Homesteading Tool Kit.

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Had a few close calls with monkey strainers.

Used to use some great post hole spades, 100% steel, forged spade and T handle.. must've been over 5'. Weighed alot but you could almost just drop them into the hole. Wish could remember the maker.

Post driver are pretty good bits of kit and safer than using a fenching mel
 
Had a few close calls with monkey strainers.

Used to use some great post hole spades, 100% steel, forged spade and T handle.. must've been over 5'. Weighed alot but you could almost just drop them into the hole. Wish could remember the maker.

Post driver are pretty good bits of kit and safer than using a fencing mel

Mel? Not often I hear that word. Thought it was just a Cumbrian/Northern thing.

I know what you are meaning but most other folks give me a weird look when I say something could do that a good bat with a mel.
 
So....hammers

Today I had occasion to use a 1 lb club hammer and an 8lb sledge hammer. I also need a claw hammer, cross peen hammer, straight peen hammer, ball peen hammer, 4 oz pin hammer, non ferrous hammer and 14 lb sledge hammer.

I've probably missed a few....
 
Have a look for the btcv handbooks, very good info on many subject and can be found for free as pdf if you have a quick google shttp://www.nhbs.com/btcv_practical_handbooks_sefno_2758.html
 
Apologies i've not kept up with this thread guys... Not
had chance to keep up with anything.

Will get back to it over the weekend... lots of questions.. :)
 
So....hammers

Today I had occasion to use a 1 lb club hammer and an 8lb sledge hammer. I also need a claw hammer, cross peen hammer, straight peen hammer, ball peen hammer, 4 oz pin hammer, non ferrous hammer and 14 lb sledge hammer.

I've probably missed a few....

I thought you had a proper car? Not a landrover. :)
 
Have a look for the btcv handbooks, very good info on many subject and can be found for free as pdf if you have a quick google shttp://www.nhbs.com/btcv_practical_handbooks_sefno_2758.html

These are good, I have an old copy of Btcv woodlands- googled them but no joy, where did you find yours?


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Sorry to chime in a little late but in regards to garden tools I rather like the look of Bulldog tools. They're forged in England and look to be pretty decent. I've been eyeing up one of their shovels for some time but have yet to pull the trigger on buying one.

Does anyone on here have any of their tools? If so how do you rate them?

I bought a cheap digging hoe recently. The silver line model rather than a chillington hoe. The handle is utter cr*p but the tool itself is rather good. I can see it getting a lot of use in the future on I fit a longer handle.

All the best
Andy
 
Sorry to chime in a little late but in regards to garden tools I rather like the look of Bulldog tools. They're forged in England and look to be pretty decent. I've been eyeing up one of their shovels for some time but have yet to pull the trigger on buying one.

Does anyone on here have any of their tools? If so how do you rate them?

I bought a cheap digging hoe recently. The silver line model rather than a chillington hoe. The handle is utter cr*p but the tool itself is rather good. I can see it getting a lot of use in the future on I fit a longer handle.

All the best
Andy

Got an old Bulldog shovel, had it donkeys years now.
Its of the slightly shortened, T handled forged concrete shovel type.
Back in the day every old time labourer had one for when they put concrete floors in. Slightly shorter that standard means you can move a lot more concrete with them without feeling quite so beat up afterwards. More work with less effort.

Wouldn't swap it for any other I've seen.

Here they are being made, although the ones being made are the D handle ones that I'm not keen on, get one of them caught in the paddles of the mixer and the D catches your hand as the drum spins. Not that people should be sticking the shovel to get the unmixed aggregate/cement off the sides and into the main mix in the mixer anyway. But pretty much everyone used to do it (including me) so I prefer the T handle ones.
[video=youtube;NWtMgUvZ8Z0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWtMgUvZ8Z0[/video]
 
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Cool beans mate. I was thinking of getting the Irish shovel with a long handle. Though I can see the attraction of the shorter handle.

It was that video that put me on to them. I stumbled across it while searching for videos on how to forge a shovel for my forge. Quite an interesting process they have.

All the best
Andy
 
We get most of our tools from the monthly farmers market sale old refurbished tools that you would pay a fortune for today superb value, our last purchase was a 1940s american forces machete for a fiver.

what I deem essential bits of kit for day to day use

A decent bow saw
good axe I have a Husky for the money you cannot fault it
Billhook circa 1940s
splitting maul
machete or gollock both are Martindale
post thumper not sure what they are called
wire cutters
fork,spade and rake
can't think of anything else at the moment.

Fencing pliers - a very useful piece of kit in my humble opinion.
 
Cool beans mate. I was thinking of getting the Irish shovel with a long handle. Though I can see the attraction of the shorter handle.

Longer handle for digging I suppose, shorter one for shovelling concrete.

Can't say I've ever done much in the way of digging with a shovel.
 

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