Hands hurt after splitting wood... help / suggestions?

[ericfox]

After splitting some wood (wearing work gloves) it seems there is an area about the size of a 50 cent piece between the bottom of my thumb and my wrist on the palm side is VERY sore... especially on my left hand (I am right handed). It is 3 days later and still pretty sore... wonder if I am doing something wrong or maybe some special impact gloves for splitting wood? There was a couple times that I got an extra big impact from not hitting the log quite right. I enjoy splitting wood, but not with this issue

Thanks for any suggestions

 

[Big_Al]

What were you using to split with? Maybe try something different? Get heavier gloves? I usually just use an old 8lb maul and plain work gloves.

 

[RAMROD48]

Rub some dirt on it, you will be fine...its called manual labor...

 

[JRepairsK70e]

Alleve and a hydraulic splitter works for me lol jk

 

[Motorsen]

Split some more wood!

The only cure is training. Split somemore wood to "harden" your hands. It's a quite normal to get sore especially in the palm when not used to manual labour. You are getting alot of backfeed from your axe through the palms. Get splitting some more soon. Maybe you will feel releved after a short warm up.
Good health.

Motorsen

 

[jerrycmorrow]

i don't wear gloves when swinging my 10# maul. the gloves tend to make me have to grip harder whereas not wearing gloves gives me a better feel and helps toughen my hands. if you're holding the maul where the end of the handle contacts your palm where the sore area is then you may be causing bruising at every impact. maybe shorten your grip a little bit so the end of the handle doesn't smack you.

 

[gwiley]

I have injured my hands splitting with the sledge and maul - in the same area. I found that worst case I get reduced strength in my left hand/thumb for a while. Going through 10 cords/year has me seriously considering a hydraulic splitter as a result.

 

[bobt]

i don't wear gloves when swinging my 10# maul. the gloves tend to make me have to grip harder whereas not wearing gloves gives me a better feel and helps toughen my hands. if you're holding the maul where the end of the handle contacts your palm where the sore area is then you may be causing bruising at every impact. maybe shorten your grip a little bit so the end of the handle doesn't smack you.

Hard manual labor simply requires gloves, especially in the palm area.

Just ask any railroad section hand who still pounds spikes with a 10# spike maul about gloves and they will tell you that gloves are their best friend, even when the hands are hardened to the work.

We used to even swap old gloves between righthandes and lefthanders, as the opposite glove was worn the worst after a short time.

I would wear gloves that are full of holes in the fingers before going gloveless. Gotta protect the relatively soft palm area.

Bob

 

[jerrycmorrow]

Hard manual labor simply requires gloves, especially in the palm area.

Just ask any railroad section hand who still pounds spikes with a 10# spike maul about gloves and they will tell you that gloves are their best friend, even when the hands are hardened to the work.

We used to even swap old gloves between righthandes and lefthanders, as the opposite glove was worn the worst after a short time.

I would wear gloves that are full of holes in the fingers before going gloveless. Gotta protect the relatively soft palm area.

Bob

to each his own. been doing it bout 30 years. 4-5 cords a year. understand about the soft palm area but my hands get tired faster when i wear gloves.

 

[mayhem100]

Give it a couple days and go split some more.

As the marines say, pain is just weakness leaving the body. You'll get used to it shortly before you're done splitting for the year, then your hands will get soft again and you'll go throughit all again next year.

For impact protection, you can try a pair of padded work gloves, but really the best thing is to work on your swing so you make fewer overstrikes...when I start hitting the handle I know its time to stop because I'm getting tired and my aim is going.

 

[mdotis]

Burning wood will save you a bunch of money but it is not free. You have to earn your savings and pain is just one of the prices you pay. But most of the time it is the good pain that lets you know you are still alive. Like the other have said once you get your body trained the price will seem like a good deal. The human body is amazing, start slow and work your way up, let your body adjust to the new activity.

 

[GeeVee]

If its sore, stick it in Cider

 

[banshee67]

.. here try one of these

 

[airwolf]

I had the same problem with my top hand(the one that slides). The vibrations from the wood handle didn't bother the bottom hand, that had a tight grip.

I got rid of the pain by stuffing a piece of carpet padding inside my leather glove.

I don't use the padding with my Fiskars, since the composite handle seems to transmit less vibrations.

 

[turnkey4099]

to each his own. been doing it bout 30 years. 4-5 cords a year. understand about the soft palm area but my hands get tired faster when i wear gloves.

Same here (8+ cord/yr) and I get a better grip without gloves. Of course I pay for 'no gloves' with accumlating splinters.

Harry K

 

[Ironworker]

Really

 

[LumberjkChamp]

It sounds like maybe the handle of your maul is just a tick too big. Try a different (smaller diameter) handle and that may be what you need. Handles are made to fit everyones hands but they don't really fit anyones hands. Got to keep trying until you find one that works.

Also, try holding with the handle running more through your fingers instead of it in the middle of your palm.

I cut and split, all by hand, at least 10 cords per year. Its a portion of my winter exercise. I hate gloves.

 

[ericfox]

thanks guys... glad to know Im not the only one that has gotten bruised hands from splitting... After thinking about this more - I think a lot of the bruising is from first day when I was using an axe to split the wood was swinging really hard and the axe just wasnt enough to split the wood many times... I since bought a splitting maul as some of you mentioned and a sledge and wedges... this seemed to work much better and the pain was probably already there from the previous day with the axe... so hopefully I will be good after a few more days

Good to be a part of the forum though... glad to see there are the normal forum jesters

 

[zogger]

think through the split

The axe head and speed and focus and keeping the edge straight to the wood does the work. Your hands merely steer this operation. Steer more, power less. Speed more, aim better. Finesse and focus is easier on the mitts than grunt swings.

To me, good splitting is like any other sport. Ya, most anyone can grab a whatever with some sort of edge to it and mangle a chunk of wood into pieces, but the better you get at it the less effort it takes to do even more work. And the less it beats on you, hands included.

I also cull the herd fast. I have all the wood I want, so if a particular piece starts to give me fits, it gets thrown onto the obnoxious/bummer pile. I cull it till later. Two months (or so) later I'll go through the pile again. Amazing what an additional two months of drying will do for you, more cracks to aim at, etc.

Anyway, I think of it as way more a sport/skill than "work" and for some reason it keeps getting easier the more I refine my technique. Especially with the fiskars.

I must say though I am dissatisfied with the fiskars sharpener. I have some brand X one that works better, but even that leaves some meat on the platter. I am thinking I might invest in a rouge wheel instead..maybe. There's a huge difference with the fiskars between normal "sharp" and OMG if your finger gets within an inch you get sliced sharp. The latter will really split some wood.

 

[tomsteve]

get rid of the gloves and build up some callouses. if it keeps hurtin, let it heal then go at it again.