Source for HC/PC Shovel?

Does anyone know of a source for a period shovel. I have seen a few guys with old WWII trenching shovels and they look "old Timey" but what did a shovel really look like in the 1700-1800's I have not seen any in any museums, although I can't say I've looked too hard.

I have not seen any Blacksmiths offering them up for sale. I usually like making as much of my gear as possible, and I would love to try and make one, but If I'm going to go through the trouble, I want it to be PC correct.

Anyone have info?

Thanks!

I found a thread in the trekking that had a link to antique Farm equipment with lots of Photos!

There was lots of discussion on modern trowels for refuse disposal! :shocked2:

Since you are interested in making one, James A. (Jymm) Hoffman has a PDF on the basics and he may still be offering classes on how to make them. I’m sorry, but I don’t know how to do a direct link to a PDF, so try googling:
18th Century Shovels and Spades ”“ PAABA paaba.net/Projects/JHShovels.pdf

Here is a link showing a finished shovel and spade he makes: http://www.hoffmansforge.com/my-work/entrenching-and-gardening-tools/

To View original pictures and some original spades and shovels, this link is great: https://www.scribd.com/document/262747317/Tools-Shovels-Spades

A page from Diderot’s Encyclopedia showing some: https://georgeglazer.com/prints/industry/Diderot/Briqueterie-p1.JPG

Another from Diderot’s: http://artflx.uchicago.edu/images/encyclopedie/V18/plate_18_2_58.jpeg

Here is a great link showing types of both handles and blades. BTW, the handles that look like modern ones with “D” Shape Grips are made from one piece of wood.: https://www.nwta.com/courier/6-96/tools.html

BTW, English Gardening Spades are still being made with the “T” shape handle and 18th century style, straight, pointed blades. These are smaller than a full size spade, but can be about the perfect size to dig campfire pits and still fit in with all your other gear for reenacting. My Sister was really into gardening before she got Rheumatoid Arthritis and I bought one of those for her. I sharpen the blade for her every couple of years and it is scary how good it digs, though you have to get used to the T shape handle.

For more Reproductions,

1st Link, scroll down to :
SHOVEL & SPADE - After many years of research, we are able to offer authentic styled entrenching tools at a reasonable price. See CENC, page 268 for sample period tools. The main feature of these tools that differentiates them from most modern made ones is that the blade is almost parallel to the handle. Size of both tools is 8 by 10 inches, excluding the socket. These tools will hold up to rigorous work. Furnished without handles, which are available separately. Pointed Blade Shovel #SVL3 or Square Blade Spade #SPD3 $29.00 each http://www.avalonforge.com/MainTools.htm

One offered by G. Gedney Godwin, http://gggodwin-com.3dcartstores.com/Shovel-470_p_107.html

Hope this helps.

Gus

Scroll down on this LINK and you will find both a shovel and a spade. They are not quite the same. They are based on examples in The Collector's Illustrated Encyclopedia of The American Revolution by Neumann.

LD

As soon as I saw the heading for this thread Avalon Forge came to mind then I scrolled down and found you had beat me to it. Nice person to deal with.
http://www.avalonforge.com/index.html

I got ahold of a spade with a blade of 6 inches wide and 10 inches long with a 14 inch wood handle with a ball at the end. it was coated with 10 coats of a unusual green paint which took some work to remove and I found a foundry stamp of an oval with DDR (East Germany)on the back of the blade near the base for the wood handle. It fits well as a style of spade used in the ACW it works well for fire pits for $20.00 at a surplus store it was a deal.

I have to admit that before finding the link below, I did not know a straight handle with a ball on the end was period correct.
https://www.nwta.com/courier/6-96/tools.html

Gus

Thanks Guys!!!

Thank you for bringing up the topic.

Quite a few years ago I tried to get more information on making the period wooden "D" handles for shovels and spades and could not find any information. Tried searching again and was not able to find anything.

I did find out a few things on the wood.

Elm used to be highly prized for these handles, but there is not much left after the Dutch Elm disease plagues.

Other sources say for straight handles, that it is best to get a hickory or ash sapling in a size that is just a bit larger than the finished handle, so you can strip the bark and finish it as needed. It is said that this will give you a handle that is the most resistant to breaking.

Gus

Yeah I would've guessed Ash...and I wonder about the shrinkage after you remove the bark as it dries?

On the other hand now might be the best time to cut some saplings for future handles for tools?

LD

If you have ash saplings in your area and think you want some for handles, you may want to get them and store them before the ash borers get to the area.

The best time to cut might be Jan/Feb when the sap is down. This is the best time to cut arrow-shafts to reduce splitting.

I agree you would need to get a sapling of large enough diameter to allow for some shrinkage after removal of the bark.

I also agree with Black Hand that Jan/Feb would probably be best to harvest such saplings.

I am not sure how this may correlate to getting wood for a "D" shaped handle, though probably also best harvested in the winter. I THINK it would be best to get a tree with a diameter large enough so the D shaped handle could be made by splitting the wood into quarters and then splitting away wood from each side of what will become the handle, while leaving enough thickness and width for the D shaped handle.

Gus

How about a draw knife and horse?

LD

No doubt they commonly used a draw knife and shaving horse for shaping the wood for handles and especially when it was still green for the rough shaping. They would then have used them when the wood dried for final shaping. But that is not what I'm trying to describe.

I imagine they split a fairly good sized diameter piece of wood for a D shaped shovel handle into quarters and then split off a piece big enough to make the handle. The idea was by splitting, they made sure the grain was best to resist cracking, splitting, as well as shrinking. Then they used an axe or hatchet to trim it, and then on to the draw knife and shaving horse. I don’t know if that is what they did, though.

Gus

No one has mentioned a Sheffield tool catalog from 1816.
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8529037p/f70.item

Now this gives some idea however I don't know how many shovels were imported and how many were made in the USA.
If you look at the detail- the throat of metal over the handle, today it is bent around into a tube- I am not certain but it looks like they saved metal by only having it on top and bolted it to the handle.
That tool catalog- all the pages are available on that website. It is the "go to" source on all sorts of tools around 1816. There was also an earlier catalog "of sorts" in 1803 (?) and a lot of the 1816 images are carried over to the 1816 source.

crockett said:

No one has mentioned a Sheffield tool catalog from 1816.
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8529037p/f70.item

Now this gives some idea however I don't know how many shovels were imported and how many were made in the USA.
If you look at the detail- the throat of metal over the handle, today it is bent around into a tube- I am not certain but it looks like they saved metal by only having it on top and bolted it to the handle.
That tool catalog- all the pages are available on that website. It is the "go to" source on all sorts of tools around 1816. There was also an earlier catalog "of sorts" in 1803 (?) and a lot of the 1816 images are carried over to the 1816 source.

Click to expand...

You can not tell from the drawings, but I would bet they had metal on the top and the bottom, like many later shovels I have seen. If the metal was just on top, it would be a very weak attachment, and would be prone to breakage.

At least one image I saw had straps that went up the front and back from the blade, sandwiched the handle and had 2-3 bolts/pins that held the head/handle together.

I was wondering if a separate plate was in back.

We were just at Jamestown and they have recovered a number of shovels but all that survived was the metal cutting edge, which had been attached to the wood scoop and handle. I never knew of shovels made that way. Don't know when they switched to all metal blades from the wood/metal combination. Guess this saved a lot of metal needed to make the whole head from metal!