Welcome to the world of the trowel including maintenance and construction... #MidwintersYule #2022 #Trowel #Tools #101 #Manufacturing #Brands Quality tools are definitely something I like and as soon as I can afford them, they’re a must. When it comes to garden hand tools the really good brands often have a lifetime or 20 year warranty which I think speaks for itself. You’re also more likely to look after and maintain your tools if you have spent more on them in the first place. There are a few different hand tools out there for the garden use and the trowel is the most used. A garden trowel is a hand tool used by gardeners, archaeologists and people who go treasure hunting with metal detectors. Garden trowels can be used for planting seedlings, transplanting, weeding and digging small holes which are too small or delicate for a spade. Types of garden trowel are dictated by the shape of the blade. From the Chapter 'Tools and Supply's' trowel (n.) mid-14c., "tool for spreading plaster or mortar," from Old French truele "trowel" (13c.), from Late Latin truella "small ladle, dipper" (mid-12c.), diminutive of Latin trua "a stirring spoon, ladle, skimmer." The gardening tool was so called since 1796." HistoryA variation of the garden trowel has been around since the neolithic age, around 10,000 years ago, when people used the shoulder blades of large animals, like an ox, to remove rocks and soil. They also produced a small, sharp stone blade set into a bone handle which was used for the domestication of plants. During the bronze age people created the process of smelting. This is where raw materials, such as tin and copper, were separated from their ores and made into bronze, enabling people to create sharper and harder tools for farming. However, during the mid-seventeenth century the interest in gardening around the world exploded. This led to gardeners increasing the demand for specialised gardening tools, such as the garden trowel. Since the seventeenth century the garden trowel has evolved from a form of small spade into its own unique tool with a range of different varieties, from a tissot garden trowel to a potting garden trowel. Types of Garden TrowelsThere are ten types of garden trowel blades:
gardener (n.) late 13c. (early 12c. as a surname), from Old North French *gardinier (Old French jardineor "gardener," 12c., Modern French jardinier), from gardin "(kitchen) garden". Compare German Gärtner. An Old English word for it was wyrtweard, literally "plant-guard." UsesThere are many ways to use a garden trowel. Here are a few examples: A transplanting garden trowel can be used for moving a plant from one location to another, for example from a greenhouse and into the garden. This helps to protect young plants from any pests or frost in the greenhouse until they are old enough to withstand them. The curved sides on a garden trowel blade allow it to hold compost for planting flowers into pots, otherwise known as potting. Garden trowels such as the tulip and weeding types have sharpened teeth which allow them to cut through long roots. This makes it easier to clear out a hole for a new plant to be planted into. Weeding garden trowels are used to remove weeds from a garden without causing too much damage to any surrounding plants. This is due to their blades having a forked end which allows them to dig to the base of a weed and pull it out by its roots. Garden trowels are used by metal detectorists to dig up their finds whilst they are out detecting. The garden trowel is small enough for them to carry around all day without getting in the way. horticulture (n.)1670s, "cultivation of a garden," coined from Latin hortus "garden" (from PIE root *gher- (1) "to grasp, enclose"), probably on model of agriculture. Famously punned upon by Dorothy Parker." Parts of the TrowelThe BladeThe garden trowel blade is the main working area. The blade has a sharpened edge which allows it to cut into soil or through roots. A garden trowel blade is large enough to hold a small amount of soil or compost. Garden trowel blades can come in various shapes and sizes. The garden trowel blade you should choose comes down to the job you choose to do and the material it is made from. There are around ten types of garden trowel blades:
Garden trowel blades can be made of five different types of materials:
The best material to choose for your garden trowel blade would be stainless steel. This is because it is lightweight but still strong enough to dig in hard soil. Another important consideration to make is whether or not the blade has been coated. Some garden trowel blades can be zinc chrome plated which makes them more corrosion resistant and able to resist wet, heavy soil. This means that the plating will wear off before allowing it to corrode. Zinc is a natural water barrier, therefore if no water can get to the trowel then there will be no corrosion. The most common form of garden trowel available is made with a steel blade. To create the blade, manufacturers usually follow these steps:
The HandleA garden trowel handle is the part the user holds. It is used to work the blade by providing leverage when digging a hole in tough soil. The most common form of garden trowel available is a made with a wooden handle. These are created by using a defiance lathe which allows the manufacturer to rotate the wood while a stationary cutting blade creates the cylindrical shape. The handle is sanded down using 120 grit sandpaper to create a smooth finish. It is coated with a thin layer of non-petroleum based oil, such as linseed oil. There are four different forms of garden trowel handle available for different garden users:
Standard garden trowel handle A standard handle is the least expensive style available and can be found on all varieties of garden trowel. It is short and rounded for added comfort.It can be made from plastic, wood or rubber. Long garden trowel handle A long garden trowel handle is over 160mm (6.3″) long. It is used for hard-to-reach areas for weeding or planting seedlings with long roots. It also has a ‘bulb’ design on the end of the handle to prevent the user’s hands from slipping. It is only available for traditional and transplanting garden trowel blades. P-grip garden trowel handle A p-grip garden trowel handle is 177.8mm (7″) with a T-section on the end. It can be used with either one or two hands, making it perfect for people suffering from arthritis and carpal tunnel. This handle provides added leverage and torque for the user to push it into the ground. It is only available with a traditional garden trowel blade. Ergonomic garden trowel handle An ergonomic handle has a radius grip – a curved handle which is designed to fit the palm of your hand. It allows the user to maintain a natural wrist position while they are digging. This means that there is less strain on your wrist. It is available with either a transplanting or traditional garden trowel blade. Garden trowel handles can be made of three different types of material:
The best type to choose would be a wooden garden trowel handle as these are the most durable and the most commonly available.
