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Name that tool

| Posted in General Discussion on October 24, 2001 04:14am

*
Did you ever wonder where a tools name came from?

Please tell me about a bastard file or a cold chisel.

I’d also like to hear yours.

b Tight lines, Terry

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Replies

  1. Mike_Maines_ | Oct 21, 2001 06:05pm | #1

    *
    Cant dog.

    1. Ron_Teti | Oct 21, 2001 06:38pm | #2

      *alot of tool names came from the companies that invented/ made them cresent wrench is really a adj. open end wrench, vise grips are locking pliers, but i think "vise" was invented by some hooker

      1. George_Ivins | Oct 21, 2001 08:40pm | #3

        *Terry, If I'm not mistaken the terms for files are derived by the type/set of the teeth; mill- smooth bastard-coarse As far as "cold" chisel, I seem to remember waaay back in shop class '71, its the type of steel used to cast the chisel. I made three that year and actually still have 2 of them in with the rest of the meatl projects made in that class. Hope this helps. Cold cyber BEERS to all! GEO BTW Terry are you a fisherman/crew a charter boat? "TIGHT LINES?/ CLEAN TRANSOMS!

        1. Terry_Smiley | Oct 21, 2001 09:28pm | #4

          *Fly fisherman, George But I think it applies to construction work as well.Thanks for the answer.Fish on!Terry

          1. Luka_ | Oct 21, 2001 10:07pm | #5

            *That one's easy.Main Entry: cantFunction: nounEtymology: Middle English cante edge, probably from Middle Dutch or Old North French; Middle Dutch, edge, corner, from Old North French, from Latin canthus, cantus iron tire, perh. of Celtic origin; akin to Welsh cant rim; perhaps akin to Greek kanthos corner of the eyeDate: 16031 obsolete : CORNER, NICHE2 : an external angle (as of a building)3 : a log with one or more squared sides4 a : an oblique or slanting surface b : INCLINATION, SLOPEA cant dog is usualy set at a slight angle. A lot of them used to be simply squared off branches from trees.

          2. Mike_Maines_ | Oct 22, 2001 12:02am | #6

            *Luka, is a Peavy the same exact tool, a brand name, or what?

          3. Luka_ | Oct 22, 2001 12:15am | #7

            *A peavy is a short, (about 4 to 5 feet long) fat wooden handle with a pointed steel head on it. A steel hook swivels out from this head. The tool is used for rolling logs.

          4. p_m | Oct 22, 2001 12:20am | #8

            *The cold chisel comes from blacksmithing operations. It is used for working on cold [i.e. room temperature] metal as opposed to working on red hot metal.I like to store mine in my freezer. -Peter

          5. piffin_ | Oct 22, 2001 12:35am | #9

            *The cant is a two pointed iron for holding the log in place or "dogging" it in. Usually set at an angle between it and the cribbing below it. The Peavey is, like Luka said, a pointed tool for handling logs with a pointed arm extending. John Peavey invented the one with a swiveling arm while the fixed arm one predates it.Would a cant-ilever come from the same root word as cant used above? We used to install cant strips for built up flat roof work to flash parapet walls. an angled piece to break that 90 degree angle into two 45's

          6. Luka_ | Oct 22, 2001 12:39am | #10

            *That's a lumber worker's cant. The 'cant dog' that I am thinking about is a certain kind of dog used in a woodworker's benchtop.

          7. piffin_ | Oct 22, 2001 12:45am | #11

            *Same thing - just smaller

          8. Luka_ | Oct 22, 2001 01:07am | #12

            *LOLThere's a joke in there somewhere, but I ain't going in there.b : )

          9. piffin_ | Oct 22, 2001 01:14am | #13

            *LMAO

          10. Mike_Maines_ | Oct 22, 2001 04:47am | #14

            *Working in the woods with my dad as a kid, he'd use the names "peavey" or "cant dog" to describe what sounds like a peavey. I know the u-shaped pin for clamping boards is a dog, and a fire dog holds up logs for burning. I'm still not clear what a cant dog LOOKS like. Is it just a bigger version of the woodworker's dog? (Not the black lab, the other one!)

          11. Mike_Maines_ | Oct 22, 2001 04:54am | #15

            *Ah, finally got smart and checked in Eric Sloan's "Sketches of America Past" (excellent book, BTW). Here's his illustration of a dog and cant dog:

          12. Rich_ | Oct 22, 2001 05:08am | #16

            *The dog shown on the right of the illustration has another function. In wooden boatbuilding these act as pincers to close gaps between planks on a hull. The "ears" on the dog are sloped on the inside and as they are driven into the wood they close the gap.

          13. Nanuk_ | Oct 22, 2001 05:13am | #17

            *Okay, might be getting myself in deep here, but I thought I'd give a response. A cant dog to me is used to stabalize a log you are working on, such as draw knifing it. I believe there are 2 types,but I can't remember what each of them are for. If I remember correctly, the two are different depending on if you are securing the two logs which are level with each other, or securing them stacked such as in a log home. Not sure. And cant hooks and peaveys are exactly the same, except the peavey has a pointed end and the cant hook is blunt, but both have the same hook that comes down to dig into the log. I'll be anxiously awaiting correction or ridicule if I have erred in any way.

