Anyone ever cut themselves with a axe or hatchet?

K

ketum3

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Everywhere you read about these tools warns how extremely dangerous they are if used carelessly. There's no doubt that an axe or hatchet could cause a nasty wound, but has anyone actually done it?
 
well i guess i will fess up:rolleyes:

i had been cleaning my roger's rangers hawk and carelessly laid it aside on the bed. later i went to get up and the spike bit me on the wrist. made a nice wound and scar. needless to say i learned my lesson.
 
Almost had a bad accident with an axe a while back. I was chopping up some trees and splitting logs. I went to split a log that was probably to thin to be splitting and I missed the middle of the log. The axe glanced off and ended up hitting my shoe right on the toe. Thank god I was wearing steel toes that day. It dented the toe but had I had anything else on I may have chopped the ends of a few of them!!
 
About three years ago my wife managed to catch her foot with one of my Wetterlings. Had to take her to the emergency room for 17 stitches or so. Needless to say, I try to watch her a little closer now to help with her form and technique.
 
A new covex edge on one of my Trail Hawks touched my plam slicing it nicely. No big deal but I was surprized: there was very little pressure needed to cause the wound. It would never have happened with the factory edge.
 
now i am freaking out - i haven't done it yet and i am surrounded by about forty friggin' hawks all the time.

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the hammer polls on the trail hawks will do a good job on ya too.

yeeeeesh.

i've gotten myself good with a knife, and been slashed by badguys - everything is okay until you are safe, then ya wanna projectile vomit ...hehehe...!

vec
 
A couple of years ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars football team placed a stump and a hatchet in the locker room, the "wood chopping," being a metaphor for the daily work required to build a great team. Players would periodically take swings at the stump in an expression of team solidarity.

That all stopped when the punter chopped his leg, rather than the stump, requiring extended medical leave.
 
I give myself minor cuts while sharpening all the time - on par with a papercut, really, but super annoying when they fill up with the various oils, solvents, grits etc. that build up during an extended axe shaping/sharpening session.

My worst sharpening luck seems to be with draw knives. Not sure why, but they seem to nick me every time.

The only time I have ever had a cut requiring medical attenention was when I dropped a competition axe while I was greasing it for a competition. Bounced off a bone in my right hand - 5 stitches, just missed the tendon. I have also nipped my shoes a couple of times when training in the snow.

I always wear my chainmail when I practice. Always.
 
I put a hatchet through my sneaker in to the top of foot when I was a kid. My father had just showed me the correct way to use it. I of course ignored his instructions and did it my way.....I've handled axes etc.....correctly ever since. :)
 
Cut my finger last month while doing some handle work on my Wetterlings. I guess for whatever reason people don't expect an axe to be that sharp.
 
Holy cow man! People have sure shed some blood and had quite a few close calls. One thing that seems to be a common thread is that most folks get hurt while chopping or splitting wood. Next in line would be just not paying attention to an uncovered blade. Experts always recommend having the blade covered when not in use. I've had a couple of close calls with the the axe while splitting wood also. Trying to be careful and paying attention to what the task is for me is priority. I've noticed that when there is any distraction that my swings are not as accurate. Anyway my conclusion is that I'm probably going to buy a splitting axe which is really the tool designed for splitting firewood. I own a couple of great old books on woodcraft and there is quite a bit of information dedicated to "axemanship". Really a lost art in my opinion.

- Safety First -
 
vector001 said:
i'd love to see pictures of that.

chainmail, eh...?

vec
Click to expand...

Most competitive choppers wear the stuff. I guess "chainmail" might be a misleading term, but that's what some of us call them, or often "choppin' socks." They are shaped more like shinguards, with a long foot section. The shin part is made of wire screen, as used in fireplaces. The foot section, which covers the inside part (top and bottom) of the foot, as well as the toes, is made out of butcher glove material (fine steel ring-mail).

I am on a trip right now, but I'll put up pictures in a week, when I get home.
 
My biggest knife scare to date was with a Normark skinning axe, which was being used to gather dead fall.

My wife and I were a pretty good ways out camping and gathering firewood. I guess we both must have not been paying attention. (it had been a long tiring day of play) in any case her hand magically appeared straight in line with my hatchet right in mid chop. alarm bells went off in my head, and I very clearly screamed "OH SH#T!!" deep inside. I immediately hit the brakes and went into reverse mid stroke, but it was too late, the axe came down straight across her index finger.



I was more than slightly mystified when she kept going about her business without a care in the world. I gathered my breath, went very far away and chalked it up to optical illusion.

about half a minute later she said a real nasty thorn must have gotten her, cause she was bleeding, and bleeding, and bleeding and bleeding.....I told her that was kinda strange, and upon further investigation we realized it was a terribly bone deep kinda cut that required super glue and duct tape. I commented that was some "thorn" that got her. Yup. she didn't feel the blade cut her when it happened.

I fessed up it was me and my hatchet that had caused that mysterious cut about a year later, and took my beating. I'm just glad that I'd applied the brakes!:eek:
 
Have I ever cut myself with an axe?

Yes. And I don't recommend it, one bit. Rediscovered that applied pressure stops bleeding.:eek:
 
I reprofiled an old hatchet and a small axe recently, lightly nicked my self with both, lol.
Could be worse a buddy of mine in Ontario accidentally cut his thumb off with an axe while chopping wood many years ago.
Well almost completely cut it off, it was just barely still attached by a sliver of flesh.
After quite a few surgeries and therapy (plus some native Ojibwa healing remedies) he regained full use of the thumb.
Surprised the h*ck out of his doctors actually.
Even the scar has healed well!
:)
 
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