Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire When did shovels become "throwaway tools"?

I understood your point...but I own Toyotas and it amuses me to point out just how damnably expensive anything with the "big T" on it is in comparrison to anything else.

Oh man, I have a definite weakness for old catalogues!

Blew my mind, the first time I saw roofers climbing on to a roof with shovels. WTF? These shovels had a straight edge with teeth and a D handle. They were quite handy at stripping the shingles and felt off the wood surface. Years later, I was on one of those crews, and used the same type of shovels. It took shingles, felt and nails in one pass.

Hmm. I think I've broken maybe 1 handle in my lifetime. IMHO maybe they're breaking because the owner's trying to do more with the tool than it can logically handle.. Ya think?

So, what y’all northern folks call a grubbin’ hoe?



Edit!

Btw, the tool I’ve spent many miserable hours usin’!

I was dragged grudgingly to a thrift store last summer to look for a chair to wait it out while the women folk filled bags with stuff we don't need.

To my surprise I found this gem. Couldn't find a price anywhere on the thing, and finally summoned a worker there. It was written in black marker...no, not $200, or $20, the shovel...er, spade, was a whopping $2! I'd fill the pickup bed with them if I could find more.

About those spades...

There was a construction site next to a convent. Workers being who they are, the language was pretty rough. Some of the nuns in the convent were offended by the language and finally one young nun went to the mother superior to complain. Mother Superior listened to her complaint then said "Sister Mary, these are good, hardworking men who simply call a spade a spade."
"But Mother Superior, that's the problem. They don't call a spade a spade. They call it a f...king shovel."

Agree. I needed to replace an axe and a maul handle recently. The store where I bought those implements carries handles but had none that fit my heads. No one seems to warehouse much anymore, but they will gladly assure a delivery in 5 to 7 days. If that was what I wanted, I'd do the order myself.

Boy, you guys really like shovels.

Wife's dad used to do a bit of genealogy research which often involved looking over old last will and testaments. Apparently common hand tools were prized and valued possessions back in the old days as each tool was included and itemized by detailed description separately in wills with names of who was supposed inherit what tool.

Right? a shovel thread will get more hits than a pussy thread.

When I get a shovel for the orchard.....usually at the flea market....I’ll clean all the dirt out of the socket and let it dry. Then I turn the shovel upside down and fill the socket with a two part epoxy. If a lot of space I add BBs. Good epoxy is pricey.
Tape the other end shut if too loose.

Not me! I'm a hydraulic man. The shovel went into obsolescence once the backhoe was invented.

It's tough to open corrugates in a wet field with a backhoe. A bit tough on the crop.

A shovel thread gets legs, because some of us are more familiar with a shovel than with the alternate subject mentioned.

Tile spade around here.