Cutting Firewood? You GOTTA get a Pickaroon!

Cutting and handling firewood is no easy task, so getting great tools to make the process more efficient is worth taking a look at! Introducing the pickaroon! We wouldn’t be without this tool!

#firewood #firewoodprocessor #forestryequipment

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We started taking firewood more seriously because we heat our shop with a wood stove. My arborist friend Jason has been bringing by sizable tree trimmings for me to cut up for firewood.

I continue to look for great tools and ways to allow me to process the logs into short sections (called bucks) to be split. Right now, we do the splitting manually, with varying degrees of success, using a splitting axe or wedge and sledgehammer. I hope to get a hydraulic wood splitter someday.

One basic tool we won’t be without for processing firewood is a pickaroon. Never heard of one? I hadn’t either until about a year ago. As you can imagine, there are specialty tools developed for just about any trade, including forestry, woodlot management, and firewood processing. Enter the pickaroon - and its cousin, the hookaroon.

A pickaroon has a curved upward-sloping pick that can easily be driven into a piece of wood to be moved. This effectively gives you a handle to lift and place the wood where you want it - all without having to bend over significantly.

The hookaroon is a heavier tool and is used for larger pieces. It too has a beak of sorts, but it curves downward only and can be driven deeper in easier due to its weight. If you are managing a full woodlot or forest plot, you should have a hookaroon. For now, the pickaroon suits us just fine.

We got our pickaroon from Garrett Wade and is about the size of a medium camping axe. We may add the larger one in the future. But for now, this little tool is a hard worker! The price point is very fair. Here’s the link for it:

https://garrettwade.com/product/small-log-pickaroon

If you are interested in the larger one, here’s the link for that:

https://garrettwade.com/product/large-log-pickaroon

These tools are German-made, with American hardwood handles. I like the fit and finish, and the handle feels right in my hand. The flair at the end of the handle makes it easy to hold and get a good grip when moving a range of firewood pieces.

We really like the tool and think you will too!

JUST DO IT YOURSELF!