Forks and spades - preserving the wood shaft

[Caithness Gardener]

OK, bought a lovely stainless steel for last year only for it to snap rooting out a bush. Same thing with my spade (granted I was using the edge as an axe - but that is not the point.

Both were wood shafts and snapped where the wood enters the head. Now which is the best way to maintain the wood - oil or varnish?

The new spade is TESCO's finest with an ash wood shaft.

So vote now

OIL (which one)
or
Polyurethane varnish

[Digger-07]

If the shaft is wood it can be affected by damp which causes the timber to loose strength (the cellulose structure breaks down). I always make sure the timber is clean and then treat the whole shaft with linseed oil rubbed in with a rag, leave it to stand for a few hours / a day if possible then wipe any excess off. The shaft and handle can then be polished with a soft rag.

Don't ever put mineral oil i.e. engine oil or three in one type or WD40 on the shaft as it will help break down the cellulose even quicker. Keep engine oil for the metal bits only.

One final tip - USE THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB - they will last a lot longer.

[Birdie Wife]

Also, put them away at the end of the day. Your nice ash handle should last a lot longer but even so, out in all weathers will not be good for it. I learnt the hard way!! You're probably doing this already, I'm just a bit erratic in my organisation and tend to leave things about the place.

[Caithness Gardener]

I was leaning towards the oil. Am I right in saying linseed oil rags can spontaneously combust?

How often would you oil?

[TEB]

Yes it can - is it enviromentally friendly - probably not - is there something better - probably but it aint as cheap, it can actually cause mildew and it offers no protection from the sun (always with these negative thoughts) so a modern wood preserver may do a better job.

[Digger-07]

Whats not environmetally friendly about linseed oil???

Grown in fields (in this country) therefore taking up CO2. OK it needs processing but no more than Rape Seed or any other vegetable oil.

A lot more eco safe than polyurethane. The basic components in the synthesis of polyurethanes are isocyanates and polyols, which form urethane linkage. Isocyanate may also form other linkages, such as urea, allophanate, biuret, isocyanurate, carbodiimide, uretdione, amide, imide, oxazolidone, etc. Much of the manufacturing is done in India where H&S regulations are none existant (remember Bhopal!). And what about transportation!!

Modern wood preserver - again a chemical treatment so is it truly environmentally friendly?

The linseed rags can ignite but if you leave them spread out to dry they can be safely disposed of. I have used it for years and have never had any problems.

[TEB]

ahh but are you talking about natural linseed or the "boiled" stuff, natural is no good for four candles unless you want to wait for ever while it decides to dry, not saying that a chemical is more enviromentally friendlier but it should do a better job as linseed oil is not uv resistant and prone to mildew not good for a tool handle used in the garden to my mind

[nick the grief]

the thing with linseed oil is you can give them a wipe down and use them a few hours later varnish needs to dry and flakes ( they are varnished when you buy them and it don't last long)

My dad used the same fork & Spade for about 40 years and all he did was have a big bucket of sharp sand with oil in that he used to plung the blades in a few times and wipe the handles with a linseed rag and my sister still uses the spade - the fork was ditched in the end cos the tines were only about 4" long through use!!

[Caithness Gardener]

In an attempt to throw oil on troubled water (ROFL) I would think that the cell structure of the wood would be better maintained by linseed oil. After all if it is good enough for cricketers.

If the wood loses water content over the years and becomes brittle will it not be more prone to breaking?

[Digger-07]

I agree, if you look at the way timber clad houses are now returning to more natural ways of "treating" the timber there has been a lot of doubt about coating the surface with an impermeable layer and not allowing the timber to breath. Plus a well oiled timber tool gets more polished as you work with it and looks and feels better.

Go for it CG.

[Caithness Gardener]

boiled or raw

Turns out I had some boiled linseed. The boiling is done by reducing the pressure to remove dissolved oxygen etc... so that kind of settled the argument. Besides thats the one I found in the garage.