the dangers of wood splitting

philaphire said:

Well, it was a matter of time before a splinter off my wedge got the best of me. Today I was splitting a small round, about 4 or so inches in diameter. Since it was so small, and yes I know 4 inches is the break point for most, I was using a small sledge and wedge holding the round with my left hand. I hit the wedge and immediately feel a sharp pain in my left forearm. Blood is pouring out of my arm so I quick call to my wife for a towel. Upon cleaning the area I see two wounds one smaller and one larger. My hunch is that a splinter off my wedge shot through my arm like a bullet. Headed to the ER, bleeding of course stopped. Triage nurse was only concerned about my last tetanus booster, which I have to call my docs office Monday but I'm pretty sure it was last year. Not sure how I could have prevented it other than just in the future not having any limb too close to the wedge. I'll spare you pics, but my forearm looks like it was bitten by a large snake/small dog/vampire.

Click to expand...

Glad you're ok, someone here got it in the leg awhile back....I'm sure he'll chime in soon.

WoodButcher

Wow, glad your ok.

I don't like wedges for that reason, especially the cheapo ones made nowadays.

A guy here in Maine got killed last year under similar conditions, piece broke off and severed his femoral artery.

http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/51314.html

Glad you aren't hurt bad, but those things can hurt a lot.

Periodically, inspect those wedges. When needed, simply grind off the edges before they fly off. It's one of those little things like sharpening your axe and saw. I hope many read this and it proves a lesson before any others get hurt. Just imagine one of those pieces flying off the wedge and hitting someone that is standing nearby!

I had to get 4 stitches in my right forearm last year when a piece of my sledge broke off when I was hitting a wedge. It was a piece of knotty pine and I should have given up on long before it hurt me. :lol: They had to cut me open and dig the piece out then stitch me back up. I always check the edges now before using them.

I saw a guy take a sliver in the willie. He sure did yelp.

Nope. Don't know how bad it was cuz I didn't ask to see it but it was no John and Lorena Bobbitt case. He was back to work the same day.

Glad to hear it wasn't too serious. Here's to a speedy recovery!

Last year, I feel off a ladder onto my deck, with my left leg going through the rungs and landing with my full weight onto the ladder (260lbs). Ended up at the doctor for x-rays and thankfully it wasn't broken. Had to wear a compression bandage for a few days though and the nurse was worried about a clot forming. People always think that running a chainsaw and felling trees is the most dangerous aspect of doing firewood, but sometimes it's the things that you think are relatively "safe" that end up getting you!

You most likely don't need a tetanus shot unless your wedge has been in contact with soil in which feces is present. It is a very over administered shot.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tetanus/DS00227/DSECTION=causes

Glad you are OK.

I've found If you get far enough ahead on the supply ( 1 year plus). You don't need to split stuff under 7-8" dia and the "big uglies" ( crotches, etc) can be sawed to stove door size and put aside even a little longer.

Everything else can be done with a maul/axe and wedges aren't needed.

Wonder how many people also wear safety glasses (ANSI approved, not just sunglasses that say they are) while splitting, even if not using a wedge. I had also read the news link mentioned here as well as the thread with the guy who had the piece fly off into his leg. Both make me feel much better about getting a splitter recently; got a great CL score of an MTD 20 ton for $700 - will post that over in the gear section later. Really glad to hear that you are ok. I was giving my neighbor a hand last weekend splitting some maple and oak rounds and it was his first time using my Fiskars pro splitting axe and I had warned him to make sure he was wearing gloves which for the most part he did. However, the one time he had taken them off and returned to using the axe, he gave himself a nice 4" long cut into the base of his thumb while cleaning off a chunk of wood from the axe. He couldn't believe how sharp that thing was; didn't even feel it at first. Luckily it wasn't bad and didn't need more than some peroxide cleaning, but he sure did wear gloves and glasses the rest of the day! LOL...got my splitter the very next day; boy he was pissed! I still like manual splitting though, it's a great workout and helps me unwind after a crappy work week. Will use the splitter for the hard ones and larger stuff; at least until Backwoods tells everyone how to make kindling with a splitter!

