It kind of surprises and amuses me that people feel a need to be
"correct" over something everyone knows, and it hardly matters anyway.
Now, what I have real trouble with, is volume.
A quick rough count showed me 18 shovels in current readiness for use. I
have 4 or 5 more candidate heads laying around waiting to see what I
want to do with them. I have short D handles and longer T handles as
well and long straight handles. I have a trenching tool from WW1 and
several "children's" tools.
Lately they make some really cute small ones, and I have a
couple/three of those too.
One the rare square end variety.
I have mounted new handles and carved shovel handles from scratch and
reworked heads into different configurations.
Made shovels into spades and vise versa, if the names are still
important to you. lol
I have only one genuine piece of information to add. Maybe you
already know?
But last winter we got a sudden 3 feet of snow. Ker-plop. Nearly
everyone was snowed in. I have been in sudden snowfalls before, so I put
my wittile twuck into 4WD and cut ruts every hour until it stopped.
Looked like Wagon Train across the prairie, but I could at least get out.
This didn't help with my walkways to and from the carport, and
eventually lots of snow got shoveled.
At my tender young age it was kicking me like an angry little girl
with a rag doll. I would go hard a good 1/2 hour, then rest up for an
hour. On like that.
So during one of the rest periods I was thinking, there has to be
something better than this. Having a selection of tools I was using a
10" wide grain scoop on a long handle.
(oops sorry to introduce a new name, now we have to argue the correct
use of scoop too? lol)
But anyway, the job and the tool were kicking my ass, was my point.
I have always been naturally lazy. If there is an easier way I
---WILL--- find it. ha
I took my shovel (live with it, you know what I meant) down to the
shop and scraped it smooth as butter with a razor blade scraper followed
by steel wool.
Did a good job of it (I couldn't move any more snow anyway).
I then put 2 coats of paste wax on it.
Holy Mackerel!!!!!!
On the next round I was astounded by the reduced effort it took. I
moved more snow in a shorter period, with less exhaustion, than I would
have ever believed.
I'll never shovel snow with an unpolished tool again!!
yours Scott
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*******************************
Scott Grandstaff
Box 409 Happy Camp, Ca 96039
scottg@s...
http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/sgrandstaff/
http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/hpages/index.html
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