Blade hoe standard + wedge

Note: Description at the bottom how to assemble the handle.

Blade hoes are widely used abroad instead of shovels. In Sweden, they have been almost impossible to find. These high-quality Portuguese hoes are excellent tool companions and can be sharpened to a sharpness similar to axes. With a fairly blunt edge angle, they can be used with force straight into roots, stumps, etc., so the chips fly!

We use this blade hoe in marshes and stone-free meadows. It is very pleasant to use and works well for clumps, chopping off roots under large alder clumps to be able to remove them, and chopping away brush below ground level before mowing. It's a very enjoyable task to chop off clumps and place them upside down in the gaps to achieve a level surface. Like a puzzle!

When working in marshes, the hoe should be sharp and cutting horizontally. For brush and clump clearing, it's best to cut the handles to about 65cm so the "strike" can go horizontally between your feet without hitting your groin (if you have one). Carve or grind out a knob at the top of the handle, and make the handle slightly oval below for better grip when hands and handle are slippery!

Of course, there are other areas of use! Loose and fine arable soil can be worked with a hoe, for example. In that case, the handle can be longer since you use the hoe more downward. It becomes like a kind of spade-hoe and is for certain tasks much more efficient than a shovel.

Made of slender, approximately 2 mm thick steel. The hoe is slightly curved both from the attachment point and towards the edge, as well as across the edge. The blade is 20 cm wide at the edge and 21 cm from the edge to the shaft attachment.

So it's thinner than the small blade hoe but still withstands heavy use and chopping on thick roots.

Weight: 1.5 kg (hoe + 70 cm handle.)

How to prevent the handle from breaking:

These handles are very strong and can withstand the most powerful strikes without issue. However, they cannot be bent with unlimited force—this is often when the handle breaks. Avoid prying up roots and stones with full force. The risk of breakage decreases with shorter handles. 

Handles can also break if, during a swing, they accidentally hit something with a "sharp edge" (e.g., a branch or stump edge) before the hoe reaches its target—similar to snapping a stick over your knee.

Handles can last a very long time but not forever. If you use your hoe frequently and with enough force, you will eventually need to replace the handle.

Spare handles are bought separately and it can be worth considering to have at home!

Assembling

Video about assembling hoe and shaft

Let the handle dry indoors near a radiator for a couple of weeks first—it should be as dry as possible before being hammered in to ensure it stays in place.

1. Attach the hoe to the handle. In the video, we apply grease to the handle, but this is not necessary.
2. On the opposite side of the hoe head, near the eye (hole), there is a protruding solid metal square. Use this square as support against a sturdy anvil or similar surface.
3. Hammer the handle firmly into the hoe using the back of an axe or a sledgehammer. The better the support, the more you can drive the handle in.
4. If, after hammering, more than 1 cm of the handle sticks out, saw it down to a maximum of 0.5 cm.
5. Finally, hammer in the wedge. Done!

When we assemble them ourselves, only about 1 in 10 handles need to be trimmed—the rest can be hammered in fully.