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

several years back i wandered by an auction at the local firehall. i cruised it quick and rolled on up the street to the restaurant i was heading to. on my way back i passed again and it was over and they were throwing stuff in the dumpster. i got 2 or three old grain shovels, a couple of hoes (not those kind) and a nice manure fork. still have them. i couldn't believe they were throwing them away. that manure fork is a prize. you can load a bushel of mulch on that baby and sling it 15 feet.

I can believe that. I collect antique woodworking tools. I have a pretty good collection of tools that can and do get used. The mark of a "True Carpenter " was a Plow Block Plane. If he had one in his tools, you KNEW he was a true professional. Nowadays, we would use a dado blade, table saw or router for the same job. A Plaw Block Plane is used to cut a preset groove a preset distance from the edge of a piece of wood. It was used to set the bottoms of drawers, in cabinet making. (I have one)

i have a full set of wood planes that were the wifes grandads. iron wood with brass and ivory fittings.
back to shovels. i just brought a new one home from the hardware store yesterday. it should be thrown away! the cast of the blade makes it almost impossible to stomp to depth. wants to roll . POS

This one is a bit on the ridicules side
But many had jeweled fittings, and inlays.
https://goo.gl/images/6ZAuiF

My dad was born in 1923 and grew up in an era when people had very little money and all the time in the world. I'm not rich by any means, but all of us have more money than most anyone during the 30's. Today time is in short supply. Dad would spend hours repairing something that cost $5. If it were something with family history that I wanted to keep then I might do the same. But if I've got a job to do I'm money ahead to trash it and buy another.

Buy shovels/ rakes & other yard implements with good hardwood handles. Sand and apply good coat of poly as soon as you get them home. Keep 'em in the shed.

first thing I do, is sand that 'good coat of poly' off.........

me too, linseed oil

Threads like this get ironically interesting when you get old. My grandfather worked in the woods and when an axe handle broke he didn't buy a new one he made it. Really nice work, other loggers asked him to make them. I have his draw knife with which he could work miracles. Unfortunately any magic in it went with him.

Today many wouldn't even consider replacing a handle. So if you're a manufacturer having to maintain a supply chain in balance there's not much money in replacement handles, more in selling replacement shovels. But for brand loyalty you still sell handles to the old farts that still think that way and mark up to maintain a profit margin.

I usually buy shovels, rakes and hoes with fiberglass handles

That way i can leave in the rain or whatever i don't care.

Just goes to show, you can't call a spade a spade nowdays!!!

I thought that way once but found fiberglass handles not as pleasant to use as properly maintained wood handles. I don't care what Sitka may say, boiled linseed oil has its uses.

fiberglass gets run over and its done for . have run over wood handles with a tractor or pickup and just had them flex.
another for boiled linseed oil. gun stocks and hammer handles too.

Fiberglass also starts to break down in sunlight. I have a couple items with fiberglass handles, but they stay in the shed when not in use. Fiberglass in your hands sucks.

You might be able to get handles cheaper by buying them straight from the factory. I know that walk-ins can, I buy all my handles there. But I do not know if they ship to individuals. http://www.tennesseehickory.com/products.shtml

I used the same fiberglass handled hoes, shovels and roofing tear-off tools for almost 10 yrs every day on roofs in the sun. Mine held up fine. Daily abuse, sun exposure.

Fiberglass in your hands are just something that comes with the job. Good thick callous hands take care of that.

Lest you got girlie- hands

Check out house handle...they are in Missouri and have been carving out hickory handled for years...their prices are reasonable enough to fix old tools...yes you can buy a handle fo an axe or shovel from a hardware store but they mark them up 300% .....keeps the throwaway mentality alive..