# Got a battle wound today



## Coog (Aug 18, 2013)

Well I spent the afternoon today splitting wood and had a log kick on me and walloped me in the shin.  Now I've got a crater raising the size of a milk cap.  Man that hurt.  Was fortunate though, I was a able to walk it off in ten minutes or so and finish the pile.  That is what get for working on the sabbath; first thing I thought of when it happened.

Anyone else have a painful kick-back story?  I cannot be the only person this has happened to.


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## Applesister (Aug 18, 2013)

Pain is weakness leaving the body.


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## Tom Wallace (Aug 19, 2013)

Applesister said:


> Pain is weakness leaving the body.


 
To quote Patrick Swayze in Roadhouse, "pain don't hurt".


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## dafattkidd (Aug 19, 2013)

I once bought a cord of wood off a guy. Most of the cuts were way longer than he said they would be, so he sent two of his guys to cut them down.  While cutting the splits, one guy had half a split kick back on him and whack him in the shin.  He tried to walk it off. 

I happened to see it from the window, so I went out to talk to him.  He started talking nonsense and mumbling, so the other guy and I convinced him to sit down.  Within two minutes of him sitting down he blacked out and fainted on my lawn.  He was out.  Like lights OUT, good night.  The other guy and I were talking to him trying to get him to respond.  After a minute he finally woke up and was pretty unaware of what had just happened.  He said he thinks the pain was just so much that he passed out. 

So, maybe "pain don't hurt," but apparently it will knock your ass out on my front lawn.


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## HDRock (Aug 19, 2013)

Just keep processing that wood  you won't feel the pain


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## Keyless Chuck (Aug 19, 2013)

I had a piece kick back at me on Tuesday and hit me in the groin. Spent a minute on the ground then back to work. Only been doing this a year so I assume more groin shots are on their way.


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## Soundchasm (Aug 19, 2013)

My electric splitter has a smooth, concave surface that pushes onto the wedge.  My shins have been punished a bunch of times and it does smart.  May as well admit the following...

I now know that each split with that thing has risk and there's a zone where I can safely stand (so far).  I sensed I was being none too bright with a two inch cut of Osage that did not have perfect ends and some odd bends.  Like an idiot, I watched it start to flex thinking it will give up the ghost in a second.

One split second before I give up and move on, that thing shoots past my cranium making the jump to hyperspace.  Talk about a sobering experience.  Whew.


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## Coog (Aug 19, 2013)

Glad I am not alone on this. It was a piece of elm. No surprise, that stuff is the worst. Burns pretty good though. Like HDRock said, just keep splitting.


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## velvetfoot (Aug 19, 2013)

When I got hit a couple times a few years ago, I thought of getting soccer-style shin guards.  Never did though.


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## TimJ (Aug 19, 2013)

Well, you all would think I was an idiot if I told you how many times I almost killed myself over the last 12 months with wood


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## bmblank (Aug 19, 2013)

Lots of times we'll use one person running the splitter and chucking splits and another loading. This is always with family/people i trust with my life. Being that we're so close and work together all the time (read, "as close to being one mind as two people can get") we get into a groove and can hammer out the splits.
I'd hate to know how many times I've come THIS close to losing the tip of my finger. I'm pretty sure I've even had the top of my glove pinched in there.  That's when it's time to slow down, take a breath, maybe switch up jobs... It's not worth getting half a dozen extra splits through.


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## ScotO (Aug 19, 2013)

Years ago my wife's aunt was helping split wood (her aunt and uncle heat with wood too) with the splitter in the horizontal position, when a knarled-up split shot out and smashed her in the mouth....she lost several teeth out of the incident ......

Be careful out there fellas, a lot of stored energy lies in some of those knarlies!


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## clemsonfor (Aug 19, 2013)

Whew I was hoping u were not gonna saw the saw got you!


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## clemsonfor (Aug 19, 2013)

Is this from hand splitting or with splitter like the guy with Osage?


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## Cold Is Dumb (Aug 19, 2013)

Like velvetfoot said, I too have considered soccer shin guards or catcher leg guards, but have never done it.  As a hand-splitter, I have dents, scars, blood and bruises on my shins all the time.  A smarter man than I would've figured out how to take more preventative measures.

Steel-toes are mandatory in my book though, and I've had a wedge bounce off the toe of my boot after blasting out of a round.  Guess that could've easily been my shin... I think I'll go price some catcher's gear at the sporting goods store now.


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## Reckless (Aug 19, 2013)

everytime I split a big round they tend to want to fall on my feet.... steel toe boots after the 2nd time it happened


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## Flatbedford (Aug 19, 2013)

I took a split right in the forehead while hand splitting once. The funny thing is that I was demonstrating how easy splitting wood is to my, then, 12 year old stepson. For some reason I've never been able to get him to split with me since then.


