Old Classic Garden Tools - 2014

[Mike L]

Hi Folks: When I did a search for a discussion thread about old garden tools I didn't find one. Not to say its not there, just didn't find it. So I thought we could start one this Spring 2014. So show us photos of your old garden tools. I including a photo link to a pair of old garden shears that was left in the shed of my first home. I don't know anything about these old low tech shears so maybe someone can tells us all about them. These are very rusty and I could find no manufacturing information on them.

http://s948.photobucket.com/user/OLSC44/media/Tools/shears.jpg.html?sort=3&o=2

 

[zigs]

Those are Sheep Shears Mike, very nice

 

[claudine]

It's the first time when I see sheep shears! It's really interesting. They look quite dangerous though. Are they sharp? I feel very sorry for sheep, I'm sure that it's easy to hurt them while shearing them

 

[Mike L]

I can tell you claudine that these shears are only dangerous if you hit someone over the head with them as they are not sharp.

 

[happyflowerlady]

Those look like really old sheep shears, for sure ! It seems like I remember seeing a pair like that at some time in my life, but I don't remember where they were. I used to go to auction sales a lot, and they often had antiques there, so maybe that is where I saw them.
Claudine, I doubt that they hurt the sheep when they were shearing them. They had to shear them every spring so that the sheep didn't have to carry all that heavy wool during the hot summer, so they sheared them down to just a short coat. They would have used the sharp points to get into the wool, and they would not have poked the sheep with them.

 

[Trellum]

Yikes! Those shears don't look handy at all!!! I know they aren't too sharp, but how do they manage to get the job done with them given they don't look handy at al!? Creepy, would hate to be a sheep :O

 

[claudine]

Those look like really old sheep shears, for sure ! It seems like I remember seeing a pair like that at some time in my life, but I don't remember where they were. I used to go to auction sales a lot, and they often had antiques there, so maybe that is where I saw them.
Claudine, I doubt that they hurt the sheep when they were shearing them. They had to shear them every spring so that the sheep didn't have to carry all that heavy wool during the hot summer, so they sheared them down to just a short coat. They would have used the sharp points to get into the wool, and they would not have poked the sheep with them.

I would like to believe in it, but my mother once saw a sheep being sheared and that poor animal was not only scared, but also injured I hope that it's not always like this though. Maybe that shearer was just very inexperienced. It happened before I was born, my mother was a kid back then, so I don't know any details.