Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 28

Thread: Cant hook

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    27,756

    Default Cant hook

    I was given a sort of challenge in another forum that it wouldn't be worth making one of these - anyway, here it is.



    The overall length is 62" - the intention is to move/roll bigger logs and slabs around with this one.



    The steel collars and protective sleeve are made from bits of 2" diameter water pipe. the hook was cut from a 1/2" slab of steel found inside an X-ray machine in the skip at work.

    Handle is cut from a piece of 50 x 100 mm karri, cut down to 50 x 70 and then tapered into rough shape on a TS, Finally shaping was with a HSS blade spokeshave and then finally a hand scraper. This took a looong time, made lots of shavings, very theraputic even if karri is a PITA to work.

    The most expensive material used was the $3.50 half can of spray paint, followed by $2.50 for the 1/2" tensile steel bolt and $1.50 for the karri for the handle. Don't ask me how long it took but I figure I was probably working for about $15 an hour! It can't have been too traumatic as I am making a smaller one, 48" long one for moving smaller logs, beams and slabs around.

    Cheers

  2. # ADS
    Google Adsense Advertisement
    Join Date
    Always
    Location
    Advertising world
    Posts
    Many





     
  3. #2
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Pakenham, outer Melb SE suburb, Vic
    Age
    54
    Posts
    4,158

    Default

    Nice work, Bob, & well finished too


    The beatings will continue until morale improves.

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    East Warburton, Vic
    Age
    54
    Posts
    14,138

    Default

    Looks very neat Bob, have you tried it out yet? Do you think it won't need some form of spike or grippers at the end of the handle?
    Cheers

    DJ


    ADMIN

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Toowoomba Qld.
    Age
    64
    Posts
    2,792

    Default

    Good work as usual Bob! I made one a couple of months back, much rougher and just a trial piece...didn't post a pic because it was a real scrubber! It did work, but a real effort... which was mainly pressing the spike that djstimber mentions into the log with my boot, and fiercely too. If I didn't do that the whole thing just slipped around the log. Obviously it doesn't have the right geometry, and all I could think of at the time was to allow for adjustment up and down the pole for the swinging hook (logs various sizes). All sounded too hard, so I got the neighbour's tractor and scull-dragged the buggers around with a chain!
    Anyway, yours looks good, please let us know how it goes.

    Cheers
    Andy Mac
    Change is inevitable, growth is optional.

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Silverdale
    Age
    67
    Posts
    194

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Andy Mac View Post
    It did work, but a real effort... which was mainly pressing the spike that djstimber mentions into the log with my boot, and fiercely too. If I didn't do that the whole thing just slipped around the log. Obviously it doesn't have the right geometry,
    They normally have a 'flat" behind the hook so you can give em a belt with the back of your axe if necessary to get it to bite into the wood. When used on green wood this is generally not necessary if , as you say, the geometry of the hook is OK.

    Bob K
    __________________________________________
    A closed mouth gathers no feet. Anon 2009

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    27,756

    Default

    I have no fear of giving this hook a good belt with the back of an axe to get it to stick.

    I haven't tried it on a real log yet, that will have to wait until saturday. I just checked the strength/bend of the handle as a lever and it lifted the front (heavier) end of my mitsubushi van off the ground as easy as pie and without any noticeable bend. Regarding a spike on the handle, - I presume you mean at the the tip where it touches the tree? If so it will often be a part of the sleeve that touches the tree rather that the tip so I don't know how useful a spike will be will be. I probably should have tried it out before wasting my time painting it - but it's no biggie to weld a point on the end and squirt some more paint on afterwards. The sheer weight of whole thing plus the nose of the steel collar on the tip should be able to easily gouge a groove in pretty much any bark for the sleeve to sit in to stop it sliding around. It may be more of a problem with handling naked timber slabs.

    I don't really need the hook when I work in the yard as I have access to a forklift/bobcat thingo but occasionally it's being used for something else so I'm hoping the hook will save me some time. For example, when I cut a big slab I slide it off down the side of the log edge onto a sack trolley and move it to one side before getting on with the next one. If that slab falls to the ground, just lifting it to a point where I can get the sack trolley underneath is a PITA. The hook should allow me to easily lift it to a pont where I can kick a bit of wood underneath so that I can then get the sacktrolley underneath it.

    I can see the hook being more useful milling when I get into some quarter sawing or when/where I have no access to machinery.

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    aust
    Posts
    151

    Default

    very good job . i spent 3 months looking for one should have taken your lead and made one but metalwork is not my thing .my hook is made by stihl not big enough for the job , but use it every day, yours looks about right.
    Old cant hooks i have seen had a metal ring on the end of the hook so the handle was adjustable for thoses really big logs .

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    27,756

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by jmaxwell View Post
    very good job . i spent 3 months looking for one should have taken your lead and made one but metalwork is not my thing .my hook is made by stihl not big enough for the job , but use it every day, yours looks about right.
    Yeah I get the impression that the regular commerical hooks are made more for handling smaller or softwood logs and wouldn't be up to dealing with the gnarly hardwoods I normally play with, that's why I made mine so chunky - I want to make sure it really stays together.

    Quote Originally Posted by jmaxwell View Post
    Old cant hooks i have seen had a metal ring on the end of the hook so the handle was adjustable for thoses really big logs .
    I have seen those and the might have a go at making one of them some time.

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    27,756

    Default

    Took the Cant hook to the milling yard today. It works great even on small logs although being so large its a bit clumsy and will be good to have a smaller one as well - I'm working on that in the shed. Excellent on bigger logs, should stand me in good stead when I have no forklift access.

