ambulance call I heard yesterday

[Mike Van]

Just a 'heads up' to be careful out there - Yesterday I heard a call on the scanner, 61 yr. old male, hand caught in log splitter. Bet that wasn't pretty.

 

[iCreek]

Yup, I few weeks ago my FIL best friend lost part of a finger using his splitter. They were able to reattach it, after a 30 mile drive, but don't think it will stay. Right now he has a pill bottle with some holes drilled in it, and duct tape holding it together

Working wood is fun, but we have to be careful.

 

[Mkarlson]

Yup, I few weeks ago my FIL best friend lost part of a finger using his splitter. They were able to reattach it, after a 30 mile drive, but don't think it will stay. Right now he has a pill bottle with some holes drilled in it, and duct tape holding it together

Working wood is fun, but we have to be careful.

ok is it just me or that sound a bit primitive? I have done some odd things like the time I stuck my finger into a hole the same time guy above me was sticking the spade bit in from above. Split the finger up to the first knuckle on either side of the bone. Held it together for bout 30 minutes trying to stop bleeding and when I looked at it again it was all swollen and no bleeding so
I didnt go to get it checked out. Of course that finger tip is numb now which came in handy the other night when I pressed it into the compressor pulley on my mothers explorer. Of course it was running.

 

[avalancher]

Got a thumb nail right now gone thanks to my splitter,its amazing how fast things can go wrong on such a slow moving machine.
I was splitting a nasty white oak, and the ram didnt split all the way through, leaving a bunch of twisted and stringy pieces still holding the two halves together. I retracted the ram, moved the piece over six inches and started the ram forward again. what i didnt realize is that my thumb was hanging over the crevice from the previous split, and when the new split started it closed up the gap real quick with my thumb inside.To make matters worse, I jerked my hand off of the lever and tried to push the piece apart to free my thumb.didnt budge, and in my haste to get that piece off my hand I pushed the lever forward instead of back further crushing my thumb.
Its amazing what a guy can do to yourself when you panic.
My daughter cries every time she sees me change the bandage on my poor ole thumb.

 

[iCreek]

ok is it just me or that sound a bit primitive?

Let me clarify, he did go to a hospital 30 miles away, had it sewn or stitched back on, wrapped, etc. But when he got home he kept 'bumping' it, so he decided to 'protect' it by sliding it into something hard. He found a pill bottle that fit, drill some holes in it to breathe, then used some duct tape at the base to keep to bottle from falling off.

 

[Booshcat]

Let me clarify, he did go to a hospital 30 miles away, had it sewn or stitched back on, wrapped, etc. But when he got home he kept 'bumping' it, so he decided to 'protect' it by sliding it into something hard. He found a pill bottle that fit, drill some holes in it to breathe, then used some duct tape at the base to keep to bottle from falling off.

When my finger got crushed/burned in an automatic splicing machine (700psi/800deg.F) they cut a hole in my chest and sewed my finger into it to heal. Yes it was still connected to my hand Sure made it tough to get anythging done for a few weeks....

 

[woodbooga]

I had to read this in school, before I operated anykind of equipment and it's always stayed with me:

"Out, Out - "
by: Robert Frost

The buzz saw snarled and rattled in the yard
And made dust and dropped stove-length sticks of wood,
Sweet-scented stuff when the breeze drew across it.
And from there those that lifted eyes could count
Five mountain ranges one behing the other
Under the sunset far into Vermont.
And the saw snarled and rattled, snarled and rattled,
As it ran light, or had to bear a load.
And nothing happened: day was all but done.
Call it a day, I wish they might have said
To please the boy by giving him the half hour
That a boy counts so much when saved from work.
His sister stood beside him in her apron
To tell them "Supper." At the word, the saw,
As if it meant to prove saws know what supper meant,
Leaped out at the boy's hand, or seemed to leap -
He must have given the hand. However it was,
Neither refused the meeting. But the hand!
Half in appeal, but half as if to keep
The life from spilling. Then the boy saw all -
Since he was old enough to know, big boy
Doing a man's work, though a child at heart -
He saw all was spoiled. "Don't let him cut my hand off -
The doctor, when he comes. Don't let him, sister!"
So. The hand was gone already.
The doctor put him in the dark of ether.
He lay and puffed his lips out with his breath.
And then - the watcher at his pulse took a fright.
No one believed. They listened to his heart.
Little - less - nothing! - and that ended it.
No more to build on there. And they, since they
Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs.

 

[Jaberwky]

Nice!

I had to read this in school, before I operated anykind of equipment and it's always stayed with me:

That is the most horrible and gorgeous thing at the same time I think I've ever read. Amazing how much emotion, visual clarity, reflection, and disguised violence packed into 293 words and 32 lines of text. thanks.

 

[woodbooga]

That is the most horrible and gorgeous thing at the same time I think I've ever read. Amazing how much emotion, visual clarity, reflection, and disguised violence packed into 293 words and 32 lines of text. thanks.

Robert Frost was a genius (we in NH are rightly proud much of his best early work was written here).

Lots of people think his work is simple because his subject matter is rural and written in plain language. Still waters run deep.

 

[MATTYB11]

Yup, I few weeks ago my FIL best friend lost part of a finger using his splitter. They were able to reattach it, after a 30 mile drive, but don't think it will stay. Right now he has a pill bottle with some holes drilled in it, and duct tape holding it together

Working wood is fun, but we have to be careful.

