Lysdexik Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 I have been living in America for over 15 years and I can't find a supply of garden digging tools. Have any of the Brit smiths ever forged a fork or a spade? The tines on the fork, and the socket for the handles, are realy the bits that are the question. I have seen some tools in the Lee Valley catalogue, but I built myself a rake, and a Dutch hoe last year 'cos all the purchased ones were made of TIWANIUM (that unique lightweight alloy that comes exclusively from Tiwan's recycled pop cans) and bent like a Scotsmans safety pin. Paul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt87 Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 What's special about the tines of a garden fork? Surely they're just like any other fork, though perhaps a little chunkier? A socket can be wrapped like on an arrow or spear, but bigger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptree Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Les, there are a large number of garden digging tools made and sold in the US. Try any hardware store. Now if you want high quality tools these may or may not suit. I make top quality trowels, but so far I only make trowels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Budd Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 I made a small pitch fork a few years ago, just for the technical excercise. I wouldn't do it again though. The tines on a good fork need to be heat treated so they don't bend, that's easier said than done inte forge setup I use :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nett Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Smith and Hawkins carried a line of English hand forged spades and forks. I inherited a Smith and Hawkins turning fork and park it next to my compost pile. It had earned it's keep in spades. I just checked their catalog and find they still carry them. They used to be pricey but high quality, now they are plain expensive, especially the hand Trovel that sells for $29 and trowel selling for $26.Smith & Hawken ptree I can only find American labeled shovels. The shovels are mostly made in Mexico but some are Asian or Chinese origin. Same goes for hammers, sledge hammers, splitting mauls, and digging bars. In any event, I would never buy new digging tools as I prefer to re-handle old, high quality tools from the past. PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric) are the prized ones as they are fully forged and have no stamped or rolled edges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lysdexik Posted January 23, 2009 Author Share Posted January 23, 2009 Hi Guys Spear and Jackson used to "set" the tines like a cart spring. But I am not sure what they made them out of, I'm around 15stone 3, and hauling on a handle in this red clay (yeah Virginia's a lot like Devon) I dont know if it will take the strain. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lysdexik Posted January 23, 2009 Author Share Posted January 23, 2009 Nett Thanks for the link - I admire anyone with a sense of humour, and at those prices - I believe I'm going in the gardening tool business!! $29. 29 bucks for a dibber. Lee valley offer great quality tools, I just like a chalenge that I can use after. Wow I'm still in shock, Ames in Ohio used to forge some good tools, but I believe they shut that plant in favour of the afforementioned Tiwanium (I am determined to put that word in the dictionary). Any hints on metalurgy for a project like this? Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 During my apprenticeship we used to make forks and shovels for various trades, spades were made by usually drop stamping, and the forks by splitting and rawing the tines, some were four tines and others used for coke or different applications had varying numbers of tines on them, they started off life as a chunk of metal looking like a small stumpy fingered hand with a short length of wrist attached, these had been soaked and stamped to shape, The more tines, the more stumps. Feed, coke and manure forks being some variations. These stumpies were then stacked in large forges in tiers and in large amounts, (Can't remember exactly how many but there were usually four tiers and I would think possibly twenty plus per tier) and allowed to soak. A labourer kept the tiers filled as the smiths worked their way along the tiers. They were then drawn out under a rapid power hammer, socket first to enable handling, passed on to the next station/forge, then the tines were drawn out to the required lengths, these were then passed on to another station/forge who finished them off to shape and then they were set, and finally heat treated. The whole forging process would have probably taken less than 7 minutes per unit, they were then fettled and fitted with the handle, painted, labelled and packed. They were on sale to the companies workers for 5 shillings, (25 pence in todays money) I still use the shovel, and hammers I made then, and the hammers still have their original shafts, I removed and refitted one of them after I had modified the head into a round faced hammer, some 20 plus years ago. I think the materials used were somewhere around the EN8 or EN9 standard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 A local guy makes quite an assortment of digging tools, here's his site:Red Pig Garden Tools Home Page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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