Easy To Make Garden Trowel

Easy To Make Garden Trowel FARM HOME Miscellaneous 33-4-30 Next time you need to replace a garden trowel or small spade, grab a piece of aluminum pipe and make your own. Billy Robb says they're easy to make, handy to use and the price is right. "All you need to make one is a piece of pipe, a hack saw, a hammer and heavy-duty metal snips," says Robb. He uses 1 1/4-in. galvanized chain link fence pipe that he picked up at a garage sale for $1 per 10-ft. length. In addition to hand trowels, he has used the pipe to make a pole saw. To make the trowel, he cut partially through the pipe at the point where the handle would end and the spade would begin. "Don't cut too far into the pipe, or you'll lose the strength of the tool," cautions Robb. He then cut lengthwise down the portion to be made into the spade, opening it slightly with pliers. He hammered it into the desired curve, trimming it to shape with the metal snips. "I filed and ground down the sharp edges, wrapped the handle with duct tape for a better grip, and drilled a hole in the handle for mounting on the wall," says Robb. For detailed step-by-step instructions, see Robb's posting at the do-it-yourself website, www.instructables.com. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Billy Robb, 215 N. Lincoln, Hillsboro, Kansas 67063 (btrobb@gmail.com).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.