As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
I just put a broken shovel handle into my spade.
That sounds odd, but the fact is most handles of wood will break and there will be left enough wood, to use a draw knife to shave the wood down, to reinstall it.
For me this is perfect in being a trapper and someone who plants lots of trees, as a short handle is not as intrusive as a long one and it does not make it a chore, anymore than an army trenching shovel would.
So do not throw your old handles away. In a meltdown, it is going to be hard to find handles as much as rivets to put the handle in, with a ball pein hammer tapping to heat the metal up, to make a weld.
I fortunately have two draw knives, so that is most of the solution. A spokeshave would make handles out of various hardwoods but I do not have that implement as that is more an east coast Roy Underhill thing for wagon wheel spokes. The draw knife though will suffice.
You are going to have to learn to not throw things away. It is ok in most cases to pile things up out back, like jars and things, but allot of things you think is junk now, is going to be gold like glass jars for storage so the mice do not eat your things.
I love my tile spade. It is older than me. In fact I welded the old man's tile spade as someone had broke off a slice of it and it kept breaking upwards, so I welded it in a real chicken shit job of welding, but it has held and I use it all the time yet.
Just remember a broken and rejuvenated spade handle is better than no spade at all.
Nuff Said
agtG
