Homestead tools

(In another thread Kelee posted about 'Sticker Shock on Garden Supplies'. I posted this D-I-Y here so the original post didn't get hijacked.)

It's often hard to find good quality tools for the homestead at a reasonable cost.
I've done some of my best "shopping" at yard sales, thrift stores (a.k.a. "junk shops"), and auctions for used - sometimes abused - tools.

One of the most common problems encountered is broken tool handles.
I've often made my own handles - particularly for rakes, hoes, cultivators, etc. - from a length of steel pipe. With a little cutting and welding, the resulting handles are virtually unbreakable. A piece of automotive heater hose that fits snugly over the pipe makes a good non-slip and user-friendly hand grip; it also keeps one's hands from getting burned if the tool is left in the sun.

Also consider this:
By welding a short piece of threaded pipe (maybe 10 inches in length) to the basic tool, with a simple pipe coupling or two, you can make handles of varying lengths and connect them for various tasks - and also make them interchangeable between tools.

One of the reasons I like "old tools" is because of the quality of the steel; they were simply made better - much better than the junk being made today.