These rakes were commissioned by an estate grounds manager for use in a large private Zen garden located in central Colorado.
These zen garden rakes were both made from a single large piece of hickory. Hickory is commonly used for tool handles, baseball bats, and drum sticks because of its hardness and durability.
The handles were purposefully designed to be more substantial in contrast to the weak-handled rakes the client had previously. The profile is octagonal for comfort at the gripping end and transitions to a more squared shape where they attach to the rake heads.
The handles are securely attached to the heads of the rakes with a four-way wedged through-tenon and a security screw through the top of the rake head.
The security screw hole in the top is hidden with a grain-matched hickory plug and the through-tenon is locked securely in place with four hickory wedges to help this tool stand the test of time and heavy outdoor use.