Using a hatchet - preventing it being lost

[mrcharly]

I need to cut back a lot of willow (thin branches, up to 1.5") over a pontoon on a deep river.

I know my GB mini hatchet makes short work of these, but I've always been concerned about losing it. A cord attached to the end of the handle strikes me as an invitation to major injury - if the hatchet came out of my hand it would swing wildly on the cord.

How about a cord attached just under the head? The hatchet would still bounce around, but not as wildly and it would be 'handle-first'. Anyone tried this or have other ideas?

[Stew]

How about a long cord, attached to something other than yourself?

[mrcharly]

Not appealing - I have to be able to move around freely. Some of the time I'll be standing in a canoe.

Where would you attach it to on the hatchet?

[Stew]

I would tie it through the hole in the end of the handle. Long enough cord not to be an issue with moving and the other end tied to your canoe. If you drop it, just pull it back in.

I would think a saw might be a better option though...

[Hellz]

I would think a saw might be a better option though...

Or Loppers?

Either that or some sort of flotation device on a lanyard?

Tricky one.

Patrick...

[RoyalM]

How about a a deadman's lanyard? Basically a long elastic lanyard. You can have it tied to your wrist and the hatchet and it stays compact and out of the way, then if you drop the hatchet it falls in the water but you can simply pull it back in using the lanyard. The plus is the elastic in the lanyard isn't strong enough to alter the fall of the hatchet so there's very little chance of the lanyard pulling the falling hatchet into you.

Here's what I mean:
http://www.boats-parts.co.uk/images/586.jpg

[mrcharly]

Deadman's lanyard looks like it might work. so might a floatation something - the mini-hatchet doesn't weigh much.

I'm going to try cord round handle just below the head, leave the sheath on and 'drop' the hatchet a few times.

A saw doesn't work so well in a really dense thicket - it's the sort of work for which billhooks were made.

[mrcharly]

Deadman's lanyard looks like it might work. so might a floatation something - the mini-hatchet doesn't weigh much.

I'm going to try cord round handle just below the head, leave the sheath on and 'drop' the hatchet a few times.

A saw doesn't work so well in a really dense thicket - it's the sort of work for which billhooks were made.

[London Lad]

Its like the begining of an accident report:-

At aproximatly 3:30 PM I was in a dense thicket, standing in my canno, which was floating in a deep river, with a sharp hatchet tied to my arm.............

[mrcharly]

Oh, I can do better than that.

"At 6PM on a january evening, with an air temperature of -5, I stripped off and swam underneath the pontoon in the flooded river, knife gripped between my teeth. The current was approximately 4knots, and there was ice present in the river. etc"

Living on a river ain't ever been an exercise in H&S.

[screaming skull]

Oh, I can do better than that.

"At 6PM on a january evening, with an air temperature of -5, I stripped off and swam underneath the pontoon in the flooded river, knife gripped between my teeth. The current was approximately 4knots, and there was ice present in the river. etc"

Living on a river ain't ever been an exercise in H&S.
Your a better man than me mate My skills level with an axe is pretty poor but if you have the training and experience have at it .Best of Luck

[mrcharly]

Needs must and all that, but I reckoned on about 1.5minutes max in that water before muscles locked up and I'd be a goner. Under the pontoon, no chance anyone could get to me in time if it went wrong. I can tell you, my balls had shrivelled to the size of raisins by the time I came out of the water.

I ask about using the hatchet just because you never know if someone else hasn't thought of something you haven't - and the deadman's lanyard is a good one.

[Dave Budd]

don't risk pratting about with an axe if you're cutting some branches back. Use the right tool for the job and get a pair of loppers or a saw :rolleyes:

[Nice65]

don't risk pratting about with an axe if you're cutting some branches back. Use the right tool for the job and get a pair of loppers or a saw :rolleyes:

I agree. Husqvarnas are good. While standing in a canoe. Lol!

Wilkinson Sword do a nice lightweight billhook. Can't get you a link at the moment, but it's a very good tool for smaller stuff. I used one all day, every day for three months to cut chestnut walking sticks. I had a lanyard on mine similar to the ones the competition cutters use. It wraps round the back of the hand, is braided in a cobra stitch type knot and is quite secure. It comes in handy as your arm gets more tired, or your palms get sweaty.

[Longstrider]

Inch and a half willow should be a doddle to cut with just about anything sharp. I'd not risk a hatchet on the job (if standing in a canoe) unless it was absolutely desperate the job be done now, and the hatchet was the only tool I owned. Attatching any sort of lanyard or *ahem* 'safety line' to a hatchet is a recipe for problems. If it doesn't slip from your hand and swing around then the lanyard WILL get in the way and/or snag on anything it possibly can, (and some things that it simply shouldn't be able to snag on)
A good grip, and a decent set of anvil secateurs should be perfectly capable of taking care of such stuff as 1 1/2" willow as the wood is so soft as long as you can reach it. Failing that I'd go for loppers in your situation.

With feet planted nicely on terra firma I'd just use a parang, a machete, or a billhook for the job, but standing in a canoe doesn't neccesarily make for a firm, safe footing from which to swing any edged tool like them or an axe.
I'd happily tether a set of secateurs to my wrist with a lanyard in your situation in case of 'droppage'. My own set of anvil secateurs have a blade sharp enough to shave with and could still prove injurous, but the likelyhood of the tool picking up enough momentum to do you/me any real damage is so minimal it would be worth the small risk of a lanyard to prevent loss 'in the oggin'.

You may well do the job perfectly well with a small hatchet and think we're all being too alarmist, but you also might slip just once......

[mrcharly]

I think I'll use the hatchet where I can stand on the pontoon (and hence have firm footing) and secateurs for the bits from a canoe.

Yeah, I worry about lanyard snagging. I wonder how much pipe lagging would be needed to float a mini hatchet? Might try some around the handle.
Job has to be done tomorrow morning.

[Edgehog]

I think I'll use the hatchet where I can stand on the pontoon (and hence have firm footing) and secateurs for the bits from a canoe.

Yeah, I worry about lanyard snagging. I wonder how much pipe lagging would be needed to float a mini hatchet? Might try some around the handle.
Job has to be done tomorrow morning.

Very wise decision, any number of combinations of axe/boat/water & falling makes me shudder - simply loosing the axe is the lowest on the list.

Ha! the pipe lagging axe makes me think of 'It's a Knockout' for some reason.

I'd go with Longstriders excellent advice.

Don't rush & enjoy the task.

All the best.

[Longstrider]

Another option would be to make a saw that could reach the sticks from the bank. I managed to weld a 3/8 BSF bolt to the spare blade for a Bahco saw (similar to the Laplander favoured by Bushcrafters) for a mate of mine so he could screw it into the end of his extendable landing net handle. He uses it to remove small branches that he has managed to get his pike lures caught on. As the extendable handle is telescopic the fact that it's a pull-saw makes it work just fine and doesn't automatically collapse the handle into itself with every stroke.
I've done the same sort of job in the past by simply lashing a Laplander to a long stick with a load of gaffer tape

[mrcharly]

Job done. I possibly could have done some with a saw - but a lot of the smaller branches were too small. Loppers on a extension would have been useful.

20min work with the hatchet and a huge pile of willow.