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Garden tools. A bit of research
Hi guys. Im new here. Im looking for a bit of help. I am a researcher at the University of Glamorgan in Wales. There is a bit of an important project in development concerning garden tools. Dont spose any of you people are interested in helping by just posting you opinions on some of the following issues?:
What garden tools do you feel are badly designed? Are there any particular tool you are unable to use properly due to a health complaint of any kind? (e.g, bad back, athritis) Are there any tasks that are difficult to carry out due to lack of specialized equipment for said tasks? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I will be sticking round these forums for a while, so dont be shy to post. Cheers for your time guys. Christian |
#2
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Garden tools. A bit of research
"Christiansouth" wrote in
message ... Hi guys. Im new here. Im looking for a bit of help. I am a researcher at the University of Glamorgan in Wales. There is a bit of an important project in development concerning garden tools. Dont spose any of you people are interested in helping by just posting you opinions on some of the following issues?: What's behind this research? Was it commissioned by commercial interests? Is it for a college course? If so, what course? |
#3
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Garden tools. A bit of research
JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
"Christiansouth" wrote in message ... Hi guys. Im new here. Im looking for a bit of help. I am a researcher at the University of Glamorgan in Wales. There is a bit of an important project in development concerning garden tools. Dont spose any of you people are interested in helping by just posting you opinions on some of the following issues?: What's behind this research? Was it commissioned by commercial interests? Is it for a college course? If so, what course? Don't know how I survived my research career without the internet. These kids today think all they have to do is push a few keys on their computer to solve all their problems Frank |
#4
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Garden tools. A bit of research
"Frank" frankdotlogullo@comcastperiodnet wrote in message
... JoeSpareBedroom wrote: "Christiansouth" wrote in message ... Hi guys. Im new here. Im looking for a bit of help. I am a researcher at the University of Glamorgan in Wales. There is a bit of an important project in development concerning garden tools. Dont spose any of you people are interested in helping by just posting you opinions on some of the following issues?: What's behind this research? Was it commissioned by commercial interests? Is it for a college course? If so, what course? Don't know how I survived my research career without the internet. These kids today think all they have to do is push a few keys on their computer to solve all their problems Frank Almost. An acquaintance of mine taught a senior level research methods course, and informed the class that if anyone plagiarized anything from the web, they'd flunk the course, no matter how high their grade was on previous work. School policy. Two students thought she was kidding, and in their final paper for the course, they cut & pasted stuff right off the web. They flunked, they complained, they needed the course to graduate. Oh well. |
#5
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Garden tools. A bit of research
In article ,
Christiansouth wrote: Hi guys. Im new here. Im looking for a bit of help. I am a researcher at the University of Glamorgan in Wales. There is a bit of an important project in development concerning garden tools. Dont spose any of you people are interested in helping by just posting you opinions on some of the following issues?: What garden tools do you feel are badly designed? Are there any particular tool you are unable to use properly due to a health complaint of any kind? (e.g, bad back, athritis) Are there any tasks that are difficult to carry out due to lack of specialized equipment for said tasks? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I will be sticking round these forums for a while, so dont be shy to post. Cheers for your time guys. Christian Look into old tools. Bill -- S Jersey USA Zone 5 Shade "The destiny of nations depends on how we feed ourselves." Brillat-Savarin This article is posted under fair use rules in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, and is strictly for the educational and informative purposes. This material is distributed without profit. http://www.ocutech.com/ High tech Vison aid |
#6
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Garden tools. A bit of research
JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
Almost. An acquaintance of mine taught a senior level research methods course, and informed the class that if anyone plagiarized anything from the web, they'd flunk the course, no matter how high their grade was on previous work. School policy. Two students thought she was kidding, and in their final paper for the course, they cut & pasted stuff right off the web. They flunked, they complained, they needed the course to graduate. Oh well. You might like this letter in todays Chemical and Engineering News: I'm responding to "Wired for Learning" with 36 years of teaching experience behind me, yet with something less than enthusiasm for the technology-savvy teachers who were profiled in the article. It has been my experience that today's teens know very little about modern technology except how to use it. They know almost zero about the science behind the technology. Most know nothing about electricity, don't know how AC differs from DC, and