The Shovel Discussion Thread!

Old Axeman said:
I had a old post hole shovel that went in straight like a regular shovel then it had a lever on the top of the handle you pulled to change the angle 90 degrees to clean out the bottom of the hole. Most interesting shovel I ever owned. Sure wish I had not sold it in the downsizeing move. I live on a big lava rock now and a jack hammer is the hole digger, then you fill with dirt, then you plant.
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I was introduced to these when I worked (while young, stupid, strong, energetic) for McGee Fencing in Ottawa in 1974. I spent an entire summer digging holes in a 40 mile circle around Uplands International Airport for installing 8 foot chainlink fence. These shovels (called "clam digger" by the fence installers) are absolutely unbeatable and I even had one extended 30 years ago so it would go down 5 feet. They make a perfect 8 inch diameter hole with a clean bottom. Meaford, or maybe is was Erie, of southern Ontario manufactured these and both of these companies are now defunct and have been bought out. The current hard-to-find 'clam digger' looks much the same as the 30-40 year old versions but they don't dig for very long before they break. Streamlined design with many more pressed steel parts and no more riveted joints. I will try to take some photos.
 
The double blade clam diggers work great but the post hole shovel I am talking about pre dates the clam digger. Picture a regular, small, single blade shovel with a pivot where the metal handle socket meets the blade. This pivot lets the vertical blade pivot 90 degrees to a horizontal position to scoop the bottom of the hole. There was a metal rod connected at the pivot point that extended to the top of the wood handle. You pulled a lever at the top of the handle to make the single blade go from vertical to horizontal. I should have never sold this shovel. But I did keep one of the first lawn mowers ever invented, it pre dates the push reel mower and is really strange.
I got the historic post hole shovel from a farm auction about 55 years ago. I out bid an old Amish man, not a easy or cheap thing to do. When they want something that you want you need your big wallet. I am looking at my old catalogs for a picture (not that I could show the picture if I find it) I have seen other shovels like mine and I am sure it was not home made.
So far I found a picture of quintons tool on page 668 of the 1902 Sears, Roebuck catalog, they just call it Drain Cleaner. It came in 3 sizes-4x16, 5x16, 6x16. Pages 666, 667, 669 are missing from my catalog, my shovel mave have been there. Still looking thru other catalogs.
 
Found a picture of my old post hole shovel ! "Dictionary of American Hand Tools, A Pictorial Synopsis" by Alvin Sellens, 1990. Page 369, Post Hole Digger, the second and third picture from the left. The first picture is the clam diggers that 300Six talked about.
 
The one I'm talking about has a single handle, a fixed blade and an articulated blade that closes on to the fixed blade. The very common but lesser useful 2 handled clam augers only really work in soil that isn't rocky.
 
300Six-I had forgotten about that one. That one is as difficult to find these days as the one like mine. If a guy was getting a interesting shovel collection together he should have both. Square-Peg ?
 
Old Axeman said:
300Six-I had forgotten about that one. That one is as difficult to find these days as the one like mine. If a guy was getting a interesting shovel collection together he should have both. Square-Peg ?
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We definitely need pictures!
 
Old Axeman said:
quinton, I do buy my post holes- from the guy with the biggest jack hammer.
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Here, we do studies before running a fence, driving probes to find the deepest dirt :). Even with clamshells, I can dig a 2-21/2' hole in dirt pretty quick, even faster with a tractor, but if I hit rock at less than 18", a hole takes a while! Sometimes it just isn't possible and we make a concrete base. I hired a guy with jackhammer and not much creativity with post spacing and I bet he lost money on bits. Limestone isn't that hard, but if every hole is through 2" of the stuff, it starts to get ridiculous.
 
Lots of rock jacks and rock baskets in this part of the country. Planting a post can for sure be a challenge at times.
 
Old Axeman said:
I had a old post hole shovel that went in straight like a regular shovel then it had a lever on the top of the handle you pulled to change the angle 90 degrees to clean out the bottom of the hole. Most interesting shovel I ever owned. Sure wish I had not sold it in the downsizeing move. I live on a big lava rock now and a jack hammer is the hole digger, then you fill with dirt, then you plant.
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I haven't found that one yet but I found something similar at the U.S. Patent Office.

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Looks like the g-string was patented at about the same time. The g-string seems to have found more success.
:D
 
SP-I never have seen one like the Patent you found. It would not work as well as my old one. Mine you could dig down with the blade in vertical and when it reached the bottom of the hole you pulled the lever, from the top of the handle, to make the blade horizontal to scoop up the dirt and lift the shovel and dirt out of the hole. The one in the patent, you have to remove the shovel from the hole to change the angle.
But, with what I am dealing with now, and my age, I am thinking I could sure use that truss in the patent next to the post hole shovel.
 
FTB- YES ! The Gibbs Digger is the modern version of my old post hole digger. I am supprised it is still being made. Great work "digging" this info up.
 
I knew I had seen something like what you described before! Just took me a minute or two to remember where it was. :D
 
Please do not attempt to argue about the merits of this particular post hole digger unless you have personal experience with something (that you seem to think) is better. I have a few thousand man-hours worth of digging post holes commercially with one of these. In my earlier days whenever the ground was found to be 'easy digging' the foreman or boss would move me/us over to where it was rock, rocky or full of tree roots. Sure the tractor mounted auger, or one man gas auger was fast but they were no good in rocks or roots. With steady effort using this digger and a 5 foot steel breaker bar you can tunnel into darn near anything.
This particular Canadian-made (southern Ontario) digger was purchased (by me!) new in 1985 and has a lot of miles (500+ post holes) on it now. The tempered blade has been replaced two/three times due to wearing out or becoming soft and the rivets long ago worked loose/wore out and regularly now need to be re-newed by high strength nuts and bolts. Reach with this (when the drop handle touches the ground) is 42 inches and by working around a hole in 4 point pattern results in a perfect 8" diameter straight/smooth wall pit that is inherently plumb. Bottom of the hole can even easily be 'belled' or flared so as to resist frost heaving by the planted post.

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You guys are coming up with some strange ones. I have just used the old fashion conventional type. The last time I purchased them I dug through quite a few until I found a pair with warped handles(warped out). They thought I was crazy at the hardware store but I don't think they had dug many post holes.
 
Everything I'm seeing turn up regarding Boston/Erie diggers speaks very highly of them. If I ever find myself in need of digging a fair number of post holes I'll probably invest in one of them--they look like quality tools.
 
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