Caution Using Fiskars Super Splitter!

[max2cam]

I feel like a dummy telling about my little accident, but if it helps somebody else...

Yesterday I was splitting some kindling with my Fiskar's "Super Splitter" 4 lb splitting axe. Only about the 2nd or 3rd time I used it. Well, I was splitting like I have been splitting for the last 30 years, when that fast moving sucker went thru the wood chunk, slipped in my gloves, and made a fast arc down, around, and right at my left foot!

That sharp edge cut right through the heavy leather of my boot and made a deep 1/2 inch gash into the top of my foot. It didn't bleed much and isn't real serious, but it would have been worse if I had been wearing lighter footgear. Mostly I feel stupid.

Partly maybe it was my fault. But I did NOT expect that thing to turn back towards me. That I believe was partly due to the shortness of the handle, which sort of made it swing (when it slipped in my glove) in a circular arc towards me.

I looked at the packaging later and NO instructions came with that thing. But I can say now from experience that it acts differently than an ordinary splitting maul with its sharp blade, speed, and peculiar handle.

Now that I learned the hard way I'd suggest the following:

1) Plant your feet wide apart so that if the thing cames at you it goes between your feet and doesn't hit them.

2) Make a real effort to strike directly down or even a little outwards so if the handle slips in your gip the remaining force of the strike doesn't arc down, around, and come back at you as that Super Splitter goes through easy splitting wood like lightning.

3) Remember that it doesn't act like a regular maul but has its own peculiar characteristics.

I can't believe that thing didn't come with any kind of instructions or warnings. Would I have read and followed them? I don't know, but they should be there....

 

[zanedog22]

Ouch! Watch out for infection.

 

[tomtrees58]

you must be a hurting puppy to day tom trees

 

[computeruser]

Same problem with the Iron&Oak 15lb megamaul, except it's power comes from its mass rather than its sharpness. The handle is too short, also, and unless you're splitting on a 20"+ block you're asking to have the thing carry through and hit your foot and/or leg.

Keep your wound clean and be glad it didn't do more damage!

 

[Wood Scrounge]

my brother has one and I always wondered why the handle was so short. Seems another 6" would make it more comfortable and maybe safer to use?

 

[RAYINTOMBALL]

Glad to here your OK. Don't get down on yourself to hard, hell it was just an accident. I think all of us here have had plenty of them. It's what you do from here on out with the lesson learned. And that's one reason I wear a pair of 8" Danner heavy leather composite toed boots when I'm cutting, bucking, or splitting. There hot as hell in the summer but man they have saved my feet more than once. Take care of the foot and good luck. Ray

 

[drmiller100]

be careful running a dolmar 5100 also.

i was cutting some brush, and didn't have my feet firmly planted, and the saw bounced off a branch and almost cut my leg!!!!!

Manufacturers should provide safety devices so that dangerous things such as chainsaws and axes don't hurt people!!!!

 

[cjcocn]

I always ensure that my swing is based on a large arc so that when the ax head blasts through the wood it continues basically straight down, thereby lodging itself into the chopping block.

Some folks that I have watched split wood use too small of an arc so that the ax (if they go through the wood, or even miss or partially miss it) heads directly towards their feet, shins, or ankles. It appears to be because they want to use their wrists as the pivot point, rather then their hips and shoulders.

 

[SawTroll]

I always ensure that my swing is based on a large arc so that when the ax head blasts through the wood it continues basically straight down, thereby lodging itself into the chopping block.

Some folks that I have watched split wood use too small of an arc so that the ax (if they go through the wood, or even miss or partially miss it) heads directly towards their feet, shins, or ankles. It appears to be because they want to use their wrists as the pivot point, rather then their hips and shoulders.

You are right, I like to place the wood to be split on a 20-24" high (preferably seasoned), and pretty wide piece of wood, for splitting.

 

[Moddoo]

Personally, I find it stupid that they painted an otherwise nice handle, with slippery orange paint right at the end where grip is important.
I taped mine up the first day.
It feels much safer, and less fatigue on the hands too.

It don't surprise me that you cut yourself though.

These things kinda demand a modified style of swinging with the short handle.

The short length makes for a very quick efficient swing though.

 

[SawTroll]

Personally, I find it stupid that they painted an otherwise nice handle, with slippery orange paint right at the end where grip is important.
I taped mine up the first day.
It feels much safer, and less fatigue on the hands too.

It don't surprise me that you cut yourself though.

These things kinda demand a modified style of swinging with the short handle.

The short length makes for a very quick efficient swing though.

Mine are too old to have that paint in them, and they never slipped an inch in my hands.....

 

[HEAVY FUEL]

A guy I know accidentally buzzed the end of his handle off so he stuck a longer piece of aluminum in says he likes it better with the longer handle.

 

[Brushwacker]

Bought a pair of lightweight stihl steel toe logger boots on ebay about a year ago. I try to have them on splitting or sawing but thats not always the case. They have come in contact with a saw chain already at the toe and I know I've been close with the monster maul in the past.

 

[Hugenpoet]

Glad you didn't really cause yourself any permanent damage.

This is just another opportunity for all of us to remember that chainsaws, splitters, mauls and axes are inherently dangerous and should be used carefully.

 

[hornett224]

HEY! watch it!

be careful running a dolmar 5100 also.

i was cutting some brush, and didn't have my feet firmly planted, and the saw bounced off a branch and almost cut my leg!!!!!

