Leaf Spring Garden Trowel
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"Over the years I've made dozens of these tools for family and friends. They're virtually indestructible," says James Olds, Pleasant Hill, Tenn., who recently sent FARM SHOW photos of garden trowels he makes out of automotive leaf springs.
He starts with a leaf spring that has a slight arc to it and tapers down to a sharp edge to serve as the trowel's blade. He cuts a few inches off the end of the spring and then welds a water pipe onto it to form a handle. He flattens the last inch of the pipe, and then welds both the front and back sides of the pipe where it overlaps the spring. If the pipe isn't already threaded he cuts threads into one end, then slides a foam handle grip over the pipe and screws on an end cap to make the tool more comfortable on the hand.
"I came up with the idea because my wife is an avid gardener, and over the years I bought her a variety of the best trowels I could find. However, she always ended up bending or breaking them. I decided to make her a trowel that would last," says Olds. "She uses the trowel to dig holes when planting flowers and to dig out any plants that she wants to move. She also uses it to remove weeds, to edge around flower beds, and to pry out stones, stumps, and roots. She hasn't bent or broken one of my trowels yet."
The foam grip tended to slide down the handle. To solve the problem he paints the handle, slides the grip on, and then lets the paint dry.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, James Olds, Jr., P.O. Box 335, 133 Evergreen Place, Pleasant Hill, Tenn. 38578 (ph 931 277-5053; joldsjr@frontiernet.net).
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Leaf Spring Garden Trowel FARM HOME Miscellaneous 34-5-32 "Over the years I've made dozens of these tools for family and friends. They're virtually indestructible," says James Olds, Pleasant Hill, Tenn., who recently sent FARM SHOW photos of garden trowels he makes out of automotive leaf springs.
He starts with a leaf spring that has a slight arc to it and tapers down to a sharp edge to serve as the trowel's blade. He cuts a few inches off the end of the spring and then welds a water pipe onto it to form a handle. He flattens the last inch of the pipe, and then welds both the front and back sides of the pipe where it overlaps the spring. If the pipe isn't already threaded he cuts threads into one end, then slides a foam handle grip over the pipe and screws on an end cap to make the tool more comfortable on the hand.
"I came up with the idea because my wife is an avid gardener, and over the years I bought her a variety of the best trowels I could find. However, she always ended up bending or breaking them. I decided to make her a trowel that would last," says Olds. "She uses the trowel to dig holes when planting flowers and to dig out any plants that she wants to move. She also uses it to remove weeds, to edge around flower beds, and to pry out stones, stumps, and roots. She hasn't bent or broken one of my trowels yet."
The foam grip tended to slide down the handle. To solve the problem he paints the handle, slides the grip on, and then lets the paint dry.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, James Olds, Jr., P.O. Box 335, 133 Evergreen Place, Pleasant Hill, Tenn. 38578 (ph 931 277-5053; joldsjr@frontiernet.net).
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