The labor of spading a garden of even moderate size is sufficient to warrant the person who undertakes the job in making a hand plow like that shown in the [illustration], for it will serve many years, with reasonable care. I made one worth about $5 at an outlay of 25 cents, gathering the necessary wood and metal from among old machine parts and pick-up material.
An old wheelbarrow provided the 16-in. wheel. The handles were made from a ⁷⁄₈ by 4-in. strip of spruce, 5 ft. long. They were marked on the strip so that one of the curved grips was at each end, on opposite edges. The curved parts of the grips were cut with a keyhole saw, and when a kerf long enough to admit a large ripsaw was cut, the board was ripped into the two handles. They were smoothed and the grips trimmed with a sharp knife. A section of broomstick was cut for the upper brace. The lower one is made of a strip of iron, ¹⁄₄ by 1¹⁄₄ by 12 in., drilled for ¹⁄₄-in. bolts, and bent at right angles, 1¹⁄₂ in. from each end. Drill a ¹⁄₄-in. hole at the middle, to engage a bolt on which the vertical strip is supported, and adjusted to the operator, as shown in [Fig. 1].
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| Fig. 5 | Fig. 3 | ||
This Hand Garden Plow was Made of Old Material, a Shovel being Used for the Making of the Moldboard
Cut a strip, ¹⁄₄ by 1¹⁄₄ by 18 in., for the vertical support, shown in [Fig. 5]. Drill four ¹⁄₄-in. adjusting holes, 1 in. apart, at the upper end, and three ¹⁄₄-in. holes at the lower end for fastening the strip to the moldboard, as shown in [Fig. 3]. Drill a ⁵⁄₁₆-in. hole at the 7¹⁄₂-in. mark, for bolting the strip to the braces, the other ends of which are fitted on the ³⁄₈ by 10-in. bolt used as an axle. Cut the two braces 14 in. long, of ¹⁄₄ by 1¹⁄₄-in. strips, and drill a ³⁄₈-in. hole in the forward end of each, to fit the axle, and a ⁵⁄₁₆-in. hole in the opposite ends, 1 in. from the ends in each case. Cut a strip, ¹⁄₈ by ³⁄₄ by 12 in., for the landside, as shown in [Fig. 2], bent under the moldboard, and bolted to it. The proper angle can best be bent after the moldboard is made and fitted.
The method of marking the shape of the moldboard on the blade of an old shovel is shown in [Fig. 4]. Make a pattern of cardboard, marking it into 1-in. squares. Draw the shape of the moldboard by tracing the outline through the corresponding squares, using the diagram as a guide. Mark the position of the bolt holes, for fastening it to the vertical support, indicated by the dash lines at the right. Cut out the pattern and trace around it on the shovel, using the thickest part for the point of the share. Cut out the outline, smooth the edges, and point up the cutting edge. Drill holes for fastening the moldboard to the vertical strap with ¹⁄₄-in. bolts, and for the fastenings to the landside, with ³⁄₁₆-in. bolts.
Curve the moldboard into shape and fit it to the various supports so that it sits properly, as shown in [Fig. 1], seen from the furrow side, in [Fig. 2], from the rear, and in [Fig. 3], from the land side. Bend the 12-in. strip into shape, as shown in Fig. 3, and bolt it into place, to form the landside. Assemble the parts, being careful that the wheel and landside are set in line, as shown in Fig. 2, and that the rear edge of the latter is raised slightly, as in Fig. 3. The plow should be given a coat of paint, and the cutting parts made smooth, and oiled.
An Interesting Water Telescope
