Choice of cuttings
How to choose a cutting? Classic - wooden. It can be inexpensive and not very practical wood, or it can be strong and high quality, for example, eucalyptus. The alternative is again metal and plastic. By the way, plastics, or to be more precise, high-tech polymers, are gradually conquering the consumer market. The reason for their popularity is lightness, strength, absence of knots, they are not afraid of moisture.
What is a shovel made of? Shank and cutting part. There are a number of criteria for choosing a shovel handle:
- the material from which it was made. For bayonet types, as a rule, cuttings made of wood are used, and for modern shovels they are often used from different plastics or from lightweight aluminum. Also extremely popular are shovels with a metal type of stainless steel handle. There should be no chipping, knots, wormholes and any cracks on the wooden ones. In terms of quality, hardwoods are in the lead: birch, ash, alder;
- a shape that is usually straight, but shovel types can differ in curved or humped cuttings or have a handle at the end for more comfortable work;
- the diameter can be different: from 34 to 40 mm;
- the length is also selected individually. Standard cutting lengths range from 900 to 1400 mm.
Choosing a cutting
One of the most important parameters when choosing a shovel is the selection of the metal part
First of all, you need to pay attention to the stiffening ribs on the working part. They are guaranteed to extend the life of the shovel, as well as provide the most lightweight and low-cost process of dumping soil (it will stick to a lesser extent)
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It is better to sharpen the cutting edge for a specific job: digging up the soil with grass, cutting the roots. Another important point is the sharpening of the shovel. It can be done with a grinder. When it comes to storage, remember that the instrument should be kept clean and dry in order for it to serve for many years. Also, to extend the life of the instrument, you need:
- clean the shovel after work, since organic matter and moisture are the main source of oxidation, in other words, they provoke corrosion of the metal part, which leads to the unusability of the tool;
- timely strengthen and paint the wooden handle. The paint will protect it from environmental influences (from dampness and drying out), which will also quickly lead to unusability. The tool should not be loose, therefore, even with minimal backlash, you need to disassemble the fasteners, knock out and strengthen the handle towards the working part, re-fastening. In such cases, nails are much more reliable than self-tapping screws;
- sharpen and straighten the metal part. The working edge must be periodically sharpened so that it can easily and effortlessly cut the soil. Bends and dents must be straightened so that the working part enters and cuts the soil in a straight path without unnecessary effort, thereby making work easier and saving strength;
- you need to store the equipment in a specially designated room for garden equipment, well ventilated and free from moisture. Wall-mounted shovel holders are ideal.
Store in a special place
With proper care, careful handling and timely attention to details (shank, tuleyka, working part), the instrument can serve for many, many years.
As you can see, this type of labor tool is distinguished by an enviable variety and versatility, it can perform various functions and is absolutely indispensable both at a summer cottage and at a construction site, in production and other spheres of life. Anyone who decides to choose a shovel for one purpose or another will have to analyze many of the factors described above.
2 How to choose the right one?
When choosing a shovel, the main criteria are product durability and comfortable use. The first point implies that the shovel will stand for a long time in the utility room and will not deteriorate, rust, or rot the stalk.
Bayonet shovels with different cuttings options
Therefore, the first step is to look at the coverage of the work area. Most often, the canvas is opened with various varnishes and enamels. They protect the tool from corrosion. As for the cutting, the working option is a product made of polymers. Such a shank is not inferior in strength to a wooden one, and even outstrips in durability.
With regard to comfort when working, it is important to choose a working blade depending on the intended field of application. If you use the tool in the garden, then it is better to pick up a lko with a narrow canvas
For a garden and construction, a wider option is suitable. The edge of the purchased item is sharply sharpened. If not, you need to immediately contact a workshop that sharpens your home tool, or sharpen yourself. It is better to take a handle with a handle.
Fiskars and Gardena produce quality goods from foreign manufacturers. The bison bayonet shovel shows good working qualities from domestic firms.
Recommendations for use
The shovel is not a high-tech product, so many do not find it important either to select it or to follow the instructions for use. However, the manufacturers guarantee a shelf life of the product for 12 months only if these instructions are followed. In particular, they involve adherence to techniques that help avoid unnecessary injury.
