Sissy Sticks

[Wayland]

Perhaps for some people it's more important to look butch and macho than keeping all their fingers.

 

[Gailainne]

I've been to 3 meets where someone ended up in hospital to get a foot or ankle stitched up, Mary was at 2 of them, due to inattention while cutting logs, call them what you like, but any technique or device that keeps soft human tissue away from harden sharp steel is a good thing, call me a sissy if you like,I like my fingers, toes where they are.......attached.

 

[S.C.M.]

I never split wood without o chopping block. My way of seeing it is: if it wont stay upright, lay it down. If that doesn't work, I hold the end that isn't close to the axe head, lift them both up, then whack 'em back down again - the axe bites, makes a split and there is no more need to hold it. I have never cut myself swinging an axe or machete.



I may have cut myself sharpening the machete though... twice

 

[Retired Member southey]

Who called sissy stick so?

 

[Teepee]

I never split wood without o chopping block. My way of seeing it is: if it wont stay upright, lay it down. If that doesn't work, I hold the end that isn't close to the axe head, lift them both up, then whack 'em back down again - the axe bites, makes a split and there is no more need to hold it. I have never cut myself swinging an axe or machete.



I may have cut myself sharpening the machete though... twice

I used to do this.

One day last year after chopping loads of them out of poplar, I got cut. I brought both gently down on the block I was using and the wood I was chopping split straight through. It parted like it was spring loaded. The hatchet left a nice slice in my thumb.

 

[Wayland]

Which is exactly what happened to Harvestman too.

It's the sort of technique you can use safely hundreds of times but it only needs to fail once.

It is the very nature of accidents that they are unexpected.

I don't know where I first heard the expression "sissy stick" but I have hear it often enough to know that it is prevalent.

The greatest risk is that the sort of bravado that goes with "I'm not sissy enough to need any safety precautions" is often followed by the call "where's the nearest hospital?"

 

[Harvestman]

Thanks you lot. I feel much better now you have all pointed out in enormous detail how I was a complete numpty. :sulkoff:






It's a good job I agree with you all

 

[Wayland]

Sorry about that mate but I'm just trying to raise the issue a bit.

It's such a simple precaution that shouldn't be looked down on and lets face it, we've all done foolish things without thinking at times.

I've had more than a few lucky escapes in my four dozen years but occasionally luck runs out.

 

[Harvestman]

I'm fine with it really. One of the kids watching managed to rough out a crude bowl from half of the log using a small Fiskars hatchet after I cut myself, and his technique was really good considering he's never used an axe in his life before. I gave him a hand with trimming the corners and some of the spoon knife work, but he was really pleased with his effort, and I was too.

So I cut my thumb, and a young lad had a good experience using a tool he's never handled before, learning a skill that was new to him. I call that a good trade.

 

[Man of Tanith]

i use the sissy stick method althought it was called a suicide stick when mesquite showed/explained it to me

Southey i was on a campcraft course when an individual managed to stick himself in the back with a SFA using the method you describe, neither the instructors nor us other students really understood how he did it (luckily he missed his spine when he did it but it did give the rest of us students a longer lunch break that day.) whilst this was a student it can demonstrate the potential risk of that technique (not trying to cause a disagreement just adding to the conversation )
As an aside the student came back after his trip to A & E and completed the rest of the course-apart from anything that was deemed might pull on the stitches, he got quite a bit of teasing the rest of the week

 

[Retired Member southey]

I am sure there are people who indeed manage to hurt them selves with any technique, I am not saying its the best just another skill to learn to you can chop wood, you do need to tailor your use to the material, tool, location and skill

 

[Mesquite]

i use the sissy stick method althought it was called a suicide stick when mesquite showed/explained it to me

I don't know who I picked that name for it up from, it just stuck as an apt name

 

[Retired Member southey]

Any whoooo, who says anything with sissy infront isnt macho,


Any guess what these are called

From www.knucklebusterinc.com

 

[brancho]

I sometimes call them 'finger savers' when showing the cubs axe stuff.

In the SA Cubs should not be using axes as written in Nights Away

Ditto with Scouts - My Cubs have enough to do with using knives safely.

I leave the axe stuff to scouts but have to always remember and make it a habit to do and be seen to do it right,

As you should

Or you could baton.

Thats what I teach my Scouts

 

[shaggystu]

Any whoooo, who says anything with sissy infront isnt macho,


Any guess what these are called

From www.knucklebusterinc.com

wow! can you imagine falling off with your hands wrapped around that "devils tail"!!!!! what a way to lose a limb

 

[Retired Member southey]

wow! can you imagine falling off with your hands wrapped around that "devils tail"!!!!! what a way to lose a limb

Hahahhahaha see one mans devil tail is another's sissy bar

 

[gliderrider]

I use, and teach the sissy stick to my scouts, though I didnt know it was called a sissy stick, I thought it was called "that handy twig that stops seperating digit from body, while using sharp, heavy hitty thing."

 

[Toddy]

I had to go and google sissy bar

I could not work out what the hang those wierd metal things were supposed to be useful for I thought, "Get it wrong and that's one stuffed edge on the axe " ... and, "Damned queer fireforks thon!"

M

 

[shaggystu]

I had to go and google sissy bar .....

slight paucity of hell's angels in south lanarkshire then mary?

 

[tinderbox]

slight paucity of hell's angels in south lanarkshire then mary?

A lot of them retired to that part of the world.