steve-in-atco
New Member
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2021
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I am right handed, do I want a left or right sided cutter tool? What is a good brand? Buy once cry once.
Thanks
Steve-in atco
Thanks
Steve-in atco
Digger Cutter Tool
- Thread starter steve-in-atco
- Start date
Martin_V3i
Elite Member
Ergonomically, a right handed person should use a digger with the serrations on the left side. I couldn't fathom any roots in a counter clockwise circle with me being right handed. Honestly though? I've never had to cut that many roots in my years of the hobby. For a hand digger, I think the Lesche digger is still the best. MIne is nearly 10 years old. I did get my brother to serrate both sides, mine was serrated on the right when new. It's just that "counter clockwise motion" to saw through roots, using the right-sided serrations, really needs the serrations on the left side for me.
aj0421
Elite Member
Check out Grave Digger Tool's hand trowel, it is serrated on both sides and cuts nicely thru small tree roots. My first hand trowel I have ever bought and I feel could be my last because it is build so well!
Tahtsadatsago
Full Member
predatortools.com
Fantastic tools. Made in NJ (Bridgeton area).
Fantastic tools. Made in NJ (Bridgeton area).
DiggingThePNW
Forum Supporter
Agreed
surphil
Full Member
Pete e
Elite Member
Personally I would not get another spade with teeth on..
Teeth on digging tools seems to be a metal detecting thing but if you look at other professions that dig a lot, they tend to use a plain sided spades, which are often sharpened to produced a cutting edge.
A plain edged spade just cuts through the soil so much better....Teeth on a spade look the part, but IMHO are usually more trouble than they are worth simply because we can't get a sawing motion going while working in a hole, so in most cases, the teeth just hang up on stuff.
When I hunt in woodlands I carry a pair of small garden hand pruners and just snip through any small or medium sized roots I encounter....
The only real exception I have found the above are the "scalloped" serrations on a good hori-hori style knife..
if you are digging on a lawn, they go through turf with very little effort and enable a very neat plug to be cut....
Teeth on digging tools seems to be a metal detecting thing but if you look at other professions that dig a lot, they tend to use a plain sided spades, which are often sharpened to produced a cutting edge.
A plain edged spade just cuts through the soil so much better....Teeth on a spade look the part, but IMHO are usually more trouble than they are worth simply because we can't get a sawing motion going while working in a hole, so in most cases, the teeth just hang up on stuff.
When I hunt in woodlands I carry a pair of small garden hand pruners and just snip through any small or medium sized roots I encounter....
The only real exception I have found the above are the "scalloped" serrations on a good hori-hori style knife..
if you are digging on a lawn, they go through turf with very little effort and enable a very neat plug to be cut....
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Rock Jock
Elite Member
I made my own shovel from half of a post hole tool I bought from Walmart ($25 on clearance!!!). It's a twofer! No serrations/saw teeth, but I edged the tip and the sides as well and ran a 10.00Xwhatever metric bolt thru the holes on the blade upper that permitted the post hole tool to clamshell, so that I can step on it. Handles are fiberglass with a steel casing reinforcement on the fiberglass tube inside where it attaches to the blade half with 10.00 metric bolts/locknuts. I'm experimenting to find out the step-on bolt(s) configuration I prefer. It has one piece, forged heavy steel blades and they have a slight taper so that if you sharpen the edge with a grinder/file nicely, it will cut fine roots well and the thing has enough presence to come down hard on half inch to inch size roots like an axe blade. I chopped the handle on one blade to a comfortable length. I can hole the shorter handle end and make a compact handle too, but lacking the steel insert tube. The bolts for standing on can be either one piece of two piece with a metric steel coupling to join them inside the forged folded sides of the blade half where it cradles the handle. I consider this shovel to be more of a turf/curb strip/nice soil tool and wouldn't use it on rocky soil and such (particularly w/ quartz pebbles/siliceous rocks and cobbles). If anyone is interested, I'll post a pic of the beast when I get near it again (I'm on a non-MD trip right now).
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John Madill
Elite Member
My Nokta Makro Digger ($30) has serrations on both sides. But i suspect Pete is correct, a plain sharp tool would be neater. For those pesky roots in the hole it might be best to carry a small pair of nippers.
Pete e
Elite Member
This is an image of the hand forged and very expensive Sneeboer transplanting spade.
It's blade has a sharpened shallow inverted V which is quite unlike anything I have seen specifically designed for metal detecting...
The idea is that the shallow v "captures" the root as it being cut rather than having a tendency to push it aside as many pointed metal detecting spades will do.
I've not tried one of these spades myself, but I have to say the inverted V design looks a very interesting way of dealing with tree roots.
It's blade has a sharpened shallow inverted V which is quite unlike anything I have seen specifically designed for metal detecting...
The idea is that the shallow v "captures" the root as it being cut rather than having a tendency to push it aside as many pointed metal detecting spades will do.
I've not tried one of these spades myself, but I have to say the inverted V design looks a very interesting way of dealing with tree roots.
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