Pulp Wood Hook

[BJN644]

As far as the pulp hooks go, the one I like best has a replaceable tip. It's much sharper and is great for handling splits because you can stick it in the wood in any position, with the grain or across. I'll never go back to the conventional style again. The pickaroon is also great, especially for unloading a pick up truck.

I bought both from Labonville.

Labonville

 

[fyrwoodguy]

i cannot imagine going out to cut firewood,or doing any firewood detail with out my pulp hook.....no hook....no work! how simple.

the wooden handle one hanging with the orange ones is called a pickeroon.another type of wood hook.

 

[LLigetfa]

The pickeroons I've seen have a long axe handle and the head has an eye similar to that of an axe. I had a real nice one but it walked away. Where I worked at one time, we had a blacksmith making them and he made them with an eye as long as what an axe has. Despite them giving us shin guards, there were too many guys spearing themselves in the foot or shin and so they outlawed them, forcing us to use longer pike poles.

What they have in the stores around here use such a short eye that they always wiggle loose under heavy use. Had one of those also and it too walked away. If you want to keep your tools, you can't have kids or friends.

 

[henfruit]

what do you mean by the eye on the pick aroon?

 

[LLigetfa]

The hole through the head that the handle goes through.

 

[fyrwoodguy]

The pickeroons I've seen have a long axe handle and the head has an eye similar to that of an axe. I had a real nice one but it walked away. Where I worked at one time, we had a blacksmith making them and he made them with an eye as long as what an axe has. Despite them giving us shin guards, there were too many guys spearing themselves in the foot or shin and so they outlawed them, forcing us to use longer pike poles.

What they have in the stores around here use such a short eye that they always wiggle loose under heavy use. Had one of those also and it too walked away. If you want to keep your tools, you can't have kids or friends.

yes your right, i've lost all my pickeroon's except one in picture. kids/friends /thiefs

 

[Gooserider]

What I find interesting is that the pulp-hooks have tips that are a very careful balance, sharp enough to go into a log and stick, but they don't seem to go into skin if you miss the log and whack yourself - but they do raise one heck of a knot - definitely a "Don't do that again" lesson :red:

I've also found (the hard way) that there seem to be two different weights on the replaceable tips - a standard duty, and a heavy duty - My friend that got me into the hooks has standard tips and the hooks I bought have the heavy duty tips - I have been told that the standard duty tips will break occasionally (and yes the shape of the tip DOES matter!) but I find they stick into the wood much better - less effort needed to sink the hook enough that the barb will pick up the round.... The other big thing to remember about wood hooks is to keep track of them around wheeled vehicles - running one over will probably ruin a tire far beyond any hope of repair...

Also a side note - a Peavy and a Cant Hook are two slightly different tools, though which one is better is mostly a matter of personal preference. The Peavy has a spike point on the end, which I understand was used mostly in the days of floating logs to help pry jams apart, and when pushing / pulling logs. The Cant Hook has a smooth end, with (usually) a spike on the side that matches up with the curved pivoting hook that both tools have. It was supposedly designed more for use in rolling logs around on the ground...

My personal favorite is a "felling lever" which is a useful tool for making trees fall over, but also combines a mini-cant hook with a pry-bar that works well in chainsaw kerfs... It's smaller and lighter than most of the standard cant hooks, but gives just enough oomph to be useful, while not being a pain to haul around.

Gooserider

 

[Spikem]

What I find interesting is that the pulp-hooks have tips that are a very careful balance, sharp enough to go into a log and stick, but they don't seem to go into skin if you miss the log and whack yourself - but they do raise one heck of a knot - definitely a "Don't do that again" lesson :red:

I've also found (the hard way) that there seem to be two different weights on the replaceable tips - a standard duty, and a heavy duty - My friend that got me into the hooks has standard tips and the hooks I bought have the heavy duty tips - I have been told that the standard duty tips will break occasionally (and yes the shape of the tip DOES matter!) but I find they stick into the wood much better - less effort needed to sink the hook enough that the barb will pick up the round.... The other big thing to remember about wood hooks is to keep track of them around wheeled vehicles - running one over will probably ruin a tire far beyond any hope of repair...

Also a side note - a Peavy and a Cant Hook are two slightly different tools, though which one is better is mostly a matter of personal preference. The Peavy has a spike point on the end, which I understand was used mostly in the days of floating logs to help pry jams apart, and when pushing / pulling logs. The Cant Hook has a smooth end, with (usually) a spike on the side that matches up with the curved pivoting hook that both tools have. It was supposedly designed more for use in rolling logs around on the ground...

