Hi guys,

I wanted some ideas to draw the connection for this shovel on the ground

I stood at the front ....
but then the cuts are difficult for me ....

do you have any ideas?


I am attaching the 3dm

I had forgotten the reference model

Hi Tony77

If you have a real shovel:
An inexpensive Contour Guage can be used to get some 2D curves.
(Googe "contour guage")

One curve could be left to right at the peak of the curves. (x direction)
Numerous cross section curves in the vertical direction can be taken. (y direction). These cross sections
can be aligned with the first curve. Then maybe a loft, or ?

Pictures of the results on the Guage can be imported to View/Image and traced.
( I think I would preserve the x,y,z orientations )

- Brian

For example: https://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-contour-gauge-907.html

(Insert leaning on shovel joke here:-)

You can use the little slender contour guage bars to index the cross section curves.
Say mark every 10th slender finger, and when making the 1st x profile, mark the top of the shovel cross section arcs.
Take the contour section curves at each mark (y).

- Brian

Hi Brian

unfortunately I use an online translator to translate your explanations ... but most of the time I can't understand without a practical example

How is made the other side ? I have not one at home in the city! :)

I believe that the steel begins flat, and is bent/stamped. The upper part of the steel wraps around the handle, as a "cylinder", open at the bottom.
- Brian

Yes but can be open in "V", in "U" etc around the handle! ;)

The very bottom of the handle socket "cylinder" is Vee notched. And there is a bottom seam.

Crude .3dm of usage of the physical contour guage on a pretend real shovel curve.

Only one pretend cross section curve is shown (in RED).

- Brian

I must have 40 or so shovels...

Some idea...you can adapt your surface to any form...

Thanks Brian and Pilou :)

Hi Tony, you could put in some profile curves and do trim and blend. Maybe something like this:

















- Michael

Thanks Michael for your always helpful advice

Hi Tony,
Here's a version:




I can find some errors still, that i would change but it's just an example...

Like when I fillet the join, the fillet runs all the way up the connection, which removes my "wrap" of the steel. If you saw just before that where i cut the shovel base back to meet that part, I think if I did that later, the fillet wouldn't run up like that...

Anyway, just a different look.

Thanks Burrman :)