don't know what electromagnetic waves are or why their frequency matters. In fact, all they know about most of this technology is which buttons to push and in what order. Making teens push more buttons than they already do does not make them wiser or more talented; it only gives them a warm feeling that they understand many things that they, in fact, do not understand. One sentence struck me as particularly untrue in this piece: "For example, before computers became ubiquitous, when students were at home and got stuck on a homework problem, other than a phone call to a fellow student, they didn't have access to immediate help." Are they all orphans? Don't they have parents? Isn't asking your parents a valuable learning path for today's youth? I asked my mother for help. My children asked me. My grandchildren ask their parents, and I presume my great-grandchildren will do the same. Surely, homework problems are about something that parents learned also. I hope the homework problems are not about which button to push. If so, the teacher's syllabus needs examining. Enough said. Your readers will know what I am trying to express. I hope so, or my mother would be very displeased. Roy W. Clark Murfreesboro, Tenn. |
#7
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Garden tools. A bit of research
"Frank" frankdotlogullo@comcastperiodnet wrote in message
... JoeSpareBedroom wrote: Almost. An acquaintance of mine taught a senior level research methods course, and informed the class that if anyone plagiarized anything from the web, they'd flunk the course, no matter how high their grade was on previous work. School policy. Two students thought she was kidding, and in their final paper for the course, they cut & pasted stuff right off the web. They flunked, they complained, they needed the course to graduate. Oh well. You might like this letter in todays Chemical and Engineering News: I'm responding to "Wired for Learning" with 36 years of teaching experience behind me, yet with something less than enthusiasm for the technology-savvy teachers who were profiled in the article. It has been my experience that today's teens know very little about modern technology except how to use it. They know almost zero about the science behind the technology. Most know nothing about electricity, don't know how AC differs from DC, and don't know what electromagnetic waves are or why their frequency matters. In fact, all they know about most of this technology is which buttons to push and in what order. Making teens push more buttons than they already do does not make them wiser or more talented; it only gives them a warm feeling that they understand many things that they, in fact, do not understand. One sentence struck me as particularly untrue in this piece: "For example, before computers became ubiquitous, when students were at home and got stuck on a homework problem, other than a phone call to a fellow student, they didn't have access to immediate help." Are they all orphans? Don't they have parents? Isn't asking your parents a valuable learning path for today's youth? I asked my mother for help. My children asked me. My grandchildren ask their parents, and I presume my great-grandchildren will do the same. Surely, homework problems are about something that parents learned also. I hope the homework problems are not about which button to push. If so, the teacher's syllabus needs examining. Enough said. Your readers will know what I am trying to express. I hope so, or my mother would be very displeased. Roy W. Clark Murfreesboro, Tenn. Quite a few people (including adults) apparently need a private detective to help find the public library. |
#8
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Garden tools. A bit of research
Christiansouth wrote:
Hi guys. Im new here. Im looking for a bit of help. I am a researcher at the University of Glamorgan in Wales. There is a bit of an important project in development concerning garden tools. Dont spose any of you people are interested in helping by just posting you opinions on some of the following issues?: What garden tools do you feel are badly designed? Felco hand pruners are designed to be easily repaired and have many easily used spare parts. However, other manufacturers such as Florian and Fiskars give you a free new pruner if theirs fail. Another bad design are the pruners that won't cut a woody branch. The branch scoots out when you try to cut it. Many Chinese knockoffs of good tools do this. Are there any particular tool you are unable to use properly due to a health complaint of any kind? (e.g, bad back, athritis) For hand pruners, few are designed for small hands or arthritic hands. One particularly good pair for small hands or arthritic hands is the Fiskars PowerGear Bypass Pruner. I like ratcheting tools. They are more compact, more powerful and very easy to use. In particular I like the Florian hand pruners and lopping shears. Are there any tasks that are difficult to carry out due to lack of specialized equipment for said tasks? I found very few pole saws that are easy to use. Most will get stuck. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I will be sticking round these forums for a while, so dont be shy to post. Cheers for your time guys. Christian -- Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to Visit my Rhododendron and Azalea web pages at: http://rhodyman.net/rahome.html Also visit the Rhododendron and Azalea Bookstore at: http://rhodyman.net/rabooks.html Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA Zone 6 |
#9
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Garden tools. A bit of research
