Close call:axe got away from me

[Hal-VT]

All my life I have carried and used axes with a two foot handle. Short enough to be convenient, long enough to be really useful, and a quick two foot measure for logs and firewood. So swinging a two foot handle is ingrained habit and muscle memory form nearly sixty years of experience.

I bought a Fiskars chopping axe, to carry in the truck for emergencies and occcaisional use. I figured, nice, new, sharp, plastic handle, and easy to use plastic sheath, stick it under the seat and forget it.

Last night I was at the end of a long day of snow plowing, which included cutting some downed trees out of driveways, and came onto one last little birch that should have just pushed out of the way, but didn’t. Not going to dig the saw out again, put on chaps, etc.etc. I’ll just whack it with the axe.

It’s late, I’m tired and the Fiskars has a twenty inch handle. I cut the first crotch, hit two licks on the second, and missed the branch completely on the third swing. The handle slipped out of my right hand, but I kept hold of the end with the left, and swung it around. Fortunately I was swinging sideways and not straight down, so my legs were never in danger, but it scared me pretty badly anyway. It stung my right hand some when it went,and this morning I noticed a small cut on my ring finger. I have no idea what caused that.

 

[Marshy]

Wow, got lucky. The fiskars are extremely sharp. I had a friend that had 12 stitches in his foot from an over swing on the shorter chopping axe. They are dangerous!

 

[CacaoBoy]

It’s late, I’m tired

Too often we all keep going after we should have knocked off. More than anything, I think that is what gets us into trouble.

 

[CLASSIIILVR]

A FEW MONTHS BACK, I WATCHED A LOG TRUCK DRIVER GRAB A NEW FISKARS AXE AND ATTEMPT TO KNOCK OFF A 3/4 SAWN KNOT ON A BUNK LOG ON HIS TRAILER. HE WAS TALKING TO THE LOADER OPERATOR AND TOOK A SWING UP AND SIDEWAYS TO HIT THAT KNOT AND HE MISSED THE KNOT AND SCUZZED THE LOG AND THAT AXE WENT FLYING OUT OF HIS HAND AND WENT FLYING BY THE LANDING CHASER AT MACH 3! THE CHASER JUST STOPPED, STARED AT HIM FOR A SECOND AND THEN SHOOK HIS HEAD AND WALKED OFF! '
HE WAS SO LUCKY TO NOT HAD THAT FISKARS AXE HIT HIM IN THE CHEST CUZ IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A MAJOR OUCH FOR SURE IF NOT WORSE! ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT WHEN YOU SEE IT, IT MAKES YOU CRINGE! CRAZY! HE IS SO LUCKY!!

AGAIN BEFORE SOMEONE COMPLAINS ABOUT ALL CAPS.....WELL NOBODY HAD HERE BUT THE MEMBER 250R....THE ALL BOLD CAPS HELPS ME SEE WHAT IM TYPING. I AM A DISABLED VET AND HAVE ISSUES WITH MY VISION. IT CAN BE CLEAR FOR A FEW SECONDS AND THEN IT BLURS BADLY. SORRY IF IT BOTHERS ANYBODY.

 

[holeycow]

I have a Fiskars hatchet. It is junk. I have some fiskars pruners. Junk.

Not gonna buy any more over-rated fiskars junk.

Glad you never hurt yourself with that slippery-handled son of a gun

 

[U&A]

A FEW MONTHS BACK, I WATCHED A LOG TRUCK DRIVER GRAB A NEW FISKARS AXE AND ATTEMPT TO KNOCK OFF A 3/4 SAWN KNOT ON A BUNK LOG ON HIS TRAILER. HE WAS TALKING TO THE LOADER OPERATOR AND TOOK A SWING UP AND SIDEWAYS TO HIT THAT KNOT AND HE MISSED THE KNOT AND SCUZZED THE LOG AND THAT AXE WENT FLYING OUT OF HIS HAND AND WENT FLYING BY THE LANDING CHASER AT MACH 3! THE CHASER JUST STOPPED, STARED AT HIM FOR A SECOND AND THEN SHOOK HIS HEAD AND WALKED OFF! '
HE WAS SO LUCKY TO NOT HAD THAT FISKARS AXE HIT HIM IN THE CHEST CUZ IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A MAJOR OUCH FOR SURE IF NOT WORSE! ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT WHEN YOU SEE IT, IT MAKES YOU CRINGE! CRAZY! HE IS SO LUCKY!!

