Axe safety

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bbforstr

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Jul 10, 2013
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Operator1975 gave me a great idea for a new post.

What safety measures do you use when working on/with axes? I've seen axes that were so mushroomed that a chip could fly off at any time. If they hit you, the damage can be similar to small arms fire. Also sharpening razor sharp tools can be risky.

I know all you old hands have been hurt by axes at one time. Let's share some good advice for younger people. Here's my first story

I had just sharpened my PLUMB double bit. It was shaving sharp. I was splitting some nice straight grained Douglas fir. I left the axe stuck in the splitting block. When the split pieces fell off the splitting block, I reached over to pick up one of the pieces to split it again. I drug one of my fingers across the back side of the double bit and cut the finger to the bone. I probably should have gone to the doctor by didn't and managed to fix it with gauze and tape. It left a nice scar to show to the kids as a warning that they are not as invincible as they think they are.
 
safety glasses most of the time.

I try and dip down when chopping so I'm not breaking that imaginary plane but I don't do it that often to be honest.

most of my slips have been sharpening. I really need to wear leather gloves more when doing that.
 
I haven't had any sharpening mishaps, but there have been a number of times I thought I should be wearing gloves and continued anyway without gloves. Without any guards on the files either. Sometimes you should just stop and think "this isn't smart". Lately I've been thinking I need to be more careful with these sharp tools.
 
When in the field -

Steel toe boots
Carhartt overalls/bibs

I don't use gloves when chopping because I like to grip the axe with my hands and not with gloves. This isn't for everyone so gloves might be for you.

When walking U carry the axe in your hand, not over your shoulder. You fall down or stumble toss the axe away.

When chopping u have to bend at the knees. This gets harder as u get tired. This is when accidents happen.

When working on axes -

Apron
Glasses
Steel toe boots(ever drop an axe head on your foot?)
Gloves sometimes when sharpening

I'm sure there is more but that's all I got right now.
 
Worse yet is trying to teach my kids axe safety. My 17 year old son thinks he's invincible , and my daughters,(18 and 22) just don't get how to use an axe. My grandmother, RIP, could split and chop as good as I can.
 
I hate safety rules. I really do.
Hard soled boots kill my feet. I spend to much time cleaning glasses. I hope I never have to wear a hard hat again.
Just pay attention to what you are doing. There is a place for all that safety gear, but its not for me when swing an axe. Nor do I need a glove to sharpen an axe. Just limb in the opposite side of the tree? Bull sh!t.
 
garry3 said:
I hate safety rules. I really do.
Hard soled boots kill my feet. I spend to much time cleaning glasses. I hope I never have to wear a hard hat again.
Just pay attention to what you are doing. There is a place for all that safety gear, but its not for me when swing an axe. Nor do I need a glove to sharpen an axe. Just limb in the opposite side of the tree? Bull sh!t.
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In a way, I kind of agree. I've lived by that philosophy most of my life. Lately, since I've gotten older and have kids, I look back on some of he close calls I've had with axes and chainsaws, and it kind of scares me. I've seen some pretty horrible injuries from pulaskis and from chainsaws, even with safety equipment.

You're right about paying attention to what you are doing. That is the most important aspect of handling sharp tools, but it still worries me seeing people chopping or splitting in tennis shoes. A good pair of Nick's boots is the minimum foot wear when I'm using an axe.
 
When sharpening an axe or other tool never walk away while a sharp tool is in the vise. Bumping into a sharp tool in a vise can result in a big wide gash.

When filing an axe put a guard on your file. A 4-5 inch section of garden hose split in half makes a nice guard. Wear gloves when honing your axe. You can still cut yourself through the gloves but it won't be nearly as bad as it would be without the gloves.

When limbing a fallen tree always stand on the opposite side of the tree from the side you're limbing. Keep the trunk between yourself and the axe. Cut limbs from the bottom side (possible exception for cedar limbs).

A dull axe glances off the wood dangerously. A sharp axe bites in.
 
One time I had an axe glance off a chunk of oak when a small piece came off funny and it stuck into my boot. The bit just barely got into my big toe. Steel toe boots ever since.
 
Boots. Gloves for sharpening, always. Breaks from chopping when I get tired. Regulated alcohol consumption. Also, being mindful of others is a huge safety concern. Both when you're using an axe and when others are using an axe. I've seen axes slip from the hands of young Boy Scouts and go sailing into the woods 25 yards.

They say experience is the best teacher, but it's also the most costly, because it teaches the lesson AFTER giving the test. The worst axe injury I've had involved removing an old double bit head from its handle. I had a screwdriver between the 'crotch' of the eye and the wedge to pry it out. I had quite a bit of pressure on the screwdriver and when it snapped my hand dropped right down onto the bit. I figured if I thought hard enough about a tetanus shot it would be about the same as actually getting one. That bit cut me down to the bone on my pointer finger between the first and second joint. I bet if it had caught the joint dead on it would have severed it pretty bad. Now I just make sure I don't put my hands in that situation again.
 
When you get hot and tired remember that your ability to make good decisions and be accurate goes down somewhat. Hard workers generally work beyond the time when they should have take a breather, slackers...well they will never get worn out from honest work. When you can work with a partner (if you can) let one be the straw boss to tell you when you need a break.
 
