Garden Rake Cross Bolt

Mary’s long-suffering garden rake pulled apart while we were flattening a section of what will become something like a lawn next to the garden:

Garden rake - shank and ferrule
Garden rake – shank and ferrule

For whatever reason, there’s no cross bolt holding the shank into the ferrule, like there should be on any tool subject to pulling force.

After marking the wide spot on the shank, a couple of good shots with a two pound hammer flattened the ferrule around it well enough to start a hole with a 3/16 step drill:

Garden rake - cross drilling
Garden rake – cross drilling

Go through the far side with a 13/16 inch drill for a generous 5 mm fit, drop a bolt into the hole while it can’t get away, tighten the nyloc nut, and it’s all good:

Garden rake - cross bolt
Garden rake – cross bolt

In fact, it’s better than it ever was, because now the shank can’t pull out until the ferrule falls off the handle. Which could happen, but I’m not averse to another bolt.

Admittedly, it’s not a stainless steel socket head cap screw, because that’d just about double the value of the rake. The handle is in such bad shape that the bolt will probably outlast the wood …

Done!

Update: The consensus says I totally missed the Ritual Invocation of the Epoxy, so:

Garden rake - epoxy fill
Garden rake – epoxy fill

Now all is right with the world …

4 thoughts on “Garden Rake Cross Bolt

  1. Urethane adhesive. Been there, done that, and the rake is still in service ten years later.

    1. I was sorely tempted to pour the ferrule full of JB Weld and squish the shank into place, but it was way grubby in there. The screw was faster & easier, with a bonus of satisfying hammer action. [grin]

  2. Adding a bit of epoxy in the socket would take any flex out of the joint – minor thing however but I have done it in the past to take flex out of joints like this that are loaded sideways like a rake

    1. Good point. Bashing it flat means I can’t take it apart, but I can pour in some JB Weld.

      OK, you guys convinced me!

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