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## Backwoods Savage (Aug 19, 2013)

Well gee whiz. No steel toed shoes (wearing felt packs), no safety glasses, no chin guards and sitting while working. Notice he does wear ear protection though.





When splitting wood, you will learn what types of wood are most liable to fly when split. For example, I love making kindling from soft maple. However, I also know that soft maple is perhaps the most likely to snap and go flying. I also know that it is when you are splitting thin that the flying splits are likely to happen.

Sitting while splitting like this guy does makes a lot of sense even while splitting those pieces that are likely to go flying. The reason is that if they go flying, they will always go to one side or the other. Imagine what that guy in the picture would be like if a split came at him! He doesn't worry about that though because it is not going to happen.

Quite naturally over the years I have experienced the pain of dropping something on a toe and have also experienced the pain of pinching a finger between two heavy logs. Especially when it is cold, that tends to get one's attention rather quickly and sometimes one can even learn new dance steps, not to mention some new words that you won't use around mother.


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## Locust Post (Aug 19, 2013)

For some odd reason it just seems like this kind of stuff happens to me when I am almost done for the day. Been cutting or splitting for hours and just think it's about time to quit and boom....pinch a finger,bang my shin,etc,etc.


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## firefighterjake (Aug 20, 2013)

My wood splitting ended quicker than I expected yesterday due to a "war" injury . . . man-handling a large butt on to the splitter (in the vertical position by the way!) and my pinky got jammed in between the butt and wedge. It is/was borderline on whether I can get away with a bandage or if it needs stitches . . . right now I'm thinking a bandage should suffice. Oh well . . . just part and parcel of working with wood.


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## Holzstapel (Aug 20, 2013)

When i was using the splitter this past June for the first time, I was sitting next to it like Backwoods does.  When I would put a gnarly round into the splitter and knew it might snap or shoot out, i would crouch up on the round i was sitting on and get ready for the pop.  Sometimes they popped and I was glad I was sitting there.


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## Backwoods Savage (Aug 20, 2013)

Jake, I hope you heal quickly!


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## Shari (Aug 20, 2013)

I'd got hit a couple of times but nothing serious.  Shagbark hickory likes to pinch you a lot.  The worst thing that's happened to me was this Spring, moving overly large rounds of green maple, I seem to have over worked a tendon in my left forearm - I'm still paying for that April workout and the rounds are still laying here waiting for splitting.  I've also got about 10 rounds that have to be noodled before splitting but I don't trust my arm to hold the saw.   My physical therapist likes me.   I've got to suck it up pretty soon because the rounds laying here are supposed to be split for 2014/15.


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## HDRock (Aug 20, 2013)

Well , smashed my finger real good  last winter ,finally grew back a new finger nail, in the spring  cant hook slipped; handle went into rib and cracked it.
Many bruises a small lacerations , Get Er Done


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## JOHN BOY (Aug 20, 2013)

Wear a cup and a football helmet


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## HDRock (Aug 20, 2013)

Read my sig


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## Paulywalnut (Aug 20, 2013)

I stopped using that axe called the Chopper one for that reason. you need combat training to dodge the flying pieces.
It really could split some cordwood though.


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## firefighterjake (Aug 21, 2013)

Backwoods Savage said:


> Jake, I hope you heal quickly!


 
Thanks . . . I think I should be good . . . the cut is deep, but scabbed over and after 24 hours looks pretty decent.


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## Ashful (Aug 21, 2013)

HDRock said:


> Read my sig


 
I can't... it's too damn long!


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## zzr7ky (Aug 21, 2013)

Hi - I have had a couple pieces of knarly dry wood, especially Elm, 'Pop' catching me in the groin, or once in the face. .  Learning occured.  No serious hits that would leave a mark i nquite a while.

My new neighbor had some tree work done by a friend.  I'd guess it took the two fellows all day to trim 2 facecords of heavy limb off the tree.  The next week he and his young teens split nearly all of it with a 27 ton gas splitter.  The last split cost him the last inch of his middle finger :0.... A couple days later a storm brought down major wood in his yard.  His 80YO Mom was there as he was still bandaged up.  I told them to ignore the noise for an hour, then sen dhte kids out to bundle the brush when the noise stopped.  They were quite suprised what a couple sharp commercial saws can due.  I offered to leave the wood, but they wanted no part of it. 

I get a fair bit of referal business from little freebie jobs like this.  I don't think I've hauled any wood more than 2 miles in a few years.


