So, I had this idea for a “tiny shovel.” Sounds simple enough, right? I started by thinking about what I actually wanted to do with it. I figured it would be cool to have a little shovel for, you know, small jobs. Like, maybe scooping out some soil for my houseplants or something.
First, I looked around online to see what was already out there. Found a bunch of names for similar things – garden shovel, garden trowel, hand shovel, all that stuff. I saw some of the popular brands like Fiskars and Ames, but they were all a bit too big for what I had in mind.
Then I thought, “Why not make it myself?” I started sketching out some designs. I wanted it to be durable, so I thought about the material. Metal seemed like the obvious choice, but I also considered some tough plastics. I even found some information about some ancient ivory shovel, can you believe that? But that’s obviously not a great idea for the environment or, you know, not getting arrested.
I spent some time messing around with different handle shapes. It needed to be comfortable to hold, but also small enough to fit the overall “tiny” vibe. I did some digging on ergonomics and what would be comfortable for long use, and I found that there is a lot of science on this. I even thought about making it out of wood at first, but then figured metal would be way better for the handle, too.
The blade was the trickiest part. I experimented with a few different shapes – a pointed one, a more rounded one, and even one with little teeth on the edge. Ultimately, I went with a simple, slightly curved blade. I wanted it to be able to dig into the soil easily, but also be able to scoop stuff up.
After a lot of trial and error, I finally had a prototype I was happy with. It was small, felt solid, and actually worked pretty well! I even used it to plant some new seeds in my little herb garden, and it was perfect.
I made a few more, tweaking the design a little each time. I ended up using some steel I found because it was super strong and I could shape it how I wanted.
- The first one was a bit rough, but it worked!
- The second one was better – I made the handle a little longer and the blade a little wider.
- By the third one, I felt like I had it down. It was the perfect size, felt good in my hand, and was strong enough to handle some tougher soil.
I even started thinking about how to make it even better. I saw some examples of how people were adding sensors and x-rays to full-size shovels to make them “smart,” but that seemed a bit much for my tiny shovel. I did see that someone added sensors to a shovel to help find the valuable ore in rocks while mining. Maybe I could add a sensor for water, to find the best watering hole? Who knows, maybe there’s a future for high-tech tiny shovels.
Final Thoughts
Overall, it was a fun little project. I learned a lot about design, materials, and even a bit about the history of shovels. And now I have a cool little tool that’s actually useful. If you are ever bored one weekend, maybe you will decide to make one too!
