Make My Own Rake

[WaWaZat]

I'd like to make a rake that the blade can be rotated on so that I can push or pull from front to back or push to the side with. Has anyone done one of these? I'd like to get some suggestions for materials. I figure a firm piece of metal for the blade with a 90? angle bent into it. One side of the angle as the blade and the other mounted with maybe a thumb screw to a handle. Will an aluminum bar stay cool enough to handle? Any suggestions on where to find said bar inexpensively will be appreciated... may very well be I could find such animal at any Home Center....???

[Les]

Re: Make My Own Rake

I bought a set of these (on the left) and replaced the handles w/ EMT pipe. In hind sight, I would not have bothered with the shovel - I just rake it into my ash bucket.

The Scoop Pooper Scooper by Flexrake - New Puppy Center - Dog - PetSmart

Les...

[nissanneill]

Re: Make My Own Rake

WaWaZat
you could always make a push/pull blade with the blade at right angles to your handle, and on the other side of your handle, another blade that runs up and down for sweeping side to side.
I personally would use a wooden handle because aluminium has a tendency to get very hot quickly as it is used as a heat sink in electronics. The few minutes to clear your hearth could render your handle too hot to handle (pardon the pun though)
My rake is only 90˚ across the handle and I drag the coles towards the front and then angle the blade and push them back to the side, a little like an angled grader blade works in pushing the earth out to the side.


Neill

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: Make My Own Rake

If you can buy a wood handled garden hoe, you can attach whatever you wanted to the metal blade ?

[WaWaZat]

Re: Make My Own Rake

Doesn't aluminum dissipate heat? Does anyone use oven tools with aluminum handles that can report on how hot or cool it stays? Seems that the Forno Bravo rakes have aluminum handles.

[Wiley]

Re: Make My Own Rake

This is one of those items where you can go as elaborate or simple as you want. My rake is nothing more than a piece of aluminum screwed to the end of an old broom handle so that it forms a "Tee". Two screws so the metal blade doesn't spin. The aluminum measures about 1 1/2 inches wide and maybe 10 inches long with a thickness of about 1/8 inch thick. It was a simple answer that I threw together at the last minute. I've been using it for over a year now and although the handle is a bit charred near the blade it is by no means unserviceable and I have no intention of replacing my "recycled" broom handle rake until it needs it.

I would recommend a wood handle for the same reasons as mentioned: it is slower to heat. It seems to me all the expensive hearth tools with metal handles have some sort of sliding protector to keep from getting burned. Also I would stay with aluminum for the actual rake to protect the hearth bricks from unnecessary wear.

Just my solution, I'm sure you will find one that works for you :-)
Bests,
Wiley

[RTflorida]

Re: Make My Own Rake

I have 2 sets of the FB tools. The only tool that has the plastic slide is the turning peel, a VERY handy feature. As for the aluminum handles getting too hot...NOPE, unless you enjoy playing in the fire and keep the tool in the flames for 5 or 10 minutes. my rake, shovel, and brush do not even get warm on the top half of the handle. I do tend to "play" in the fire with the rake at times, my only issue is the rivets that hold the head to the handle...I actually melted the originals (the head fell off), so I replaced with aluminum pop rivets, again the head is loose (I'm guessing at least one of the 3 rivets has again melted away). I can't stress enough, this is soley caused by my messing around and leaving it in the oven far too long. Normal use of raking or shoveling will not cause the handle to get overly hot or melt the rivets.
My only issues have been with the brushes, the high heat has caused BOTH of my brushes to split (they have a wooden head). The one no longer tightens to the handle because of this and I'm afraid the second is not far behind (and I didn't start using the second until this summer). At $30+ to replace just the brush head, I will be looking for a cheaper alternative.

One last point, if you have tried aluminum handles and found they get hot, you are spending too much time playing in the coals and fire.......guess what will happen with wood handles? They will burst into flames. I have caught my brush on fire several times just brushing the ashes before pizza. I also have a "cajun style" wooden handle garden hoe from before I bought the tools.

RT

[Neil2]

Re: Make My Own Rake

I got one of these in a garage sale for $2.50

[RTflorida]

Re: Make My Own Rake

I tried my garden hoe initially, to me it needed altered - the blade is just too tall. I even find myself 'banging & clanging' the low profile FB rake. Not to mention charing the wooden handle (ok, so I actually briefly caught it on fire).
My biggest problem was the mental side of things (there I said it, I'm mental). I am all for repurposing things, I just could not get past the fact of where and what that hoe had previously been used for, buying a new one would have made it guilty by association.
Besides, I worked my butt off building my oven, I deserved the purpose made tools for its use. The second set is my "bonus" set of tools - courtesy of FedEx damaging the first box, they were not even supposed to be delivered. James sent out a second set, FedEx ended up delivering both the crushed box and the new - neither damaged. So, 2 sets for the price of one was a beautiful thing and made the cost much more palatable for my wife.

RT

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: Make My Own Rake

Gotta Love FedEx,,,
I also have an extra long rake (8 foot) sometimes that fire gets HOT !!!! I made it out of scrap 2 x 4 cut down to 1 x 2 the rake part is about a foot wide, also wood... I have used it about 15 times and it has lit on fire about 15 times,, I stick it in a 5 gal pail of water i keep near the oven (always) for safety reasons... dunk it and go right back to the fire...

The 5 gallon pail of water is always there when I cook... Im always afraid I am gonna grab something extremely hot(come close a few times) then at least I can plunge my hand in the water... Plus it serves the purpose of making me feel better its there in case i need it... This spring I will run a hose line over next to the oven.. I think I am rambling...
Cheers
Mark

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: Make My Own Rake

Hey RT (or anyone):
What is the "PLASTIC SLIDE" that is on the tuning peel? I am in desperate need of bigger, longer handled oven tools and will order stuff from the FB Store and not sure what to get. Thanks

[jmhepworth]

Re: Make My Own Rake

The plastic slide is a part of the handle that you can hold in one hand while you hold the back of the handle in the other. It slides up and down and twists around the aluminum handle. If the aluminum gets hot, the plastic slide doesn't. I haven't noticed that I need it. But I really like the smaller peel for turning pizza. You can't turn them easily (at all) with the big peel. I bought the standard kit. If anything, i would like the square peel to be a couple inches bigger. It limits the size of the pizza to about 12 inches.

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: Make My Own Rake

Thanks for info Joe, the plastic sliding handle sounds good. I too like the small round turning peels for lots things, but again, my friends bought me a short handle version that burns my hands when I'm turning pizzas in the rear so I'm checking out the long handle versions of everything.

[WaWaZat]

Re: Make My Own Rake

I bought a 52" long 12"x14" metal peel w/a wooden handle for $15 and cut it down with a grinder to make an 8" round turning peel.

[jmhepworth]

Re: Make My Own Rake

Part of my motivation in buying from Forno Bravo was to support Forno Bravo whenever I can, within reasonable financial constraints. I appreciate that sometimes it's not economically feasible (I did use Heat Stop after all because of the cost of Refmix delivered to me), but i always factor in my appreciation for James for hosting this site.