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## DanCorcoran (Aug 21, 2013)

My electric splitter requires two hands on the controls to operate.  I've learned that not only does this keep your hands out of harms way with the wedge, it also means your body has to be back far enough that it's out of the way of flying splits.  The flying splits go sideways, but with both hands on the controls, you're back behind the ram.

In spite of all the instructions for bypassing the safety devices, I think I'll keep myself from doing something stupid with the splitter and leave them as is.


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## Lumber-Jack (Aug 21, 2013)

Watch those overhead obstruction when swinging with a maul. I have a friend who knocked out all his front teeth when he went to split a round and his maul caught the cloths line behind him and it sprung back directly in his face.  

Speaking for myself, I've never used much in the way of personal protection when cutting or splitting. Gloves, ear protection and sunglasses is about it, and I've even been known to use a chainsaw in shorts and sandals.    Never hurt myself, except on one occasion when I let my guard down. I was bucking the branches off a tree and was standing back with the saw in my hand looking at where I was going to make the next cut and relaxing a bit before getting at it again. Well I relaxed a little bit too much and just let the, still running, saw rest on my thigh. That was more than 20 years ago and you can still see the scar.


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## BillinTX (Aug 21, 2013)

A pair of $5 Wall Mart soccer-style shin guards has saved my legs from numerous wounds from flying firewood.


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## HDRock (Aug 21, 2013)

DanCorcoran said:


> My electric splitter requires two hands on the controls to operate. I've learned that not only does this keep your hands out of harms way with the wedge, it also means your body has to be back far enough that it's out of the way of flying splits. The flying splits go sideways, but with both hands on the controls, you're back behind the ram.
> 
> In spite of all the instructions for bypassing the safety devices, I think I'll keep myself from doing something stupid with the splitter and leave them as is.


Same here ,had lots if pieces fly out of splitter , never got hit.
I may hook up a foot switch for the button though


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## dafattkidd (Aug 22, 2013)

Lumber-Jack said:


> Watch those overhead obstruction when swinging with a maul. I have a friend who knocked out all his front teeth when he went to split a round and his maul caught the cloths line behind him and it sprung back directly in his face.
> 
> Speaking for myself, I've never used much in the way of personal protection when cutting or splitting. Gloves, ear protection and sunglasses is about it, and I've even been known to use a chainsaw in shorts and sandals.    Never hurt myself, except on one occasion when I let my guard down. I was bucking the branches off a tree and was standing back with the saw in my hand looking at where I was going to make the next cut and relaxing a bit before getting at it again. Well I relaxed a little bit too much and just let the, still running, saw rest on my thigh. That was more than 20 years ago and you can still see the scar.



Oh man, Randy that's awful. If this forum had a dislike feature I would dislike this comment.


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## hobbyheater (Aug 22, 2013)

I'm able to yard with our splitter. Several years ago, I found some chunks 8 to 10 feet long, 6 to 10 inches in diam, about 30 or so feet off the road and had yarded a small pile about half a cord worth. I was just not paying attention when with the last small log got to the pile, it hit a log that was on top of the pile. The end of that log rolled across my steel toed boots, and it did hurt. Finished bucking, splitting, loading, unloading the pickup and went home and piled the wood. Went in the house, took off the boot, the foot swelled up, but no broken bones.  I did not wear a shoe for the next couple of weeks. 




The hand held control for the winch is short for lifting rounds onto the table when splitting. They say pride goes before the fall. That sure was the case here!  On my foot!


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## HDRock (Aug 22, 2013)

Joful said:


> I can't... it's too damn long!


Is That Better ?


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## Ashful (Aug 22, 2013)

HDRock said:


> Is That Better ?


 
hah... yeah!  It was so long that the forum software was cutting off the bottom line, before.


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## HDRock (Aug 22, 2013)

Joful said:


> hah... yeah! It was so long that the forum software was cutting off the bottom line, before.


It was to long
Strange  Don't know why but I could see it all


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## hobbyheater (Aug 22, 2013)

Keeping a firm Grip on your chainsaw, axe, steering wheel  Could not agree more!


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## dafattkidd (Aug 22, 2013)

hobbyheater said:


> Keeping a firm Grip on your , chainsaw , axe ,steering wheel ! I I could not agree more !


meanwhile actively losing grip of sanity


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## Lumber-Jack (Aug 22, 2013)

dafattkidd said:


> Oh man, Randy that's awful. If this forum had a dislike feature I would dislike this comment.


 
So that's one like and one dislike. I guess I'm riding the middle of the road again. 
Out of curiosity, what part exactly didn't you like.  The part where I say I do use some personal protection, or the part where I've gone 20 years without injury? 

