DIY Sand scoop

I wanted a sand scoop but didnt want to spend lots on one so thought I would build my own at home. I found an alloy baking tray which was 2mm thick and teflon coated so thought why not!

I made a paper model of the design I wanted, then went on to make a full sized version from card, making sure I didnt need to weld it as I dont have TIG welding facilities at home.

I laid out the card design onto the baking tray and used a jigsaw to outline it.

Once folded it would be difficult to drill all the holes needed so I printed off some 10mm squared graph paper and laid it out to get my drilling centers.

I went for 10mm final hole sizes as I thought I can always go bigger if need be but would struggle to make them smaller ;)

I had to make a sheet bender to get all the right angles, it was a bit heath robinson but worked well and saved me the time of welding one up.

Once all drilled and folded it looked like this with a slippy teflon outer ;)


I made a back for it from 2mm alloy checkerplate and fixed that with angled plates and rivets. I then made a top cover folded over the back end for a boot push point from 2mm stainless steel which I can weld at home.

Now I needed some 28mm id stainless tube which nobody local had so I got a 50mm tube I had and split it down the length and re rolled it to 28mm then welded the seam.

Now it was time to stainless weld the tube to the flat and add 2 support braces, the gas mix was for mild steel so the welds were not as nice as I would have liked but my MIG welder is primarily set up for mild steel only, the top was then painted with smoothright to cover my strong but ugly welds!

Now it was time to bolt it back together with stainless bolts, add the garden broom 28mm handle and drill and fit a stainless bolt and wingnut to hold the handle in place.

I will give the handle a good soaking in teak oil before use so hopefully it lasts a while in the salt water. The whole thing inc handle weighs 1.55kilo or 3.4lb so light enough, time will tell if its tough enough for our mixed shingle beaches. Being an ex engineer I had everything in stock to build it except the stainless MIG wire so it cost £10 but I only used perhaps £1 worth of wire on this job.

Oh for those with sharp eyes, the teflon is covered in a protective clear film, its hanging off in places where I drilled the holes, I elected to let the sand clean off the rest as I use it.

I have since had chance to use the scoop on our local sand/shingle/clay beaches and it seems to put up with the hardness fine, I have added an extra, a handle on the shaft to aid lifting out.

  A spare 8mm threaded angle grinder handle with a stainless strap and nut, does the job without cost.