the dangers of wood splitting

[sandie]

the importance of the Tetanus Shot is being lost here- You want to be up to dat on your Tetanus shots so when you get cut we ask when was the last shot, if within 5 years NO shot needed, if within 6-10 years of the last tetanus shot, then get a shot. IF no puncture wound then you should get a booster shot every 10 years but if you have a puncture wound after 10 years and not booster within 3 years you are going to have to have a whole series of tetanus toxoid shots. THAT is why you get boosters when you have a cut, not so much because they are worried about this cut causing the Tetanus infection. Tetanus is an incurable infectiont that is a very painful death so the importance is to make sure you have Tetanus Boosters every ten years and make sure your Primary Care doc does it and keeps track of it for you but you need to know as well when your last tetanus shot was. IF in doubt get the shot!

 

[wendell]

So, you are advocating people get shots they don't need to make the MD and Big Pharma more money?

 

[sandie]

wendell NO just the opposite, if you know when your last tetanus shot was given you could save yourself a shot when you go for sutures and you answer NO to the question when was your last tetanus shot? The disease is an awful death so why not get your booster every 10 years and you will be fine but many a person gets tetanus shots they did not need because they did not know when their Tetanus shot was, so not advocating too many, advocating not having one if you do not need one.

 

[fire_man]

Well, it was a matter of time before a splinter off my wedge got the best of me. Today I was splitting a small round, about 4 or so inches in diameter. Since it was so small, and yes I know 4 inches is the break point for most, I was using a small sledge and wedge holding the round with my left hand. I hit the wedge and immediately feel a sharp pain in my left forearm. Blood is pouring out of my arm so I quick call to my wife for a towel. Upon cleaning the area I see two wounds one smaller and one larger. My hunch is that a splinter off my wedge shot through my arm like a bullet. Headed to the ER, bleeding of course stopped. Triage nurse was only concerned about my last tetanus booster, which I have to call my docs office Monday but I'm pretty sure it was last year. Not sure how I could have prevented it other than just in the future not having any limb too close to the wedge. I'll spare you pics, but my forearm looks like it was bitten by a large snake/small dog/vampire.

Yup, I'm the guy that got it in the leg this past Summer, so I feel your pain. I was wailing on my wedge full force and a large metal splinter hit an artery. It spurt like a geyser but I got it under control with no ER -but it sure scared me. The best way I could have prevented it was not to use an old wedge that had pieces of splintered metal hanging off, or at least grind it down. Glad you are OK. :lol:

 

[jfournier]

Does grinding the burrs really help with the sledge/wedge? From what I remember of my materials class, when you're hitting steel/iron on steel/iron, you're cold working the metal, meaning you're pushing metal crystal grains up against one another, which makes the metal much harder but also much more brittle. The only way to relieve the cold working is to anneal the metal, which is to heat the metal to its recrystallization temperature, and let the strain get relieved. I don't think grinding is really a safe alternative to annealing.

I'm not sure if it works well, but I like to hit the wedge and sledge with a torch til it glows red; I think that at least helps relieve the cold working effect...

I could be completely wrong, but I'm just glad I use a maul, and a splitter when the going gets tough...

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I can add to the above by stating that we bought our hydraulic splitter about 20 years ago and up to that time most of our wood was split with axe or sledge and wedge. Especially when I was a young lad, we did a lot of sledge and wedge splitting. In addition to that, it seemed all of our neighbors did the same and some of them did it in their basement where the furnace was. I well remember sitting in basements with neighbors and there almost always was someone splitting wood while we chatted.

In all these years I do not recall ever seeing or hearing of someone getting hurt from flying metal off the wedge. I have seen some wedges in pretty bad shape though. As for us, we always just kept any edges files or ground off and never had a problem with it.

That said, I won't use a sledge and wedge if others are close by. Better to be safe than sorry, but methinks it is not as great a risk as most seem to make it out to be.

 

[Jags]

Just a side note: If you grind like I do (aggressive), I wonder if that doesn't have some effect on the remaining steel?? More of a question then answer I guess. I don't use wedges much any more, but if I have a chisel or something that start to mushroom, I get after it with the grinder - sometimes to glowing temps. Maybe that has an annealing quality or action to some extent?

 

[fire_man]

I can add to the above by stating that we bought our hydraulic splitter about 20 years ago and up to that time most of our wood was split with axe or sledge and wedge. Especially when I was a young lad, we did a lot of sledge and wedge splitting. In addition to that, it seemed all of our neighbors did the same and some of them did it in their basement where the furnace was. I well remember sitting in basements with neighbors and there almost always was someone splitting wood while we chatted.

In all these years I do not recall ever seeing or hearing of someone getting hurt from flying metal off the wedge. I have seen some wedges in pretty bad shape though. As for us, we always just kept any edges files or ground off and never had a problem with it.

That said, I won't use a sledge and wedge if others are close by. Better to be safe than sorry, but methinks it is not as great a risk as most seem to make it out to be.

I wonder if today's made-in-china steel has something to do with more frequent metal splinters. I have my father's old wedges from the 1950's and they are in better shape than some of my new ones and the older ones got plenty of use.

 

[drizler]

In all these years I do not recall ever seeing or hearing of someone getting hurt from flying metal off the wedge. I have seen some wedges in pretty bad shape though. As for us, we always just kept any edges files or ground off and never had a problem with it.

That said, I won't use a sledge and wedge if others are close by. Better to be safe than sorry, but methinks it is not as great a risk as most seem to make it out to be.[/quote]

I wonder if today's made-in-china steel has something to do with more frequent metal splinters. I have my father's old wedges from the 1950's and they are in better shape than some of my new ones and the older ones got plenty of use.[/quote]

Yup, it is amazing how much better old steel held up than the recycled beer cans from China today. Most steel today unless it is special ordered is pure junk. As for flying debris I always feared hardened steel a lot more. That has a real potential to skewer you. Gloves, long sleeves and some sort of eye protection just need to be there but it's a balancing act between safety and suffocation.

 

[jfournier]

Just a side note: If you grind like I do (aggressive), I wonder if that doesn't have some effect on the remaining steel?? More of a question then answer I guess. I don't use wedges much any more, but if I have a chisel or something that start to mushroom, I get after it with the grinder - sometimes to glowing temps. Maybe that has an annealing quality or action to some extent?

The more I think about it, the more it makes sense that grinding off the flaky bits helps get rid of the strain hardened grains in the steel. Especially if it's glowing red hot, I believe that means the red hot part is hot enough to recrystallize and remove the strain.

I think what people have said regarding modern steel makes sense, too...The tendency for strain hardening depends on the different contents of the alloy (carbon, etc...) as well as how the tool was formed...If steel cools fast, it's much harder and will strain harden faster, compared to a slow cooling which creates a different crystal structure that is softer and takes longer to strain harden.

I'd say as long as you keep on top of maintaining the surface, either by grinding or just heating, that should make you a bit safer...

 

[Jags]

I went out to the big shed last night for a bit of nostalgia. Looked at a couple of the old retired wedges and realized that they were hand made by a blacksmith. Even as recently as my youth, my little town had a REAL, true blacksmith. All sorts of things that still float around town (300 people) were made by him. I have lots of chisels and stuff that came from that shop. Grade A steel I tell ya.