Snow shovel - a tool in the winter in a country house, of course, a must. With the help of such a device in bad weather they clear the tracks in the yard, the space in front of doors and gates. There are several types of shovels for snow. And almost any type of such a tool can be done with your own hands.
What types of shovels exist
Inventory of this type may vary:
Snow shovels can be narrow or wide. These tools differ in the diameter of the handle. The working part of the shovel can be made of plywood, plastic or metal.
Wooden shovels: advantages and disadvantages
The main advantage of tools of this type is, of course, primarily their low cost. Also, wooden shovels are the easiest tools to manufacture. The only drawback of such an inventory is the not too long service life. Plywood - the material is quite durable. But in terms of reliability, it is of course inferior to metal.
Responses of owners of country houses about wooden shovels
It is such a tool for cleaning snow in the yards of country houses that is used most often. Wooden shovels have earned good reviews from summer residents, primarily because of their cheapness. Even buying a finished tool of this type costs owners of country houses literally a penny. The price of a shovel for snow of this variety usually does not exceed 150 rubles. A wooden structure made by oneself can cost nothing at all.
Another advantage of such tools, the owners of country houses consider their low weight. Working with a wooden shovel is actually very convenient.
Metal tools
Such shovels are slightly more expensive than wooden. But, in comparison with plywood tools, they have one important advantage. Such shovels are much more durable and durable than wooden ones.
If in the yard in winter you have to clear very large areas of snow, it is best to purchase or make a metal tool yourself. In this case, the plywood shovel will not last too long. In addition, only freshly fallen soft snow can be cleaned with a wooden tool. It is better to clean it up with a metal shovel.
Tin Tool Reviews
Such devices, of course, are also quite popular among summer residents. To make such a shovel for snow is somewhat more difficult than wooden. But such a tool in the manufacture of the owners of country houses is considered quite simple.
Metal shovels have also earned good reviews from summer residents for their ease of use. It is necessary to clean snow with a plywood tool with a certain amount of caution. Metal shovels have no such drawback.
Tools of this type weigh a little more than wood. However, they cannot be called too heavy.
Plastic shovels
Such tools have recently also been quite often used by owners of suburban areas. Like a wooden one, such a shovel can be removed mainly only soft snow. Plastic structures weigh a little heavier than plywood, and lighter than metal.
Most often, the owners of suburban areas use purchased plastic shovels. However, such a tool, if desired, can, of course, be made independently.
The opinion of the owners of suburban areas about plastic tools
According to summer residents, plastic shovels, like plywood, are suitable exclusively for cleaning soft snow on not too large areas. The advantages of such devices are primarily light weight, and the disadvantages are not too high degree of strength.
The advantage of such shovels, among other things, is considered to be the strongly concave shape of their working part. This design increases the usability of the tool. When buying such a shovel for snow removal, owners of suburban areas are advised to definitely look at the front edge of its working part. It should be upholstered in a sheet of tin. If there is no such addition, the shovel will subsequently fail. The edge of its working part will simply “wave”.
Snow shovels on wheels
Using such devices to clean the yard in winter, of course, is the easiest. But shovels of this type are quite expensive. Snow is not thrown back by such tools, but is shifted. Reviews from the owners of suburban areas of this type of shovel, of course, deserved just excellent.
In another way, these tools are also called wheeled snow shovels. When using such structures, you can simply clean huge areas in a short time. Also, the advantage of shovels of this variety is ease of use.
Sometimes tools of this type are supplemented even with motors. Such shovels for snow on wheels, of course, are most convenient to use. However, devices of this type are also, of course, much more expensive than tools of any other design.
How to make a shovel for snow from plywood with your own hands
It is such a design that it will be easiest to make it yourself. To assemble a tool of this variety should use plywood with a thickness of at least 6 mm. A handle for such a tool can be purchased at a store or simply used to make it on the farm’s existing pole or even a tree branch that is cleaned of bark.
In addition to plywood and a handle, for the manufacture of a snow shovel in this case, you will need:
Also, to assemble such a device, you will need a bolt with a nut and a wide washer.
The answer to the question of how to make a shovel for snow from plywood is this technology:
A piece of 50 x 50 cm is cut out of plywood. You can, of course, make the shovel narrower. The yard with such a shovel will have to be cleaned longer. But working with a narrow tool will be a little easier. A narrow shovel is better suited, for example, for a senior citizen or a woman.
The edges of the cut piece of plywood are trimmed. Further, a hole is drilled in the center of the future working part of the shovel.
The upper edge of the prepared bar is turned by an arc. Previously, a nest for the cuttings is cut in this element.
The plywood is attached to the bar from the side of the arched edge for 3-4 nails.
The lower end of the handle is cut at an angle. Then a hole is drilled in it.
The handle is inserted into the slot in the bar and pressed to the plywood through the holes with a bolt through a wide washer (should be located below).
At the final stage of making a wooden shovel for snow with your own hands, the working edge of the plywood should be beaten with a double-folded sheet of sheet metal. Also, this material should fix the handle in the slot of the end bar. It is advisable to beat with tin and an arcuate place of fastening plywood to the bar.
How to make a metal shovel
To assemble an instrument of this kind, you can use, for example, an old baking sheet that is no longer used for cooking. In this case, a snow shovel will turn out to be somewhat heavy, but durable and inexpensive. A baking sheet for such a tool is best suited to a size of 40 x 60 cm. Also for the manufacture of such a shovel you will need to prepare:
You can make a shovel from a baking sheet, for example, like this:
the bar is bolted to one of the short edges of the pan;
a side is cut off from the other short edge;
the end of the handle is cut at an angle;
the handle is attached to the transverse beam and the center of the pan.
Shovel made of polypropylene pipes
The shovel from the pan is likely to last a long time. However, the tool is in most cases actually relatively heavy. If the farm has an aluminum sheet, it is better to make a shovel with its use. In addition to such material, for the manufacture of the tool in this case, polypropylene pipes will also be required.
The assembly technology of such a snow shovel looks like this:
a square of the most convenient length and width is cut out of an aluminum sheet;
along the edge of the working blade, as in the manufacture of a wooden shovel, a reinforcing strip of tin is mounted.
A handle from polypropylene pipes is assembled as follows:
one segment is separated from the pipe along the length of the handle itself and two short ones, the length of which should be slightly less than half the width of the shovel;
short and long segments are combined in the design in the form of the letter "T" using a tee;
two more lengths equal to half the length of the aluminum sheet are cut from the pipe;
the segments are attached to the short tubes of a “T” -shaped design using corner fittings.
At the final stage, the aluminum blade itself is attached to the handle thus assembled.
How to make a plastic shovel
Do-it-yourself metal snow shovel will last as long as possible. But if desired, such a tool can be made independently and from plastic. Shovels of such varieties are often made, for example, from large cans or plastic barrels. The assembly of the tool in this case will look like this:
using a jigsaw, the base in the form of a scoop is cut out of the barrel;
the handle is applied to the base and fixed using self-tapping screws;
steel or aluminum strips are placed on top of the handle and fixed with rivets.
If desired, you can fix the handle to the canvas of such a shovel and simply using nails and wire. But in this case, the design will turn out not so reliable.