Chopping Wood with Hatchet Causing a New Tone

Hello everyone,

Been dealing with a stressful situation. Long story short, I'm currently in a work camp right now, and we run a wood heater here. We needed a little wood last night, and without thinking I grabbed the little (a bit dull) hatchet that we have here and cut a couple logs down (about 10 min).

When I woke up in the middle of the night, I heard a new tone in my left ear (ironically the good ear). I'm freaking out a bit, but am also trying to stay clam and make sure that I'm not clenching my jaw as that could mess with my tinnitus or mild hyperacusis.

I wasn't swinging that hard, but I'm worried that I may have just added a new tone to the ones that I already have. I'm frustrated because I was doing so well and I hope I didn't just make things worse.

Any advice, support, or experience with this would be greatly appreciated!

 

Maybe it’s just random? If it gave you a new tone which it shouldn’t have, wouldn’t it have appeared right after you did the chopping and not hours later?

 

This is a bit off topic from your question, apologies for that, but I have a lot of trees that may fall on my driveway in a storm and I was wondering what I would do about it given that a chainsaw would be too loud for me.

I could hire someone to deal with it of course, but with a little research I found a highly rated bow saw on Amazon (4.8 stars). Made of steel in Sweden. Versus made of aluminum in China for most less well rated bow saws.

Takes much much longer than a chain saw but vastly quieter and good exercise, so I think it would meet my needs.

Bahco 10-24-23 Bow Saw with Ergo Handle, 24-Inch

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001IX7TC

 

There is a good chance that this spike won't be permanent, and will settle within the next 3 months or so. But you will want to be more careful in the future.

 

@Karl28 That is a good question. I've heard people say sometimes that there can be a bit of a delay. But, I also have issues with TMJ (I clench when I'm stressed or sleeping sometimes), so that may have caused some issues. I've heard before that Tonic Tensor Tympani syndrome can also cause new tinnitus sounds or fluctuations.

@lymebite That's an interesting point! Chopping wood is good exercise!

Thanks @Bill . I will definitely be. I usually am, as I have three different types of ear protection. Since my H has gotten better, I try and not protect unless it's needed (as recommended by my T and H specialist), and it can be a bit of a type rope at times.

I took out the decimal meter on my phone (I know it's rough) and measured it today (while wearing hearing protection) and it measured 90-95 db - and only for a split second. Which is not different than a dog barking or something like that. I'll monitor it over the next couple of days and let everyone know how it goes.

More than anything I'm just frustrated - because I usually am very careful. So I hope it dissipates over the coming days.

 

@kmohoruk I wouldn't be too worried. I've split a lot of wood in the past year or two, mostly using a maul, which is going to be much louder than a hatchet. It's loud enough that I generally wear earplugs, but I've definitely slacked on that a few times with no issues. I think I might have exacerbated my ringing for a day or so once, but that was from an hour of maul splitting huge logs with no ear protection. I've split a lot more wood since then using earmuffs, no problems.

I clocked a maul at ~110db, but that's measuring right next to the wood, it's going to be less from your head level and significantly less with a hatchet. So, we're talking about noise levels sufficient to annoy the auditory systems of susceptible people, but not nearly enough to be worrying. You will almost certainly be back to normal within a day or two, so try not to stress about it.

Chainsaw is definitely the right tool; sectioning an even moderately sized tree with a handsaw sounds really painful to me. I got a Makita electric chainsaw this year, which is likely to be a bit quieter than a gas saw, but it's still ~95ish DB at operator ear level for me. That's fine for me, as long as I'm only doing it for a couple hours each day, but if you're not wanting to deal with that I would honestly say just hire someone, because sectioning ~70 ft ~24" thick trees even with a chainsaw was a lot more labor than I was expecting and I really can't imagine doing that with a handsaw.

Chainsaws are super, super fun, too -- just don't lose a leg (I came closer than I'd like to admit before I figured out what the hell I was doing).

I've chopped down a few small Christmas trees with a handsaw, as well as any number of 2x4s... hand saws are pretty painful, and I don't even know if it's good exercise because you're just going to overuse one specific set of muscles.

 

Heck yeah! Though I haven't had the courage to go near one since I got t. I run the other direction if someone else is using one.