Manufacturers should provide safety devices so that dangerous things such as chainsaws and axes don't hurt people!!!!

don't give them any more bright ideas!

 

[strongback]

Sorry to hear about your foot. Hope it doesn't keep you off the woodpile for too long.

I've recently started using a "super splitter" as well and I've had to change my swing from the "round" (swinging in a circle from a classic fighting stance) swing with a longer handled maul or axe to a straight up and down (feet squared with target axe weilded from directly overhead) stroke.

I decided to try this after watching the leveraxe demo (and experiencing a lot of stiffness in my lower back from swinging with that little tiny handle). Even though it looks a little ridiculous it's effective and it keeps your body parts out of the way. Incidentally, I've also take to using a tire screwed down to the top of my splitting stump to help hold the log in place until I'm done turning it into splinters. So, even if I do swing at a less than optimal angle or the axe glances off of the log, it will generally either just hit or get caught in the tire. I wish I'd known of this little back saver a long time ago! Even when a round is bigger than the 17" tire can accomodate it's worth it to half or quarter the round on a plain stump and then move it into the tire to be finished up.

After sweating profusely last night (90+ degrees) and having the handle get extra slippery and tiring out my hands while splitting I'll be wrapping the handle in grip tape before using it again.

I personally wear steel toed boots any time I'm not at my cushy (read:boring) desk job. I've done so for a lot of years now and I've grown so accustomed to having my feet protected that not wearing them often results in me hurting my unprotected feet because I've forgotten that I'm not wearing them.

 

[max2cam]

Fiskars Super Splitter => an unnecessarily dangerous tool?

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Some of you may not like what I say next, but I believe it's true...

First let me state that the Fiskar's Super Splitting axe does split wood very well. But I also gotta say that it seems designed to also super split your foot and no mistake!

Yesterday I went out and experimented with it. First I measured the handle against my 6 lb Harbor Freight "Made in China" maul. The Fiskars handle is a full 8 inches shorter than the H.F. maul and therein lies the problem and what makes the Fiskars potentially more dangerous to use than it should be.

Just to see what went wrong and what made my injury happen, I went thru the motions of splitting firewood. That is, I lifted the Fiskars up, brought it down just like I was splitting a round, but then followed through with the strike like what often happens when you slip, miss, strike a glancing blow, or the tool goes thru the wood quicker and with less resistence than you might expect it to.

Guess what? The normal built-in trajectory or arc of the Super Splitting head given the above scenario is targeted directly at your foot each and every time. It is almost guaranteed to hit your foot almost EXACTLY where the blade edge hit mine if you happen to slip, miss, strike a glancing blow, or if it goes thru the wood really fast and you don't catch it.

Didn't they test this damn thing?

Then, for comparison, I tried the 6 lb H.F. maul and found out immediately that due to its 8 inch longer handle, a miss or a glancing blow, etc. buried the head safely into the ground in front of you every time, and NOT buried in your foot like the Fiskars tool!

The Fiskar Super Splitter is unnecessarily dangerous to use even when used in the manner in which it is intended to be used. The handle is TOO SHORT and thereby aims the super sharp striking edge directly at your feet due to its inherant built-in design!

Just try that little experiment yourself gently swinging that thing and slowly following thru and see where and what it wants to hit.

I don't think that I'm being unduly critical of this tool. In splitting wood by hand each and every year since 1976 using several types of mauls, I have NEVER hit my foot like I did with this Fiskar's tool just by using it in a normal manner. Due to its ultra-short handle design the arc or trajectory of the moving head given the slightest mishap will aim it directly at your foot, possibly causing it to cut thru your boot and causing injury like it did to me.

Sort of like having a gun with a curved barrel that when you fire it tries to aim the bullet back at you...

Beware!

 

[cjcocn]

... Just try that little experiment yourself gently swinging that thing and slowly following thru and see where and what it wants to hit.

I do that with every different type of ax/maul/etc that I've used. It is especially important to me because I generally hunt and haul firewood alone. This means that I have to be extra careful because if something were to happen to me I would still have to get home on my own.

It is that very practice that lead me to post this earlier in this thread ....

I always ensure that my swing is based on a large arc so that when the ax head blasts through the wood it continues basically straight down, thereby lodging itself into the chopping block.

Some folks that I have watched split wood use too small of an arc so that the ax (if they go through the wood, or even miss or partially miss it) heads directly towards their feet, shins, or ankles. It appears to be because they want to use their wrists as the pivot point, rather then their hips and shoulders.

Using the above, I can use any ax/hatchet/maul and my stroke always finishes heading straight down into the chopping block or ground. On a few occasions I have split both the the round and the chopping block (it was an old block) and even then the ax head traveled straight down into the ground.

It is the same swing that I have always used, but still run a few tests whenever I pick up a different implement. When using a machete/hatchet/(and now the very light Fiskars ax) to chop brush or branches I always use a swing that takes the blade through a path that doesn't include any of my body parts. Even then my swings are reduced in power due to the potential for deflection, no matter how much I might like to think that I am guarding against it.

HTH

 

[SawTroll]

I always use steel-toed logging boots when splitting, but not always when using a saw......

I once hit my shoe between two toes - and learned from that.

 

[max2cam]

I always use steel-toed logging boots when splitting, but not always when using a saw......

I once hit my shoe between two toes - and learned from that.

Actually I was wearing steel-toed boots, and yes, that is always a good idea.

But the Fiskars got me on the top of my foot well above the steel-toe and just below the ankle. With this thing you need steel leggings or gaiters.