The Shovel Discussion Thread!

Tommy-Chi said:
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.
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Sounds like you need 3 different shovels. A high quality vintage folding army shovel might fill your needs for camping and as a car shovel. If you live in the north and face real winters with lots of snow then you might want something bigger and stronger for your car shovel. If you need to dig out an icy berm created by a snowplow then you might want a sturdy D-handle square point shovel. Either of those is too heavy for backpacking. Well, the army shovel might be OK for day hikes. For longer backpacking trips were weight matters there is nothing better than the Deuce of Spades! Lightweight, strong, effective! Perfect 'cathole' shovel for when you need to drop a deuce.
http://thetentlab.com/Deuce/DeuceofSpadespage.html
 
Square_peg said:
Sounds like you need 3 different shovels. A high quality vintage folding army shovel might fill your needs for camping and as a car shovel. If you live in the north and face real winters with lots of snow then you might want something bigger and stronger for your car shovel. If you need to dig out an icy berm created by a snowplow then you might want a sturdy D-handle square point shovel. Either of those is too heavy for backpacking. Well, the army shovel might be OK for day hikes. For longer backpacking trips were weight matters there is nothing better than the Deuce of Spades! Lightweight, strong, effective! Perfect 'cathole' shovel for when you need to drop a deuce.
http://thetentlab.com/Deuce/DeuceofSpadespage.html
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Thank you for your response!

Yes, I will buy two the Deuce of Spades, a med and large. They look great.

I'll get something a bit more sturdy for the Chicago Winters for the car.
 
junkenstien said:
Has patent applied for on the piece that closes it.
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That stamp could put the date of manufacture between 1933--1936 (inclusive), since it appears that the patent application was filed in 1933, and the patent granted in 1936.


Patent No. 2031556
Feb. 18, 1936
Inventor: F. C. Brandenburg
First Assignee: Wood Shovel and Tool Co.
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US2031556-0.png

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/91/15/55/18611edada2b80/US2031556.pdf
https://patents.google.com/patent/US2031556A/en?oq=2031556
 
Some caprock shovels have flat tips sort of like rice shovels do. It can be handy for chopping roots! That being said, looks like you restored it to its former shape quite nicely. Nothing like a solid shank!
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Some caprock shovels have flat tips sort of like rice shovels do. It can be handy for chopping roots!
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Yes. Shovels with too sharp of point (like a Forest Service shovel) will slide off a root instead of cutting it. My personal FS shovel comes to less of a point than standard for this very reason - cutting roots.

And it helps to have a good turned-in step so you can give it a good kick with your boot.
 
My favorite general use shovel pattern is a good rice shovel with a closed back and forward turned steps. They have a good deal of lift to them that makes cleaning trenches or doing other transfer work easy, but the blade shape makes it a good all-'rounder for breaking ground in the absence of a spade so long as the ground isn't overly hard. If the ground is compacted, full of rocks, or otherwise putting up a fight, then a pick does the job of loosening things up and the shovel finishes the job nicely. The flattened tip really comes in handy when you need to cut through small to medium roots.
 
More from my recent auction booty

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Miller '72 - I'm not sure if that 3rd shovel is an Oliver Ames, but the handle is definitely similar. It was stamped with this, EXPRS60?:

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Miller '72 said:
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:
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Those are all great shovels. Is that a "C" under express? Contractor grade maybe? What does the backside look like?
I have not come across any I a while but I usually grab the older shovels when I see them.

You have motivated me to take a look at my shovels
 
I looked at it closer this evening and it does in fact say “Express”, the last S didn’t fully stamp which threw me off. Below that is a “6”, nothing more, and nothing on the back.

The V-Handled one on the left is stamped “Johns” or “Jonas”, and the far right says “Bulldog 2”
 
I believe I have made two of the best titanium shovels out there. The spades are 4.5oz and the full shovel is 1.5lbs

I was inspired by a handicapped gardener I know.
But these will do ordinance jobs, metal detecting, gardening, fire jumping, survival, prepping, etc
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If you know shug I gave him one.
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leon08 said:
I'm a fan of versatile tools. I recently refurbished a Romanian military shovel, a beautiful combination between Western military style (German, Austrian - folding, etc.) and the Eastern (Russian - fixed).
The blade has a sharp edge for cutting wood (like a chisel), one side with saw teeth and a sharp tip for digging (duble bevel at 45 degrees).
A good tool tested over the years both in military and civilian field.
A few pics

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Thanks!
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These are great for metal detecting too!!!!
 
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