    I observed it already has that finger protection thing built into it because the hook cannot rotate all the way back and hit the handle or ones fingers.

    Although I have forklift access in the yard the logs are not always in the right orientation for milling when I place them on the supporting gluts. Just before I drop the forks I can rotate the log exactly into the right orientation using the cant hook and all is good. The yard owner turns logs by doing this crafty "pancake flip thing" with the log on the ends of the fork - well beyound my skilf level.

    The other thing I did was test the handle. Here's me placing my full 120+ kgs on the handle - it seemed to bend maybe 1/4 -> 1/2 inch - otherwise all good.



    In review, although it's probably too a touch too heavy it's working well.

  11. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    27,756

    Default Introducing the "Cant Dragon"

    Using my Cant hook I noticed that one has to be very close to square onto the log for the pole face part of the hook not to slip on the log. So with this in mind here is what I came up with. I'm calling it the "Cant Dragon".



    Here is a close up of the set of gripping teeth.

    1. The teeth are oriented at an angle to the hook swing so if the handle is not applied square this angle will twist the handle toward being squarer to the log and engage the other parallel set of teeth. Together both should naturally set a square handle.
    2. The teeth themselves are not sharp or designed to cut, just to grip.
    3. The individual tooth angles are oriented such that as one applies torque to the handle the will ratchet up onto the log.

    That's the theory anyway. If it all goes to pot I will grind the teeth down, or off completely and leave a pair of parallel ridges. Point one above should apply (perhaps better) to ridges better than teeth.

    Here's how the dragon compares to the regular hook I made a few weeks ago. The regular hook is 62" long while the dragon is 48" long.


    Cheers

  12. #11
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Kentucky NSW near Tamworth, Australia
    Age
    85
    Posts
    3,737

    Default

    Here is my Cant Hook, Log Roller, Star Post Remover that I purchased at Agquip about four years ago. I paid $100 for it as it was the demo one he was using. The new ones at the time were $130 and these were designed and made by some indigenous guys and were very popular.

    It is ideal to lift a log up out of the dirt to cut it without hitting the dirt with the chainsaw because we have granite soil here one nick in the dirt and you have no edge on the chain saw.

    When using it for log rolling you remove the lug off the hook. The lug is used for pulling star posts out of the ground.

  13. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    27,756

    Default

    Hi Bazza, yeah I've seen those around and am thinking of getting one for small/medium logs. I particularly like the lifting mechanism although I'm not sure about having it there all the time if you just want to move logs. What's your experience with that aspect?

    My experience with cant hooks is, it's not just the size of log that affects what you can move. In theory you should be able to move a large, smooth, cylindrical log on hard ground with a very small hook and short handle - provided of course you can grab hold of the log. However, if you have a burl or branch sticking out of even a small log, or the log is slightly bowed, these things can make a big difference in how easy a logs are to roll. Of course you can cut pff these protruberences but sometimes that is where the most interesting wood is.

    I have a new gizmo in the construction pipeline for lifting logs. It involves a small steel cradle that attaches to the end/underneath of the log and has a square opening in it that accommodates the lifting prong of a hi-lift jack. Basically you roll the log onto a couple of railway sleepers just to get it off the ground then attach the cradle / jack onto the end of the log, insert the jack and off you go, providing suitable back up support (ie large log rounds) as you go up. When you have reached the height required, lower the log back onto the back up support and remove jack. The cradle can be left attached to the underside/end of the log or moved to the other end of the log. I'm doing this because I like to mill on a slope and typically have one end just off the ground, while the starting end is such that the top of the log is around hip height. If it's a log log this may not mean much slope so I often lift the log more after every couple of slabs are cut. Up until now I have been using a car jack but don't like the idea of crawling under a log to put a car jack underneath. Should have it assembeled and ready to show next week.

    A log lifter of the sort you have Barry would be a simple way to get the log initially off the ground to get the jack/cradle under it.

  14. #13
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    aust
    Posts
    151

    Default

    that cant is used to lift fence post offthe ground at one end prior to lifting post to slide in the hole on larger logs that tends to catch on the log apart from that it is a very good tool for fencing removing star pickets rolling post and lifting in position.

  15. #14
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Adelaide, SA
    Posts
    478

    Default

    some one care to post the geometry of one of these cant hooks, or is it a trade secret???

  16. #15
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    27,756

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by salty72 View Post
    some one care to post the geometry of one of these cant hooks, or is it a trade secret???
    There's nothing complicated about it. The hook should be an inch or so shorter that the post it is attached to, and the hook tip should be oriented so that after it bites it won't slip out of the log. While neither have slipped if I were making mine again I would probably give the tip an extra 10º of rotation.
    Last edited by BobL; 14th August 2009 at 08:53 PM.

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. Cant hook / peavey
    By Sigidi in forum HAND TOOLS - POWERED
    Replies: 12
    Last Post: 4th November 2007, 05:52 PM
  2. Square Cup Hook Inserter???
    By MikeTheMaker in forum WOODWORK - GENERAL
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 24th January 2006, 02:27 PM
  3. Muggins an the continuing saga of the TSC-10HB saw
    By Wild Dingo in forum HAND TOOLS - POWERED
    Replies: 39
    Last Post: 21st September 2005, 11:55 PM
  4. wet and dry - hook and loop sandpaper
    By Rowan in forum FINISHING
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 31st December 2004, 11:56 PM
  5. wet and dry - hook and loop sandpaper
    By Rowan in forum WOODWORK - GENERAL
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 31st December 2004, 10:24 AM

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •