Are chainsaw trousers of any use? Or ineffective against an axe?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks
JC

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Happy New Year from a Shropshire lad across the pond.

When I split only safety gear I used is steel toed boots. Sometimes I use gloves too. As others said if you have some splitting experience you should be fine. Sometimes I worry and think how bad a whack in the shin would be. I feel like getting the local smithy to knock up a pair of greaves.

http://www.baileysonline.com/Arbori...y-Duty-Aluminum-Foot-and-Shin-Guards-pair.axd

These would do. But really I think good form and being careful is all that matters.

I usually wear my steel toed boots and I put on soccer shin guards to stop any blows from wood splits.

I'll probably catch some flak for this, but I've been known to swing my 14 lb maul in nothing but flip flops and basket ball shorts...

Don't forget the cold miller lite.....

Mwinder98 said:

I'll probably catch some flak for this, but I've been known to swing my 14 lb maul in nothing but flip flops and basket ball shorts...

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And rightly so.

Ram 1500 with an axe... said:

Don't forget the cold miller lite.....

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aka ; Aiming fluid

At least steel toed shoes and safety glasses.

Mwinder98 said:

I'll probably catch some flak for this, but I've been known to swing my 14 lb maul in nothing but flip flops and basket ball shorts...

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Marginally better than swinging your maul while in the nude.

Jeans and boots.
I have actually thought about wearing my motocross shin/knee protectors and boots. They made to take some pretty big hits.

I think the best protection is taking your time and clearing away any debris that could upset your balance. This includes not splitting on muddy soil.

I wear steel toe boots and gloves. I have some hockey shin/knee guards from my youth hockey days that I have considered strapping on.

Biggest safety measure, in my opinion, is quit splitting as soon as you feel noticeably fatigued.

Mwinder98 said:

I've been known to swing my 14 lb maul in nothing but flip flops and basket ball shorts

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At least you're not frying bacon naked.

Gloves, steel toes and jeans is how I spilt. I also try to maintain a wide stance so a leg isn't in the direct path, keep the piece I'm splitting elevated so that the axe splits and sticks rather then coming round. Keep the area around your feet clear of things you can trip on and most importantly. Stop when you start to get tired.

seriously, stop splitting when you notice that you're tiring and losing aim and accuracy

gerry100 said:

seriously, stop splitting when you notice that you're tiring and losing aim and accuracy

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Best advice here. I almost passed out once trying to split some knarly (I forget what species) rounds with a wedge and maul and occasionally Thumper the Monster Maul clone. I got so dizzy the only thing I could do was go down to the ground right there, for about 15 or 20 minutes. That was it for me for a few days. And yep, there were warning signs I chose to ignore. Fortunately, I was not actually injured.

I don't even remember if I actually ever split those particular rounds. I think I let them sit for months and they were slightly more cooperative after drying out a little.

The best thing you can do is learn how to swing the axe/maul properly. I often here people saying they wear steel toed boots or chin protection, and although it would probably be a good idea if you are just learning, it should be something you eventually won't need once you learn how to split, just like new archers often wear arm guards to protect their arm, but once they learn how to hold their bow properly they stop hitting their arm when they release the bow string.
When you swing the maul the arch of the swing should look like an upside down J, so that on the down stroke the maul head, when it impacts the wood, should be heading straight down, not curving back towards your feet or chins. Once you learn to swing like that you won't have to worry about wearing chin protection or steel toed boots.

Lumber-Jack said:

The best thing you can do is learn how to swing the axe/maul properly. I often here people saying they wear steel toed boots or chin protection, and although it would probably be a good idea if you are just learning, it should be something you eventually won't need once you learn how to split, just like new archers often wear arm guards to protect their arm, but once they learn how to hold their bow properly they stop hitting their arm when they release the bow string.
When you swing the maul the arch of the swing should look like an upside down J, so that on the down stroke the maul head, when it impacts the wood, should be heading straight down, not curving back towards your feet or chins. Once you learn to swing like that you won't have to worry about wearing chin protection or steel toed boots.

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Mmmmmmm........your described technique is correct, however, saying that if one knows how to split correctly they don't need safety gear is a little misleading.

AnalogKid said:

Mmmmmmm........your described technique is correct, however, saying that if one knows how to split correctly they don't need safety gear is a little misleading.

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Actually I didn't say you don't need any safety gear, I always wear gloves and glasses, but if an experienced archer enters a contest and is still hitting his arm with the bow string he'll never be able to shoot straight enough to win any metals, and if a kid still needs training wheels on his bicycle after a year or two of learning to ride, he should probably not be attempting to ride in the traffic, and after a year or two of splitting wood you are still letting the head of the axe or maul head swing through and hit your foot or chin, it might be time to hang it up and give hydraulics a try.
Now a good pair of boots are certainly preferable to sandals or bare feet because having a split of wood fly off the chopping block and land on your bare foot could cause some discomfort.

Safety gear is always appropriate, even if you know what your doing. Becoming complacent is very easy to do. Even professional loggers wear chaps. I'm sure they know how to run a saw, but the gear is there for the unforeseen. Steel toes don't hinder a person, and its a added level of safety that takes minimal effort. Doing it right is always most important, but having backup safety is a great idea.

I am curious though, how does one hit their chin?

My advise is to be careful how you place the wood you are trying to split. I think the safest way to split is to place the round standing on the ground on the opposite side of a log laying on the ground. That means you are on one side of the log, the round is on the other side. The log should be similar in diameter to the length of the rounds, so for 16 inch rounds you want a log of at least 12 inches diameter, and at least three or four feet long so the log extends well past the round on each side. I often lean the wood I am splitting against the log to stabilize it. When splitting this way, if the axe glances off the round or goes right through it, the axe hits the side of the log and you are protected. This also protects the axe from hitting the dirt.

I don't wear steel toes when splitting, and if I thought there were any chance that the axe might impact my foot I'd find a new way to split. If there is a danger of the axe hitting your toes, there is a danger of it hitting your foot or shin, and I think you have a big problem.