Oxfordshire Woodland Group

A finished hewn cranked tie beam needed to be lifted and moved across the top of the hewn timber pile to make way for the next log to be brought in for hewing. This is potentially quite a dangerous task when working alone since cranked beams are liable to rotate uncontrollably due to their offset centre of gravity. The humble £40 ratchet jack is an excellent tool that can be used to raise a log without the need to insert hands between logs.

Once the cranked tie beam is jacked above the top of the timber pile then an ash pole is inserted under the beam and then the jack can be removed and moved to the other end of the beam where the same process is repeated.

The beam can then be slid across the timber pile on the ash poles and then lowered down into position using the ratchet jack.

Cranked beams should be laid flat (on their sides) or if space is at a premium the these can be rotated hump upwards and then a packer placed under the centre of the beam to prevent rotation of the beam leaving a space betwen each beam to permit air flow and hence reduce the possibility of mould staining of the damp surfaces of recently hewn green logs.

Ken Hume OWG