My personal favorite is a "felling lever" which is a useful tool for making trees fall over, but also combines a mini-cant hook with a pry-bar that works well in chainsaw kerfs... It's smaller and lighter than most of the standard cant hooks, but gives just enough oomph to be useful, while not being a pain to haul around.

Gooserider

A question in regard to the difference - and use - of a peavey versus a cant hook. Why would the cant hook be a better tool for the dry ground versus the peavey for the water? (I know I need one or the other as the simple pry bar I've been using just doesn't cut it and I want to make the right decision.)

BTW, thanks for providing what is proving to be educational!

 

[Gooserider]

What I find interesting is that the pulp-hooks have tips that are a very careful balance, sharp enough to go into a log and stick, but they don't seem to go into skin if you miss the log and whack yourself - but they do raise one heck of a knot - definitely a "Don't do that again" lesson :red:

I've also found (the hard way) that there seem to be two different weights on the replaceable tips - a standard duty, and a heavy duty - My friend that got me into the hooks has standard tips and the hooks I bought have the heavy duty tips - I have been told that the standard duty tips will break occasionally (and yes the shape of the tip DOES matter!) but I find they stick into the wood much better - less effort needed to sink the hook enough that the barb will pick up the round.... The other big thing to remember about wood hooks is to keep track of them around wheeled vehicles - running one over will probably ruin a tire far beyond any hope of repair...

Also a side note - a Peavy and a Cant Hook are two slightly different tools, though which one is better is mostly a matter of personal preference. The Peavy has a spike point on the end, which I understand was used mostly in the days of floating logs to help pry jams apart, and when pushing / pulling logs. The Cant Hook has a smooth end, with (usually) a spike on the side that matches up with the curved pivoting hook that both tools have. It was supposedly designed more for use in rolling logs around on the ground...

My personal favorite is a "felling lever" which is a useful tool for making trees fall over, but also combines a mini-cant hook with a pry-bar that works well in chainsaw kerfs... It's smaller and lighter than most of the standard cant hooks, but gives just enough oomph to be useful, while not being a pain to haul around.

Gooserider

A question in regard to the difference - and use - of a peavey versus a cant hook. Why would the cant hook be a better tool for the dry ground versus the peavey for the water? (I know I need one or the other as the simple pry bar I've been using just doesn't cut it and I want to make the right decision.)

BTW, thanks for providing what is proving to be educational!

Glad to help out...

This is an interesting article on the two tools from Rural Heritage. As it's pointed out, in modern useage, the tools are pretty much interchangable - both work and it's largely a matter of personal preference to choose between them.

On land, some will argue that the Peavy is better because the spike end is easier to work between a log and an obstacle or into a pile of logs to lever with, others will say that the cant hook is better because the lack of a spike makes it possible to get a bite further under the log... "You pays your penny and takes your chances..." I've used both styles a little bit, and wouldn't say that I have a strong preference for one or the other. I do note that the various "Timberjack" style units I've seen appear to be based on a cant-hook design.

(I will say that I've used one of the timber jacks and think they're a waste of money - far faster to work the length of a log cutting 75% or so through it at each stove length, then rotate the log and work back to finish cutting the rounds. With the timberjack I was having to reposition every cut or two, much more of a PITA)

On floating logs it was obvious that the Peavey had an advantage because you could use the spike to stab into and get a better bite on a log that you were trying to push or pull along, but stabbing a log on dry land usually doesn't make it move...

Gooserider

 

[Woodrat]

What I find interesting is that the pulp-hooks have tips that are a very careful balance, sharp enough to go into a log and stick, but they don't seem to go into skin if you miss the log and whack yourself - but they do raise one heck of a knot - definitely a "Don't do that again" lesson :red:

I've also found (the hard way) that there seem to be two different weights on the replaceable tips - a standard duty, and a heavy duty - My friend that got me into the hooks has standard tips and the hooks I bought have the heavy duty tips - I have been told that the standard duty tips will break occasionally-- (and yes the shape of the tip DOES matter!) Gooserider

- -After having a pulp hook I was using bounce off a frozen oak log and bury itself in my shinbone-- I was told by my saw& equipment supplier that there are "summer" & "winter" tips for the hooks, sure enough, the "winter" one is better at handling frozen wood that the other ( if you forget to change back in the warm weather, you'll find that the hook sinks too far into wood & tends to get stuck.

--Woodrat

 

[Green Mtn Boy]

I use two...keeps my hands dry and also helps my back. They sometimes don't hold well it cold weather.