How To Replace the Handle of a Shovel (And Other Garden Tools)

Remove the shovel rivets

Secure the shovel head collar and handle in a vise or with clamps. Holding the shovel collar and handle in place with clamps or vise will make this process easier and safer. Never do this fix holding the shovel in your hands alone.

Tap out the rivet/pin cap with a cold chisel (for metal). The goal is to create space to get the head of the rivet to protrude enough to access and easily cut off. Using an angle grinder or a handheld metal hack saw, cut the head of the rivet/pin off. Clear what remains of the rivet/pin out of the hole in the handle and shovel collar. You may have to use a 3/16-in. metal punch or a nail set to force out the rivet/pin.

If you have two rivets/pins in your shovel, repeat the same process to get the handle fully released. Some handles may have a nail or screws driven in from both sides.  Either way, a cold chisel will help you pull them out, and you may not need an angle grinder to cut the head.

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Remove old handle

With the pin/rivet removed, you can now pull the old handle out of the shovel shaft.

If the handle is too tight, use a smaller piece of wood that fits through the other end of the shovel collar and hammer the handle out. If the handle is broken and too difficult to pull out, use a 3/8-in. drill bit or spade bit and drill through the broken end to splinter the wood and pull out the pieces. A wood chisel may be helpful in this process.

Whichever method you use, keep safety in mind and don’t hold the shovel shaft in your hand as you coax the wood out. If the old handle is intact, set it aside for later reference when fitting the new handle.

Restore shovel (Optional)

If your shovel is rusted, dented, or no longer sharp, this is the time to restore your old tool. It will be much easier to maneuver the shovel head without a long handle in the way.

I chose to use a wire wheel attachment on my angler grinder to remove the rust and then applied oil as a lubricant to prevent rust in the future.  I also decided to clean up the shovel’s edge with my cut-off wheel and angle grinder. Some people choose to repaint the shovel head. I was truly amazed at the difference these two things made in reviving my shovel and making it look practically new.

Dry fit the handle

To ensure the handle has the right thickness and fits snugly in the collar, do a test fit by positioning it without tightly securing the handle. I then laid my handles side by side, compared thickness at the top of the shovel collar with a caliper and determined the length for my new handle. You may also note that your handle sits about an inch up from where it will finally sit in the handle. The back of the shovel shaft is an open slit and is tapered to allow the handle to seed in for a friction fit when it is finally set into place.

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Determine the length and diameter of the new handle

This isn’t an exacting science. You must adjust according to the handle you are installing, and the garden tool being fixed.

In this case, when doing my dry fit, I determined my new handle would be too long, and the thickness of the taper wasn’t right, requiring me to cut off a few inches. If you find your handle has a shoulder created by the manufacturer that impedes the handle from sitting where you want it to, feel free to use a sander to eliminate the shoulder. You can also use a caliper to measure the tapered end of the old handle and use that as the measurement for the taper in your new handle.

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Seed the handle

To get as tight a friction fit as possible and seed the handle deeply into the collar of the shovel, place a sacrificial piece of wood on the floor and turn the shovel upside down with the head of the shovel in your hands and the handle facing down. Lift and smack the handle up and down, forcing the handle further into the shovel collar — firmly, but not so hard as to break the handle again. If this is done right, you should NOT be able to remove the handle by hand easily. This is called a friction fit.

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Drill hole in the handle

With a tight friction fit between the handle and the shovel collar, again secure it in a clamp or bench vise so the hole in the shovel shaft is easily accessible with a drill, and you have a good sightline from side to side to align the holes you will be drilling. Drill through the hole in the shovel collar with a 1/8-in. drill bit. This will help you find the hole on the other side without making the hole too big if you go off the alignment of the hole on the other side. The objective is to drill through the hole from one side of the shovel shaft to the hole on the other side. Once you find your way from one side to the other through the hole in the collar, then switch to the 3/16-in. drill bit and open the hole to accommodate the rivet/pin.

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Install rivet through shovel hole

Install the rivet through the shovel collar hole and through the handle. You should end up with 1/8 inch to 3/16 inch of the rivet peeking out the side of the shaft. If it is any more than that, trim it down with a hacksaw.

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Set the rivet

To set the rivet, use a vise or a sledgehammer to provide a hard surface to support the blow against the rivet. Then, round over the end of the rivet with the rounded side of a ball-peen hammer to tightly secure the handle in place.

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FAQ

Can I secure a shovel handle with a nail or screws?

Most shovel handles come with a rivet/pin to secure the shovel collar to the handle. Some people have used a screw going through the holes in the shovel collar from either side.

A screw with a flat cap will sit well and have less likelihood of loosening than a tapered screw. Make sure the screw is well seeded in the hole and penetrates to half the depth of the thickness of the new handle.

A nail can be inserted from one side to the other if pre-drilled for easy entry, going through both holes in the shovel collar. Hammer back the nail so it folds over and secures the handle in place. You may want to grind down the end of the nail, so you don’t have a sharp point sticking out.

Can I customize the length of my shovel handle?

You can absolutely customize the length of your handle. The best time to do this is when you are replacing the handle so you can incorporate this decision when you are cutting the new handle to fit into the collar of the shovel. A smaller person may want a shorter handle, a taller person may want a longer handle. This would be the time to do it.

My shovel handle has a finish that makes it slippery. Can I fix this?

Most manufacturers want to make a shovel handle look shiny and new. Unfortunately, this will also make it slippery when working. To give your shovel handle some grip, sand back the shiny surface with 150-grit sandpaper and seal it again with tung oil. Tung oil will protect the wood and not give you a slippery finish.