Independent production of Fokin flat cutters

Soil cultivation with flat cuts, in which the layers of the earth do not turn over, and the stubble is preserved and protects the earth from weathering and drying, has long been known (at the end of the 19th century, I. E. Ovsinsky was successfully used). At the same time, an increase in yield and a decrease in the amount of labor applied were recorded.

Particularly vividly all the advantages of flat-cutting plowing manifested themselves during the development of virgin lands in Kazakhstan in the 1950s.

In individual farms, gardeners and gardeners are actively using various manual flat-cutting cultivators.

Among the most successful and common modifications - Fokin's flat-cutter. Note that this flat cutter - a hand-held cultivator is quite capable of making it yourself with your own hands with the help of drawings and step-by-step instructions.

Why do I need Fokin flatbed dacha

Before you make a Fokin flat cutter with your own hands, you need to figure out what it is, how it works. The main principle of the Fokin flat-cutter robots consists in plane cutting of the soil at a depth of 5 to 15 cm.

Such pruning damages the roots of weeds (when they die off, they will fertilize the soil), loosens the soil, increases its hygroscopicity. Regular use of a flat cutter for two to three years allows improving the soil structure and increasing the yield.

Exercise when using a manual cultivator is two to three times lower compared to the work of a conventional garden hopper or shovel (minimum load allows gardening for people with problems of joints, the spine, cardiovascular system, etc.).

Manual flat cutter is a fairly versatile tool. He is able to perform more than twenty different operations. Among them:

• horizontal soil loosening up to 5-10 cm - with planar cutting (non-sown beds, inter-row spans);
• the formation of the beds - alternate stinging of the ground and the cut weeds from both between (the optimum width of the bed is 1 m);
• leveling the surface of the bed - deepening the blade by 1-2 cm, smoothly or accelerating to row along the bed and towards yourself (lumps of earth are crushed if you move all the time while performing the alignment along the northern boundary, the southern slope of the bed is gradually formed);
• cutting of grooves for seeds and their subsequent powder;
• weeding weeding (plane loosening before sowing and 3-4 times after sowing at weekly intervals);
• hilling (used as a chipper);
• loosening strawberries and cutting off whiskers;
• pruning of raspberries, weeds;
• extraction from the root of weeds growing in the immediate vicinity of the garden plant (there is no need to bend down);
• grinding of large fragments of manure and uniform distribution over the surface (surpasses forks in efficiency);
• loosening of pristvolny circles of fruit trees, etc.

How to choose material for a flat cutter

To make a flat cutter for a garden or vegetable garden, in principle, is easy. The first step is to pick the right material - for the planer itself and for the cutting.

For the manufacture of a flat cutter, you need a strip of metal 40-45 mm wide, up to 400 mm long. Metal should be increased wear resistance. Ordinary iron for flat-cutters is not suitable (it will quickly get blunt, bend, etc.).

V. V. Fokin made his flat cutter from spring steel 65G, therefore, the best option would be to use a thin (5-6 mm) spring from a passenger car (caravan) or a plate of torsion suspension (from ZAZ, LuAZ) as a blank.

It is more difficult to process such material at home, but the result will meet all expectations - the planer will serve for a long time and efficiently. Experienced gardeners recommend Fokin’s flat-cutter as one of the options to make the most of the steel corner (after cutting it with a grinder into two bands). For cuttings can be used:

• pine tree - the most affordable and cheap material, easily processed, but short-lived (quickly breaks down, cracks);
• birch - durable and inexpensive material (quality is superior to pine), easily processed, but needs longer polishing - the best option for a flat cutter;
• ash - an expensive option, but the quality is very high (the density is one and a half times greater than that of birch), wood with longitudinal fibers, does not deform, polishes perfectly. A stalk of ash will last for many years.

Ploskorez Fokina do-it-yourself: step-by-step instruction with drawings

When making a Fokin flat cutter with your own hands, you should follow the drawings and instructions as much as possible - this will help preserve the ergonomic properties and technological qualities of the product.

