I’m just glad no one caught me on video

ChillyGator said:

I'm guessing: Weimaraner (my first dog from birth till I was 13, slept on the foot of my bed every night....I still miss him)

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Had one too. Great dog. I think the one on the picture is a smaller dog. It is sitting on a motorcycle.

Flatbedford said:

ChillyGator said:

I'm guessing: Weimaraner (my first dog from birth till I was 13, slept on the foot of my bed every night....I still miss him)

Click to expand...

Had one too. Great dog. I think the one on the picture is a smaller dog. It is sitting on a motorcycle.

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Upon further review I belive you are on to something.........Fat Dashusun?

I also recently bought the same axe---and it sure does split well. I have not elevated my rounds, but have split them on the ground. My reasoning is that with the lighter weight head (4.25 lbs) the key to a successful split is velocity---that generated by your arms and back as well as the wrists (which I think should be snapped on the downstroke somewhat like throwing a curveball). Also it seems as if your arms should be fully extended when you strike the round, and your knees bent slightly. That way, if the axe head does bounce, it should not hit you in the face/head. Also on those bigger rounds like oak, being relatively hard, or on those with soggy ends, you should not strike the center of the round because you are very unlikely to do anything but wear yourself out. I found that by starting on the edge, and working my way in, I am much more productive and not nearly as tired.

This was a good reminder to be careful and avoid getting lazy in technique, though! Glad the injury wasn't worse. It could have probably knocked a few teeth out, or broken your nose, if any lower!

Think of the wrists as the axle around which the axe is spinning. Envision a circle with the wrists at the center (focus of the circle) and the axe head's path the perimeter. Whether that axe head is going down (swinging the axe) or coming up (bounce), you don't want any of your body parts inside that circle.

When swinging an axe or maul, I bend at the knees on the down stroke just before impact and the tool head hits the target coming down straight, not on a trajectory heading towards my feet or shins if I miss my target. If I do miss, it'll hit the dirt or chop block before it gets close to feet or shins. And, if it bounces up, I'm not leaning into the return path (into that circle).

I have a heavy maul and a fiscars splitter. I've had the Fiscars bounce on me, but without incident.

nojo said:

I had a similar incident last year. Not with splitting wood though. I am a Farrier (Horseshoer) and I was running out of propane, so the shoe was getting cold so I was wailing on it harder. Anyway shoe got too cold and the hammer glanced off the shoe on a full force blow and instantly rebounded me in the forehead. It was a pretty pointy ball peen that hit me in the head. Almost knocked me out. Very large egg on my forehead.

A few months ago I was putting a new sill plate in the house , whacking it in place. Got the hammer rebound between the eyes. Claw of the hammer that time. Got a 3/4" gash between my eyes. Little bit of a scar. YAY!

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Okay, you need an office job!