Stupid Stupid Stupid!!!!!

[mimilkman1]

Well I found out what the business end of my hatchet feels like Friday night. I was splitting some kindling down for a bonfire and sure enough I was looking at my hand and WHACK hit my left hand just behind the thumb. At first I didn't think it was as bad as it was, but after a few minutes of holding pressure and blood soaking up 3 wash cloths I decided I had to get it stitched up. So a friend of mine took me to the hospital where I work and got it checked out. Of course everyone in the ER had to come and take a peek. 1 hour and 7 stitches later I left and returned to my drinking. . I almost forgot, I was only on my second drink when this happened so alcohol was not a large contributing factor just my own stupidity:censored: .

Kyle

 

[Sprig]

Kindling cutting the sensible way.

I have been promoting the 'two hatchet method' of kindling cutting for years after nearly hacking off my indexL years ago with a very sharp short-sword (ya ya, swords are for killing, not kindling). :monkey:

Use your crappy hatchet to hold the piece, use the other to whack the pieces off, no fingers in da way to get bit. Too many peeps I know with scarred up hands for this not to make perfect sense. Just thought I'd say.



Serge

 

[mimilkman1]

+1 thanks for the advice, I'll definitely keep that in mind. I really don't know how I didn't go right through to the bone or take it right off. I'm the kind of guy though that has to learn things the hard way.:stupid:

 

[wdchuck]

I did something very similiar once, took off my glove, just a nice white line on the skin, whew.
After that, I bought a dead-blow hammer, and use it to hit the back of the hatchett head, great for kindling, good control, and both of my hands are out of the way.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Glad that you're okay. I'll relate to you what I was told once after one of my accidents where I couldn't believe that I did whatever it was that I did; they said "we never met a smart accident"! :greenchainsaw:

 

[Hugenpoet]

I was only on my second drink when this happened so alcohol was not a large contributing factor just my own stupidity:censored: .

Kyle

Sorry that you cut yourself, but glad you didn't remove a finger.

By the way, how large were those drinks?

 

[JLROOT]

Ouch!!

 

[StihltheOne]

I have a cool scar on my left shin. Being the brainman that I am, I was using my ax for splittin kindling, hatchet was buried in the snow. Well.... just let yer imagination go, remember the snow, choppin block ws slick too, oh did I mention that it was pitch dark except for the little porch light about 75' away. I had one with a bit of a knot, well...
The boys in the local think tank were inpressed too.

 

[tuke]

yup, we learn the hard way

hi all'
my lesson, i had the splitting mall stuck and couldn't get it out without breaking the handle, so, in my brilliant mind i figured i'd drive it through with the sledge hammer, i got it all lined up and i gave it all i had the mall went right through but at the same time i felt like sprinkles on my face so i looked in the mirror and sure enough there was little blood spots on my cheeks, lucky not any in the eyes (no glasses) but then i felt my ankle getting wet so i pulled up my pant leg and my sock was soaked with blood so then i pulled down my pants and low and behold there was a hole in my leg between my hip and knee, never felt a thing, didn't hurt, nothing. but decided to go to the doctor and he dug around in the hole but didn't find anything so he sent me down to get it x-rayed and found a piece of steel on the other side, it went completely through the meatiest part of my leg, he made a little cut opposite of the hole and there it was, just under the skin, he popped it right out. it was about half the size of a .22 lead. his little cut hurt more than the rest. i kept the piece for years but now its lost other wise i would put a pic. of it here.

live and learn, right??? Tuke :stupid:

 

[Hugenpoet]

hi all'
my lesson, i had the splitting mall stuck and couldn't get it out without breaking the handle, so, in my brilliant mind i figured i'd drive it through with the sledge hammer, i got it all lined up and i gave it all i had the mall went right through but at the same time i felt like sprinkles on my face so i looked in the mirror and sure enough there was little blood spots on my cheeks, lucky not any in the eyes (no glasses) but then i felt my ankle getting wet so i pulled up my pant leg and my sock was soaked with blood so then i pulled down my pants and low and behold there was a hole in my leg between my hip and knee, never felt a thing, didn't hurt, nothing. but decided to go to the doctor and he dug around in the hole but didn't find anything so he sent me down to get it x-rayed and found a piece of steel on the other side, it went completely through the meatiest part of my leg, he made a little cut opposite of the hole and there it was, just under the skin, he popped it right out. it was about half the size of a .22 lead. his little cut hurt more than the rest. i kept the piece for years but now its lost other wise i would put a pic. of it here.

live and learn, right??? Tuke :stupid:

Darn lucky it did hit you up and towards the center.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

A pickeroon works even better then a second hatchet, they are made for moving logs, but are excellent for holding

 

[Sprig]

They do indeed JPS, great suggestion man! For that matter you can use a chunk of scrap with a nail in it, what ever it takes to keep them precious digits where they belong, outta the path of sharp moving objects.



Serge

 

[mimilkman1]

Sorry that you cut yourself, but glad you didn't remove a finger.

By the way, how large were those drinks?

There was approximately 3 shots in the mixed drink and I just opened a beer.

Kyle

 

[mimilkman1]

My dad was splitting wood with a sledge and wedge when a piece of the sledge broke off and landed in his forearm. He now has a round scar the size of a quarter in his arm where they took it out. When he came home from the hospital he found a crew installing an oil furnace.:censored: !!! Mom wouldn't have any more of him cutting wood, that was over 30 years ago.

Kyle

 

[Hugenpoet]

My dad was splitting wood with a sledge and wedge when a piece of the sledge broke off and landed in his forearm. He now has a round scar the size of a quarter in his arm where they took it out. When he came home from the hospital he found a crew installing an oil furnace.:censored: !!! Mom wouldn't have any more of him cutting wood, that was over 30 years ago.

Kyle

Sometimes all it takes is one innocent trip to the hospital for a hardworking guy to find out who the boss really is. Are they still married?

 

[pdqdl]

Splitting injuries: I got one too!

One slow winter, I had some of my guys splitting some oak logs we had saved off a job. About 4' in diameter, they were great firewood.

One of the guys complained that they could not get the wedge to stay in the wood, at which I scoffed. Much to my dismay, I tried tapping the wedge in too, and it just wouldn't stick.

"I'll fix this", says I to myself. So I went back into the shop and sharpened the wedge up nice and crisp. Practically cuts paper, now.

Back to the log: Lightly tap the wedge in. Line up the sledge and give that wedge a HUGE pounding blow. POW!, a perfect hit!

Then the log spit that wedge right back out at me! Up it went, straight back out of the log in the same direction that it went in, about 5' high. Then came down on my left hand in the fold of skin right between the thumb and index finger. Clean cut through both sides, I barely missed the tendons. Such a clean cut, it didn't even bleed.

A few stitches later, I was now much wiser about how not to split wood. That is the only time in 25 years that I got stitches on the job.

 

[mimilkman1]

Sometimes all it takes is one innocent trip to the hospital for a hardworking guy to find out who the boss really is. Are they still married?

Yep, 35 years!!