Calder and Hebble hand spike for locks

[hillbilly]

Can anyone tell me if this hand spike should be squared at the end or round?????

[magpie patrick]

Can anyone tell me if this hand spike should be squared at the end or round?????

squared, approx 3 by 2 (inches to avoid confusion)

[Lady Muck]

and use hard wood, we had softwood (builders yard had run out) some of the cogs are very stiff, we ended up splitting ours on our first day on this canal! I agree it is better to make one, we totally failed to find anywhere that sold them!

[DHutch]

We also didnt find any sold, but made so with a peice of driftwood we onboard destined for kindling.

- That was about 2*2inch softwood, which worked, but was a loose fit compaired to a peice of 3*2 but seamed strong enough.

- We only went from the huderfeild broad to ledgard bridge and then back and up the rochdale, for which hardwood would have seamed a waste.

- Square shaft, with a squaured off end is what you want to be making.

 

 

Daniel

[RichardH]

BW used to sell excellent ones from their office in Castleford until they knocked it down

 

I have no idea now where to obtain pre-made ones.

[Matthew Dowson]

Surely Shirecruisers at Sowerby Bridge would sell one?

[Chris J W]

Aspley Marina at Aspley Basin in Huddersfield sell them.

 

Can't remember how much, though.

[Lady Muck]

Everywhere we asked for them either didn't sell them or had sold out. The lockies on the Aire and Calder usually sell them, but had sold out too.

[Mac of Cygnet]

I'm on my third handspike, all home-made. One was a square-section steel rod (part of my old market stall) - finally bent at Cromwell lock, which also saw off one of the others. A slight taper at the business end helps to remove it from the paddle gear and let the paddle drop. Don't make it too short-you need a lot of leverage sometimes.

 

Mac

[Mister Allnut]

We bought ours at the BW office by the Clarence Basin. Great to walk through Leeds with to do the shopping and have a pint!

[AlanH]

Can anyone tell me if this hand spike should be squared at the end or round?????

Bit of 3" x 2" for the business end tapered to round for the handle end at least a metre long. I used oak.

[Bobbybass]

Hi...

 

Mr ignorant here..

 

What is a hand spike used for....?

 

Do I need one....?

 

Should I have had one before...?

 

Am I short of one....?

 

Signed : Insecure

[Chris J W]

Here you go ... Great Bit On Martin's Website.

[Big COL]

Hi...

 

Mr ignorant here..

 

What is a hand spike used for....?

 

Do I need one....?

 

Should I have had one before...?

 

Am I short of one....?

 

Signed : Insecure

 

Like a baseball bat but square at one end. I would have thought a pickaxe handle would be ideal.

[Lady Muck]

We locked through with a guy that swore by a mahogany table leg that he'd found at the tip. I have to say it worked a treat!

[Bobbybass]

Here you go ... Great Bit On Martin's Website.

 

Hi Chris..

Thanks for the speedy reply and the really informative link..

I have a 60 footer...so the info on the locks is really useful..

 

Thanks again....

 

Bob

[Matthew Dowson]

When passing them up in locks sometimes I was thinking .... very heavy I hope it don't drop on me head.

[WotEver]

When passing them up in locks sometimes I was thinking .... very heavy I hope it don't drop on me head.

So you practised the Spanish approach to H&S - It's heavy, this would hurt if I dropped it. I won't drop it.

 

Yeah?

[Chertsey]

Aspley Marina at Aspley Basin in Huddersfield sell them.

 

Can't remember how much, though.

I paid a tenner for mine, there, in 2006. Beautiful hardwood thing.

This was of course *after* we'd come back from the C&H, though I slept with it by the bed. Offensive weapon officer? Surely not.