loggers vs blacksmiths

[EWCTool]

I had to clear some land a few months ago and the chain saw did not work, so I went lumberjack on the tree, and turned it into fire wood the old fashioned way with an ax. Man did I get some blisters from that. The blisters were on parts of my hand that contacted the ax handle but did not contact the hammer handle, so they were not ready for the increased abrasion.

It got me thinking of that old saying, the touch of a blacksmith. Back in the day would it be the blacksmith or the lumberjack who had the rougher of the hands. Could the saying come from the fact that more people came in contact with a blacksmith, while not every one shook hands with a lumberjack.

[SamT]

I imagine both would have been quite grizzly. The hand slides on the handle of an axe though, so more abrasion?

[Rob Browne]

Reckon that back in those days rough hands would have been the norm rather hand the exception.

[JimsShip]

I would say Loggers. My Father in Law sells firewood from his farm, and not only do you have the heavy ax work, but after the tree is fallen, you have to cut it into logs, then lift those logs (full hand contact on rough bark) onto the wagons, and then finally split it all into manageable sized pieces for the woodstoves.
Whith Blacksmithing, the stock isn't really that heavy (in most cases) and although there's alot of hammering and dirt and grime, I think Logging would be harder on the hands themselves.

[ThomasPowers]

Old school Farmer! (of course we had a friend who also was a sheep shearer and he said no matter how bad his hands were at the start of the shearing season by the end they were "baby soft" and he had to then regain his hard won callouses all over again!)

[Blackwaterforge]

if you sand the varnish off your axe handle you probably won't get blisters.

[nhblacksmith]

I had to clear some land a few months ago and the chain saw did not work, so I went lumberjack on the tree, and turned it into fire wood the old fashioned way with an ax. Man did I get some blisters from that. The blisters were on parts of my hand that contacted the ax handle but did not contact the hammer handle, so they were not ready for the increased abrasion.

It got me thinking of that old saying, the touch of a blacksmith. Back in the day would it be the blacksmith or the lumberjack who had the rougher of the hands. Could the saying come from the fact that more people came in contact with a blacksmith, while not every one shook hands with a lumberjack.

Between a logger and a blacksmith it would be hard to tell which might have had rougher hands. I have smithed for over 30 years and regularly saw cut and saw logs both for firewood and for lumber on my portable mill. I can truthfully say that I don't remember the last blister I got because both trades, if performed regularly, leave one's hands sufficiently calloused to ward off blisters. That said, I think the absolute worst trade on the hands is masonry. Back in another lifetime I was a contractor and occasionally did some cement block and brick work. The lime in the cement coupled with the constant exposure to water and the courseness of the material always left my hands like course sandpaper. If any tradesman has rougher hands than a mason I can't imagine which trade that would be!

By the way, historically the quote "the touch of a blacksmith" usually refers to the way one does something rather than the physical condition of his hands. It is used as one would use the more common phrase, "the Midas touch". It might be used as an opposite to something like "the touch of a jeweler" for example when working on an engine.

[mike-reid]

having some experience with rough hands, i really think you have missed out a particularly tough, rough handed group of grafters. Roughnecks! now when i was doin' the rounds in the north sea, man my hands were in an awefull state. i have also worked for a few months as a feller, (double bit axe only) and my hands werent as bad then, though my shoulders got real big in NO time

[edge9001]

the touch of a blacksmith refers to how gently a blacksmith manipulates items.

basically if it like this, a surgeon has to be very gently when working their trade....... while a blacksmith is known for the idea of, if it won't work, get a bigger hammer...lol