To prevent the shovel from breaking during the first use, it is recommended to install it with the blade perpendicular to the ground, keeping the handle in front. With your feet, you need to press the edge of the shovel blade. In order to drive the blade into heavy soil, it is sometimes necessary to concentrate all the energy on this push. Manufacturers do not recommend jumping onto a shovel or pushing on the edges with both feet. If the soil is so dense that you cannot cultivate it by hand, it is better to use a mechanized tool such as a cultivator.
When digging with a shovel, remember that if you move your hands too far down the handle, you will have to bend too low. You also need to understand that you cannot constantly work with a shovel like a crowbar, although the bayonet tool will cope with some small rockiness. It will be easier to chop off roots or perform other similar work if you turn the working part of the blade towards you. This will simplify the task, since if you do this work with the blade turned away from you, you will have to extend your arms too far. You will not save strength and health, and the work will seem too hard.
What and how to make
The designs, as you have seen, are different, but the set of materials will be about the same. Their number differs, but the section and characteristics remain unchanged.
You can use a round or profiled pipe, metal rods or "parts" from the forks
Materials for making
Basically, they start with the manufacture of the frame. It is often made from a profiled pipe, the optimal section is 30 * 30 mm or so. In this case, the wall thickness is important - at least 3 mm. Some models used a corner. The shelf width is also about 30 mm, the metal thickness is at least 3 mm.
The handle can be made from the same profile pipe, you can use a round one. The wall thickness is also important. In principle, having made a retainer, you can use a wooden shovel holder.Some purchased models provide for the installation of a wooden holder.
Corner frame
The focus should be on the material used for the fork teeth. It must be good structural steel.
Forks are made from a bar of at least 8 mm in diameter.
What do their craftsmen make of:
- Cut off from an ordinary pitchfork, welded onto a miracle shovel.
- Straighten the suspension springs.
- Automobile springs are cut into narrow strips.
If you can find a good bar - round, square or hex - it doesn't matter, it will be much easier for you. Not a bad option, by the way, with a pitchfork
But you have to take good ones, and that is not cheap. And one more thing: calculate the dimensions of the miracle shovel so that the working forks have 8 pins. Then you will need to buy two common pitchfork jokes.
If the design is chosen with two forks - working and persistent, you can put segments of a suitable length of a metal bar on the persistent ones. The loads are not so high here, so the strength should be sufficient. The diameter of the bar is 10 mm, you can use ribbed reinforcement, which is used when reinforcing the foundation.
Dimensions (edit)
Most companies that produce miracle shovels have a range of sizes for this product. Our people are different in build and physical fitness. For men, you can make more massive models, and for women and older people - smaller and lighter. On average, the dimensions are:
Working part width - from 45 cm to 60 cm
Do not do more: it will be difficult to dig and productivity will only decrease, not increase.
The length of the pins of the working forks is 220-300 mm.
The distance between the pins is 70-80 mm.
The length of the handle is by height, it is more convenient if it ends in the shoulder area.
The dimensions of the miracle shovel can be selected "for themselves" - it is important that it is convenient to work. All other dimensions are selected depending on the design and the material used
All other dimensions are selected depending on the design and the material used.
Big and small shovel
Shovel characteristics such as weight and stick height vary.
It is important to pay attention to them. The canvas comes in different sizes. If the wooden stalk is small and the canvas is small, it means that for a trip to the forest, to the river, the lake is better than a model.
The shovel will fit in a backpack, bag, it will be easy to carry.
If the wooden stalk is small and the canvas is small, it means that you cannot find a better model for going to the forest, to the river. The shovel will fit in a backpack, bag, it will be easy to carry.
You can also buy it if you can't bring a standard one to the dacha yet. You need to buy a pitchfork, a stepladder, for example. It is better to hire a taxi a little later, ask your friends to take everything at once.
It is realistic to dig up a garden with it, although not as convenient as the standard one. A trench, a foundation pit, a ditch, of course, cannot be dug. But, as they say, there is no fish and cancer is a fish. With its help, you can shelter grapes for the winter, install a hedge, and transplant plants.
You can buy a tourist shovel, special purpose, folding, with built-in additional tools, multitool. Alas, it is not so relevant in the country, in the garden. The set of additional tools should be studied carefully. Perhaps they will come in handy, maybe not.
Comfortable grip
The handle, the so-called shank, can most often be replaced. The exception is a cast metal shovel. If you need a handle with an emphasis, but there is no such model on sale, what to do?
