How to Buy and Maintain a Shovel

Buying a Shovel

Decide what type of shovel you want. Do you want a shovel to remove snow? Dig holes? Move grain?

Select the correct shape of shovel for the work you wish to do: For general-purpose digging of holes in soil, a round nose (somewhat pointed) shovel with a blade (metal part) 8-12" long and 6-8" wide is ideal. Rolled edges that you can push on with your feet are a plus. For heavy or rocky soils, you may wish to get a companion shovel for the above, basically to loosen up the soil so that you can move it with the larger shovel: a thick, heavy blade 8-12" long by about 4" wide is well suited for this task. For moving light, granular goods, such as grain, a fairly large and well-scooped shovel is best. For shoveling snow off of driveways, a large shovel with a flat nose is best. The size should be determined by how thick of a layer of snow you are moving: thicker snow means narrower shovel.

Find a shovel with the blade you want, and verify that it's handle is good: Is the handle long enough that you can effectively use the tool without bending over? Short handles tend to lead to inefficient shoveling. Is the handle the correct thickness for your hands? Too thick will tend to give you blisters, too thin will be hard to hold on to. Is the handle attached to the blade in a robust manner? Is it likely to break off under torsional (twisting) loads? Is the handle robust? Will it end up breaking?

Is the blade strong? Plastic blades, even as snow shovels, tend to end up chipping and breaking with time. Is the blade suitably thick? Will it be damaged if it hits something, like a rock, while digging? In the case of a shovel for soil, is the blade's steel of good quality? With permission, test this by filing the edge of the shovel a bit: soft steel with file easily. If in doubt, just don't buy the cheap shovels.

Actually buy the shovel.

Maintaining a Shovel

Clean debris off the shovel once you are done with it. Debris invites moisture, which promotes rust. You may choose to cote the blade with a thin film of oil after each use. Some people use a bucket full of oily sand.

When putting shovels with wooden handles away for long term storage, some like to put a wood preservation agent, such as a suitable oil, on the handle.

If the shovel is used to dig in dirt, you will want to sharpen it: Secure the shovel so the blade won't move. Sharpen the shovel from one side with a file. Maintain a shallow angle with the blade, perhaps 10 to 30 degrees. Resharpen the shovel when it gets dull.

After years of use in soil the blade will be worn thin; when it gets too thin, replace the shovel.