To understand the reason for making these tools, go to the bottom of the page and read "Opa's Xmas Tale".
Materials: - Flat steel for the blades of the shovels Flat strip and 3/4"piping to make the "Dees" for the shovel handles Flat steel strip for the rakes blades 4"nails to make the tines of the rake 3/4: pipe to make the handles various scrap to join the handles to the tools 1 1/8" and 12 1/4" dowelling to make the handles. 1/2" concrete reinforcing rods for the three pronged hoes. Method: - The flat plate was cold forged as I did not have my forge built at the time. To shape the handles I cut small Vee pieces from the piping and closed the gap to gradually curve the handle to shape and then re-welded the joins and ground them off smoothly. The flat strips for the rakes were drilled to take 4" nails, welded and cut off to size They nails were then given a slight curve to aid in raking The three pronged hoes were again cold forged, even to making the cutting edges, welded to the pipe handle attachment and then the wooden rake handles fitted.
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