The Ferrule connectionA ferrule connection is a piece of metal which is clamped around the tang and the handle to protect the connection between the two.The most common form of garden trowel available is a made with a wooden handle. These are created by using a defiance lathe which allows the manufacturer to rotate the wood while a stationary cutting blade creates the cylindrical shape.The handle is sanded down using 120 grit sandpaper to create a smooth finish. It is coated with a thin layer of non-petroleum based oil, such as linseed oil. The Hanging holeA small hole is drilled into the end of some garden trowel handles so that the tool can be hung on a hook. A piece of string or a leather strip can be threaded through to aid hanging onto a larger hook. The TangA tang is a rounded bar that is often made into an “S” shape welded onto the blade to connect it to the handle. It increases durability by creating a stronger connection between the trowel handle and the trowel blade. The distance created by the tang, in between the handle and the blade, provides sufficient space between the soil and the users knuckles, preventing them from getting dirty or scraping on stones. A ladle garden trowel has an extra long tang for ease of scooping out dirt with the blade. The Depth gaugeSome garden trowels have a depth gauge which is a series of measurements along the length of the blade with marked increments stating the distance. The depth gauge has two types of gradation: metric, ranging from 2cm to 10cm, and imperial, ranging from 1″ to 4″, one each side of the gauge. A depth gauge helps you to plant at the right depth, for example bulbs which need to be a certain depth below the surface level. *gher- (1) Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to grasp, enclose." Workings of the TrowelA garden trowel works due to its two main components: the blade and the handle.The blade is made with a scooped edge in order for the trowel to hold soil. This allows it to be used for potting and transplanting plants. The sharpened edges of the blade help the tool to cut through hardened soil, an essential job of a garden trowel. The handle is an important part, allowing the user to lever the blade out of the soil to create a hole. It provides the user with sufficient grip to carry out a large range of tasks, from planting a bulb to transferring compost into a plant pot. horticulturist (n.) "gardener on a large scale," 1818, from horticulture + -ist. Earlier was horticultist (1754)." Trowel AlternativesPotting scoops A potting scoop has a wide deep blade which is used for scooping compost out of the bag and into pots and hanging baskets. The deep blade allows it to hold more soil than a garden trowel. However, it does not have a sharpened blade so it cannot be used for digging. Hand forks A hand fork is primarily used for weeding and cultivating soil. However, it does not have a wide section for scooping soil, as it only has three forked tines. Hori hori knives A hori hori knife is also known as a soil or weeding knife, and is the Japanese equivalent of a garden trowel. It has a serrated blade for cutting roots, and a wider blade than other garden knives for digging soil. However, it does not have curved sides so the blade will not be able to carry soil from one place to another. Trakes A trake is a combination tool with a garden rake at one end and a trowel at the other. The trowel end is for planting flowers and bulbs, whilst the rake cultivates the soil. This tool is perfect for those who wish to save money and only purchase one tool, instead of two. Tool MaintenanceCleaning To clean your garden trowel, dunk the blade into a bucket of water to loosen the dirt and then wipe off any excess with an old rag. The rag can also be used to lightly wipe off any dirt on the handle. If there is any stubborn dirt left stuck to the blade, use a wire brush to remove it. The wire brush will also help to remove any rust patches the blade may have. Once the dirt has been cleaned from the blade it needs to be oiled to protect it from rust. The best oil to use is a vegetable or linseed oil which has no petroleum added. Wooden handles will also need a coating of oil to help preserve them and to help make them waterproof. To apply the oil, insert the blade into a bucket filled with sand and your chosen oil. Move the tool up and down in the sand a few times to clean off any small pieces of dirt and to lightly coat the blade in oil. Then turn it the other way around and lightly coat the handle in oil. Sharpening Every couple of years your trowel blade will need to be sharpened with a hand file to ensure it cuts as easily as possible through tough soil and roots.To sharpen it, hold the garden trowel tightly onto a level surface with your non-dominant hand. Next, using your dominant hand, place the hand file on the edge of the blade at an angle of between five and thirty degrees. Push the file downwards along the edge of the blade, away from your body. Between each stroke of the file, make sure you lift the file from the tool and place it back at the starting position. After repeating this process all around the edge of the blade, use a clean rag to rub on some vegetable oil or linseed oil before putting away. Storage Storing your garden trowel is easy: all it needs is a dry place, such as a garden shed, to keep it away from any unnecessary moisture which could lead to the blade rusting and the handle rotting. You could use a tool rack to hang up your garden trowel to help keep your shed ordered and tidy. By using a tool rack you are also more likely to spot if you have accidentally left it outside. Reputable Trowel Brands
By Druid & Witch of the old ways, And Priestess of the Morrigan, Ravenmor Fox Thank-you, don’t forget to save and share. Some more related post links are below; On Odysee© Bohemefit Originally published July 5th 2022-07-05 All Tags:
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