_Edit: I made a math error, it's been 30 years. I forgot how old I was.  _


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## colin.p (Aug 22, 2013)

Lumber-Jack said:


> _Edit: I made a math error, it's been 30 years. I forgot how old I was.  _


 
Yah, I'm long past that stage now.


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## dafattkidd (Aug 22, 2013)

Lumber-Jack said:


> So that's one like and one dislike. I guess I'm riding the middle of the road again.
> Out of curiosity, what part exactly didn't you like.  The part where I say I do use some personal protection, or the part where I've gone 20 years without injury?
> 
> _Edit: I made a math error, it's been 30 years. I forgot how old I was.  _


 
I'm all about banging my shins, or scraping my arms up, hell I'll even take a knock in the head here and there, but those injuries (teeth knocked out, and resting the chainsaw on your thigh) are like nightmares of mine.


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## DodgyNomad (Aug 22, 2013)

Tom Wallace said:


> To quote Patrick Swayze in Roadhouse, "pain don't hurt".


 
That's one of the dumbest quotes ever, and he's now deceased.  

Roadhouse!


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## Ashful (Aug 22, 2013)

DodgyNomad said:


> That's one of the dumbest quotes ever...


 
Without a doubt, correct.  However, fault the writer, not the actor.

<-- thought Swayze seemed like a decent guy


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## Lumber-Jack (Aug 23, 2013)

dafattkidd said:


> I'm all about banging my shins, or scraping my arms up, hell I'll even take a knock in the head here and there, but those injuries (teeth knocked out, and resting the chainsaw on your thigh) are like nightmares of mine.


 
Well, I agree with you about getting all one's teeth knocked out being a nightmare,,, but cutting my thigh with the chainsaw wasn't too bad actually. It didn't even require stitches, though it did bleed like the dickens, and it ruined a nice pair of jeans. And if you have to cut yourself with a chainsaw, the thigh is probably the best place to do it, I can't think of any place I'd rather cut myself.
Still,,,,, it might be better to just wear chaps.


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## Woody Stover (Aug 23, 2013)

I had troubles like these when I saw it as a battle; Now I try to envision it as a dance with the wood, and things are going much more smoothly.


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## Jtrasap (Aug 28, 2013)

I just received my first splitting scar this past Saturday, spent a couple hrs in the E.R. getting 13 stitches. I was using my x27 and had a chunk on the block that split almost all the way through, it was just barely hanging on the axe so I just tapped it on the ground and kicked the chunks to the side. When I hit it on the ground I felt what I thought was a chunk of the wood hit my foot. I split about three more rounds before I realized there was a nice slit in my boot and I could see my bloody sock inside. The axe was razor sharp at the time and went in right behind the steel toe.


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## HDRock (Aug 28, 2013)

Jtrasap said:


> I just received my first splitting scar this past Saturday, spent a couple hrs in the E.R. getting 13 stitches. I was using my x27 and had a chunk on the block that split almost all the way through, it was just barely hanging on the axe so I just tapped it on the ground and kicked the chunks to the side. When I hit it on the ground I felt what I thought was a chunk of the wood hit my foot. I split about three more rounds before I realized there was a nice slit in my boot and I could see my bloody sock inside. The axe was razor sharp at the time and went in right behind the steel toe.


You just got to close with the x27, Hope ya heal up quick.


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## hobbyheater (Aug 28, 2013)

[quote="Jtrasap, post: 1503092, member: 2583
[/quote]

OUCH!


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## firefighterjake (Aug 28, 2013)

Yowsers . . . an inch or two closer up and it looks like you would no longer have a Piggy to go to the market . . . or run all the way home.


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## Ashful (Aug 28, 2013)

Jtrasap said:


>


 
Maybe my "dull" hardware store mauls aren't such an awful way to split. They just bruise!

Nice needle work.  Glad it wasn't worse!


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## Jtrasap (Aug 28, 2013)

Yeah I had just sharpened it a couple splits before. You can put a razor's edge on that thing, I guess that's why I didn't even notice it happened. I've been complaining about these junk Redwing boots since about a month after I got them so my wife says I just did it to get a new pair.

There are three stitches on the inside to hold it together and ten on the outside. It's healing up real nice which is a good thing because I've got quite a bit more to split.

I've got some pre-stitch pics that are quite a bit more graphic if anyone's interested in seeing them...


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## NH_Wood (Aug 28, 2013)

Only one good splitter ouch moment so far - was splitting a piece of red maple, the wedge opened the wood, but when I grabbed the wood my thumb was in the opened area and I needed to retract the piston - opening closed on my thumb at the worst high pressure pinch point. Thumb took a slow ride with the splitter as I had to return the wedge to reopen the split and get my thumb out. Lost the thumb nail and was pretty darn painful. Cheers!


