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Pickaroon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pickaroon
Two types of hookaroons

A pickaroon (or picaroon) is a typically wood-handled (or other material), metal-topped log handling tool that originates from the Alpine Region where it is called a "Sappie", "Zapin", or "Sapine".[1][2] It is distinguished from a pike pole by having a shorter handle, no metal point, and an opposite curve to its hook (toward the handle rather than away); and from both a cant hook and peavey by having a fixed hook facing its handle rather than a pivoting one facing away.

A pickaroon with a down-turned point on its hook is also known as a hookaroon;[3] one with an axe blade opposite its hook an axaroon, eliminating the need to carry two tools to manage logs.[4]

In the axe collecting hobby, pickaroons can be more expensive, as they are less common than axes and thus are valued at higher prices.[5]

Usage

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The hookaroon was developed so that loggers could hold or drag small logs without bending over and risking back strain. Similarly, the pickaroon was developed so that firewood could be more easily released; the user merely makes a flicking motion to do so.[6] Despite being developed to reduce strain, a study of Turkish loggers found that those who use hookaroons are more likely to have accidents, and hookaroon usage was cited alongside smoking, chainsaw usage, and frequent taking of breaks as a factor in accident occurrences.[7]

Composition

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A hookaroon can be made by taking an axe head and cutting it in half, keeping the ends of each half narrow.[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Extreme How-To Skills - 5 Extreme Tools". Popularmechanics.com. 2011-03-11. Retrieved 2018-07-26. (dead link 11 July 2023)
  2. ^ Bryant, Ralph Clement (1913). Logging: The Principles and General Methods of Operation in the United States (First ed.). New York: Wiley and Sons. p. 498.
  3. ^ "U.P. MI Pickaroons, Hookaroons & a Pike pole". Archived from the original on 2014-12-26. Retrieved 2012-10-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ "Products". Pickaroon.com. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  5. ^ a b McLeod, Brett R (Summer 2020). "The Handy Hookaroon". Northern Woodlands.
  6. ^ McLeod, Brett R (Winter 2022). "What's This Tool For? A Look at Loggin Tools of Yesterday". Northern Woodlands.
  7. ^ Enez, Korhan (2014). "An evaluation of the occupational accidents among logging workers within the boundaries of Trabzon Forestry Directorate, Turkey". International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics. 44 (5): 621–628.
  8. ^ "Of Malts and Men". Sharp Magazine. Contempo Media. July 2008. Retrieved 2012-11-01.
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