I am wondering why people rarely show off their old or new garden tools? Curious whether there is a reason for it? Axes and sledgehammers do attract attention. However, nobody talks about snips, shears etc. are they not manly enough to be appreciated? Thanks for the comments!
Garden tools are not respected as tools?
- Thread starter qqzj
- Start date
Higgins
Well-known member
So true!
I have a post hole digger that is probably over 100 yrs old. It has 2 clam shell horizontal blades and you turn it to dig the hole. Much faster and easier than todays traditional digger.
Then I have a heavy iron tamper that is problem 10x10 and is very useful around the yard and laying patio bricks.
Wakefield
Well-known member
Good pruners, loppers,"bypass shears" such as Felcos cost a good bit of money
also good nursery spades cost a good bit,I think my late boss got them (employer paid) for about $80. apiece as of around 20 years ago --everything from ordinary roundpoint shovels to pitch forks needed to be well chosen or the crews would have them broken or sprung in just a few days or less of use
also good nursery spades cost a good bit,I think my late boss got them (employer paid) for about $80. apiece as of around 20 years ago --everything from ordinary roundpoint shovels to pitch forks needed to be well chosen or the crews would have them broken or sprung in just a few days or less of use
Wakefield
Well-known member
Also the "digging iron" that is a heavy pole or pipe with sort of a point at the end
There is a tamping thing in the garage made from a heavy pipe with what might have been a piece of heavy ship deckplate on the end that my grandfather once had,I think he made it while working around Norfolk VA during the pre-WW II era (he was a pipefitter,plumber,and I think did some plumbing construction-knew how to work with more than one kind of pipe,I think towards the end of his life he thought soldered copper was the State of the Art for home water supply piping
Kevkx125
Well-known member
This thread is funny, I think I have spent more time on here talking about my mower then I have about the shed full of tools I have for taking care of the yard. I just assumed every body that has a yard has yard tools.
four.cycle
Well-known member
qqzj said:
Shears, Scissors, and Secateurs thread
Hammer Time! thread (* this thread doesn't get nearly the respect it deserves - considering that the hammer was man's first tool - , and unfortunately new members trying to identify old hammers, sledges, mauls, and picks don't find the thread so their posts get lost in the morass. *)
Long-handled gardening tools such as shovels, rakes, and hoes generally are worn out before they become "collectible", and anybody who has spent their life working on a farm will tell you that farm tools are used until they are no longer usable. Ergo: one does not see a lot of antique hay forks or cultivators.
On the flip side, there is a viable collector market for some really oddball "garden" items like.... corn planters. But those really fall into specialty niche markets that have pretty small followings.
Some of my "garden tools" are a bit older, but I still use them, so I don't really consider them a "collection".
And while you may think that "corn planters" is tangential to a discussion about "tool collecting", consider that there is an entire world of ice tools out there you never even heard of if you were born after the invention of modern-day refrigeration.
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RTM
Well-known member
I have a few garden tools I’m rather proud if, my 19’ pole saw and lopper, a bunch of vintage clippers, etc., but that group of tools, garden and yard tools,remind me too much of hard, unenjoyable work, so don’t talk about them much.
Renegade1LI
Well-known member
I think most gardening tools end up in the different manufacturer threads, lots of dewalt & milwaukee tools. The cordless stuff seems to have taken over the home gardening chores & they're in lots of threads. Not many cordless rakes or shovels yet, but all the battery stuff is well covered, I have to admit a shovel is pretty boring compared to a new mower or chainsaw.
Clearly, those that know something about garden tools will read and partcipate in this thread. All the knowledge in one place. Who makes the best "affordable" loppers? They don't have to be the best, but better than cheapies.
redwrench60
Well-known member
It’s not gardening, it’s farming.
My in-laws keep their nice Felco's and Corona's in the backyard. They get the UV, water and such year round. I store the garden tools inside and keep them maintained. That includes the rakes, shovels, pick, garden hoe, cultivators, etc. These were dad's tools from the 60's so are Made in USA. I stupidly donated the de-thatcher because I've only had St. Augustine and didn't use it.
KnurledNut
Well-known member
I like to think of myself as a garden processor. Most of my garden tools look like this:
Nick Danger
Well-known member
My Sears folding pruning saw wasn't cutting it anymore. I was sawing a downed branch into smaller pieces and I noticed that the two inches of blade closest to the tip cut through the wood a lot easier than the rest of the blade.
My new Corona 10" folding saw arrived Wednesday.
Yes, yard work is a chore. But better tools should make the chore easier.
My new Corona 10" folding saw arrived Wednesday.
Yes, yard work is a chore. But better tools should make the chore easier.
MarvinBerry
Well-known member
Downed branches & limbs? Get a pruing blade for your sawzall... I pop in a good blade, 4amp battery and make short work of any basic tree work.
Garden? I plant some flowers & jalapeno peppers every year... doesn't everyone?!
Good clippers, pruners & shears gotta have that stuff. Funny... maybe late January 2020 I went to bLowes to get new tools for spring season. Picked a few things not looking at names & brands but just what seemed quality...
Get home look at the receipt as usual geez that seems high what did I actually buy?! Corona..? They sell that there?
logical
Well-known member
Kinda hard to ignore this. It takes a bit of creative parking to get it and all 3 vehicles and a motorcycle inside .
jblnut
ALLIANCE MEMBER
My favorite wire cutter is a pruning shears. Cuts pretty girthy stuff with ease. Also gets a few "why do you have that in your tool bag" and "you use that for WHAT?!" comments .....
