Camp accident

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rik_uk3

Banned
Jun 10, 2006
13,320
24
69
south wales
Bloody ell nasty!! hope he heals quick and hes a lucky guy its not worse than that!!!
Axes have unfortunatly been made a bushcraft fashion accesory now by RM, every tom dick and harry who is the slightest interest in bushcraft has a pound/ pound and a half of razor sharp steel on the end of a stick to weald about, this scares me at times when i see people using them at meets ect who obviously have no knowledge of axes, im usually wincing as i tell them to stop and correct them. Really in this country there is no need to have or use an axe for bushcraft as you know it, Woodcraft can involve axes to speed up projects and for larger projacts but come on how many use their axe eg SFA to do this and use it for chopping fire wood?!

You've hit the nail on the head (no pun intended). Axes have become a 'de rigueur' bushcraft fashion accessory and you don't need one in the UK all the time. A bowsaw does a better job of cutting wood and if needed you could perhaps use a knife to baton some kindling. Axes in MHO are well overused and overrated for this hobby. Axes are another example of shiney toy syndrome albeit a dangerous one.

As for no blood ? Lots of things affect this, depends where the cut is and what you cut through, peripheral vascular closeure/shutdown, shock. I've seen a lad who cut his hand in half and there was no immediate blood loss to speak of.


I hope the chap heals well, judging by the picture it looked worse than some would think but nasty none the less.
 

Nice65

Brilliant!
Apr 16, 2009
6,486
2,898
W.Sussex
If you put a log on its' side on a block then there's every chance of the axe deflecting, there's no way it'll meet the grain properly. It can be done with half rounds, but only with control. Always best down the grain.

And, yes, I learned.

Heal well, looks clean.
 
S

Something In The Woodshed

Guest
I have seen so many wounds like this over the years and they were all caused in the same way. The worst of all was seeing a friend chop off his own thumb while carelessly swing away at a tree branch (left hand holding branch, right welding his own not so sharp Gerber axe). At first he had no idea he had lost his thumb and then when he realised he began to cry and laugh at the same time. As there was a bit of bone sticking out of the top of the stump he managed to position the other bit on top, wrap in in a bandage and had the thumb reattached some hours later at hospital. Ten years later he looks like he has a big toe on his left hand and all this was due to booze, and no clue as how to use an axe safely, but above all it was a total lack of respect for the outdoors..
Your 'mate' could easily of lost a foot, or may be a toe at least..
 

Rychard

Forager
Apr 20, 2007
194
0
63
cannock staffordshire
hope your freinds ok know but things like this will happen from time to time
i cut the the end of my thumb of last year it was dusk needed a few more logs to do supper
the axe just glanst ? off a log did not feel it just wondered were the blood was from then sure the tip missing
i did have the pixs posted on here some were on the north wood meet all ways good to have a first aid kit and now how to use it
ps had not been drinking at this time needed a few ciders after A+E to help me sleep
 

Shewie

Mod
Mod
Dec 15, 2005
24,259
24
48
Yorkshire
nah i,ll not steal his thunder :)

We need to compare goryness :)

steve.jpg
russ.jpg
 

Johnnyboy1971

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Dec 24, 2010
4,155
26
52
Yorkshire
Not an axe wound but just to show that accidents happen even without alcohol or inadequate knowledge of an tool or item.
Leeds-20110304-00004.jpg
 

Miyagi

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 6, 2008
2,298
5
South Queensferry
Don't google 'axe wounds' with the safety off, there's only a couple of actual wound shots.....lol

I wondered how long it'd take till that was brought up.

The lengths you lot will go to just to get out of chores like firewood prep - sheesh.

On the plus side, definate confirmation that the axe works.

Glad everything turned out ok in the end though.

Liam
 

pango

Nomad
Feb 10, 2009
380
6
69
Fife
Ouch! Still, it could have been worse.

I use my axe every time I'm out, although the possibility of a serious self-inflicted wound is always on my mind when I'm using it.

Not too long ago however, the axe caught a glancing blow to a dead standing pine as I stood not too steadily on a steep mossy slope. The result was that I lowered the axe head as I regained my balance and was somewhat shocked to discover a 9" long slash through my gaiters and trousers on the inside of my right, downhill, calf. Had there been any weight behind it, it would undoubtedly have sliced into my calf muscle and the 6 mile walk for help might well have developed into an different story entirely.

It was the wrong tool for the job - the bow saw meaning a 100 yard walk back to camp - and most certainly left me with something to think about!

Pango.
 

3bears

Settler
Jun 28, 2010
619
0
Anglesey, North Wales
As Paganwolf says, an axe is a seriously over-rated tool for use in the UK.

My main use for an axe is splitting large logs, 8"-10" with a few wedges at meet ups for the communal fire.

Other than that I rarely have a use for them.

They do speed things up occasionally but they also speed up the injury count rather too much.

same opinion here really gents- my GB SFA is there just because I wanted one, but it rarely gets used- I find I'm better off just letting larger wood simply burn through, my laplander saw does well for the rest
 

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