Can anyone recommend a good coal rake for a big firebox? I've been using a small garden cultivator and a coal shovel but I keep trashing the wood handles on the cultivator. I moved to a hoe but it doesn't work nearly as well.
hadn't thought of that, I have a couple of big hoes that are kind of beat that I could modify for this.
I welded one up, doesn't look too great.............. but no wooden handle to burn up. I used three pieces of scrap #4 rebar and put the miller to work. Thing is quite stout, and nice long handle.
I found an old poker in the barn at the camp last summer. It is heavy all iron and almost 3' long. Last winter is the first season I haven't burned myself. Lookin for the same thing in a rake.
I'm going to make one. I made this coal sifter last year and let me tell you, it works fantastic! They DO sell coal sifters but none of them have the capacity that this one does. When I go to do a restart or a bi-weekly cleanout of the stoves, this is the first tool I go to. Scoop up a big pile of ash and coals, give it a good shake for 20-30 seconds, and dump the coals off to the side in the stove. Repeat til you have just a pile of ash to remove. This thing works great for pulling all of the useable coals out of the ash. A little fresh air on those hot coals and some fresh splits and you are off and running again. I imagine a rake wouldn't be too much work. I'd like to make a matching set of tools for both fireplace and the stove. Shovel, poker, rake, sifter........
Ok Scotty, what would it take to bend the end of this to 90 degrees? It was a plant holder but it would make a great firewood poker/ hook. Do I need to heat it, or could I just stick it in the vice and bend it from the current 45 degrees to 90 degrees?:
Brian, take the piece and put it in a vise, take a torch (acetelyne would be best but Mapp or propane gas will work), hold it in the area that's bent until it starts to get cherry red, take a hammer and pound it into the 90 degree bend that you want. That should do the trick..... or the next time you are down this way, bring it down and we'll do it in the shop......
Pete it's just plain jane flat expanded metal. NOT the kind that you get at lowes, this stuff is heavier guage and flat.....
Another less than beautiful weld job, but a dang handy coal rake. Handle is just round stock steel and an old garden rake that the handle broke on. Cut down the rake width and added the 3 ft handle. Now I have this hairy stuff on my fingers all winter long, and a lack of burns on my forearms too.
Nice job on the coal sifter Scotty. I don't have access to a welder, thinking of getting this Ash dragon sifter. http://www.ashdragon.com/products/ash-dragon-sifter
Been needing a coal rake. Thought I might have an old garden rake over at the shop. Found three of them without handles. This one didn't even have a tang on it. Cut it in two and welded on a piece of 3/8 rebar for a handle. Works good.
