cant hook??????????????

[demc570]

From the many tools my dad used logging in the early sixties, the one tool that survived his several moves was a small short handled cant hook (about 36"). He had at least two longer handled hooks - a cant and a peavey but he didn't hang on to them or to his two man log carriers. He said the smaller one was more handy. Later in years he bought extra handles for it at a hardware closeout sale. I took charge of it about 25 years ago and next to my saw it was the handiest thing I had for the firewooding I did then (rarely over 20" diameter stuff). Now that I am older and most of what I cut is at least 30", I have moved on to a longer handle which many times still isn't long enough for me - particularly when I have a situation like Bob had in his video. The little guy doesn't see much use now. It still resides in my truck and sees some action moving rounds but rarely does it touch a log anymore. Moral of this story is leverage is your friend and these are very useful tools. What size you need depends upon you and your wood - maybe more on you than the wood - my dad was 40 when he was logging. He later reminisced that he was never stronger in his life and at times thought he had more strength than his arm bones could handle. He died just shy of 83. The nurses attending to him as he laid dying nicknamed him "Popeye" because his forearms were so large. A big change for a guy who went to war for us at age 17 and 123 lbs. Ron

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING THIS:msp_smile:

 

[rwoods]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING THIS:msp_smile:

Your welcome. I find myself thinking of my dad and his generation more and more. Pop wasn't perfect and we fought quite a bit after I hit my late twenties. But I did learn a lot from him. He was of the school that you should work hard and do as much as you can by yourself. He led an interesting life. Joined the Navy at 17. Got in line the day after Pearl Harbor. He was injured at the conclusion of the war when a two piece aircraft wheel came apart as he was inflating the tire. He returned home and married a cattleman's daughter. He did whatever was at hand to support my mother and us five boys. He raised beef cattle and he rode in the last armed posse to be assembled in the State of Florida to go after some cattle thieves. He could crack a bullwhip like no one I have ever seen but he wasn't a cattleman at heart. He raised watermelons and other row crops but he wasn't a farmer in today's terms. He logged for a time and worked for TVA. He cut firewood every year in barter. But he wasn't what you would call a professional logger. He built two of his houses -the only way he knew how, the old way - wood straight from the saw mill with windows cut out with a chainsaw - no stud construction for him. One house he sided in old growth cypress boards each 14" to 20" wide; all cut from logs fished out of the river where they were lost and sunk early in the century. He lined the great room with two foot wide pecky cypress boards alternating golden blond ones with dark walnut colored ones - all natural, no stains. The rest of the interior was wood as well, cherry, pine and cedar walls and ceilings, black walnut kitchen cabinets (all cut from family property). He built our kitchen table out of cherry and sweet gum but he never made a living as a carpenter. He sold real estate for Rocket City for a while but it wasn't his cup of tea so he returned to the land. He planted trees all his life and encouraged us boys to do the same - we didn't (had no land when we were young and got too busy when we were old). He harvested twice. Other than an old mountain farm in North Carolina the land is all gone now - people instead of cows and landscaping instead of timber. Depressing to me but selling off the land was what paid the bills and enabled him to continue somewhat a passing lifestyle. I'll quit here as we have moved far off the topic of cant hooks. Ron

 

[Jakers]

some dang good readin towards the end of this thread.

 

[rmount]

Cant hooks are real useful. i have three; 2 are short wood handled (one of them was my FIL's with hand forged ironware and handcarved handle), the other is a 72" Logrite. They each have there place, the shorter ones are handy to grab with one hand to give a log a half roll or get all your weight behind it in close to wrestle stuff out of a snag or pile where there isn't room for a long handle. But if you're trying to break free a frozen in log or roll a hung up tree out of whatever it's hung up in the extra leverage of the 72" is good to have. My only complaint about the Log-rite is that it has a long flat tooth for grabbing and the older hooks have two short spikes. The long tooth just doesn't grab as well, one of these days I'm going to grind a "V" notch into it so it will hold better. With 2 guys and 2 hooks and a bit of practice and co-ordination you can easily build a pile of logs too (no need for a loader), just make sure you never both let go at the same time. Once you get one you'll be surprised how strong you've become and what big logs you can move around easily.

 

[Dalmatian90]

Is the Logrite really the "Fiskars" of the hook world? I hate to pay $150 for something that works the same as the $100 one.

It's the aluminum handle that does it for me -- I have a 5' regular duty one and never fear it'll break or bend. Hook slipping is another issue, but I don't think that's a design issue. Though after reading this thread in addition to remembering I can set it with an ax when I'm having a hard time finding a good bite...I think I'll be taking a file to to the hook tip and sharpening it on up

Some folks might have a store around that carries *good* wood handles to replace them quickly when they fail...but I don't know any around here that does. I've broken one original, 30 year old wooden handle, and the replacement I found doesn't give me warm-fuzzy feelings when I'm really pulling back on it, which is what prompted the upgrade to the Logrite before I ended up on my butt once again.

I was able to buy mine at a great price, the owner of Logrite had a display setup at a small local Forestry Fair. They're located about 40 miles west of me.

The only thing I think I expect to eventually do for maintenance is replace the rubber grip material. I think it's just some dip-on material like the textured stuff you can get to dip plier handles in. I'd guess there would be better grip wraps out there -- hockey tape maybe?