Christiansouth wrote: Hi guys. Im new here. Im looking for a bit of help. I am a researcher at the University of Glamorgan in Wales. There is a bit of an important project in development concerning garden tools. Dont spose any of you people are interested in helping by just posting you opinions on some of the following issues?: What garden tools do you feel are badly designed? Are there any particular tool you are unable to use properly due to a health complaint of any kind? (e.g, bad back, athritis) Are there any tasks that are difficult to carry out due to lack of specialized equipment for said tasks? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I will be sticking round these forums for a while, so dont be shy to post. Cheers for your time guys. I am in my 60's, and they are are all just plain hard work, even a regular-sized rake. I bought a little Mantis tiller with the Honda engine, and can barely handle it in till mode, but it helps mix soil better, useless for breaking sod, but comes in handy depending on what I need to do. I could use an easier post hole digger; they don't make one that I could work with, don't have one of those but need one for a pending chore. I also need something to break up cement and can't handle the kind of sledgehammer you need. I should have bought to at least try, didn't want to spend the extra $$$, the dandelion & other weeder with the crooked handle someone recommended here. I bought a straight one, and it is somewhat of a struggle even though you don't have to bend over to use it. I could also use a better bulb planter, saw an expensive one on the web. I have two, one doesn't work worth a darn, and the second one should be sharper on the bottom and the design (a crosspiece for stability just above the top of the cylinder) makes it hard to dump the dirt out, but at least it works sometimes if the soil is tilled and moist; if not, forget it. I have a drill and augur, and that causes problems, too, but sometimes speeds things up. Shovels, rakes, the usual, they are work, but I can manage them the way they are designed, would be better if I knew how to sharpen a shovel, try to keep them clean, and no matter what tool it is, my back is weak, and I have to pace myself. Power everything would be better for me but those can be dangerous. Probably not what your were expecting in the way of feedback. I used to post under another name here. I have about every tool you can own, don't have a hoe, don't seem to need one, and they are all work because unless you have perfect soil and not have to fight weeds, sod, rocks, buried debris, roots, and other obstructions, all tools are work, and I have no idea how they can be improved. Christian |
#10
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Garden tools. A bit of research
Stephen Henning wrote: I found very few pole saws that are easy to use. Most will get stuck. You got that right. I just bought what I thought was a pretty decent one on sale at the hardware store, and the blade is too floppy to do what it is intended to do. The rope lopper doesn't have enough mechanical advantage for me except on anything but branches with very small diameters. The higher you try to extend it, the harder it is to manage the thing. So what is it good for? Getting tree branches off rooves, for one thing, and I'll find something else useful to do with it, try to remember to stay away from electrical lines, and prevail on my son to do the grunt work with it if it can be done. I should have returned it but was too tired to trek back with that huge thing. I suppose I still could take it back. |
#11
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Garden tools. A bit of research
Hettie® wrote:
[....] I could use an easier post hole digger; they don't make one that I could work with, [....] http://www.altapower.com/Earthquake_E43_p/e43.htm the Earthquake 1.75 HP Powerhead - E43 is truly a one man power post hole driller. I bought my about six years ago so I could plant trees and other landscape plants without the pain of digging. I've got both the 4" and the 6" auger bits. if I'm planting a tree from a 15" container I drill a center hole and then drill tangent holes around the center hole until I've got the diameter required for the tree or other type of plant being planted. the auger turns the dirt into a powder making it very easy to remove with a standard post hole digger, almost to easy. for transplanting tomato, squash, cucumber, pepper and other garden plants I first layout my distance measurements then drill each plant its own 32" deep hole. push the pulverized powdery dirt back into the hole and set the plant. the process creates a deep subsoiler effect allowing roots to reach easily down into the earth for water. here's a secret trick. put a pinch of each plant type's favorite fertilizer about 10 to 12 inches down in the hole and by the time the plant's roots hit the pocket of fertilizer the plant is large enough to accept and enjoy the find. and yea, I did put a fence post or two in with the Earthquake - E43. my usage recommendation is to drill slowly and allow the powerhead to do the work. this way when you find a large root or a large rock there is almost no kick back. do run the motor wide open / full throttle but don't press down with a lot of force. |
#12
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Garden tools. A bit of research
