A post hole clam-shell digger, also called post hole pincer or simply post hole digger, is a tool consisting of two articulated

shovel A shovel is a tool used for digging, lifting, and moving bulk materials, such as soil, coal, gravel, snow, sand, or ore. Most shovels are hand tools consisting of a broad blade fixed to a medium-length handle. Shovel blades are usually made of ...

-like blades, forming an incomplete hollow cylinder about a foot long and a few inches wide, with two long handles that can put the blades in an "open" (parallel) position or a "closed" (convergent) position. The tool is used to dig holes in the ground, typically from a few inches to a about a foot in diameter, for general purposes such as setting

fence A fence is a structure that encloses an area, typically outdoors, and is usually constructed from posts that are connected by boards, wire, rails or netting. A fence differs from a wall in not having a solid foundation along its whole length. ...

and

sign A sign is an object, quality, event, or entity whose presence or occurrence indicates the probable presence or occurrence of something else. A natural sign bears a causal relation to its object—for instance, thunder is a sign of storm, or me ...

posts or planting

sapling In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s. In operation, the tool is jabbed into the ground with the blades in the open position. The handles are then operated to close the blades, thus grabbing the portion of

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former te ...

between them. The tool is then pulled out and the soil is deposited by the side. The process is repeated until the hole is deep enough.

Comparison with earth augers

earth auger An earth auger, earth drill, or post-hole auger is a drilling tool or machine used for making holes in the ground. It typically consists of a rotating vertical metal rod or pipe with one or more blades attached at the lower end, that cut or scra ...

is another tool that is used to dig holes in the ground, consisting of a rotating shaft with one or more blades attached at the lower end. A hand-powered auger is generally easier to use than a clam-shell digger, and can in principle dig deeper. It naturally creates a round and straight hole, but only of a fixed diameter. A clam-shell-type digger, in contrast, can be used to dig holes of any shape and any diameter greater than that of the open blades.

History and patent info

Clam-shell-type pole diggers seem to be a relatively recent invention, newer than earth augers. A patent was filed by J. Lawry of Lenior City, Tennessee in 1908.Jacob H. Lawry (1907
"Post-hole digger
. US Patent , filed on 1907-06-11, granted on 1908-04-07, expired on 1925-04-07. The patent has the traditional clam-shell design with an extra spike in the center.

References

External links

Gardening tools {{tool-stub