Topic: digging fork

[Tee Gee]

I found a stainless steel fork dumped on the plots a couple of weeks ago,the plastic handle had broken so I took it down to our local garden tool company http://richardcarterltd.co.uk and they replaced the shaft with a split D handle for only £12.50

That's typical of the younger crowd today where it is easy come easy go I'll just buy another.

I now have the best quality fork I have ever had, trouble is I don't use a fork very often.

[ancellsfarmer]

I complement you on your frugal style and support your approach completely. Having done the same on two occasions, I can only hope you get greater service than I.
 My experience was that the depth and diameter of the stainless tool socket so reduced the amount of timber left from the handle that it was incapable of serious work and quickly failed. In another attempt , the deeper insertion of the handle by leaving the shaft thicker, and driving it caused the relatively thin stainless socket to shatter, the steel being somewhat brittle.
For the above experiences, I have now reverted to reshafting second hand carbon steel tools of premium, ie British, quality such as Spearwell or Brades and keeping them bright with use. I wish you good luck.

[Tee Gee]

I know what you mean about fitting it so I had the professional do it and at £12.50 fitted I think it was a bargain.

They polished the area  around the rivet and varnished the shaft so it looks as good as new!

BTW the company I used is in the village I live in so it was easy to drop it in and pick it up the following day.

[woodybrown]

Tee gee I find the remark about the younger crowd quite offensive , this is a thread about a poxy 12 quid digging fork not a chance for you to have a pop about younger people . I'm 43 by the way so I'm not that young I get that attitude on my plot and don't want it on here. Regards W

[squeezyjohn]

Agreed ...  any sweeping generalisations about a specific part of a society it is never helpful and often causes offence.

I could make a similar statement about how older people are always saying how much better everything was in their day and how everything modern is awful ... but that would be equally rude.  It does seem to be part of human nature though ... and I'm sure Tee Gee was chastised in his youth by people older than himself in a very similar way  - and I'm sure he was equally annoyed back then. 

It'll be our turn in not so many years woodybrown ... so watch out!

[squeezyjohn]

By the way ... I'm slowly realising that all the best tools are really old ones that have had new handles fitted ... it's taken a while, but I am slowly replacing my awful modern ones that bend and break within a couple of years with decent steel that can be sharpened and repaired myself.

By the way if anyone is ever visiting Cardigan in west Wales they have the most wonderful shop called the eco shop which sells a massive range of fantastically reconditioned garden tools for about the same price as new flimsy ones.

[ancellsfarmer]

TeeGee was right in his flip comment except that he should have widened it to include the majority of adults, of all of Society. A visit to your local amenity tip provides all the evidence one could require, together with all the commodities you could desire. Perfecly sound bicycles lacking only air, lawn mowers just requiring blades,tools of all descriptions.Its no wonder that the operators of these(vital) facilities claim to recycle ie. sell back to us,  70% of all they receive. Society even needs them to compost their green waste
The future for the human race is finite unless it learns fast to be less indulgent, more frugal and considerablly more restrained in use of resources

[pumkinlover]

Friend just asked Mr PKL to look at her pressure washer as not working, two minutes later he had it sorted and returned it. At same time she was chucking out a Dyson vacuum cleaner as been replaced already. We already have a Hoover from the same person!
Now I was always told that Dysons are great for 4 years till they go wrong- and everyone throws them out.  BUT Mr PKL takes it apart and says that it is the easiest thing to replace anything faulty so  some bits are on order and at the end of today I might have a working Dyson, and a Hoover and my Miele (love Miele as they really do last for years and years!)

Right how about that for going off Topic!!!

[Robert_Brenchley]

We've had our Dyson for donkey's years. Every time a part breaks we just replace it.

[squeezyjohn]

I often feel the same as you ancellsfarmer - but it's not entirely the fault of the people in society who are throwing these things away - it's the big businesses who simply refuse to make tools/machines/cars that can be repaired and will last longer than 5 years.  Almost 100% of big manufacturing businesses make products designed to be thrown away in that kind of time frame.  This makes hunting down and paying the extra for really well made tools a very hard job indeed.

The garden tools sold in nearly every B&Q or Garden Centre, even the big name ones for 3 times the price, are normally not worth putting a new handle on and are incapable of taking a decent edge if you sharpen them.  You will always save money in the long run and have a decent tool if you buy something made 50 years ago out of decent steel and do it up yourself.