The Shovel Discussion Thread!

Okay I had to join the Shovel Discussion Thread. I picked this up at Walmart for 4.88
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Careful! Those bend easy if you aren't gentle with 'em. Not as sturdy as the original it replicates.

Funny that this thread should make a comeback--with the muddy season upon us I have a Bully Tools rice shovel en-route. We'll see if it works as well as I think it will! Ought to make shoveling mud a TON easier. Getting it ON the shovel is bad enough, but getting it BACK OFF is a nightmare! :p
 
Been dipping in and out of this thread, so I don't know if anyone's mentioned Council shovels yet. But here's a pic of me with one at their warehouse. Forged from a plate of 1/2" steel (I think it starts as 1/2", hammered to about 1/4"), and it's a tough mother, although a bit on the heavy side.

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We've discussed them a little, but I don't think any amongst us have any first-hand experience with their shovels. I've been looking at that Forest Service closed-back model on their site but the photos weren't very good so it was hard to form an opinion. That's a wonderful photo, so thanks for posing it! Reminds me of a closed-back True Temper shovel at my family's camp. It has the same double-riveted collar, and has depth marks stamped into the handle! Looks like that model has tons of lift so it would make a dandy trench cleanout shovel or for any time you need a massive amount of leverage, though it wouldn't be as suitable for groundbreaking. That's fine by me, since my Predator "Big Red" and my 3lb. Tramontina pick mattock are my tools for that work. If the crappy rusted rear-turned step round point shovel that the previous tenants left here ever busts I'll invest in one of those Councils!
 
We have a rack of Council FS shovels at work. They're tough. And the angle of the blade makes them better at 'hoe work' than a typical shovel. The point is good for prying out small to medium sized rocks.

The drawbacks are that the handles tend to be a little shorter than a typical construction shovel, and the blade a little smaller - so more scoops to finish the job. The other issue is that the sharp point slides right off of roots. Small roots that a typical construction shovel would cut through slide off a FS shovel.

Bottom line, good for trail work but not as good for trenching or digging large holes.
 
My soil is dense clay and chock full of rocks--sounds like it would be good for trenching in my area! :D

My tactic is usually to use the pick mattock to loosen everything up, then go clean it out with the shovel.
 
Square_peg said:
Sounds like a pick would be good for trenching in your area. :D
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Yeah that's what I use the pick mattock for. Works like a pick and a narrow hoe. Shovels are for transfer/cleanout. And when the ground is actually soft enough to shovel without breaking ground first it's muddy as hell. Hence why I have THIS on the way. :D

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Got the shovel today and it's truly epic. One small void in the welding on the neck, but it's so overbuilt I doubt it'll ever be an issue. DEEP spoon on it so mud doesn't slop off, closed back, forward steps, and tons of lift to the blade for tremendous leverage, and the neck has a stiffening rib welded on. The handle is fiberglass with a wooden core and should hold up very nicely. I sharpened it up and gave it a quick test run and the holes did a TON to help with mud release. This thing is PERFECT for what I need it for. No more normal round points ever again. :cool::thumbup: The chickens loved me testing it out because there are TONS of worms in our soil especially in the mud.

I'll take pics whenever I get a chance. No clue when that'll be, though. :o
 
I'm intrigued by the design. Who makes it?

That blunted nose would serve well for cutting through small roots. In your image above there appear to be 3 small holes in the blade. What function do those serve? And am I correct that one edge of the shovel is sharpened?
 
Square_peg said:
I'm intrigued by the design. Who makes it?

That blunted nose would serve well for cutting through small roots. In your image above there appear to be 3 small holes in the blade. What function do those serve? And am I correct that one edge of the shovel is sharpened?
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It's a "rice shovel" pattern by Bully Tools. They and Seymour Manufacturing, and Union Tools (a division of Cooper) make them. The squared nose is for cutting roots, like you say, and the three holes help prevent suction when digging in mud so it releases from the shovel instead of sticking--works really well! You're seeing a shadow in the photo--it comes completely unsharpened, which I found interesting given the otherwise excellent attention to detail. Given that it's 14 gauge steel that means the edge is too thick to dig well if left unsharpened. Nothing 10 minutes on the 1x30 didn't fix! I ground the inside of the spoon only, and brought the grind up to the two back holes. I didn't bring it to a knife edge, since there are so many rocks in the soil here. Instead I brought the edge to .5mm thick. I'll still chop green roots that way, but won't ding when I hit the inevitable rocks.

Ever since discovering it I've been absolutely in love with the rice shovel pattern. Best thing imaginable for any softer soils. For breaking ground when the weather has been dry for an extended period (the clay hardens like a rock...and there are REAL rocks aplenty!) then I reach for my pick mattock and Predator "Big Red" diamond point. The Big Red doesn't have much lift, though, so it's not so great for trench clean-out after the ground has been broken and you're just doing maintenance.
 
Sometimes I wonder how such simple things can make me happy....see others have similar issues lol. On the subject of shovels/ implements- I have a friend who is a nurseryman, he uses locally produced tools. They are all steel made by w w manufacturing- also known as King Of Spades. I was shocked when he told what me they cost (can't remember) as he is not loose with money. But, when he told me they were thirty years old I understood. He is very hard on tools and nothing else would survive. I just checked and they appear to have vaulted into the realm of "boutique" tools, wonder how long it will be before that get art paint jobs and wall hanger status. If you want to support local industry- need a tool that will last - have the bucks- they are a good choice.
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WW Manufacturing is owned by the Lesche family. George Lesche is the guy who owns/operates Predator Tools and you could consider him the semi-custom offshoot of WW. I have one of the WW digging forks and and the handle construction is identical to that on my Predator "Big Red" but has a galvanized finish rather than glossy (beautiful!) paint. The welds also aren't quite as pristine, but they're full-blown production rather than being done one at a time like Predator. Both fantastic companies.
 
Ok--got some pics of my new Bully Tools rice shovel. These are obviously post-use; no point in posting pics of a shovel without any dirt on it! :D:D:D As a note, remember that I had to sharpen it myself, so the bevel you see was user-added. It was full stock thickness at the edge from the factory.

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Blue Sky said:
Holy cow, all my shovels just ran and hid!
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LOL--they'd REALLY run in the presence of my Predator. :D

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The fiberglass-over-wood handle of the Bully Tools rice shovel is an advantage in this case over the all steel of the Predator, though, as the mud is already heavy enough, and doesn't require the same force to pierce as the compacted hard soil that I use the Predator for.
 
The Bully Tools handle is a thick layer of fiberglass over a wooden core. Nice and stiff but shock resistant and light, as well as impervious to the wet conditions it'll be used in. I normally prefer wooden handles because I don't like socketed tools with those weird collars cinched to their tops. This one, fortunately, is an exception and is VERY well executed.

The Predator is 100% steel! :D You can't tell in the photos but the cross section is oval, which makes is very comfortable to use. It's my "gotta' wreck s***" shovel. :p
 
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