Shrapnel wound while splitting with maul.

[Steve Bullman]

I was still felling with steel wedges till I packed up work 7 years ago but I did keep them well dressed and I never bothered using wedges for splitting nor hitting a maul with a hammer, just not worth the effort. If I cannot split it with 3 hits it gets left or sawn.

 

Back to the OP: I started work with two guys who were 64 and had worked as a team since the war years (reserved occupation) both had bad injuries but Ted had lost an eye when Fred was knocking the wedges in an a piece of wedge hit him.

 

plastic wedges aren't a patch on the old metal ones. I still own and use them in preference to plastic

[Steve Bullman]

Say what?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

 

ok...no longer recommended

[mendiplogs]

I was still felling with steel wedges till I packed up work 7 years ago but I did keep them well dressed and I never bothered using wedges for splitting nor hitting a maul with a hammer, just not worth the effort. If I cannot split it with 3 hits it gets left or sawn.

 

Back to the OP: I started work with two guys who were 64 and had worked as a team since the war years (reserved occupation) both had bad injuries but Ted had lost an eye when Fred was knocking the wedges in an a piece of wedge hit him.

 

HI ALL IF theres anyone looking any good wedges i have there all very good nick:thumbup1: thanks jon

[Marc Lewis]

I worry when regular splitting, the velocity that some splinters of wood fly off at is alarming, The thought of it in the eye.

 

A builder friend works with flint alot and once breaking some up, a piece went through his jeans and into his john thomas, ouch.

[timbernut]

Was told years ago about an old forester and his two sons who all worked together, the old man went to his knees while driving steel wedges into felling cut on big oak, sons thought he'd knelt to have a look but when he didn't move for a couple of minutes they found he was propped on shaft of sledgehammer and later autopsy found a shard of steel had penetrated his heart!

[cornish wood burner]

I suspect this thread will help hydraulic splitter sales, whatever the power source.

 

Also a good reminder for us all to keep chisels, wedges and mauls etc free from burrs and mushrooming

[mendiplogs]

I worry when regular splitting, the velocity that some splinters of wood fly off at is alarming, The thought of it in the eye.

 

A builder friend works with flint alot and once breaking some up, a piece went through his jeans and into his john thomas, ouch.

 

Hi Marc that wedge I got off you is dogs mate👍 thanks Jon 👍👍

[chrism3513]

aluminum wedges? thats all i use for felling.

 

by the way when i hit a log when splitting and the splitter gets stuck in the log, to the point i cant get it out... i grab a saw & bore a small cut about an inch away from the head of the splitter and an inch or two deep.... usually relieves the pressure enough that the head will come out

[mendiplogs]

aluminum wedges? thats all i use for felling.

 

by the way when i hit a log when splitting and the splitter gets stuck in the log, to the point i cant get it out... i grab a saw & bore a small cut about an inch away from the head of the splitter and an inch or two deep.... usually relieves the pressure enough that the head will come out

 

HI MATE OCHSENKOPF WEDGES MAUL AXE ARE GREAT OFF CHACKS very well made kit very happy with it thanks jon

[muldonach]

Maybe because you hit the hardened end of maul with hardened sledge? We had it drilled into us at school woodwork lessons not to hit two hammers together for this very reason!

 

Agreed - not a good idea to hammer on the head of a maul,

 

If we get a stuck head we tend to throw the whole thing into the air i.e. lift the log off the ground with the maul, invert it at the top of the throw and bring the top of the maul head down onto the splitting block - the log will either split or fly off.

 

If the log is too big then pick up another log and throw it onto the end of the maul shaft

 

cheers

mac