Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - [Market-farming] Homemade wire weeder

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Christine & Marlin" <glenecofarm AT planetcomm.net>
  • To: "'Market Farming'" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Homemade wire weeder
  • Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 22:55:54 -0500


I've been eyeing for several years the "Lucko" wire weeder that Paul and
Alison Weideger described in their hoop house manual "Walking to Spring".
Last year I got a good look again at Pam Dawling's Lucko tool. I've always
been a little scared off by the price, around $15.00 plus around $5.00
shipping, so since I remembered the Weidegers telling me that they thought
one could be made in a handy man's shop with wood and fence wire, I decided
that sometime I'm going to take up the challenge.
This morning I was tinkering around in my garage and I up and made
one. It wasn't all that hard. I spent around twenty minutes making it and
it looks amazingly like the real thing. Of course I had to go out to the
hoop house and try it out and was pleasantly surprised with how well it
worked.
I wish it was possible to post photos on the MF list. Could it be
done with attachments? Since I don't have a digital camera and a way to
post pictures at this time, I will try to describe how I made it for anyone
who would want to give it a try.
You will need two pieces of scrap "series 40" PVC pipe, one 1 inch
outside diameter piece six inches long and one 3/4 inch outside diameter
piece six and a half inches long. The 3/4 inch piece will fit snugly inside
the one inch diameter piece. 1/4 inch of the inside piece should stick
outside both ends of the outside piece. I first tried a piece of wooden
broom or hoe handle but the ones I had were 7/8 inches thick and wouldn't
slip inside the one inch pipe.
Cut two pieces of standard 12 gauge high tensile fence wire, one
about 11 inches long and the other about nine inches long. On a bench vise
carefully bend both wires into a "u" shape, making sure that both legs of
the "u" are of equal length and that the base of the "u" is bent squarely so
that the base is straight. One piece should be about 2 1/2 wide and the
other one should be one inch to 1 1/2 inches wide. The wire pieces should
now look much like the wire row cover staples available in many garden
supply catalogs. Now take the wider of your two wire staples and continue
bending the corners until they are bent at a 60 degree angle or at about the
same angles as an equilateral triangle. About half way between the 60
degree angles and the ends of the wire bend a 30 degree angle in the
opposite direction. This should give you two parallel wire ends about 1 1/2
to two inches long about one inch apart. The other narrower staple should
need little to no additional bending. Sharpen the wire ends slightly on a
grinder.
Choose an electric drill bit slightly smaller in diameter than your
wires and drill holes between the layers of plastic pipe on opposite sides
of both ends. Your objective is for the bit to cut a groove in both pieces
of the slipped together pipe rather than for it to cut into one or the other
pipe which would weaken it. You might have to waste a piece or two before
you get it right. Make sure that the alignment of the holes on both ends is
in the same plane.
Now you can carefully push the wires into the ends of the plastic
handle. They should push in very snugly and may require some tapping with a
hammer or mallet. Now bend the wire loops downward about 20 to 30 degrees
on both ends of your new tool and it should be ready to use.

Marlin Burkholder
Virginia









Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page