I smashed the pad of my middle finger in the trailer hitch of my log splitter last year (yes apparently the log splitter can hurt you even if its off). the fingerprint pad came almost all the way off but the doc sewed it back on. You would not believe the amount of times a day one "bumps" their hand on something. I had never notice it until then. Man, even brushing against the covers at night when I rolled over in bed would wake me out of a sound sleep. I wish I had thought of the pill bottle instead of that cheap medal brace that the hospital gave me.

 

[046]

lots-o-warnings in this thread!!!

there's folks who's sheared their thumb off... not being able to be re-attached...etc.

this is why splitters like supersplit with super fast cycle times (3 seconds) scare me.

 

[danrclem]

It's been about three months ago that I was splitting wood. I had a big round and pitched it up on my splitter. The weight to the round pused my right hand into the wedge. It hurt a whole lot and left a gash on the top of my hand. I could have used stitches but they weren't necessary.

It's still a little tender when I move my index and middle finger in certain motions. My middle finger still won't straighten out as much as my other fingers and the small bone that is on the top of my hand that moves the fingers back and forth has an indention in it. I'm pretty sure that I damaged that bone but oh well, life goes on.

My middle finger still works but not quite as well as it did before. I had to type with my left hand and my index finger on the right hand for a long time. That's a pain even if it doesn't hurt.

The moral of this story is that when you pitch a big round on your slitter make sure that it doesn't trap your hand in between the round and the wedge.

 

[Mkarlson]

Let me clarify, he did go to a hospital 30 miles away, had it sewn or stitched back on, wrapped, etc. But when he got home he kept 'bumping' it, so he decided to 'protect' it by sliding it into something hard. He found a pill bottle that fit, drill some holes in it to breathe, then used some duct tape at the base to keep to bottle from falling off.

That sounds much better. I was thinking damn Rambo sewed himself up again.
I could understand the simplicity of a stich but to re-attach was some serious man stuff.

 

[wkpoor]

I'm not sure speed is an issue with a log splitter and safety. If you aren't paying attention the slowest splitter in the world will hurt ya. Even at 6sec cycle time I have all the time in the world to get my hand /fingers out of the way before pulling the lever. Its about watching what you are doing.

 

[mga]

I'm not sure speed is an issue with a log splitter and safety. If you aren't paying attention the slowest splitter in the world will hurt ya. Even at 6sec cycle time I have all the time in the world to get my hand /fingers out of the way before pulling the lever. Its about watching what you are doing.

i kinda disagree.

at least a reasonable cycle time gives you some leeway to think, especially if you're splitting with a helper who has hands on the controls while yours are on the wood.

i read many threads here about people looking for cycle times that are so fast you'd think they were on a production line. why???? if one's life is that hurried, then i suggest some evaluation. especially after splitting for a couple of hours, you get tired, even when you think you're not...and that's when accidents happen. or, after a while, boredom sets in and your mind wanders about other things....then....bang.

 

[046]

would love to have a 6-8 second cycle time!

there's a world of difference between a 3-4 second per stroke time VS 1-1.5 second stroke time.

from the time you see something... to reacting... 1/4 second takes superhuman reflexes. reacting in less than 1 second takes being prepared for instant action.

learned this way back in driver ed class. had a driving simulator machine, where students would take turns hitting the brakes when a pedestrian popped on screen.

most reaction times were .5 to .75 seconds range. this is with a kid knowing and prepped to stomp on the brakes.

splitters with a 1 second stroke time have little to no room for error and scare me!

Even at 6sec cycle time I have all the time in the world to get my hand /fingers out of the way before pulling the lever.

 

[wkpoor]

To me its about options. I can slow down the speed by simply puling back on the throttle. But if I feel energetic I push forward on the throttle and get-r-done. Anyone one has ever ran mine really likes the quicker cycle time and I really don't think 6-8 secs is a problem. 3-4 might be a bit quick. I'm mostly by myself and no matter how fast it is I can always have my hand in a safe spot before pulling the handle. Isn't that really the theory behind operating the Super Split?

 

[RCR 3 EVER]

It wasn't a splitter but a lawnmower blade that I was installing. The wrench slipped off the nut and my hand hit the blade. Back in the day before I was paranoid and wrapped the blade with pads of foam.

I was cut to the bone on index finger and nicked the index finger tendon A few years later I had a chisel accident on index finger of other hand. Now I have matching scars

Now I use chainsaws and splitters,scary huh

 

[046]

when putting a butt load of torque on any nut... will ALWAYS position my hands like I'm going to slip. this has save my butt many a time!

a good way to remove stubborn mower blade nuts is to use penetrating oil first. then use a long handle Snap-on box end wrench. if that doesn't do it, out comes the lead loaded rubber face hammer against the wrench. this method has never failed...or bit me.

now back to reaction times and splitters... if a person takes say 3/4 of a second to respond to danger... and your splitter's per stroke time is 1.5 seconds.

for all practical purposes... margin of error is next to none.

It wasn't a splitter but a lawnmower blade that I was installing. The wrench slipped off the nut and my hand hit the blade. Back in the day before I was paranoid and wrapped the blade with pads of foam.

I was cut to the bone on index finger and nicked the index finger tendon A few years later I had a chisel accident on index finger of other hand. Now I have matching scars

Now I use chainsaws and splitters,scary huh