In addition to metal and wood, for the manufacture of a flat cutter you will need:

• electric drill;
• hammer;
• blowtorch;
• machine oil - working out (for hardening and anti-corrosion treatment);
• vice;
• pliers and two wrenches 10 x 12;
• Bulgarian;
• grinder;
• whetstone;
• sandpaper;
• plane;
• bolts, washers and nuts.

Billet manufacturing process

A blank of ordinary iron is cut to size. When using high-alloy steel, it should be borne in mind that the workpiece will be both hard and brittle.

Before its further processing, the steel must be "released". For this you need:

• heat the workpiece evenly with a blowtorch (gasoline or gas) along the entire length until it becomes the color of a cherry (it is important not to overheat if it starts to turn orange - it is already overheating);
• after making sure that the billet has become a cherry color, leave it to cool. This treatment is best done in the summer or in a warm room - the cooling will be more uniform.

After the workpiece has completely cooled, you can already make a flat cutter with your own hands. Cutting grinder right length, you can proceed to the next step - marking according to the drawing (where to drill holes, where to bend).

Deformation of the workpiece

The stage of deformation of the workpiece is important in that it is necessary to give the desired shape and preserve the angles. The workpiece should be clamped in a vice and with the help of a hammer according to the marks, bend the metal (the places of the folds can be preheated with a blowtorch):

• the first bend should have an angle of 95-105 degrees;
• the second is 110-130 degrees;
• the third bend is similar to the second;
• the last, fourth bend, is made within the same limits, adjusting the billet under the cutting.

The sequence of deformation can not be changed (otherwise the last fold will not work). Thus, we get the workpiece of the so-called large Fokin flat cutter, in which the blade dimensions are 170 mm.

Workpiece transformation and flat grinding

The last stage is the drilling of holes, shaping, sharpening and hardening. Drilling holes does not cause any problems.

The final shape is given according to the drawing with the help of a grinding machine and a grinder. The grinder cuts at the angle of 45 degrees the edge of the working part of the flat-cutter, including the end. On how to sharpen Fokin's flat cutter, correctly or not, further efficiency of his work depends.

Sharpening double edged (both edges are sharpened, including the end of the blade). It is best of all to make sharpening on a grinding machine; you can trim it with a manual sharpener. Sharpening should begin with the tip of the flat cutter. After that, it is subjected to quenching (you can do without it, but the flat-cutter will be blunt faster).

Hardening is as follows:

• pour oil into the tank - testing (so that when immersed, the workpiece was covered with it);
• heat the workpiece with a blowtorch (until cherry color);
• quickly, for 2-3 seconds, immerse it in oil, remove it and after 5 seconds immerse it again, then remove and immerse it again (repeat until the oil stops boiling when in contact with the metal);
• hang cool. The surface of the workpiece should turn black (corrosion protection), the metal acquires greater strength.

Making a cutting

Before you make a cutting with your own hands, you need to decide on the material (we have already done this) and the blank. The blank for the cutting should be in the form of a rectangular slat with a width of 45 mm and a thickness of 20 mm.

Initially, you need to give it the necessary form (it is a bit like a hockey stick):

• process all four edges with a plane (the plane must be adjusted so that it removes a very small layer of wood). Edges 15–20 cm from the lower end should be left intact (rectangular shape will facilitate fixing marking and tight fit);
• process the surface of the shank of sandpaper (protect yourself from splinters);
• at a distance of 150 mm from the lower edge in the center, draw two parallel lines (the distance between them should be 5 mm);
• attach a flat cutter to the bottom edge of the handle;
• to combine the drilled holes on the flat cutter with our marking;
• mark along one of the holes;
• drill a hole (lay a board or a wooden block under the drill) and prepare a bolt and a nut;
• Attach a flat cutter (one of the remaining holes on the flat cut should match the line drawn). It is better to use large iron washers between the head of the bolt and the handle. This will allow to tighten the nut tighter, protects the tree from destruction.
• drill the cutting through the hole in the planer;
• insert and tighten the second mount. Flat cutter is ready to use.

The handle for the Fokin flat cutter assembled, if it is placed vertically, should be 20 cm below the shoulder, so the dimensions of the handle for each will be their own, individual.