Making a Broadfork

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My wifes birthday is coming up and since I've bought my TIG welder I've been looking for projects to better hone my skills. Since she is a gardening fanatic she asked me to make her a broadfork for her birthday.     For those of you who don't know what a broadfork is it's basically a very primitive frorm of rototilling and airating soil. It's popular now because it's more environmentally friendly than a tiller.Materials used were a 28" long piece of angle iron 1/8" thick.8 13" dock spikes2 5' pieces of water pipe for the handles.and a piece of flat stock 1"x1/4" about 25 inches long for a gussett. I used my Eastwood TIG 200 on DC @ 110-120 amperes2% ceriated tung 1/16Straight argon 15 CFHER70S-6 1/16gas lens with #7 cup heres a pic of the business end of the broadforkA close up of one of the welds joining the dock spikes to the angle ironpipe welded to angle ironflat iron welded to pipe for supportany critiques of my welds welcome as always. Thanks for stopping by. Attached ImagesEastwood TIG 200NAPA 83-315 MIG
Reply:Nice job.What's with the cracked weld in the last two pics?TA Arcmaster 300CM3XMT 304S22P12 suitcase feederX-Treme 12VSOptima pulserTA161SMaxstar 150STLHypertherm PM45OP setupStihl 020AVP, 039, 066 Magnum
Reply:Thanks man.Wow, I didn't even notice that! Must have happened when I moved it. Probably should put another pass on that? Or should I grind it off and try again?Eastwood TIG 200NAPA 83-315 MIG
Reply:That tool looks like work to me  I'd rather use a tiller I would grind the weld a little, then run another pass over it.Keep in mind that I've never TIG'ed before, so I don't know how a second pass would turn out. I would just feel better if the crack was "opened" up before rewelding.
Reply:That bar has awfully nice sharp corners.  Any chance it's a hardened piece of steel?I had that happen once when I welded tool steel scrap to regular hot rolled.Dave J.Last edited by MinnesotaDave; 02-27-2013 at 11:51 AM.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:It really not too sure what it is exactly but It was VERY magnetized. It would magnet itself to every piece of steel on the fork. Any Ideas what it is?Eastwood TIG 200NAPA 83-315 MIG
Reply:Originally Posted by WeldRiteThat tool looks like work to me  I'd rather use a tiller I would grind the weld a little, then run another pass over it.Keep in mind that I've never TIG'ed before, so I don't know how a second pass would turn out. I would just feel better if the crack was "opened" up before rewelding.
Reply:I'm sure your wife will be pleased, but,  if I gave my wife a tool for hr birthday, she would split my head
Reply:lol my wife was raised in a rural area so gardening and outdoorsy type stuff is def her cup of tea.Eastwood TIG 200NAPA 83-315 MIG
Reply:Originally Posted by emeraldbisonIt really not too sure what it is exactly but It was VERY magnetized. It would magnet itself to every piece of steel on the fork. Any Ideas what it is?
Reply:What type of filler would you suggest I use to weld dissimilar steel together in the future?Eastwood TIG 200NAPA 83-315 MIG
Reply:Originally Posted by emeraldbisonWhat type of filler would you suggest I use to weld dissimilar steel together in the future?
Reply:Do you have a picture of the completed broadfork?  My wife really wanted one of these as well and I bought one and paid around $200.00.
Reply:Originally Posted by goodoldlukeDo you have a picture of the completed broadfork?  My wife really wanted one of these as well and I bought one and paid around $200.00.
Reply:emeraldbisonYour tines are similar to concrete form 'snap-ties'.Snap-ties are high-carbon, and formulated to snap-off, below flush, [at ambient temperature] leaving a cavity,  that is filled with mortar.  This, after the vertical forms have been stripped.Welding furthers embrittlement of something that wasnever meant to be welded.Dock spikes, are high-carbon, and welding produces the same result.On a 3 year marine project, I have weld both, literally by the thousands, the result was always the same.Every snap-tie welded worked because it lived in a concrete wall. Every spike I've welded eventually failed  -  it's akin to welding re-bar and expecting AeroSpace results.As a manual tool, your broadfork may serve for along time, but don't be surprised if . . . . . . OpusLast edited by OPUS FERRO; 03-04-2013 at 12:16 AM.
