Do-it-yourself fan rake using improvised means

Description and benefits

Today, not a single summer resident can do without a rake, as they are necessary for loosening the soil, cleaning weeds, foliage and dry grass. Plastic and steel rakes with a wooden handle make it easier to work the soil and help keep the garden area clean and beautiful. The design of the rake, including the fan rake, is so simple that they can be made without difficulty with your own hands, it is enough to have a wooden handle and a transverse nozzle with mini-teeth.

Depending on the tasks, folding rakes can be with a different number of teeth, different in weight, and can also be reinforced steel or plastic. Painted iron rakes are often heavy and bulky. Therefore, to process the garden plot after the emergence of shoots, fan rakes are needed, with which you can easily process the soil without damaging the young shoots.

The fan-type mini rake looks like a small broom, as the thin teeth are fan-shaped. Working area – thin wire teeth with slightly bent ends. Such mini adjustable rakes are not suitable for soil preparation, however, in other cases they have undeniable advantages:

• for cleaning small debris, the option of a plastic tool will be excellent, as its teeth are more elastic and easily rake debris in an uneven surface;
• cleaning leaves in hard-to-reach places, for example, under bush plants;
• “combing” the lawn before cutting it;
• surface aeration of the soil;
• steel wire fan rakes are good for thinning the lawn.

If we are talking about cleaning the garden area, then it is better to use a nozzle with straight teeth, so as not to damage the young shoots and grass cover. It is better to choose a nozzle made of plastic or soft metal. A rake with a triangular fan nozzle will easily cope with even areas and corners of the site. A special lock on the tool allows you to independently adjust the grip width, pressing force and processing area.

Video “Using a fan rake”

This video tells how to use a fan rake, how to adjust them and set the desired range between the wire for convenient work.

Design features

The standard size of the fan design is a width of 50 cm with a handle height of 130 cm. However, in addition to the established standards, you can purchase a rake with a longer handle (up to 180 cm), as well as a mini-rake with the ability to independently adjust the width of the teeth up to 30 cm. A very convenient option is a sliding fan rake with a metal handle, where the handle is adjusted to a person’s height.

The total weight of garden tools is 5-6 times less than traditional metal rakes. Among the features of an adjustable folding design, the following should be noted:

1. The placement of thin teeth at an angle of 90 degrees allows you to carry out all work accurately, without damaging the roots and young shoots, since when contact with an obstacle occurs, the teeth rise up and there is no contact because of this.
2. Increased “thickness” of the teeth. On average, a sliding fan rake with a metal handle has from 20 to 30 phalanges, however, the frequency of their placement can vary from 2 to 5 cm, depending on the purpose of the tool. In this case, the principle of a thick “comb” works, which perfectly “combs” small debris from a lawn or garden bed.
3. A fine soil fraction after using such a tool is necessary for sowing exotic crops, as well as plants such as poppy and asparagus.
4. The folding rake is incredibly light due to the special wire fan of the teeth, so you can easily control the load on the ground yourself.

Making a fan surface

You can make a fan wire rake with your own hands from improvised materials. First, for this you need to choose a material similar to the factory one. The second nuance is the correct fixation of all parts, for normal load distribution. And thirdly, whether it is a “home-made” rake or a fan rake with a factory-type compensator, they should look aesthetically pleasing. Consider the manufacturing steps in more detail.

1. Making a fan base. For thin teeth of garden tools, stainless steel wire is ideal. It is this material that does not burst, is easily amortized upon contact with the surface, and bends only with a solid physical load. Next, you need to buy 15 meters of wire 0,4 mm thick and cut it into pieces 50 cm long. Using a vise, clamp the ends by 5 cm and make a right angle. Leave the other end of the wire untouched, as it is adjustable at the end.
2. Set the pitch between the teeth. In order for the step in the manual fan rake to be the same, two metal strips are required for work (length 15-20 mm, thickness 1,5 mm, length – 50 cm). Using an electric drill, we make two through holes with a diameter of 5 mm, insert a bolt and screw in a nut, cut off the rest of the bar with a grinder. As a result, you will have two metal strips, between which the teeth are fixed. Next, we put our fan on the anvil and clamp it between two plates. With each blow of the hammer, a funnel (deflection) is formed, which is necessary so that the folding spokes of the fan do not move during operation.
3. Connecting a fan into a ring. To collect all the teeth in a bud, you need a pipe with a diameter of 30 mm. Stick all the ends of the wire into it by 5-8 cm and hammer this edge. Thus, on the one hand, you will get a nozzle with a fan, and on the other, a hole for the handle.

We make a holder

For the manufacture of a holder in a fan garden rake, pine is best suited. However, a fan type gardening tool needs to be lightweight, so an oak stalk or deciduous tree wood will do. In this case, the mini-tool will be 2 times lighter than a conventional rake.

1. Preparation of raw materials. As a handle, a chopper holder is suitable. On the one hand, make a cone so that the diameter of the handle is 1-2 mm larger than the diameter of the pipe. Another option is a pipe from a plastic heating system with a diameter of 25 mm. You choose the length according to your height.
2. Finishing. Coats the wood with anti-mosquito and varnish to keep it intact. It would be nice to work out with a stain or impregnation, and as soon as the surface dries, varnish everything.
3. Connecting parts. Melt the epoxy, dip the edge of the handle and insert into the pipe. This method of fixation will allow you to tightly connect the two parts of the structure. For additional reliability, you can hammer in a nail.

So, with your own hands you can make a fan blade rake or a fan rake with a compensator, with significant savings in money, and the quality of such equipment can turn out to be an order of magnitude better than the factory one.

Video “How to make fan yourself”

Video instruction for making a fan rake using improvised means.