          14. Ralph_Wicklund | Oct 22, 2001 05:23am | #18

            *Here ya go - History lesson 101http://www.ruralheritage.com/logging_camp/peavey.htm

          15. Nanuk_ | Oct 22, 2001 05:29am | #19

            *Okay, might be getting myself in deep here, but I thought I'd give a response. A cant dog to me is used to stabalize a log you are working on, such as draw knifing it. I believe there are 2 types,but I can't remember what each of them are for. If I remember correctly, the two are different depending on if you are securing the two logs which are level with each other, or securing them stacked such as in a log home. Not sure. And cant hooks and peaveys are exactly the same, except the peavey has a pointed end and the cant hook is blunt, but both have the same hook that comes down to dig into the log. I'll be anxiously awaiting correction or ridicule if I have erred in any way.

          16. Andy_Engel_ | Oct 22, 2001 02:19pm | #20

            *Luka, are you hiding an OED in your trailer?

          17. r__ignacki | Oct 22, 2001 11:03pm | #21

            *Monkey Wrench?

          18. Mike_Maines_ | Oct 23, 2001 01:25am | #22

            *A wrench for grease monkeys?

          19. piffin_ | Oct 23, 2001 01:40am | #23

            *Thanks Ralph, " In 1858, Joseph Peavey, a blacksmith in Stillwater, Maine, made a rigid clasp to encircle the cant dog handle with the hook on one side. It moved up and down, but not sideways.All loggers have used it ever since."But slap my face and call me silly - I was wrong about the cant dog

          20. CaseyR_ | Oct 23, 2001 06:08am | #24

            *Monkey wrench - Most references credit Charles Moncke with inventing the "Monkey Wrench", although the following raises an interesting aspect:"Monkey wrench -- A monkey wrench is a wrench with a fixed jaw and an adjustable jaw set at right angles to the handle. Tradition says it was first devised by a London blacksmith named Charles Moncke, Moncke changing to monkey by folk derivation. A difficulty with this theory, as Mencken has pointed out, is that the British call a monkey wrench a spanner. In 1932-33, the Boston Transcript traced the invention to 1856, crediting it to a Yankee named Monk, employed by the firm of Bemis and Call in Springfield, Massachusetts." http://www.windridge.com/stevesq-truth.htmlJohan Petter Johansson is credited with inventing the first pipe wrench and also an adjustable wrench that is similar to, but preceeded the Crescent wrench and became the Barco wrench (good wrenches, I have a couple and prefer them to Crescent wrenches for most purposes).Bastard file: "Bastard file, a file intermediate between the coarsest and the second cut." Haven't found the derivation, however.

          21. Luka_ | Oct 23, 2001 06:30am | #25

            *Whatsa OED ?Old Educational Diaphram ?Online Eugenics Diatribe ?Over Earth Diatimus ?Ogre Eaters Day ?Orange European Dingo ?Outland Eustation Dugout ?Onager Egg Dartboard ?

          22. CaseyR_ | Oct 23, 2001 06:54pm | #26

            *Luka, surely you jest. OED is, of course, the Oxford English Dictionary - held by many to be the definitive reference for the definition of English words. It is particularly noted for its rather thorough history of each word. The standard OED is a 20 volume set. Amazon has what they say is a limited number available at only $995 for the set (they say the retail price is $3,000). There is also a Compact OED that is, I believe, abridged and is printed in such small type that it requires a magnifying glass to read. That one is only $273 from Amazon. I don't know if the Amazon web URLs are somehow unique to me (and my cookies) but if you want to try, they are:Amazon - OED CompactAmazon - OED 20 Vol. setThe OED also has a web site that until recently allowed access to definitions for free. They now require a paid subscription to access the definitions. http://www.oed.com

          23. Luka_ | Oct 23, 2001 07:24pm | #27

            *No jest.

          24. Art_B. | Oct 23, 2001 08:47pm | #28

            *Cant dog -- wasn't the name of the Scottie pooch Liz Tudor tried to breed?

          25. Mike_Shultz | Oct 23, 2001 09:45pm | #29

            *Jackhammer. Used to refer to an air powered rock drill (the original roto-hammer). Now people use this term to refer to a pavement breaker. In my area a 4# hammer is a single jack, an 8# hammer is a double jack, and a 12# hammer is a tripple jack. So it would seem that a jackhammer would be a hammer-hammer.

          26. piffin_ | Oct 24, 2001 01:00am | #30

            *Don't forget the removable bull-prick

          27. r__ignacki | Oct 24, 2001 01:12am | #31

            *Yankee screwdriver. Does that mean there is such thing as a confederate screwdriver?

          28. piffin_ | Oct 24, 2001 01:15am | #32

            *Yeah, it's called a hammer.

          29. piffin_ | Oct 24, 2001 01:16am | #33

            *Ooops! I thought you said conterfeit screwdriver

          30. r__ignacki | Oct 24, 2001 01:59am | #34

            *Confederate screwdriver- vodka, oj, & southern comfort

          31. Rich_Beckman | Oct 24, 2001 04:14am | #35

            *I don't know about the current edition, but myi Compact Edition Of The Oxford English Dictionary,1971, says "Complete Text Reproduced Micrographically".It is not abridged, but the magnifying glass (which came with it) is useful.Rich Beckman

  2. Terry_Smiley | Oct 24, 2001 04:14am | #36

    *
    Did you ever wonder where a tools name came from?

    Please tell me about a bastard file or a cold chisel.

    I'd also like to hear yours.

    b Tight lines, Terry

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