The metal cast shovel has its own pros and cons. In winter, for example, it is difficult to work with her without gloves. Grabbing the first one that comes to hand, rushing to clear the snow is a problem in this case.
It is good, of course, if the wooden handle with which the shovel was purchased lasts a long time. At the same time, there is nothing wrong with the fact that it does not fit for any reason, it suddenly broke. Sometimes gardening turns into sheer agony just because the handle is too short or too long.
A bayonet shovel with an ash or birch handle will withstand the load. These types of wood are more suitable than pine or oak. The handle is not a problem to buy, make it yourself.
Varieties
Shovels are divided into types, and also come in various shapes.
For example:
bayonet rectangular;
The companies Alex Diggermaer, MATiK, Zabaikalresurs offer customers shovel, household and digging tools at an affordable price. The products of enterprises can be distinguished by the type of stamp that is on the tulle. For example, in the views of the Alex Diggermaer tool, you can see the letter "D". Russian enterprises use the inscription "rail steel", which is applied to the canvas.
The types of shovels are varied, so you can choose the right tool for any job. Let's consider the most popular options.
Scoop - it has a corresponding shape, since the canvas is located at an angle to the handle. The curved edges of the blade allow you to conveniently clean the surface. The tool can be used to rake out earth, sand, and other bulk materials. The shovel is convenient for auxiliary work, for example, mixing solutions.
Any shovel is supplied with a handle, which can be made of metal or wood. The first product option is a hollow tube. It is usually curved, which makes it comfortable. The disadvantage of the material is that it is cold, it is uncomfortable to work with such a shovel.
The perfect shovel
A bayonet shovel is not only a garden tool, in fact, although it is customary to rank it among them. The canvas can be of different shapes, sometimes fantastic. Looking at the photo of a bayonet shovel called "chirva" or "Komsomol", it is difficult to guess why it was invented.
She is beautiful, attracts attention. It can be hung on the wall in the room solely for the sake of beauty.
It was created for working with bulk materials - sand, coal, rubble.
For non-clay soil, it is also, perhaps, suitable. More precisely, it can loosen the soil. But for this purpose it makes no sense to buy it. It is more convenient to operate with an ordinary bayonet or bayonet garden. Both are rectangular bayonet shovels.
An American bayonet shovel attracts attention. She has a handle at an angle
The blade is slightly curved, reminiscent of a bucket. You can also dig a hole if you wish, and loosen the flower bed. She will definitely not lie idle. It can also break ice, remove snow.
An interesting specimen is a sapper or infantry shovel. They cannot be found in the garden supply store. They are sold in gun shops, the military. Decorating the wall of the room with such a shovel is a good idea. True, you will also like digging. Gardening will be challenging.
A sapper, infantry shovel in a campaign will be useful to a person who has nothing to do with the army. The main thing is to decide, buy it yourself.
The digging stick once helped invent the leverage system. People have learned to block the entrance to the cave with a stone. Or maybe vice versa, thanks to this mechanism, a digging stick was invented.
The shovel can rightfully be called a brilliant invention, fatal, the same as the wheel. People were able to tame not only animals, but also plants, distract themselves from hunting, gathering, change their lives for the better, create coziness and comfort, their reality.
We select the type of handle and material
Before choosing a bayonet shovel, you need to pay attention to its "configuration". It is now fashionable to use triangular handles that prevent axial rotation while digging and throwing soil out of the trench.
On the one hand, it is a very convenient improvement that will help reduce the stress on the hand and increase the accuracy of throwing a portion of the earth. On the other hand, it is a very inconvenient thing when working on two fronts.
When using the triangular handle, you will have to keep the brush parallel to the bucket at all times and rotate it when ejecting.When digging a trench, this will be very convenient, but it is bad when digging a garden bed, especially when digging up potatoes and other vegetables, where you have to carry out a lot of actions. The triangular handle will be a good find for a scoop shovel, since the bucket area is large and it will be difficult to balance the weight holding on to the handle.
As for the material, it is best to give preference to wood, since it has an optimal ratio of price and quality. In addition, hands will not "stick" to it in cold weather, as happens when using metal handles. There is also an alternative option - plastic. It is inexpensive, lightweight, "warm", but there is a significant drawback - it breaks easily when the tool falls.