lever with an adjustable hook and having a blunt end instead of a spike. Used for handling and rolling logs (contrast with peavey).
.png)
A cant hook or cant dog is a traditional logging tool consisting of a wooden lever handle with a movable metal hook called a dog at one end, used for handling and turning logs and cants, especially in sawmills. A peavey or peavey hook is similar, but has a spike in the end of the handle, whereas a cant dog has a blunt end or possibly small teeth for friction.
A peavey is generally from 30 to 50 inches (0.76 to 1.27 metres) long, with a metal spike protruding from the end. The spike is rammed into a log, then a hook (at the end of an arm attached to a pivot a short distance up the handle) grabs the log at a second location. Once engaged, the handle gives the operator leverage to roll or slide or float the log to a new position. The peavey was named for blacksmith Joseph Peavey of Upper Stillwater, Maine, who invented the tool as a refinement to the cant hook in the 1850s. Many lumberjacks use the terms interchangeably. The Peavey Manufacturing Co. is still located in Eddington, Maine and manufactures several variations.