Jim wrote: Hettie® wrote: [....] I could use an easier post hole digger; they don't make one that I could work with, [....] http://www.altapower.com/Earthquake_E43_p/e43.htm the Earthquake 1.75 HP Powerhead - E43 is truly a one man power post hole driller. I bought my about six years ago so I could plant trees and other landscape plants without the pain of digging. I've got both the 4" and the 6" auger bits. if I'm planting a tree from a 15" container I drill a center hole and then drill tangent holes around the center hole until I've got the diameter required for the tree or other type of plant being planted. the auger turns the dirt into a powder making it very easy to remove with a standard post hole digger, almost to easy. for transplanting tomato, squash, cucumber, pepper and other garden plants I first layout my distance measurements then drill each plant its own 32" deep hole. push the pulverized powdery dirt back into the hole and set the plant. the process creates a deep subsoiler effect allowing roots to reach easily down into the earth for water. here's a secret trick. put a pinch of each plant type's favorite fertilizer about 10 to 12 inches down in the hole and by the time the plant's roots hit the pocket of fertilizer the plant is large enough to accept and enjoy the find. and yea, I did put a fence post or two in with the Earthquake - E43. my usage recommendation is to drill slowly and allow the powerhead to do the work. this way when you find a large root or a large rock there is almost no kick back. do run the motor wide open / full throttle but don't press down with a lot of force. I wonder if I could handle that and how dangerous it might be. Kickback scares me because I almost cut my finger off with my chain saw, doctor said it would never be the same again. It healed up fine. You said one man. This is one woman. A stubborn older one who doesn't like to admit she doesn't have the strength she once had which wasn't all that much even then. How much do they cost? That sounds great. Just like my tiller which takes all the strength I have to use, but I'm getting more accustomed to it. I am doing things now I never imagined I could do though. Things I thought you needed a man for. It is just too hard now to find somebody reasonable to work for you. My family will help me, but they are so darn busy, I hate to bother them unless I just have to have the help. If I wanted to kill myself or break my wrists, I suppose I could use a regular one if I didn't try to do it all at once, maybe work with a tile spade. I think I like yours better. Would I get enough use from it to be worth the money? I'll have to consider that. You can plant with the tiller, just till, shovel out, and till some more, but you can't go near as deep as that. Plus I want to set some cedar posts. Myself. Maybe with help with my son. I hired a landscaper, planted some roses I thought I couldn't plant because it was a batch of 12, and didn't think I could do that many in one day, wanted several more things done, they never sent me an estimate, nice couple, left me wondering why, maybe my property wouldn't make them look good enough? I think I was polite to them, but I do have to bargain for a good price and know on their end it has to be worth it. Landscapers are expensive. It's weird. I had my heart set on some iron lattice trellises, kept a photo somebody posted. Couldn't find anything like that. I printed out the photo, showed it to them, they said they'd cost a fortune to have welded. Guess what? I found them at Plow & Hearth, and they were very reasonable even with shipping, made in China, of course. Now they seem to be out of them again. Today I was in awe. I don't know what they were fixing, but I stopped to watch a neighbor getting, suppose a sewer line, drilled with this enormous augur, never saw one that big, wish I'd gone back with my camera, but wasn't in the mood to tick anybody off. They were having some trouble with it, the area between the street and sidewalk is extremely narrow, and they kept hitting something. Thank you for telling me about that Earthquake thing and the link. I'll check it out tomorrow. |
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Thanx for the posts so far, even from the sarcastic.
I was not very clear. This research is for BA Product Design and is commisioned for academic purposes only. To be honest, the books and articles that have so far been read concerning Garden tools are not as much help as we would like. The research has shifted to dealing with people who use them on a day to day basis. This has included consulting professional gardeners, allotment owners, and now the murky world of the internet. This very tacky attempt to gain opinion is in fact one of many different ways we have tried. Us "kids" wish it WAS as easy as tapping a few words on a keyboard. Thanx again guys |
#14
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Oh, and I would like to note that no publishable article is to be produced as a result of this stage of the research. So plagarism is not an issue. This is strictly to get ideas and to establish other directions.
Thank you |
#15
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Garden tools. A bit of research
In article ,
Christiansouth wrote: Thanx for the posts so far, even from the sarcastic. I was not very clear. This research is for BA Product Design and is commisioned for academic purposes only. To be honest, the books and articles that have so far been read concerning Garden tools are not as much help as we would like. The research has shifted to dealing with people who use them on a day to day basis. This has included consulting professional gardeners, allotment owners, and now the murky world of the internet. This very tacky attempt to gain opinion is in fact one of many different ways we have tried. Us "kids" wish it WAS as easy as tapping a few words on a keyboard. Thanx again guys Try agricultural workers. You know, the guys working out in the field. If there is a problem with a tool, they will the industrial strength complaint. If the owner had to use the tool, it would get changed quickly. -- FB - FFF Billy Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights. Get up, stand up, Don't give up the fight. - Bob Marley |
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