Got Lucky With My Axe Today

V

Vivi

BANNED
Joined
Dec 4, 2005
Messages
5,095
Me and my friend were playing around with my Fiskars axe today getting wood together to make handles for things and a few other odds and ends and I nearly got a deep slice in my ankle. Caught a glancing blow right above the ankle. Put a little cut through my pants and drew a bit of blood, but thankfully there wasn't much of a cut, mostly just a big bruise. Be careful out there with those axes, or you might do something stupid and take off your foot. :D
 
Anytime I have cut myself with a hatchet it has always been the fingers of my left hand. I have half a mind to always bring one left handed leather glove with me:D

What gear are you bringing in Aug?
 
This comes up in survival threads sometimes. In a knife vs. axe debate, I'm leaning towards the knife simply because if you're fatigued, i.e hungry/tired, the weight forward aspect of the axe makes it hard to control. I know I've had close calls with a misplaced chop when I wasn't tired, let alone lost in the bush. Glad to hear you're ok, the ankle would have been a nasty place to catch that axe.
 
How did you catch a glancing blow on the ankle? I remember having some near encounters with an axe, but after I read Bushcraft with the good pictures, I haven't done anything like that. Mors shows the proper form with each type of axe, hatchet, and small axe.

Glad you're ok,
Scottman
 
Get to know your tools before the get to taste you. Every sharp object can be dangerous. The more force you generate...well don’t have to teach anyone...you get the point!

lucky that you are okay!
 
Glad you're ok.

BTW I don't think Vivi was trying to stir up the ax vs knife debate. He was just sharing an incident with us. Turning his confession into an "I told you so" argument doesn't do the man justice.
 
Vivi, glad it wasn't any worse for you. Lessons learned. Highly suggest Mors book for proper axe/hatchet use tecniques. Another good read on Axes is An axe to grind
 
"Highly suggest Mors book for proper axe/hatchet use tecniques."

Me too! I consider his book Bushcraft my "bible" for woods stuff.

Later,
Scottman
 
Thanks, might check out that book. I've got a book written a while ago (80+ years ago) that has a couple of chapters dedicated to axe work. It was real informative.

As for knife vs axe, I like em both. I used to always use knives, but since buying the fiskars axe I see how efficient an axe can be for breaking up large pieces of wood.

I doubt I'll bring anything too big on the WV trip though. I was thinking a SAK Farmer + my Brusletto knife with a 5 and 3/4 inch blade, maybe a folder or two kept in the pack as a food knife or something.
 
swedishdwarf said:
Sorry, I misread the title and was expecting something completely different.
Click to expand...
Yeah you could interpret the thread title in a bunch of ways. Depends on the bend of your mind. Guy and his axe both reclined on a bed and smoking a cigarette.LOL!
:D
If only i was a cartoonist....
 
I've had some close calls,not paying attention but nothing bad thankfully,but when you do catch yourself with and axe or hatchet,it's hard to look at what happend,at least for me when I hit my thumb splitin fire wood with a hatchet,I just invisoned what it was gona look like:eek:

Glad your OK.
 
lotoblades said:
I've had some close calls,not paying attention but nothing bad thankfully,but when you do catch yourself with and axe or hatchet,it's hard to look at what happend,at least for me when I hit my thumb splitin fire wood with a hatchet,I just invisoned what it was gona look like:eek:
Click to expand...
Friend of mine did what you did about 10 years ago splitting firewood with a hatchet, except he did not miss. Thumb was almost completely severed, hanging on only by a thread of flesh. Doctors reattached it but told him he'd never have full use of it again. But he proved them wrong. About 90+% normal today. You'd never know he had the accident except for the huge wrap-around scar on his thumb!
 
You know, my grandfather did that. Twice. They reattached it both times. The second time he was by himself, and had to drive the forty miles into town to go get it sewn back on. He had two of those scars. You'd think once would be enough, but I guess he was just stubborn.

They did happen almost twenty years apart, though, to give him a bit of credit!
 
In Scouts we were taught to always have something between us and the axe blade, such as a log or chopping block. When clearing branches on a felled tree, stand on the other side of the trunk and chop toward the top. That being said, I've come close a few times; heavy boots (steel toed if possible), and eye protection are advisable when working with an ax. Long-handled/full size axes are safer than hatchets and shorter axes because the extra length makes it less likely an errant blade will strike you. My favorite ax is a 3/4 Snow & Nealley Hudson's Bay model, but it can still bite if you're not careful.
 
Yes, easy to do if you have are tired and losing co-ordination, for sure.

It's easy to say, "all you have to do is technique X and you will not get hurt" but like most physical activities, if you do it enough, sooner or later, you will get tired or careless or lose your focus and ding yourself.

I'm sure we are all aware of how we can avoid hitting our thumb with a hammer (move your hand out of the way!) but I don't think I know a single guy who has nailed anything together who hasn't whacked his thumb pretty good at least once in his life!
 
longbow50 said:
Vivi, glad it wasn't any worse for you. Lessons learned. Highly suggest Mors book for proper axe/hatchet use tecniques. Another good read on Axes is An axe to grind
Click to expand...

Sorry to be ignorant, but I have not heard of this book, or the author. Can someone give the complete name of the book and author, or post a link?
Thans
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top