CharlieT84
Elite Member
Nice shovel mod. I'm glad you posted the fail, and what caused it, too. I don't have a long shovel, but am hoping to some day have a good one. I do like the saw teeth on both sides of my White's digmaster hand digger. They do cut through roots that a straight edge won't. Not sure about the best teeth design, though. Maybe smaller, or alternating edged teeth would be better? I think your teeth design looks like it works well, but if they weren't so high up the blade, where the heavier prying action happens, you could better avoid that breakage. I'm thinking 3 to 5 less teeth at the top on each side, and you'd still be digging(and sawing) with that beast. Notice where it broke. Right through the top teeth cuts, which were inline with where the center weld ends. Makes sense that it broke there, where the force is concentrated during prying.
I agree with what you are saying- I should have gone up only about 6 teeth on each side instead of 11. I will say I had no issues with it hanging up on roots like others suggested it would. It cut thru them well.
The pattern is the same as my Lesche hand digger, which by the way, I made the toothed single sided digger into toothed on both sides and like it much better.