Reply:Opus, I'm not seeing what you do. I've used a lot of different concrete wall ties over the years, and I'm not picking up the visual clues you are. The closest I've ever seen were the old wall ties for plywood forms. Those used 1/4" square "rods" with a distorted end to lock the clips in place. If you are referring to the "nails", I think that's exactly what they are, over sized "nails" usually used to connect heavy timbers like 4x4's and 6x6's.No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:emeraldbison  -  on the WeldingWeb . . . . This is how answers migrate from the original question, to answers you never knew you wanted to know.DSW  -  In the course of the marine project, I was called to make 24" snap-tie, into 32" and 36"ers by the thousands.The store was 9000 miles away. It was easy  -  Cut and jig splice with a spacer  -  re-bar? If you dropped one to the floor  -  chances were good it will break. The real fun was building 'pea-shooters' to drive 60d/12 spikes'underwater at depth', on 12" X 12" timber bridges, often with weld attachments.Welds on big nails break with the same frequency as welds on,snap-ties, and re-bar.To my credit/discredit  -   I have welded more things [in numbers], that should have never been welded, than any welder should admit to.  This is why I know what you shouldn't waste your time on.emeraldbison  -  Considering your materials and experience; your welds look great.  Continue with a vengeance, but know your material first.Opus
Reply:Originally Posted by OPUS FERROemeraldbison  -  on the WeldingWeb . . . . This is how answers migrate from the original question, to answers you never knew you wanted to know.DSW  -  In the course of the marine project, I was called to make 24" snap-tie, into 32" and 36"ers by the thousands.The store was 9000 miles away. It was easy  -  Cut and jig splice with a spacer  -  re-bar? If you dropped one to the floor  -  chances were good it will break. The real fun was building 'pea-shooters' to drive 60d/12 spikes'underwater at depth', on 12" X 12" timber bridges, often with weld attachments.Welds on big nails break with the same frequency as welds on,snap-ties, and re-bar.To my credit/discredit  -   I have welded more things [in numbers], that should have never been welded, than any welder should admit to.  This is why I know what you shouldn't waste your time on.emeraldbison  -  Considering your materials and experience; your welds look great.  Continue with a vengeance, but know your material first.Opus
Reply:Now you just need to mount a 12 horse gas engine to it to power it and your ready to go. I suggest a chain and sprocket drive so there is no slippage in hard packed soil.
Reply:Well, that's a good piece to practice on, but I have grave doubts about those tines surviving even a short spell.Do a google or yayhoo search for broad fork gardening tool images and you will see that the typical broad fork has tines that are flat and wide at the cross bar, and they narrow to a point at the piercing end.  That design is for a good reason, there is significant loading of the collective tines and the flat, wide cross section is necessary to handle the loading of the tine.A uniformly round tine of the size you selected would only be suitable for working a depth of about 2.5" to 3" in soft & sandy soils.I remember my grandpa had one of those old broad forks and it was made just like I described.........with tines flat and wide at the cross bar but tapering to a point at the end.  Each tine also had a sharpened (somewhat) edge as well.Do yourself an internet search and check out some images.  Heck, one site even had detailed plans courtesy Mother Earth News.
Reply:Originally Posted by AlbieI'm sure your wife will be pleased, but,  if I gave my wife a tool for hr birthday, she would split my head
Reply:These answers are all well and good, but let's not forget the primary purpose of the tool: to be a present for his wife! He's going to hand it to her and say, "Look what I made ya," and she's going to smile and say, "You're so sweet!" At that point, if it breaks a month from now, who cares?
Reply:Hmmm...I was just thinking of buying a rototiller.  Now, I'm thinking I will fabricate and weld up a broad fork.  I love it when two hobbies collide.KevKevin / Machine_Punk from The Aerodrome Studio - Lincoln PowerMIG 210 MP - Meco N Midget w/custom welding station - Vintage Victor 100Current Projects: The Aerodrome Studio