heatit said:

Wonder how many people also wear safety glasses (ANSI approved, not just sunglasses that say they are) while splitting, even if not using a wedge. I had also read the news link mentioned here as well as the thread with the guy who had the piece fly off into his leg. Both make me feel much better about getting a splitter recently; got a great CL score of an MTD 20 ton for $700 - will post that over in the gear section later. Really glad to hear that you are ok. I was giving my neighbor a hand last weekend splitting some maple and oak rounds and it was his first time using my Fiskars pro splitting axe and I had warned him to make sure he was wearing gloves which for the most part he did. However, the one time he had taken them off and returned to using the axe, he gave himself a nice 4" long cut into the base of his thumb while cleaning off a chunk of wood from the axe. He couldn't believe how sharp that thing was; didn't even feel it at first. Luckily it wasn't bad and didn't need more than some peroxide cleaning, but he sure did wear gloves and glasses the rest of the day! LOL...got my splitter the very next day; boy he was pissed! I still like manual splitting though, it's a great workout and helps me unwind after a crappy work week. Will use the splitter for the hard ones and larger stuff; at least until Backwoods tells everyone how to make kindling with a splitter!

Click to expand...

Hey, I was going to do that a couple weeks ago when it turned pretty cool but got busy on some other jobs. Maybe I can get to that this coming week. And if so, while I have the camera out, I'll try to get some pictures of the fall colors coming on.

heatit said:

Will use the splitter for the hard ones and larger stuff; at least until Backwoods tells everyone how to make kindling with a splitter!

Click to expand...

I'm guessing BWS has a different notion than I do of the size of kin'lin. I just cannot see how the blunt edge of a MTD splitter can split stuff down to 3/4" squares. The smallest rounds I can split in half is about 2 inches and to quarter that down to 4 pieces, well... I think I'd mush more than I could split. Maybe I should take a grinder and sharpen up the wedge.

Anyway, kin'lin is easy to make with a hatchet and I just cannot see myself wasting gas and splitter run-hours on it. I was thinking though about a small foot operated splitter I could keep in the house where it is nice and warm since I don't have the patience to make up enough kin'lin in advance and end up standing out in sub-zero weather.

Well, keep watching and I'll post a series of pictures or a video soon on making kindling....and I'll even use that blunt end of the splitter. Not only that, but you'll find that it takes a very, very little amount of gas to split a big bunch of kindling.

btw, I don't set about making all the kindling at the same time. As I am splitting wood, when I come upon a log that looks like it will make good kindling, then I just do it and throw the kindling right into the pile. Then when I am building the ends of the stack in cross hatch style, the kindling goes in the end holes, so kindling usually ends up all over the ends of the stacks. If I have too much then it just gets stacked with the regular stuff.


EDIT: when it is sub-zero temperature outdoors, there is no need for kindling. Kindling is used only in spring and fall months.

Backwoods Savage said:

EDIT: when it is sub-zero temperature outdoors, there is no need for kindling. Kindling is used only in spring and fall months.

Click to expand...

Maybe for you. Here on the Celsius scale it's sub-zero most of the Winter. That said, the wife decreed no more 24/7 burning from now on so that means lots of start-up fires.

wendell said:

You most likely don't need a tetanus shot unless your wedge has been in contact with soil in which feces is present. It is a very over administered shot.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tetanus/DS00227/DSECTION=causes

Click to expand...

Correct me if I am wrong, but I came away with a different take on the Mayo Clinic report. I read it to mean the bacteria is found in soil and dust and feces. So if your wedge is dusty or came in contact with soil you could become infected. Feces does not have to be present in this case to become infected.

I keep up on my tetanus shots for many reasons, but the main reason is I work around barbed fence wire and always seem to get scratched now and again...even though I try to wear protective clothing and gloves.
jackpine

I'm always concerned about mouse feces when handling wood.

Unfortunately, i was too lazy to find a better link. There has to have been fecal material for the tetanus bacteria to be present.

