PVC Plugger - stand up hole cutter

[Anonymole]

What do you guys think of this prototype?

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/29771494/MetalDetecting/PlugDrill.html

There's a description on that site but it's copied here:

I wanted an easy way to dig out coin targets while metal detecting. Plus I wanted a way to easily clean up after a target dig. Lastly I wanted a way to use plastic tubing so that once the plug was dug, hopefully containing the target, I could pass my detector coil over the plug, still in the cutter tube, and detect whether I had located the target.
Features:
• It is made of ABS plumbing tubing which will not trigger a detector signal.
• The cutter tube is has a 4" opening to create the plug, which is small enough to still manage to cut but large enough to encompass most targets.
• The teeth are cut so that the sod plug fits exactly into the cutter tube.
• There is an inner plunger that is used to belly push the plug back into the hole.

Comments welcome.

NOTE: I posted this deep in this site as a comment but thought it deserved its own post. Apologizes to those on that thread.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Cry Of The Eagle: History And Legends Of The Cherokee Indians And Their Buried Treasure - Grab it through Amazon!

[Oregon Viking]

I'am a noob.... but i like it.
How hard to get the plug out of this plugger? I would look into patenting this beast. Sue there might be a landscape tool like this, but maybe not!
Works for clams, I know.

 

[team sidewinder]

Pretty cool idea alright. Couldn't be too expensive to fabricate one even if you did have to sharpen the teeth often.
Thanks for sharing that.

 

[G.A.P.metal]

Looks like the old HoleHog.
Gary

 

[Anonymole]

Yes, now that I know what I'm searching for (having already dreamed the Plug Drill up and built it), metal pluggers are certainly a precursor to this design. I was going for a stand up design however and one that should be able to be non-detector triggered. Certainly the capability to withstand repeated use is the trick here. And whether it deals with roots and rocks adequately. But with a tight seal between the plunger can the digger shaft it should be able to plug wet sand. Obviously dry sand is not an option.

So, anyone near Lake Oswego, Oregon who wants to help test this?

Cost was about $50 to start but with some redesign and reuse of piping I could probably get it down to less than $30. And reduce the weight by a 1/2 a pound or so.

 

[Jason in Enid]

PVC wasn't meant for that kind of force. It will break very quickly if you try to cut sod plugs with it.

 

[Anonymole]

I guess only testing will tell.

Here's 10 holes dug in 5 minutes, in fairly wet soil. Hit three 1/4 to 1/2 inch roots, cut through them. The teeth weathered OK. I see how to refine their bite and curvature now.



I'm sure gravel, rocks, bigger roots will play havoc on the teeth, but, only testing will tell. And this is not PVC actually. It's ABS, which appears, through reading, to be a bit tougher than PVC.

 

[jharhed]

Heres my toy made a couple a few yrs back.

 

[CoilyGirl]

Y'all have come up with some great ideas.Good job Anoymole.

 

[shoporegon2]

Have you tried it? I bet it works great.
I'm going up to Mt Tabor, tommorow, but I'm just going to use the shovel.

 

[Old Dude]

Thinking outside the box has led to some great products, but I am more concerned with carrying LESS than more when it comes to our tools. A side digger meets my needs much better than a neat plug cutter. Practice with one of the tried and true diggers will yield a neat plug as well as being quicker in my very humble opinion. Great idea using hard plastic though! Thanks for the post.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[FreeMindStuck]

I like both plug cutters. Having cut thousands of plugs with my lesche and gone back and inspected them I've noticed the grass does better when I cut three sided plugs where the grass is still attached on one side. Although watering after cutting a full plug may help prevent the grass from dying.

 

[Dogtirednj]

Curious how you do. I too have better results w/ 3-sided plugs. And carrying a bottle of water to water it in after got me invited back to "hunt anytime" at a spot I found last summer, as the property owner was impressed that I was "thoughtful and respectful" enough to go that far.