Ultimate light-weight tree planting shovel

[jfbro]

Would anyone like to chip in on a concept I'm working out for an ultimate light-weight tree planting shovel?

Started stumbling through the idea when we first came across The Ultimate Tree Planting Shovel: http://www.silviculturemagazine.com/art ... ing-shovel

Sparked a discussion that lead to someone saying that, although that's nice, they'd like to try a titanium blade.
So, I found someone who's now moulding us a titanium blade...

In the meantime, I hear titanium, although stronger, will ware considerably faster than steel...
So, the design of this light-weight titanium shovel specifically for prepared ground, as steel is probably still the ultimate for coastal terrain...

This brings us to the shaft.
What about carbon fiber? Would that hold?
I imagine a titanium blade fixed to a carbon fiber shaft might be strong enough for sand, up to duffy ground... not to mention you'd be able to hold it up with your pinky...

Good idea, bad idea?

[notinsignificant]

Take a look at bustedcarbon.com, note the various reason for damages, now think of all the times you've thrown your shovel in the back of a truck, recall the rough "roads" that that truck has travelled down, remember the times you've tripped, or hit rocks. Carbon is not a good idea.

[jfbro]

That site doesn't give enough information to be useful...

The carbon fiber tubes I've found come in a variety of thicknesses & strengths... could be reinforced with an outer layer of kevlar to help protect against bumps on the roads...

Bear in mind this is specifically for a light weight shovel... the shaft weight should be relative to the titanium blade. I'm thinking... too much weight from, say, a wooden shaft would make it top-heavy, throwing the whole thing off balance...

[evanodell]

I just can't see a carbon fibre shaft surviving very long, no matter how well you treat it or what it is coated with. There are some high tech composite materials out there that could work, but I have no idea how you'd get your hands on them, or even what they're called.

[jfbro]

If anything comes to mind, let me know! Open to any suggestions for alternatives (to wood, steel, aluminium)... :-)

[newforest]

I like the "King of Spades" line of shovels, spades, etc. Manufactured in New Jersey. I think they use an alloy from the world of aircraft manufacture; it is lighter than straight steel, but very strong. Their tools come with a 5 year guarantee - it took me 7 years of heavy use to put a crack in the blade. When their spade design is copied by competitors (several such on the market), the result is generally heavier than theirs.

[jfbro]

Any specific King Of Spades model you like?

From what I've seen on their website, the default size seem quite big... and I can't find blade size info, so...

... more steel, though. I'm sure there's a reason pretty well everyone's using steel... forgive me for thinking of trying something different. :-)

[newforest]

well I didn't post their name for a context of using their tools for planting small plugs; I use the following to plant bare-roots with the longest roots possible, on very dry sites. I've come to feel that quality bare-roots offer a survival advantage on the driest sites.

I use this one a lot:



but again, I just posted it because whatever alloy they use is an excellent combination of strength and weight. the copycat models of this spade/shovel (the "Wolverine" comes to mind) are always heavier.

sometimes in planting I think having some mass and weight to the blade of the tool is an advantage, when you need to get root systems into heavy soil types (clay), or in lots of rocks, and when you have to get the roots into the mineral soil, not just simply leaving them in the organic on top. A quality step is important there too; it needs to be as wide as a boot.

I use a Bushpro for small plugs whenever I can, and I like it quite a bit. It is nice and light (handle cut down by an expert)…..so light I'm not sure I would want a tool that is any lighter at all. ?

[Scooter]

Several of the planters in my camp this summer are going to be trying out the modified D Trowel that I built in this video. It's as light weight as it gets. We'll see how it holds up though.

[krahn]

Started stumbling through the idea when we first came across The Ultimate Tree Planting Shovel: http://www.silviculturemagazine.com/art ... ing-shovel

WOW. That is a work of art, I WANT one. There's nothing heavy and strong enough for my liking available to buy. But I doubt I can afford Seth's work.