My dad has a time rake from his grandfather that’s likely 80 to 90 years old. It doesn’t have any characteristic features or maker marks, and I don’t know that it’s any better than a modern one, but I’m proud to say that when the tang finally fatigued and broke that I welded it back together for him, repainted it (John Deere green), replaced the rivet, and it will hopefully last another few decades. If nothing else it fights the throwaway mentality, and leaves something with a little bit of a story behind it.
There are a few discussions about axes here, not too many, but the tree tool that I’d really like to hear more about is the Swede saw. They seem like the kind of thing that must have a homemade version or two out there, maybe with wooden handles or something interesting…
There are a few discussions about axes here, not too many, but the tree tool that I’d really like to hear more about is the Swede saw. They seem like the kind of thing that must have a homemade version or two out there, maybe with wooden handles or something interesting…
Meursault74
Well-known member
I posted pictures of my "transformer" rake last year. Used it today as well raking up leaves. Posted in the garden thread
Have you looked in there to see any garden tools?
Have you looked in there to see any garden tools?
Nick Danger
Well-known member
My garden rake has a 6 foot aluminum pipe for a handle. I bought it used for a couple of dollars. Finally I had a rake that I didn't need to bend over to use.
A hoe is a hoe.
I have one of those. The bagger makes it even more obnoxious. It's awesome.Kinda hard to ignore this. It takes a bit of creative parking to get it and all 3 vehicles and a motorcycle inside .
steel 35
Well-known member
(She Shed)
I totally get what you're saying. I've been going to the flea market to scrounge for tools for years but never gave gardening tools a second look.... UNTIL I needed one and didn't have it. Then I scrounged for one until I got one. Sad thing is it happened one at a time for pick ax, rake, spade, square shovel etc. I had to get caught without one before I seeked one out.
Same feelings here. But I kind of don't understand it. It is pretty much the same for plumbing tools. But that is even more puzzling, given plumbing tools are even closer to mechanical tools.
Motorman55
Well-known member
I've owned one of those type of rakes for years. They're great for getting into tight spots between and under bushes and plants. Just adjust to the size you need.
Meursault74
Well-known member
I know, I've used it for a year or so now. Sure beats carrying around two rakes. I actually needed to get a narrow one as the one I had lost enough tines to become useless. Figured 2 birds one stone. The adjustable one I have works better in the narrow position. In the large open position, the dedicated large rakes I have do a slightly better job, but I find myself reaching for the adjustable one more often anyway.
GrantCee
Well-known member
Trust me on this: there's a big range of performance and quality in hoes. In fact, there's far more difference between a cheap hoe and a good one than there is between Tekton and SnapOn.
Bought some Felcos about a year ago:
Good stuff! I also have some German Löwe pruners, seem to be way less known online (or in the US?), but thry're equally high quality as Felco.
Some of my old axes
Was just recently re-mounting some of them as the handles wear out. That sheet metal guard helps the splitting axe a lot, if it splits oddly or if you miss, you often hit it with the handle in that area and it starts to splinter away...
They're not fancy shiny Scandinavian axes, but they do the job really well
This one is perhaps my best one (ignore the screws!), it cuts so deep - like a razor... Others are a bit wider and better for splitting. These axes have the "Carolinian axe" pattern, from my area (most alpine axe shapes are similar, but these are just how they made them in the carolinian/slovenian forges back in the day...). They have that bulge on top that makes them look like they're mounted upside down. Typically they're very lean axes too, though they come in many shapes... I think a good new one costs about 50€ (forge "Jeklo Ruše").
Good stuff! I also have some German Löwe pruners, seem to be way less known online (or in the US?), but thry're equally high quality as Felco.
Some of my old axes
Was just recently re-mounting some of them as the handles wear out. That sheet metal guard helps the splitting axe a lot, if it splits oddly or if you miss, you often hit it with the handle in that area and it starts to splinter away...They're not fancy shiny Scandinavian axes, but they do the job really well
This one is perhaps my best one (ignore the screws!), it cuts so deep - like a razor... Others are a bit wider and better for splitting. These axes have the "Carolinian axe" pattern, from my area (most alpine axe shapes are similar, but these are just how they made them in the carolinian/slovenian forges back in the day...). They have that bulge on top that makes them look like they're mounted upside down. Typically they're very lean axes too, though they come in many shapes... I think a good new one costs about 50€ (forge "Jeklo Ruše").
GrantCee
Well-known member
We have a bunch of products from Rogue Hoe and have been using them for over ten years. Made from recycled disc blades, they're very tough, sharp, and hold their edges. What really makes them useful, though, are their design and geometries — the people who make them understand the jobs that need to be done and how to reduce user effort.
Yes, they're more expensive than what you get at the big box stores, but for serious gardeners they're worth every penny and then some.
Yes, they're more expensive than what you get at the big box stores, but for serious gardeners they're worth every penny and then some.
joel5270
Member
I have had good experience with Corona brand for consistent quality at reasonable cost.
Shiftless
Well-known member
I love my ARS long reach pruners. They come in different lengths. I have the 6 foot model which is perfect for shaping cuts on trees in the 8-10 foot range.
Because I lost them, again. Lol
I like cheap hoes myself!