 

[demc570]

It's the aluminum handle that does it for me -- I have a 5' regular duty one and never fear it'll break or bend. Hook slipping is another issue, but I don't think that's a design issue. Though after reading this thread in addition to remembering I can set it with an ax when I'm having a hard time finding a good bite...I think I'll be taking a file to to the hook tip and sharpening it on up

Some folks might have a store around that carries *good* wood handles to replace them quickly when they fail...but I don't know any around here that does. I've broken one original, 30 year old wooden handle, and the replacement I found doesn't give me warm-fuzzy feelings when I'm really pulling back on it, which is what prompted the upgrade to the Logrite before I ended up on my butt once again.

I was able to buy mine at a great price, the owner of Logrite had a display setup at a small local Forestry Fair. They're located about 40 miles west of me.

The only thing I think I expect to eventually do for maintenance is replace the rubber grip material. I think it's just some dip-on material like the textured stuff you can get to dip plier handles in. I'd guess there would be better grip wraps out there -- hockey tape maybe?

thankyou,and yes i hate trying to find good wood handels for my other stuff....

 

[Boogieman142]

I prefer a peavy but I have a cant hook as well, they both usually go.

 

[Guswhit]

I like another here purchased a cheapo northern tool one. Log lift broke first day out, never replaced it. Broke the handle later. I have now modified it several times with the welder. Should have bought a good one first, but I don't quit. Mine is cut back down to 5' again(welded a steel pipe on for a handle), I had it up to 6' with a clevis on the end for a chain attachment so I could roll the larger pieces using the truck, but I just don't tackle that super large logs anymore. I always carry a 3lb maul with me for driving the spike into the log, having fell down too many times.

 

[Jere39]

I know most of you know the difference, but it does get confusing. Peavey is the name of a company that makes timber equipment. Like Kleenex and Xerox, over time the brand name has improperly become the tool name.
FWIW, my Cant Hook is a Peavey brand.

 

[demc570]

great info guys! thankyou

 

[PEKS]

Yes, sure does save the back..
Work smarter and a lot less harder..

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

I have two can't hooks one with a W shaped dog on the end and the other with the triangular point, the hooked ends also differ as one has a rounded point and the other is sharpened to a three faceted point. Both designs seem to work well. If you cannot find a replacement for a broken handle why not fashion your own. A straight section of ash or preferably hickory air seasoned for 6 months can be shaped with a draw knife or spoke shave and fitted to the cant hook socket. Made a hickory one a few years ago from sapling i needed to remove and it has held up well. Use the draw knife to shape it, sand it then seal it with some linseed oil.

 

[demc570]

wow,never thought of that,great sugestion,thankyou!

 

[hardpan]

I have two can't hooks one with a W shaped dog on the end and the other with the triangular point, the hooked ends also differ as one has a rounded point and the other is sharpened to a three faceted point. Both designs seem to work well. If you cannot find a replacement for a broken handle why not fashion your own. A straight section of ash or preferably hickory air seasoned for 6 months can be shaped with a draw knife or spoke shave and fitted to the cant hook socket. Made a hickory one a few years ago from sapling i needed to remove and it has held up well. Use the draw knife to shape it, sand it then seal it with some linseed oil.

Hickory sure is my favorite. I've wondered about trying Osage Orange once. What do you think?

 

[Jakers]

Hickory sure is my favorite. I've wondered about trying Osage Orange once. What do you think?

"nothin like a good piece of hickory..." Clint Eastwood in Pale Rider

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

I do not know Hardpan, I do not have that wood available to me. Wish I did. Would love to try and burn some of it. I would think there could be a point of overkill regarding the density of the wood used. While the Osage would probably be extremely strong and long lasting it would be heavier to tote as well. Not that I am disagreeing with you but it would be heavier than the hickory which in turn is heavier than white ash. Not sure what the manufacturers use for the wood in their handles. I would suspect many of them are ash. Ash is strong and lighter than hickory but not quite as tough nor quite as strong I think. Not a scientific answer mind you, just what I think. I had the hickory present itself to me, as it were, and I know a hickory handle should hold up if I do not abuse it. Keep in mind that the socket of the cant hook is a pretty fair diameter that you are filling up with wood. And while you will taper it down in the shaping, you still have a good mass of wood which has some heft to it. None of the woods mentioned, if straight grained would be easy to break. At least not by me. Of course you lads might be a tad stouter and stronger that I. I will say I have rolled some big oak logs with that tool and have yet to break it.

 

[Dalmatian90]

I've read hickory for striking tools, ash for long handled tools (shovels, rakes, etc.)

I find Craftsmanus Fiberglassus is the cheapest to replace, since I just walk into the store and they give me a new one for free :jester:

If I ever break my LogRite aluminium peavy...if I live through the failure I'll buy a new one because I must've done something really messed up with it.

 

[hunter h]

It is a tool you should take with just like your saw. The ones we use came from my dad. You would be surprised what you can do with just a 3' handle. If you can turn your logs and scrape some dirt off it will save your chains. When I was a kid and my dad was logging and running a mill I am the youngest of four boys my first job was to carry dads stuff for him in the woods and one of the things was a cant hook with a four ft handle. At the time it was about all I wanted to drag around. So the answer is yes get one and use it.

 

[Jere39]

Great contributions to this thread. Who would have guessed a thread on Cant Hooks would run to 6 pages.

 

[hardpan]

Great contributions to this thread. Who would have guessed a thread on Cant Hooks would run to 6 pages.

Yes. It is a great tool that is many times overlooked. The only reason I have one is about 25 years ago I was doing survey work in the woods and found the broken steel collar and hook of a cant. I took it home, welded the collar, carved a hickory handle with a draw knife, and stood it in the corner with my other long handled tools. The first time I used it I realized the value of that leverage for moving the heavy wood.