And if I was working around old barbed wire, I would keep up to date, too. I was referring more to getting cut in a shop or other places where no soil is possibly present and the first thing they want to do is stick you.

heatit said:

Wonder how many people also wear safety glasses (ANSI approved, not just sunglasses that say they are) while splitting, even if not using a wedge. I had also read the news link mentioned here as well as the thread with the guy who had the piece fly off into his leg. Both make me feel much better about getting a splitter recently; got a great CL score of an MTD 20 ton for $700 - will post that over in the gear section later. Really glad to hear that you are ok. I was giving my neighbor a hand last weekend splitting some maple and oak rounds and it was his first time using my Fiskars pro splitting axe and I had warned him to make sure he was wearing gloves which for the most part he did. However, the one time he had taken them off and returned to using the axe, he gave himself a nice 4" long cut into the base of his thumb while cleaning off a chunk of wood from the axe. He couldn't believe how sharp that thing was; didn't even feel it at first. Luckily it wasn't bad and didn't need more than some peroxide cleaning, but he sure did wear gloves and glasses the rest of the day! LOL...got my splitter the very next day; boy he was pissed! I still like manual splitting though, it's a great workout and helps me unwind after a crappy work week. Will use the splitter for the hard ones and larger stuff; at least until Backwoods tells everyone how to make kindling with a splitter!

Click to expand...

HOW 2 MAKE KINDLING WITH A gas or electric SPLITTER****************


I have a huskey 22 ton horz & vertical splitter with a 6.5 hp B&S;engine. I find that smaller splits are easier & faster in horizontal mode & large heavy rounds are easier to work with in vertical mode; as less heavy lifting is required in vert mode but better split positioning to the moving wedge is available in horz mode.

My splitter can always shave 1/4 inch thick slices off of most wood & usually 1/16th shavings
depending on the wood. My wedge moves on the ram & the end of the I beam has a 9 inch rectangular
foot to it to catch the end of the round: so, to make a shave of wood from a split,
just stop the ram about 3/8 of a inch from where it would touch the wood & carefully position the wood to the ram wedge for the thickness of wood you want 2 shave off the split.

I have quartered a 1 inch diameter branch with my huskey as well as a 4 ft diameter tree trunk slice; although for the 4 ft diameter tree trunk slice I have to raise the engine rmp somewhat above idle speed. For some big knarly, knotty & stringly mothers, I actually had to use full
throttle for 45 seconds .

I can split 1 to 3 cords a day with this michine, depending on the weather, the wood & my current (lack of ) health.

The only time I ever use sledges & wedges is when I get rounds too heavy too move towards the gas splitter and rolling them is impractical due to terrain considerations or the rounds need to be lifted into a pick up truck for transport to the splitter.

At 61 yrs, cut ,split & delevered is starting to look good to me, although I will still split some wood just because I enjoy it, up to the point where I am tired & don't want to do it any more but need to get done before the rains start.

I got all the wood that I had, done for this year & into the shed. I just hope I have enough or5 I'll find out how much i like paying for c,s & d a lot sooner that I planned for.

Speeco (and Huskee) splitters have a much sharper, narrower two stage wedge than the MTD which is very blunt and thick. The MTD wedge cannot shave 1/16 off anything. With the fat wedge, running it off center would likely cause the split to blow out the side, and not run straight through. Even splitting with my 2-12 lb axe, I always go for the middle and then re-split each half, halving each half as I go.

Sorry, but why would anyone even think about using a wedge on a 4-in split? Unless it's ironwood, or elm full o' knows, a 3 # ax should be all you need.

Peace,
- Sequoia

Glad that you injuries were not serious. I just grinded the mushrooms of my wedge yesterday. The previous post about the leg got me thinking about it. Splitting Oak, Cherry, Locust, and Ash with my Fiskars, I haven't needed my wedges in a long time. The Maple I've been working on needs some wedge work. I try to use the wedge is little as possible, it seems to add a degree of danger to the hand splitting process. Steel into wood is OK, but when you have to hit the steel with more steel, there is more chance of problems. I can't wait to get back to the more easy (and safe) splitting woods.