The Shovel Discussion Thread!

Ballenxj said:
Those are some interesting handles. What brand, and any idea what era these are from?
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When I can get a bit of time today I hope I can do a little cleaning...as far as age I am not at all sure yet.
As I find stamps or clues and information I will gladly be posting back:cool:
 
Ballenxj said:
Those are some interesting handles. What brand, and any idea what era these are from?
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I discovered two here are Oliver Ames...O.Ames Crucible Steel #2 & #5.
The third is a Baldwins Knoxall #2

My favorite of the three is this guy right here...stamped NY, NH & H R.R.
That line ran right up thru the lakes I grew up on north of Hartford, picking up ice from the ice houses, on it's way to Springfield, Northampton and points north...now the trains had stopped by the time I was born however we walked and explored those tracks north and south as long as daylight would carry us.
There is still evidence today of the RR line and better still, evidence of the canal system with locks, that the RR line simply followed.
...oh ya, the shovels.

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Makes sense its stamped NY, NH & H...bigger cities.
Growing up it was called locally the NY to NH line, passing up thru Northampton Ma.

#5

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The Baldwins Knoxall 2

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I have not yet researched either shovel, however while researching a previous Oliver Ames shovel I have, the stamping is different. Here it is O.Ames.

The Balwins Knoxall is in great shape still:cool::thumbsup:
 
I just got my catalog from Deutsche Optik and they have the Swiss folding head e-tool with a leather cover/carrier for the cheapest price I have seen around. I got one to go with my straight handled Swiss E-tool and it and the leather carrier were in excellent shape. Just mailed off a Money Order for a M1943 e-tool and cover made in 1944, and when it gets here I will have ever US e-tool and pick (belt carried ones) from WWI to the present. John
 
The Russian Ti Etool weighs 1/3 of the Swiss Etool and you can store it in the case (no rust). 1.15 lbs.37E2E257-43B2-4657-84A8-6F83926F3743.jpeg
 
347C7CCA-10DF-434D-A1B7-4E20A2A5B410.jpeg 68E61A6C-FF90-4670-98A3-02390F9E044D.jpeg I am not positive that this is the current e-tool for the Russian Army. I have e-tools from WW-II, Korea, Viet Nam, and NATO. My original interest in lighter gadgets centered around the ability to have more gadgets at the same total weight. More recently, my interest in lighter gadets centers around the ability of my knees to carry them.
The most compact e-type-tool that I have found so far is a Walther SS survival kit. The tube has fish hooks, band aids, sling shot, pencil, scalpel, matches, needle and thread/fishing line, sinkers, safety pins, etc.
 
tiguy7. Ironic I have a similar little e-tool, a mini M1951 very much like the Walther you have with a shovel and pick her, rubber handle, that I got while I was still in the Army, so Pre-1991. Heavier than I thought it would be, but much smaller than a M1951. I just checked and with the shovel head and pick head perpendicular to the handle, it is only 10-inches long.I used it in the field, mostly to dig trash and Cat Holes, now I use it around the house occasionally . Pretty rugged construction. John
 
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tiguy7 said:
View attachment 985250 View attachment 985251 I am not positive that this is the current e-tool for the Russian Army. I have e-tools from WW-II, Korea, Viet Nam, and NATO. My original interest in lighter gadgets centered around the ability to have more gadgets at the same total weight. More recently, my interest in lighter gadets centers around the ability of my knees to carry them.
The most compact e-type-tool that I have found so far is a Walther SS survival kit. The tube has fish hooks, band aids, sling shot, pencil, scalpel, matches, needle and thread/fishing line, sinkers, safety pins, etc.
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Where would I find one of those? A google search isn’t coming up with anything.
 
John A. Larsen said:
tiguy7. Ironic I have a similar little e-tool, a mini M1951 very much like the Walther you have with a shovel and pick her, rubber handle, that I got while I was still in the Army, so Pre-1991. Heavier than I thought it would be, but much smaller than a M1951. I just checked and with the shovel head and pick head perpendicular to the handle, it is only 10-inches long.I used it in the field, mostly to dig trash and Cat Holes, now I use it around the house occasionally . Pretty rugged construction. John
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If I were under fire, I would probably want a bigger/faster shovel. I take this one to the beach for sand castle work. I like the stainless steel construction. My tool is 13” long in T-mode. I figure that picks popped up in Korea because the ground was frozen and rocky.
 
I use the cold steel shovel for camping and small jobs around the house. For real digging I'll get my razorback wood handle closed back shovel. As a plumber I have dug miles of ditches with one
 
tiguy7. I also believe they added the pick to the e-tool because of the ground in Korea, especially as it is the M1951 e-tool. Some years back for a potential article I tested a bunch of e-tools, the M1951, Glock, Cold Steel, and the current military Tri-fold by digging foxholes, one a day. I would dig as hard as I could for 10 minutes, take photos and measurements, another 10 minutes, then a last ten minutes. Our soil here is half rocks and stones. I Put the M1951 with the head and pick at right angles to the handle, chop with the pick, scoop with the shovel. After 30 minutes the M1951 was 18 inches deeper than the next shovel, and that was a six foot by two foot foxhole. The M1951 was hands down the best digger, at least in these conditions, the down side being it is bigger and heavier than the others. John
 
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tiguy7. I have a Plumb WWII short handled pick axe made in 1943, and a more current Mattax, which has an axe blade and a pick, which came out around the time the Tri-Fold e-tool came out and IMO because the Tri-Fold e-tool proved to be such a poor digger. Nothing new with the Mattax, which has a shorter handle but is similar in shape to the Roman Legion era Dolabra. John
 
The handles on the pick and the Mattax were widest at the business end. You could rap the handle on a rock, and the head would slide off for packing.
 
Just receiver my M1943 E-tool, made in 1944 by the Wood Shovel and Tool Company of Piqua, Ohio, apparently a little less common maker. The cover/carrying case was made by the Progressive Bag Co in 1944, both are in excellent shape.
 
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survivor45 said:
This followed me home today.
1945 Wood. As you can see it’s been used but not abused. I’ll clean it up later tonight.

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Excellent shovel! Throw it behind the seat of your truck and rest comfortably because it's there. I keep one with the shovel and pick in my rig. I couldn't count the number of times I've used it. The first pick/shovel combo I had was Korean war era. I gave it to my daughter because she needed it and I knew I would find another. I did find an older one and keep that in my rig.
 
Man-o-Man! I was wondering where to post a shovel question and here is this huge thread! It didn't even dawn on me to search for shovels on a knife site.

I'll read and bookmark this thread. It's a keeper!

What I'm looking for are shovels that can be attached to a backpack or stored in a small car for the Winter or for camping.
 
Look for winter back packing shovels under avalanche rescue tools. Otherwise the Ti shovel in post 724 above is a lightweight back packable tool.
 
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