Proper form when using the axe is essential. Balance, grip and using the entire upper body while keeping the lower body grounded is IMO über-important. There has to be a little bit of style when you swing an ax. It's not beating a carpet on a laundry line for gosh sake. Finesse the work to do what you want. Don't just grab it with a death grip and hack away at the work.

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That, and situational awareness. Don't get so "into" what you are doing that you forget where you are. A simple misstep or even focusing so hard on powering through a cut could cause you to not be aware and one might cut right through instead of just pushing the work over or just letting it fall away from you when you've reached that point.

It's not a weapon, it's not exercise equipment, it's not a fly swatter. It's a tool. Use it as such. I'm sure we all may have our own individual styles. I for one like to swing and grasp with one hand while guiding with the other.

And for gosh sake, don't learn how to use an axe from just anybody. Find a competent woodsman to teach you (a lumberjack, a logger, a forester, etc...) and if you can't, just take your time in learning and be patient and work your way up. I learned from my uncle who is a career woodsman with decades of experience in clearing trees & brush for the utilities company.

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Loosearrow said:
Watch your backside and don't use when you are tired. *Take a break often. *Keep her sharp.
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willseeyalater said:
When you get hot and tired remember that your ability to make good decisions and be accurate goes down somewhat. Hard workers generally work beyond the time when they should have take a breather, slackers...well they will never get worn out from honest work. When you can work with a partner (if you can) let one be the straw boss to tell you when you need a break.
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Very good points and spoken like someone who knows what he's talking about. Once a person begins to get fatigued, they begin to lose control little by little without even knowing it and it just takes one slip to make a bad move. Pacing and working in a rhythm will tell you if you're tiring and need to stop for a bit and take a breather. A person has to be in good condition physically to use an ax. Again, it's not like lifting weights at a gym or doing push-ups. The muscles used for the work all have a lot to do with balance and conditioning. It's not as easy as a lumberjack makes it look on those woodsmen competitions.
 
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nickzdon said:
I've seen axes slip from the hands of young Boy Scouts and go sailing into the woods 25 yards.
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That reminds me of when I was in the scouts. On my first winter campout the senior patrol leaders' axe slipped out of his hands as he was splitting wood and came sailing through the air into my shoulder. Luckily it was the top that hit me. Since then when I'm near anyone with an axe I stay out of the line of fire.
 
Not to derail the thread, but I'd say that the decline in quality axe design has actually made it a more dangerous tool. The newer thicker bits don't chop as well and people tend to make up for that with adding more power, losing finesse and attention for what they're doing.

IMHO the "sharp axes are safe axes" adage is not always the case. It depends on the user. Again, the thick blunt bits that people get at the hardware store today won't penetrate wood very well, but they also won't penetrate a boot if it glances off the log. Dull bits are more forgiving to those people who don't know what they're doing. I think this gives inexperienced folks a false sense of confidence and security, which is one of the most dangerous things to possess. In the hands of the inexperienced a sharp axe is always more dangerous, because they wave it around like a dull axe that won't cut anything.

A dull axe in the hands of someone who knows how to use it properly might be more dangerous because a dull bit might not connect with the wood the way you'd expect a sharp bit to. I'm guessing this is where the adage came from.
 
nickzdon said:
Not to derail the thread, but I'd say that the decline in quality axe design has actually made it a more dangerous tool. The newer thicker bits don't chop as well and people tend to make up for that with adding more power, losing finesse and attention for what they're doing.

IMHO the "sharp axes are safe axes" adage is not always the case. It depends on the user. Again, the thick blunt bits that people get at the hardware store today won't penetrate wood very well, but they also won't penetrate a boot if it glances off the log. Dull bits are more forgiving to those people who don't know what they're doing. I think this gives inexperienced folks a false sense of confidence and security, which is one of the most dangerous things to possess. In the hands of the inexperienced a sharp axe is always more dangerous, because they wave it around like a dull axe that won't cut anything.

A dull axe in the hands of someone who knows how to use it properly might be more dangerous because a dull bit might not connect with the wood the way you'd expect a sharp bit to. I'm guessing this is where the adage came from.
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I think that between foreign production, and laws that favor idiots who could hurt themselves with a crescent wrench, modern axes have been dumbed down.

If you make a working tool in the U.S. and someone gets hurt with it, you can expect to get sued. There's not a lot of expectation that people are responsible for their own actions anymore.

In my opinion, safe use of a tool is the responsibility of the person swinging the tool. I'm glad you can't sue Kelly Works for axes they made in the 50s.
 
I think it's economics not lawsuits that is driving the industry. Industry has insurance and lots of lawyers. I can't remember hearing of a lawsuit against a toolmaker. Anyone else heard of one? I'm sure they're out there but I haven't seen any evidence that it's common.
 
Square_peg said:
I think it's economics not lawsuits that is driving the industry. Industry has insurance and lots of lawyers. I can't remember hearing of a lawsuit against a toolmaker. Anyone else heard of one? I'm sure they're out there but I haven't seen any evidence that it's common.
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I am sure that the law suits are out there. Seems I read some place that it made up a big chunk of the cost of a new ladder. And everything these days is stamped" wear safety glasses" it seems.
Fact is not every one has the same skill level with tools. So company's make rules that everyone must follow.
I worked for an outfit hanging drywall for awhile that insisted everyone wear safety glasses. What a pain that was keeping dust off the lenses. I solved the problem by just nocking the lenses out. It sure was good for laughs when I would go talk to the foreman. Not sure if they ever caught on or not, but nothing was ever said.
 
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