Should I modify or not?

[lisfisher]

Last year I purchased a 31" Sampson serrated 31" t handle shovel. Pricey at $60.00 but this thing is tough as iron and will far outlast me. I use this tool in the woods where there are buried rocks, roots, etc and also very compact soil at times. Only thing I do not like { and it's my own fault for ordering the short one } is the length. It's JUST long enough to tempt you to use it as if it were a longer handled shovel, yet you need to bend and contort your body to actually take a scoop of earth, and remove it from a hole, but JUST short enough to force you to get on your knees, set your detector aside and dig at ground level. I was thinking of adding an extension on this so I can plant my foot onto it and remove soil without bending my body in half. So, was thinking of cutting it in half and adding an extension. Should I get a piece of pipe with a larger diameter and slide over the cut joints or find a smaller diameter pipe and slide inside the cuts? Either way I was thinking of doing this then just drilling holes and secure with nuts and bolts.

 

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[airscapes]

why not just sell it and get one with a longer handle?

 

[Carolina Tom]

I am with Airscapes. Sell it for $50, and use that money to buy an Ultra Eagle from Predator Tools. I really like mine!

Best of luck to you. Let us know what happens.

 

[RustyGold]

What if you bought the same sized pipe and used a coupler between them to interchange the long and short handles handles. A solid steel rod if coupling to the inside of the two handles would work with an outside slider pipe for over the seam.

 

[Pointman]

This has crossed my mind to do. If you decide to do it, I feel the best way is to cut it toward the top of the handle but leave 4-6 inches to weld. This way if it doesn't work you can weld it back together and still use it without hurting the integrity like you would if you cut it toward the bottom. I think the handles are 1" in diameter. Home Depot sells 1" pipe that measures out to the same diameter. Buying welding pipe from the hardware store is 4x the price rather than purchasing from a steel company, but it is easier than transporting and/or cutting 20' pieces. A dial caliper is very helpful in sizing all this steel.

The think best way would be to drill 1/4" or 3/8" holes on both sides of the original handle about 1-2 inches up from where you cut it on either end (4 holes total). Find a pipe that will fit snugly into the 1" diameter piece and then on the 1" extension piece drill more 1/4" holes. Fit the extension piece over the inside diameter pipe and then put it all back together and weld into the holes as well as around the seams on both ends. You would then need to grind the welds down to the original OD without cutting into it and then take something like emery cloth and sand it smooth. Under my plan everything should be flush and like the original and probably hard to tell if you paint afterwards. I have done similar work like this when I was working in a fabrication shop so I know it would work, but you have to talk yourself into cutting that beautiful Sampson first.