Weeding tool

This may be of interest to the gardeners out there...
I have made a number of garden tools over the years, like hoes and rakes, some from timber (Zen gravel rake) but most from steel. The most successful one is a little weeding tool, like a small pick, and I use it constantly. In fact so successful I made another, slightly bigger.
I based the design loosely on something I saw in a magazine ad, which was Vietnamese I think. I cut a section of very large bandsaw blade (from a sandstone quarry) using oxy-acet, and knocked out an oval hole at one end. After a quick grind to shape, I then heated the blank and hammered it to shape on the anvil. I welded a squashed section of pipe into the oval hole, then cleaned it all up before annealing and tempering.
A handle of spotted gum was attached (one was a broken tomahawk handle) and off you go...really good for picking weeds out between plants, great for hooking out Kikuya, and just an all-round gardening tool for planting and loosening soil.
I call it the 'Beak', & wouldn't be without one!:D

Cheers,

AM, that looks great, I recon bush regen guys would lust over that.
Good market if your into that sort ofv thing.

I spent 7 mths in Europe in 1990 doing the OS trip and worked in Holland as a gardener for a stint and their favourite tool was a shoovale" (apologies to all the Dutch for my spelling etc) which was a wonderful blade on a long handle that skims below the soil surface and cuts the roots off weeds killing them. I've seen similar here but nowhere near as good - you should give one a go.

Ideal weed remover is a hammer - find one {I did at SupaCheap for the grand sum of $9.99 - fibreglass handle and all] which has a very - repeat - very open claw.
Simply drive it down beside the weed and lever out as you would a nail - works really great.
Sometimes a weed may get caught in the claw part but just a rub in reverse on the ground and you are ready to remove the next one.
Give it a go - you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Regards,
Bob

G'day AndyMac,
I'd better keep your description, as I copied your photo and left it on the desktop........herself opened it and wants one.......bugger!
What width was the original bandsaw blade????
Regards,
Noel
PS very good photo too!

Andy,
Thirty years ago an Italian Carpenter who was my woodworking mentor made a few of these that were very similar. He made both long and short handle versions.
Thanks for remindiing me of him. :)

Hi there,
Glad you like the tools!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by watson

What width was the original bandsaw blade????

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Its a monster, about 75mm I think, without going out and measuring my stash. Plenty thick too, at least 2.5mm.

Cheers,

Stewth! :rolleyes: Thought it read wedding tool. :D My bad. :wink:

Looks great Andy. Something so simple, might be an market there for you. Never know.

How about going to that show on ABC I think it is called NEW INVENTORS?? You never know who might be watching??:)

What an interesting concept, good for those close up jobs where you are down on your knees but I like the hoe with a long handle for chipping up most weeds and the end of the mattock for the stubborn ones like grass clumps, less kneeling and bending.