AGAIN BEFORE SOMEONE COMPLAINS ABOUT ALL CAPS.....WELL NOBODY HAD HERE BUT THE MEMBER 250R....THE ALL BOLD CAPS HELPS ME SEE WHAT IM TYPING. I AM A DISABLED VET AND HAVE ISSUES WITH MY VISION. IT CAN BE CLEAR FOR A FEW SECONDS AND THEN IT BLURS BADLY. SORRY IF IT BOTHERS ANYBODY.

I promise if anyone has issues with your post being all capitals more than one guy here will back you up and knock the fool in the mouth as he deserves it[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[U&A]

My father-in-law had like 20 stitches in his arm because he was removing a small tree and using a hatchet to chop the roots away. Got tired missed the roots and hit his arm that was pushing the tree away.

It was bad enough to where if it did not heal right he would’ve had major issues.


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[DocMurphy]

A FEW MONTHS BACK, I WATCHED A LOG TRUCK DRIVER GRAB A NEW FISKARS AXE AND ATTEMPT TO KNOCK OFF A 3/4 SAWN KNOT ON A BUNK LOG ON HIS TRAILER. HE WAS TALKING TO THE LOADER OPERATOR AND TOOK A SWING UP AND SIDEWAYS TO HIT THAT KNOT AND HE MISSED THE KNOT AND SCUZZED THE LOG AND THAT AXE WENT FLYING OUT OF HIS HAND AND WENT FLYING BY THE LANDING CHASER AT MACH 3! THE CHASER JUST STOPPED, STARED AT HIM FOR A SECOND AND THEN SHOOK HIS HEAD AND WALKED OFF! '
HE WAS SO LUCKY TO NOT HAD THAT FISKARS AXE HIT HIM IN THE CHEST CUZ IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A MAJOR OUCH FOR SURE IF NOT WORSE! ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT WHEN YOU SEE IT, IT MAKES YOU CRINGE! CRAZY! HE IS SO LUCKY!!

AGAIN BEFORE SOMEONE COMPLAINS ABOUT ALL CAPS.....WELL NOBODY HAD HERE BUT THE MEMBER 250R....THE ALL BOLD CAPS HELPS ME SEE WHAT IM TYPING. I AM A DISABLED VET AND HAVE ISSUES WITH MY VISION. IT CAN BE CLEAR FOR A FEW SECONDS AND THEN IT BLURS BADLY. SORRY IF IT BOTHERS ANYBODY.

WELL I LIKE IT IT HELPS ME READ IT HA HA

 

[Haywire Haywood]

WELL I LIKE IT IT HELPS ME READ IT HA HA

If you are at a regular windows computer, press and hold the CTRL button and then press the "+" button. It will increase the size of the text. Hope that helps and thanks.

 

[csmillingnoob]

Too often we all keep going after we should have knocked off. More than anything, I think that is what gets us into trouble.

I'm an "enthusiast" not a pro and have not suffered serious injury, but I have learned the lesson of "stupidity from fatigue" from equipment damage.

After a day of volunteer Hurricane Michael cutting, I decided to remove a 20-inch Live Oak limb from a tree in my front yard with my 372xp. I dropped it, then de-limbed and started bucking the main trunk of the limb. Super hard wood and the limbs are nasty. They are covered with ferns that grow on a layer of older decomposed ferns - in other word, dirt. I cut the limb into about 12 inch sections because it is an extremely dense/heavy wood. I really had to re-sharpen the cutters after every third cut. I also cleaned up during those sharpening breaks. When I reached the thickest part of the limb, I had 3 cuts left after a quick cutter touchup. This was not only the thickest, it was the dirtiest. Furthermore, I had not touched the rakers all day. (I'll do those tonight)

First cut: some sparking and smoking. Second cut: more sparking and smoking. Cut was crooked. Had to lay on it.

Third and final of the day: Heavy smoke - crooked cut -heavy sparking BUT IT'S THE LAST CUT dadgummit!

They played taps that night as I buried the piston of my beloved 372xp.

Lesson learned: Quit when you are stupidly tired,