DW wanted a rake to remove the pieces from the lawn, while I wanted to let them be… So I built a rake.
The rack is made of $2 8 foot long 2×4’s that I can rip [lengthwise] with a hand saw. I used one part of the handle and the other part of the rake (crossbar) itself. The 19 teeth came from two $0.99 3/8″ dowels cut to 2.5″. They are spaced 5/4″ 1/2″ apart in the deep holes I drilled with a brace and auger. This is pasted in. The handle is inserted into the rake with a thru-tenon pulled by an offset dowel that forms a central tooth; this is not attached to allow me to take the rake apart again. The body is made of a chisel. This assembly is solid without giving so I didn’t have to add diagonal support which would have complicated the issue.
A rake works very well. Grass does not stick to teeth. This always seems to be the case with steel racks which annoys me. However, the rake is a little on the heavy side, probably due to the large handle. I didn’t want to spend a lot of time planning it. Maybe when I get tired of the weight, I’ll lower it again and make a more balanced rake.
In conclusion, I believe I now have a better rack for 3-5 times less than it would have cost to purchase.
PS: It is believable that one can find a rack for $1 at a yard sale or freecycle. However, according to the first section, this was an urgent matter.
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Originally Posted 2011-04-18 16:19:26.
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