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## Ashful (Aug 28, 2013)

NH_Wood said:


> Only one good splitter ouch moment so far - was splitting a piece of red maple, the wedge opened the wood, but when I grabbed the wood my thumb was in the opened area and I needed to retract the piston - opening closed on my thumb at the worst high pressure pinch point. Thumb took a slow ride with the splitter as I had to return the wedge to reopen the split and get my thumb out. Lost the thumb nail and was pretty darn painful. Cheers!


 
I've done that a couple times, but luckily, never as severely!  Sure can be scary for a few seconds, when a split starts closing up on you like that.


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## Coog (Aug 28, 2013)

You win the prize.  Hollow victory.  Hope all heals okay.


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## OldLumberKid (Aug 28, 2013)

Doggone heavy thread. Kinda expect more injuries in the chainsaw threads but it seems there's more general aggro from the wood splitting end of the business than I'd ever have guessed.

My Splits usually seem to fly sideways, often spectacularly, never expected them to do much else when "split."

...but, yes, that axe can deflect in a nanosecond. And that is scary. FOund that out the first time I missed the round and the chopping block. Glad I had them feet spread, but still it was too close for comfort.

I guess we're in the minority of nutters messing with wood, while the sane folk stick with oil and gas and whatnot?

Can't be too cautious I guess.


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## Paulywalnut (Aug 31, 2013)

ouch. Did you sharpen it more than how it came?


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## BrianK (Aug 31, 2013)

My 17yo and I were splitting today with my log splitter. He was on the far side loading and I was running the control side. We were throwing everything on a pile behind me and had a good rhythm going. We work well together. 

Unfortunately I bent over to pick up a split just as he was tossing a split on the pile behind me. His piece hit me flat on the side of the face, behind the eye but in front of the ear. I got my clock rung and mild brush burn on the face but it could have been a lot worse.


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## BrianK (Sep 1, 2013)

Jtrasap said:


>



They did a nice job on that repair. (I'm a foot surgeon so I've seen and done a lot of them. Sewed up everything that came into the ER from head to toe when I did my ER rotation during residency 20 years ago.)


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## flhpi (Sep 1, 2013)

Glad to hear your foot will be OK. I wear steel toes too but I guess they won't make me invincible against the 27. Your post is a good reminder for me, thanks.


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## weatherguy (Sep 1, 2013)

When I first got my splitter (its vertical only) I sat on milk crate (thanks Dennis) and had rounds off to the side, I ended up sitting on the side of the splitter so I could grab the rounds, that's when I found out maple flies when split.


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## Coog (Sep 1, 2013)

BrianK said:


> They did a nice job on that repair. (I'm a foot surgeon so I've seen and done a lot of them. Sewed up everything that came into the ER from head to toe when I did my ER rotation during residency 20 years ago.)



It is cool to know there are doctors on this forum.  Very cool.  

Any famous people on here?  Just kidding, but seriously.


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## dafattkidd (Sep 2, 2013)

Coog said:


> It is cool to know there are doctors on this forum.  Very cool.
> 
> Any famous people on here?  Just kidding, but seriously.


 yes. We have a former Professional Wrestler. I'm always impressed with the crowd here. Great mix of people.


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## Coog (Sep 2, 2013)

dafattkidd said:


> yes. We have a former Professional Wrestler. I'm always impressed with the crowd here. Great mix of people.



You were a Profesional wrestler?


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## dafattkidd (Sep 2, 2013)

Coog said:


> You were a Profesional wrestler?



Yeah.  I wish, dude.  I do wrestle with my boys (5 and 18 months) and as far as they're concerned I'm the strongest man in the world.  So, I have that going for me.


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## Jtrasap (Sep 2, 2013)

BrianK said:


> They did a nice job on that repair. (I'm a foot surgeon so I've seen and done a lot of them. Sewed up everything that came into the ER from head to toe when I did my ER rotation during residency 20 years ago.)



Yeah the doctor that sewed me up seemed to be pretty well practiced and is a real character, super nice guy. We made light of it being the end of my "foot modeling carrier". I get to wake up tomorrow and head to my primary care doctor so he can crack a few jokes at me while he takes out the stitches.

Hope your head's feeling better today.



flhpi said:


> Glad to hear your foot will be OK. I wear steel toes too but I guess they won't make me invincible against the 27. Your post is a good reminder for me, thanks.


Thanks, yeah, I still can't believe how easily it went through the side of my boot. I really haven't liked these boots since shortly after I purchased them and don't plan on buying another pair of Redwings.


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