Don't beat me up too much over this. Every year I split 10 or 15 cords and buy the time I'm done my shins are all full of cuts and scabs healing! When I'm wearing shorts the kids and grandkids ask what happened to you. I sit down when I split and most of the rounds dropped off by the tree guys are 18 to 36 inches. So they are not real liftable and of course siting down and splitting vertically is the right way to split! Well the splits always seem to topple over and hit me in the same spots of both shins. So last year after I cut up my shins and finished splitting I thought of catchers shinguards, soccer shin guards etc. Had to have Velcro/elastic straps etc Too expensive searched eBay and found cheap $3.00 ones and what the heck ordered a couple of pairs. Laughed when I finally got em cause the looked like they would fit a 6 year old. Well I started splitting and after a couple of hits to the shins decided to see if they would when fit. Well they are small and thin but they work well and cover the area between knee and ankle pretty well. I can also slide my jeans over them
Who would have thought splitting firewood is like a contact sport. If I ever need a helmet of mouth guard then it's time to quit Am I the only one this happens to?
I try to do everything I can to avoid pain too. I usually figger it out, just about 5 minutes late... Your shin guards are a great idea. Maybe you'll eventually move up to the type that protects your foot, shin and knee?
I have thought about doing the same thing. Last time at the dermatologist, she asked what happened to my shins, told her it was from splitting wood but she did not seem to understand that.
Since the logs are mostly the same height, when they fall/lean toward my shin they hit mostly in the same area with newly formed sharp edges. I don't know about you guys but while sitting down, I use my feet to help move bottom of log at times. Ha -sometimes I feel like a chimpanzee . My shins are also covered with scars Here's a link to shin guards and a pic -for a couple of bucks disposable each season 2Pcs Soft Light Football Shin Pads Soccer Guards Sports Leg Protector Kids Adult | eBay
I have had a few bumps from wood but not many so not sure how you sit while splitting. Of course you have larger diameter wood than we do so perhaps that is why.
Backwoods Savage I use an oak log about the same height as a milk crate. I use the same one every year. The top is egg or oval shaped. Every year at the end of splitting wood the top has a blue haze from rubbing on my butt and jeans
I like sitting lower so I'd turn that crate a bit. Your knees are a bit high that way but it makes for some great leverage. I have tried higher but it seemed to make the splitting harder work so went back to the regular way. But when recovering from hip surgery I could not get down low so had to use the higher seat then.
I can't sit any lower. I tried and my knee pops out and my leg will not straighten out. Tough walking with a bent locked knee/leg And it's happened many times. Takes a while to relax and slide back in. Once when it popped out I couldn't get up so , no pain if I didn't move. So I split everything I could reach with my pickaroon. Then struggled up to house I'm sure you know with age knees don't work as well as they used to. I'm 67 now and my body keeps reminding me of this. My brain doesn't always remember my age. Kneeling and getting up, jumping down from a truck bed not so easy anymore. When I'm splitting these big rounds I halve them then sit. I use my feet and knees to help position log. Very conscious of keeping hands away from wedge. My splitting is a full contact sport! Still got all my fingers and toes too.
Ha! I've got a set of those from my martial arts days laying around here somewhere...used to get bruised up shins quite often during the fighting competitions.
I've been known to leave my chaps on when splitting if its not too hot out. They do prevent damage to the lower legs.
Ouch Mike. I can understand. Being a bit older than you I can relate to how things don't work as well as we age.
Good idea! You have me thinking. I may have a pair of similar shin guards from back in the deck/street hockey days.
if you are going to wear shin guards I recommend getting the longer ones like a baseball catcher would wear and not ones that a youth soccer player would wear and also wear them over your pants so the sweat won't allow them to slide.