Shank for shovel

The shovel is a tool, without which both garden-garden and construction work is unthinkable. However, in the process of using a good, comfortable shovel, very few of us think about such a detail as a stalk. We pay attention to it only when it makes work more difficult: it begins to stagger, shrivel, or does not become suitable for one reason or another. The inconvenient length of the cuttings, too short or, conversely, long, causes inconvenience.

So, let's talk about how to choose the best shank for a shovel.


What should be the shank for the shovel?

As we all know, shovels are bayonet and shovel. And cuttings for them, too, are different - this must be taken into account when buying. There are several criteria for choosing a good shank for a shovel:

  1. One of the main is the material from which the stem is made. For bayonet shovels, wooden cuttings are usually used, and for modern shovels plastic and aluminum are quite acceptable. No less popular today and shovels with a metal handle in stainless steel - they are considered the most durable. When buying a wooden handle, examine it from all sides: it should not cause fears in the form of jags, knots, wormholes and all kinds of cracks. As for the species of wood, the hardwood ones are leading in quality - for example, birch, ash, alder. Beech shanks for shovels "do not like" moisture - after work they should be brought into the room. There are also varieties of wooden cuttings: the highest grade does not allow the presence of knots, in contrast to the first and second.
  2. The shape of the cuttings is usually straight, but the shovel shovels can differ in curved cuttings or have a handle on the end for a more comfortable work.
  3. The diameter of the shank for the shovel can be different and varies from 34 to 40 mm. It depends on the type of shovel (with a forked or T-shaped handle, with a ball or half-ball head or with an iron rod), as well as its purpose (garden, construction or loading and unloading).
  4. The length of the shovel shank should be selected individually. Take the shard in your hand and imagine how convenient it will be for you to work with such a shovel. The standard length of the handle varies from 900 to 1400 mm.

How to plant a shank on a shovel?

If you have correctly chosen the cutting, then it is not difficult to plant it on the spade bayonet. It easily enters the shovel by about 2/3. And in order to move the sharp part of the handle down to the stop, you need to make a few strong shovel strokes on the hard surface.

If the wooden stem is too wide for a metal hole in the shovel holder, it can always be cut using a plane, slightly sharpening one of the ends of the cuttings.

Many craftsmen prefer to make cuttings themselves. This is easy if you have a carpentry tool. In this case, for greater reliability, the result of connecting the bayonet to the handle is best secured self-tapping or an ordinary nail (in many shovels of industrial production, such a fixer comes complete with a bayonet part).

And, at last, one more important question: whether it is necessary to process cuttings for shovels something? Most gardeners advise to refrain from processing the cuttings with varnish, paints and impregnations, since it is the stem that experiences all the frictional force of hands in any work. If desired, it can be processed except that the stain for the tree - it will give it the desired color and emphasize the structure of the wood. After processing, it is advisable not to use a shovel during the day, so that the stain is absorbed into the tree and does not paint hands.