slowindown 494 Posted July 28, 2021 (edited) After messing my knee up last year I need to add some firewood handling tools. I ordered a cant hook/peavy with a detachable log jack. I want a pickaroon too. Are any of you guys using a pickaroon? I want to make a simple one. They have a a 2.5lb mattock pick at Walmart for $16.92. I think I’ll buy one and cut off the digging end and sharpen the pick part. The whole thing weighs 3.6 pounds. With the digging end cut off it shouldn’t be much if any over 2.5. It’s 35” long I think. Looks like it might work? Edited July 28, 2021 by slowindown 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fishfiles 20,145 Posted July 28, 2021 No ,never heard of a pickaroon before !!! But have a few mattocks laying around the yard and one is going to be cut up now !!! Could see that being handy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TBRider 1,407 Posted July 28, 2021 1 hour ago, slowindown said: After messing my knee up last year I need to add some firewood handling tools. I ordered a cant hook/peavy with a detachable log jack. I want a pickaroon too. Are any of you guys using a pickaroon? I want to make a simple one. They have a a 2.5lb mattock pick at Walmart for $16.92. I think I’ll buy one and cut off the digging end and sharpen the pick part. The whole thing weighs 3.6 pounds. With the digging end cut off it shouldn’t be much if any over 2.5. It’s 35” long I think. Looks like it might work? They have a few DIY picaroons on you tube, they make them with old axe heads. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_Wilson_™ 6,567 Posted July 28, 2021 no, i never have ether ... most times i just sink my fiskars axe in, and move the logs around, but that's interesting, but i do have a mattock.... i take on my spitter, but i also had bad back trouble, most likely from lift all that wood for years. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slowindown 494 Posted July 28, 2021 I saw the ones made with the axe but this extra light mattock looked like it had potential. The smallest one I have at the house probably has a 5lb head and it would be too heavy. Plus the Walmart one has a flat handle so orientation will be by feel first. Plus it’s cheap. We’ll see. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fishfiles 20,145 Posted July 28, 2021 I iwas thinking of Slow's design as a lever point /wedge to possibly lift the log off the ground and push a block under it for cutting Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slowindown 494 Posted July 28, 2021 7 hours ago, Fishfiles said: I iwas thinking of Slow's design as a lever point /wedge to possibly lift the log off the ground and push a block under it for cutting That’s going to be a cant hook/peavy which rolls the log. I ordered one of those instead of fooling with making one. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fishfiles 20,145 Posted July 28, 2021 2 minutes ago, slowindown said: That’s going to be a cant hook/peavy which rolls the log. I ordered one of those instead of fooling with making one. I had a couple of them with broke handles , pile drivers use them down here to move the pilings around to chain them up for hoisting , Katrina hit and I threw them away Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slowindown 494 Posted July 28, 2021 The one I ordered is really a peavy but like in your video it has that log jack foot on it. But on the one I ordered the log jack is removable with a wing nut or two. I’m thinking I probably won’t use the jack part. I’ll just cut mostly through all cuts for the log then roll it and finish them. But we’ll see. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_Wilson_™ 6,567 Posted July 28, 2021 that's how I do mine, just saw and role, finish, it's gets to a point one can take too many tools along, but for lifting.... that razor sharp fiskars axe will do the same job of two tools, so far I've been very pleased with it. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PROV 1,439 Posted July 29, 2021 I use a pickaroon all the time and carry one on my wheeler. Great for dragging wood around. Son on left, son-in-law on right. They were goofing off while I cut and cleared. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slowindown 494 Posted July 29, 2021 Something like the one on your rack is what I’m shooting for - picked up the mattock after work. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_Wilson_™ 6,567 Posted July 29, 2021 7 hours ago, slowindown said: the jack part. ^^^^ is what would help would help me, but, most of mine are stacked (piled) so i just start high as i can, and work my way down to logs laying on the ground, but like i say i saw 3/4 of the way use my foot to role, then finish, but I'm not cutting just for a small amount, if i go, I'm coming back with a full load. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slowindown 494 Posted July 29, 2021 So this is it - my $16.92 Walmart pickaroon. I originally just sharpened it to a point but this profile seemed to dig and hold much better. I just did a little test of throwing wood off the pile and restacking it. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fishfiles 20,145 Posted July 29, 2021 Funny how things happen , I was totally out of fire wood at the end of winter and was scrapping for a outdoor burn ..... Two friends cut trees and now I have more wood cut and piled up that needs to be split than I could ever use in a year , maybe 2 .... and I got that extra 1/3 acre added to our property that is full of trees to get rid of , I am set for life This is the style cant I had a couple of , the pile drivers would throw them away when the handles broke and I picked them up Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sled_22 845 Posted July 30, 2021 I really need and want a can’t hook. I’ve said that for years but want to find one at a garage sale or auction. I used to see them all the time but since I started heating house with woods I haven’t found one. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
56Sierra 1,844 Posted July 30, 2021 They are rather simple and could be made easily if you can weld. Once you own one you'll wonder how you handled heavy wood without it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Melatv 792 Posted July 30, 2021 A Pulp Hook is handy to have Search Results for pulp hook - Home Hardware 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slowindown 494 Posted July 30, 2021 (edited) Well this was in front of the garage when I got home. The red handle is solid fiberglass all the way through. The steel is heavy gauge. Seems solid. There's two places the hook can go. It's in the far back one in the pic. Everything is removable with wing nuts. Edited July 30, 2021 by slowindown 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fishfiles 20,145 Posted July 30, 2021 58 minutes ago, Melatv said: A Pulp Hook is handy to have Search Results for pulp hook - Home Hardware I see them at the flea markets all the time , I got one hanging on the patio , I called them hay or cotton balers , actually sunk a boat with one of them , long story 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TBRider 1,407 Posted July 30, 2021 1 hour ago, Melatv said: A Pulp Hook is handy to have Search Results for pulp hook - Home Hardware I just noticed I lost mine on the trail in the long grass, I'll probably find it in the spring.... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_Wilson_™ 6,567 Posted July 31, 2021 2 hours ago, Fishfiles said: I see them at the flea markets all the time , I got one hanging on the patio , I called them hay or cotton balers , actually sunk a boat with one of them , long story i think your talking this ? this is used for Cotten, hay hooks are shorter, i have some hay hooks, over in the small shop, but we always just used the strings on square bales but i believe back in the day they used wire, which was much worse on the hands, and the bails were packed extra tight, because that's all farmers etc had to feed in the winter, on the plus side you have much less loss / spoilage with square bales then with round bales.... ah the changing times.... some good, some not so good, but with help ... being hard to find square baling has slowly become a thing of the past, except for specialties like alfalfa, and straw ... etc, people don't wont to do that hard all day long work any longer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_Wilson_™ 6,567 Posted August 3, 2021 @slowindown while we're on the subject of handling logs you might also look into the fiskars ax line..... retro, and shade turned me onto them, and by far the best ax i have ever owned ... makes hand splitting chopping and limbing so easy! been doing firewood off and on at the age of 15 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slowindown 494 Posted August 4, 2021 1 hour ago, _Wilson_™ said: @slowindown while we're on the subject of handling logs you might also look into the fiskars ax line..... retro, and shade turned me onto them, and by far the best ax i have ever owned ... makes hand splitting chopping and limbing so easy! been doing firewood off and on at the age of 15 yes I’ve seen those and think I would like one. By the way, I cut a few trees this weekend. The pickaroon I made was very useful. Extremely useful actually. The cant hook i bought is fairly heavy duty and will be mostly used as the Stihl one in the video above for getting the log up for cutting. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites