How to make a rake with your own hands without much effort. How to make a rake with your own hands The main types of garden rakes and their purpose

When preparing the soil for planting, various garden tools are used, however, when subsequently caring for seedlings and young plants, it is necessary to use only fan rakes, which are ideal for performing these activities.

Fan rakes are widely used when a small, gentle load on the soil surface is necessary due to their lightness, elasticity and relative softness. They are great for:

– cleaning up small litter;

– cleaning up old fallen leaves;

– gentle cleaning of the garden area for young plants and grass;

– “combing” and thinning the lawn;

– loosening the soil to saturate it with oxygen.

Description of design

The design of this garden tool is quite simple and consists of two main parts: a handle and a transverse attachment with thin teeth connected to each other in the form of a fan about half a meter wide. The teeth are usually made of wire and are slightly bent at the ends at a 90 degree angle. The weight of the entire structure is significantly less than the weight of ordinary traditional metal rakes. Such a simple hand tool can be made with your own hands.

Manufacturing of the working part

To make a fan-shaped base with your own hands, you will need about 15 meters of 4 mm stainless steel wire. It is stainless steel that has the ability to absorb shock upon contact with a surface and has sufficient strength and durability.

1. The wire must be cut into equal pieces, each 0.5 meters long. Then, using a vice, bend the ends of each piece of wire on one side by about 5 cm. The bend angle should be 90 degrees.
2. To make the tool look aesthetically pleasing, you need to evenly distribute the teeth so that there is the same distance between them. To do this, you need to take two metal strips measuring 500x20x1.5 mm and connect them using two bolts and two nuts (before this, drill holes in the strips). Place the metal rods between the planks and fix them - place a sample between each two adjacent rods and hit it with a sharp movement with a heavy hammer (you should get a deflection that limits the movement of the rod to the sides).
3. Next you need to make a fan holder connecting to the handle. To do this, you need to take a piece of metal pipe with a diameter of 3 cm and place the unbent ends of the wire into it, pushing them inside by about 5-8 cm. Then carefully hammer this end of the pipe with the rods. The other end will remain for the cutting.

Making cuttings

As a cutting, you can use old holders from any garden tool or a thick-walled plastic pipe from a heating system of a convenient length. But you can make a cutting from wood with your own hands. The best option would be pine wood or other deciduous trees. It is desirable that the resulting fan rake be light and convenient to work with.

When preparing the cutting, it is important to remember that its diameter should be a couple of millimeters larger than the diameter of the pipe - so that it fits more tightly.

To protect against the effects of moisture and insect pests, it is advisable to treat the cuttings with stain or impregnation and varnish.

To connect the handle and the working surface (a fan of twigs), you can use epoxy resin. You need to heat it up, dip one end of the handle into it and insert it into the hole of a piece of pipe with a fan. For additional strength of the connection, you can make a hole in the pipe and hammer a nail into it.

A fan rake made with your own hands from scrap materials will cost the gardener much less than those purchased at a hardware store and, perhaps, will become much stronger and more reliable than store-bought ones.

How to make a garden rake with a wooden handle according to the ancient method, using modern woodworking tools.

Let's look at what they consist of:

Metal ring
block
teeth
stalk

METAL RING

We cut the required size from a thin-walled metal pipe (preferably stainless steel), the sharp edges of which are rounded with sandpaper.

SHIT

We will make it from raw wood of elm, ash, maple, birch or rowan. The diameter of the workpiece of the thickened part (without bark) should range from 30...40 (mm). We fit a metal ring tightly onto the thin part of the workpiece. On both sides of the ring we cut the blank to the required size. In the middle of the thin part, we split it and insert a wedge, setting the required distance between both workpieces and fixing it.

In this position, let the cuttings dry, after which we proceed to further processing.

After the wood has dried, we round off the spread ends of the workpiece and, as accurately as possible, reach a diameter of 14...15 (mm).

Using sandpaper, we round the entire workpiece until it gives it a marketable appearance.

BLOCK

We will make it from a similar material. We mark the inclined holes for attaching the handle along the extended ends, place the workpiece on the block and determine the angle of inclination of the through holes. The block can be made from freshly sawn wood.

Reference: Domestic breeds (the most common) when completely dried lose in volume from 11 to 17%, i.e. when its humidity is 0%.

Consequently, when the block dries out, the parts in its holes will shrink.

TEETH

We will make wooden dowels, which you can buy or make yourself, as shown in the video:

Preface

There are so many different rakes available, from tiny berry picking ones to huge tractor rakes, and it's important to know how to use them to get the most out of them.

The design of the first rakes was extremely simple. For surface loosening of the soil, either a snag with several curved root processes, or a branch with a stump of a trunk on which there were several short knots, was used. It is logical that there was no need to rake the leaves then, due to the lack of even the slightest concept of landscape design. Of course, there are no photographs of such primitive tools; there are rough sketches in museums.

Subsequently, a tool for raking the soil was made from wood by turning wooden teeth and driving them into holes made in a transverse bar - a “ridge”. Such products are still used today. In accordance with the name of the equipment in question, the so-called specialties of the workers also sounded: rower or rower, from the word rake, row. There was also such a concept as heaping up the grass after mowing it, hence the names of those performing this work: heavier or heavier.

In rural areas these words are still in use, but are used less and less as more and more varieties of large agricultural tractor rakes are used today. Among hand tools, the most popular item is given to metal toothed rakes, which are produced by stamping in large quantities. Wooden ones are more difficult to manufacture (it is necessary to grind the teeth separately and then insert them into the “ridge”), but they are cheaper because the cost of wood is lower.

Various models of fan rakes are made from elastic rods, which are very convenient for clearing leaves from the lawn and home lawn, as well as cleaning the area in general. Landowners also have numerous options for small plastic rakes for loosening the soil in a greenhouse, in flower pots, and in flower beds. You can select them from photos in catalogs.

As a rule, any garden tool for working with soil is equipped with a long handle, this also applies to rakes, with the exception of small plastic models. For the most part, you have to work with this tool in the garden, among bushes and other plantings, which is why you need a fairly long handle. The rake movement is always self-directed. First, the tool is thrown forward, and after grabbing grass, leaves or clods of earth, it is pulled up.

When leveling loose soil, alternating movements directed towards and away from oneself is allowed. Often, large clods of earth are broken up with a rake; after digging up a garden with a shovel, flat, turned teeth are convenient for this purpose. Leaves and grass clippings are best raked and turned using a tool with wide, flat teeth with narrower spaces between them.

It is convenient to carry out such work with the help of milling double-sided rakes; an awl-shaped fine comb of teeth in one row will allow you to clean lawns from leaves and pebbles, and rarer flat knives will help in removing moss and grass. Such rakes are sometimes equipped with wheels at the ends of the transverse “ridge” to reduce the effort put into movements, which looks very unusual in the photo. For everyday care of the garden, flower beds, and home lawn, it is more effective to use one of two types of fan rakes. There are plate and wire.

The first ones are made of narrow elastic strips of metal; they spring slightly during operation, which allows cleaning in areas with a large number of uneven areas. Wire models are given greater rigidity, which allows you to work on flat areas with high useful plantings without damaging their stems and leaves. Movements of any type of fan rake can be performed both longitudinally, forward and towards you, and transversely - from side to side, holding them vertically.

In a small area, you can level the loosened soil, break up clods, and collect grass into stacks after weeding using hand-held garden tools. But if we are talking about several tens of acres, you will need at least light equipment and appropriate adaptations for it. It is in such cases that agricultural rakes are used, large ones for tractors, and small ones for use. The only thing they have in common with hand tools is teeth, the number of which, however, has increased to a greater extent.

The width of the beam with mounted teeth reached from 2.17 to 2.74 meters versus manual ones, whose working area ranged from 10 to 73 centimeters. Once upon a time, when cultivating large areas (crushing clods after plowing before sowing, harvesting hay and ears of grain into stacks), horse rakes were not needed. An attachment with long curved teeth was installed on the frame, which was brought to the working or idle position using a special lifting tool.

The frame was mounted on wheels, and the entire structure was attached to the horse harness by means of a drawbar, or was equipped with shafts; in front there was a seat for the worker driving the horse. The most popular were various models of English rakes for horse traction. All this equipment can be seen in museums in the photo. Today, completely different devices are attached to heavy equipment.

For example, it is difficult to overestimate the efficiency and productivity of side rotary rakes, which consist of several short combs with long teeth, the bars of which radiate from a centrally mounted rotor. Such equipment is installed in at least one pair, with counter rotation towards the center, but there can be 5-6 such paired devices on two rods placed at a slight angle to the sides. With such a rake you can rake and rake hay, wrap ready-made windrows, double them into one, and, if necessary, scatter them.

The productivity of another type of side rake is also high - wheel-finger, the effectiveness of which is ensured not only by its own rotation, but also by the speed of the tractor. The design of these devices is more complex: spring fingers are installed on the base of the wheel on the outer side of the rim. They are inclined against rotation, so that grass or hay is easily thrown away.

Such wheels are installed in sections of 5–6 pieces on wedge-mounted rods, depending on the direction of which, the raked stems or ears are collected into windrows or, conversely, scattered. But the simplest and most convenient is the transverse rake model, which is based on a wheeled frame attached to a tractor or walk-behind tractor, depending on the size of the device.

The transverse ridge can rotate around its longitudinal axis, raising and lowering long curved teeth. To clean the latter, there are rods rigidly fixed in the middle horizontal position, one per section of ten teeth. When the raked hay accumulates under the arcs of the teeth, the hydraulics of the lifting unit are activated and the beam rotates, the rake rises and releases the windrow. On a walk-behind tractor, you have to turn the “ridge” manually using a special lever.

For side rakes, the windrows are laid, stretching in the direction of travel, and for cross rakes, they are raked perpendicular to the tractor's travel.

Gardening tools can take on quite original forms, but they rarely cause surprise. Another thing is the non-standard use of devices with familiar names. For example, there is a practice of expanding the functionality of a regular hand scythe by using a rake that is attached to the handle above the blade. With this addition it is much easier to stack the ears of mown rye or wheat into even sheaves.

This device is called a rake and is equipped with especially long teeth, which is why it vaguely resembles. True, today farmers know about such equipment only from photographs. Even in ancient times, the forest supplied the villagers not only with mushrooms, but also with berries. And it would be a mistake to think that women, going for blueberries or lingonberries, picked the berries individually, as they would have wasted too much time and did not have time to manage the farm.

To collect the “harvest” in forest clearings, special devices were used - rakes. They are most similar to a scoop with a comb along the edge, however, they are a type of hand rake. In the past, this equipment was made of wood; such specimens were preserved mostly in photographs; today there are handicraft models made of metal. The disadvantage of the rake is that along with the ripened berries, unripe ones are also picked from the bushes.

Another interesting rake option has nothing to do with agriculture. They do not have the usual beam, the teeth are located around a rotating cylinder in several rows, and powerful magnets are located inside. In addition to the cylindrical one, there is also a flat variety, with wheels at the ends of the crossbar with teeth. These rakes are used by criminal investigation investigators to search for metal objects at crime scenes in difficult conditions, in puddles and mud. That is, this adaptation to rural areas is indirectly related, since most often the need for such rakes arises outside the city.

A summer cottage is not only beautiful paved paths, well-groomed beds and a blooming front garden, but also, of course, work. To make working on the site as convenient and easy as possible, every summer resident will probably have a whole set of gardening tools in his arsenal. So, high-quality garden fan rakes, purchased in a specialized store or made with your own hands, occupy an honorable place among the most necessary hand-held items for working in the garden.

Today, not a single summer resident can do without a rake, as they are necessary for loosening the soil, removing weeds, leaves and dry grass. Plastic and steel rakes with a wooden handle make soil cultivation easier and help keep the garden area clean and beautiful. The design of rakes, including fan rakes, is so simple that you can easily make them with your own hands; all you need is a wooden handle and a transverse attachment with mini-teeth.

Depending on the tasks assigned, folding rakes can have a different number of teeth, different weights, and can also be reinforced steel or plastic. Painted iron rakes are often heavy and bulky. Therefore, to cultivate a garden plot after germination, a fan rake is needed, which can easily be used to process the soil without damaging the young shoots.

The fan-type mini-rake looks like a small broom, as the thin teeth are arranged in a fan-shape. The working area is thin wire teeth with slightly bent ends. Such mini-adjustable rakes are not suitable for soil preparation, however, in other cases they have undeniable advantages:

• for cleaning small debris, a plastic tool would be an excellent option, as its teeth are more elastic and easily rake debris in an uneven surface;
• cleaning leaves in hard-to-reach places, for example, under bush plants;
• “combing” the lawn before cutting it;
• surface soil aeration;
• Steel wire fan rakes are good for thinning the lawn.

If we are talking about cleaning the garden area, then it is better to use a nozzle with straight teeth so as not to damage young shoots and grass cover. It is better to choose a nozzle made of plastic or soft metal. A rake with a triangular fan head can easily cope with flat areas and corners of the site. A special lock on the tool allows you to independently adjust the grip width, pressing force and processing area.

Video “Using a fan rake”

This video explains how to use fan rakes, how to adjust them and set the desired range between the wires for convenient work.

Design Features

The standard size of a fan structure is a width of 50 cm with a handle height of 130 cm. However, in addition to the established standards, you can purchase a rake with a longer handle (up to 180 cm), as well as a mini-rake with the ability to independently adjust the width of the teeth up to 30 cm. A very convenient option is a sliding fan rake with a metal handle, where the handle is adjusted to suit a person’s height.

The total weight of garden tools is 5-6 times less than traditional metal rakes. Among the features of the adjustable folding design are the following:

1. Placing thin teeth at an angle of 90 degrees allows all work to be carried out carefully, without damaging roots and young shoots, since when contact with an obstacle occurs, the teeth rise up and, as a result, there is no contact.
2. Increased “density” of teeth. On average, a sliding fan rake with a metal handle has from 20 to 30 phalanges, however, the frequency of their placement can vary from 2 to 5 cm, depending on the purpose of using the tool. In this case, the principle of a thick “comb” works, which perfectly “combs out” small debris from the lawn or garden bed.
3. A fine fraction of soil after using such a tool is necessary for sowing exotic crops, as well as plants such as poppy and asparagus.
4. Folding rakes are incredibly light due to a special wire fan of teeth, so you can easily control the load on the ground yourself.

Making a fan surface

You can make a fan wire rake with your own hands from scrap materials. Firstly, for this you need to select a material similar to the factory one. The second nuance is the correct fixation of all parts for normal load distribution. And thirdly, whether it’s a “homemade” rake or a fan rake with a factory-type compensator, they should look aesthetically pleasing. Let's take a closer look at the manufacturing stages.

1. Making a fan base. For thin teeth of garden tools, stainless steel wire is the ideal option. It is this material that does not burst, is easily cushioned upon contact with the surface, and bends only under significant physical activity. Next, you need to buy 15 meters of wire 0.4 mm thick and cut it into pieces 50 cm long. Using a vice, clamp the ends 5 cm and make a right angle. Leave the second end of the wire untouched, as it is adjusted at the end.
2. Set the pitch between the teeth. In order for the step in a manual fan rake to be the same, two metal strips are required for work (length 15-20 mm, thickness 1.5 mm, length 50 cm). Using an electric drill, we make two through holes with a diameter of 5 mm, insert a bolt and screw in a nut, and cut off the rest of the strip with a grinder. As a result, you will have two metal strips between which the teeth are fixed. Next, we place our fan on the anvil and clamp it between two plates. With each blow of the hammer, a funnel (deflection) is formed, which is necessary so that the folding spokes of the fan do not move during operation.
3. Connecting a fan into a ring. To assemble all the teeth into a bud you will need a pipe with a diameter of 30 mm. Insert all the ends of the wire 5-8 cm into it and hammer in this edge. Thus, on one side you will have a nozzle with a fan, and on the other, a hole for the handle.

Making a holder

Pine is best suited for making a holder for a garden fan rake. However, a fan-type garden tool should be lightweight, so oak cuttings or wood from deciduous trees are suitable. In this case, the mini-tool will be 2 times lighter than a regular rake.

1. Preparation of raw materials. A hoe holder is suitable as a handle. On one side, make a cone so that the diameter of the handle is 1-2 mm larger than the diameter of the pipe. Another option is a pipe from a heating system made of plastic with a diameter of 25 mm. You select the length according to your height.
2. Finishing. Covers the wood with “anti-mosquito” and paint and varnish composition to keep it unharmed. It would be good to work with stain or impregnation, and as soon as the surface is dry, cover everything with varnish.
3. Connecting parts. Melt the epoxy resin, dip the edge of the handle and insert it into the pipe. This method of fixation will allow you to tightly connect two parts of the structure. For additional security, you can hammer in a nail.

So, with your own hands you can make a fan plate rake or a fan rake with a compensator, with significant savings in money, and the quality of such equipment can be an order of magnitude better than the factory one.

Video “How to make fans yourself”

Video instructions for making fan rakes using improvised means.

Hello dear reader. I have eight types of rakes on my farm, but the most convenient and effective are homemade ones, which I inherited from the previous owner of the house. Firstly, they are reliable, secondly, they have optimal weight, and thirdly, they have long teeth - 85mm. At least I haven't seen a better rake. They harrow perfectly. Since I didn’t make the rake, I can assume that it was made in a forge, because no traces of welding were found. I’ll tell you how my friend repeated this design.

We cut a strip of steel 430mm long. Round the corners. We bend it (see photo). In accordance with the drawing, holes with a diameter of 5.8 mm are marked and drilled. On one side, the holes are countersunk for welding. The workpiece is heated red-hot and pre-prepared teeth are driven into the holes. When the whole thing has cooled, the rear tips of the teeth are welded to the strip. Next, take a piece of pipe and make a cut 80mm long (we’ll cut it to 200mm later). In order not to forget, we drill a hole for attaching the handle. We heat the sawn end red-hot and shape it in accordance with the photo. It is unlikely that it will be possible to separate the ends of the pipe at such an angle when cold. Finally, having cut off the required part of the pipe, we weld the whole thing together. It is more convenient to weld like this: a strip with teeth is stuck into the ground, a wooden handle is inserted into the tube, and the components are correctly positioned and welded. The rake is ready. If you do it, you won’t regret it. Yes, also, if you come across a pipe with a seam, then make the cut along the seam, otherwise later, if the pipe is deformed, it may come apart. Goodbye. K.V.Yu.