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Spade: Flat Steel Blade with Treads, on an Ash D-Grip Handle
Andy Mabbett (cropped, price sticker removed by Youblob) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Forge

Created by

Forge

14. October 2026NO
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Spade: Flat Steel Blade with Treads, on an Ash D-Grip Handle

A spade digs: its blade is narrower and flatter than a shovel's, with a sharpened edge, and the garden spade has treads on top for the feet to drive it in. Early spades were wood or bone tipped with metal. Cut and sharpen a flat steel blade, turn its top edges over into treads, forge straps to hold the handle, and rivet on an ash handle with a D-grip. The picture: old spades with strapped ash handles and D-grips.
Intermediate
A day

Instructions

1

Cut the blade

Shear mild steel sheet to a blade about 18 × 28 cm (our size) with two long straps left at the top centre.

Materials for this step:

Mild Steel SheetMild Steel Sheet1 piece

Tools needed:

Plate ShearsPlate Shears
Welding GlovesWelding Gloves
Safety GlassesSafety Glasses
2

Treads and straps

Heat and turn the top edge over forward on each side of the straps to make flat treads for the feet. Bend the straps up into a socket that grips the handle end.

Materials for this step:

CharcoalCharcoal3 as required

Tools needed:

Blacksmith ForgeBlacksmith Forge
AnvilAnvil
Cross Peen HammerCross Peen Hammer
Blacksmith TongsBlacksmith Tongs
Welding GlovesWelding Gloves
Safety GlassesSafety Glasses
3

Sharpen the edge

Grind the bottom edge to a bevel and file it even.

Tools needed:

GrindstoneGrindstone
Metal FileMetal File
4

Handle and D-grip

Rive an ash billet, shave it round, split its top end and spread the two halves round a short ash crosspiece to make a D-grip; peg the crosspiece. Oil the handle.

Materials for this step:

Ash BilletAsh Billet2 pieces
Linseed OilLinseed Oil0.05 liter

Tools needed:

FroeFroe
Shaving HorseShaving Horse
DrawknifeDrawknife
SpokeshaveSpokeshave
Hand DrillHand Drill
5

Rivet the handle

Drive the handle into the straps, drill through, and rivet it.

Materials for this step:

Iron RivetsIron Rivets3 pieces

Tools needed:

Hand DrillHand Drill
Cross Peen HammerCross Peen Hammer
AnvilAnvil
6

Pressure at the edge

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Materials

5

Tools Required

14

This blueprint makes

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Spade

Free

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1

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CC0 Public Domain

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