@kmohoruk

It can be VERY frustrating to be the type of person who enjoys working with their hands and having t. I never imagined myself being in this situation either.

I was exposed to some sirens when the t was with me less than 3 months and it took a good 2-3 months for it to settle down. The first night I was freaking out it got so loud but thank goodness when I woke up the next day things were much quieter.

I also noticed that when my ears got louder after exposure to sirens the h was more extreme for at least a month if not more. Loud sounds, even quiet sounds, may be more shocking now.

I've briefly used a hand saw with ear muffs on and briefly used a drill with ear muffs and ear plugs on. Try not to over expose yourself to loud noise for a long duration in case it does affect you. I didn't notice the increase from the sirens until 2-3 hours later when the t was screaming.

The work camp sounds like fun. I hope you're enjoying it.

 

My (14") electric saw is about the same as my dad's 14" gas saw, ~110db measured right by the blade but more like mid 90s for the operator. I don't have a problem with that, and do not believe it's dangerous amounts of sound if you're only running it for limited periods.

I'd like to get an 18-20" husqvarna for larger stuff, but I know those engines are significantly more powerful, so I need to mess with one before I throw money at it. I also know that aftermarket mufflers are something that people do, and while mostly this is done, hilariously enough, to deliberately make saws louder, I imagine that a powerful saw can be made quieter with a bigger muff on it. Our lawnmower is 16hp but has a muffler the size of a 2-liter bottle on it, and it's quieter than the 14" electric saw... a 16hp chainsaw could probably power one of those ludicrous 48" blades I've seen used in portable sawmill operations; something half that powerful would be more saw than I'll ever need.

 

I can't even think about using a chainsaw now. Before t I would use one quite often with hearing protection. Please wear the protective chaps when you're using one.

I didn't understand how people could make chainsaws louder before t. That's so silly!

I've used an electric saw and you can do a lot with one if you stay under about 10" diameter wood. Practice hand filing, there are a ton of videos on how to do it, and keep the saw sharp but don't take the depth gauges too low or the saw is going to kick something awful.

My hope is to get a battery operated saw, along with other battery operated power equipment, in the future when things are better. The battery powered stuff is much quieter than gas. I wish I discovered it before t....

 

@New Guy battery saws have come a long way, I was able to section pine up to 24" and hardwoods up to about ~18" no problem with a 14" LiON makita saw. The battery life is not great if dropping sections that big and you would want to have a couple backup sets of batteries so you can cycle them in and out and recharge some while you're running others. You also have to be more aggressive about keeping blades sharp than you would with a gas saw; the electric engine will regulate and shut itself down before it overheats. I got in the habit of sharpening before foray into the woods, which I believe is a standard practice for people who do this professionally. Then I went home and used my dad's "sharpen once a year" gas saw and holy moly was that miserable in comparison...

I wear chaps and earplugs and muffs and a mask and armored gloves; I use my hands to make a living and my legs for most of my hobbies, so I am trying to keep them all together.

Doing a lot of this stuff would have been almost unthinkable for me some number of years ago, so just give yourself time and take things as slowly as you need to. I think that if getting back to chainsaws is important to you, you'll find a way to do it without messing yourself up, once you're ready Even with all the small engines I run I think my overall noise exposure living in the woods, is less than what I was getting dosed with when I lived in the city.

 

Thank you @linearb for the advice, information, and support - I greatly appreciate it! I have had some spikes that have lasted a couple of days sometimes (often due to my TMJ). Hopefully like you said, it should be good within a day or two.

Thank you as well @New Guy ! You are right, it can be really frustrating sometimes. My T is pretty reactive, so i've become pretty used to real big spikes and then having it simmer down. Just this new tone thing is a bit freaky to say the least! I hope your T is doing much better as well!

Yeah it's definitely a lot of fun!

To add to your comment, for work last year I had to use a brush saw and a chainsaw for work. I doubled up using ear plugs and noise cancelling ear muffs and I was able to work with no issues or increases in my T or mild H - so it can be done!

 

@linearb & @kmohoruk

It's encouraging to know that you have used power equipment, carefully, after the onset of t. I'm not ready to try yet but thanks for letting me know it can be done.

 

I used to be an avid woodworker before T... I built everything in my basement and even had people contact me to buy my furniture... I wish I can go back to do doing it