Garden tool

A garden tool that has a tool member coupled to a hollow aluminum handle by a nylon spacer and a pair of threaded nylon rivets,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a garden tool. 
2. Description of Related Art 
Garden tools are conventionally constructed with a wooden handle that is 
attached to a metal tool member such as a shovel or a hoe. The handle is 
typically placed into an opening in the tool member, wherein the end of 
the tool member is swagged onto the handle. Wooden handles have a tendency 
to break, especially when subjected to a large force. It would be 
desirable to have a garden tool that is constructed from a strong material 
such as a metal. 
Shovels are frequently used to remove dirt in residential areas. 
Residential areas typically have electrical power lines buried in the 
ground. Use of a metal shovel may result in the possible shock or 
electrocution of the user. It would therefore be desirable to have a metal 
garden tool that would not transfer electricity to the user. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is a garden tool that has an aluminum handle coupled 
to a tool member by a spacer and a pair of threaded fastener members. The 
handle is hollow and is adapted to receive the end of the tool member and 
the spacer. The fasteners extend through apertures in the handle, spacer 
and tool member and are coupled together to fasten the tool to the handle. 
Both the spacer and the fasteners are constructed from a nonconductive 
material such as nylon to prevent electricity from flowing through the 
tool member and into the handle. 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a garden tool 
with a metal handle. 
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a metal garden 
tool that will not transmit electricity to the user.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Referring to the drawings more particularly by reference numbers, FIGS. 1-3 
show a garden tool 10 of the present invention. The tool 10 includes a 
tool member 12 that is coupled to a hollow metal handle 14. The handle 14 
is preferably constructed from an aluminum that is either anodized or 
painted. Although the tool member 12 shown is a hoe, it is to be 
understood that the tool member 12 may be a shovel or any other tool. The 
tool member 12 is typically constructed from a metal material and has an 
end 16 that is inserted into the hollow handle 14. 
Located between the tool member 12 and the handle 14 is a spacer 18. The 
spacer 18 contains a bore 20 constructed to receive the end 16 of the tool 
member 12 and has an outer diameter that fits tightly within the internal 
channel 22 of the handle 14. The spacer 18 is preferably constructed from 
a nonconductive material such as nylon, which will prevent electricity 
from flowing through the metal tool member 12 and into the metal handle 
14. 
The tool member 12 is fastened to the handle 14 by a pair of threaded 
fasteners 24 and 26. The rivets extend through apertures 28-32 in the 
handle 14, spacer 18 and tool member 12, respectively. The first fastener 
24 has a threaded bore 34 which mates with a corresponding threaded shaft 
36 of the second rivet 26. The fasteners 24 and 26 are inserted into the 
apertures 2832 after the spacer 18 and tool member 12 pushed into the end 
of the handle 14. The rivets are typically installed by spinning and 
pressing the second fastener 26 into the first fastener 24. The fasteners 
are preferably constructed from a nonconductive material such as nylon, to 
prevent creating an electrical path between the tool member 12 and the 
handle 14. The tool member 12 can be replaced by pulling the fasteners 
apart and removing the tool member 12 from the handle 14. The garden tool 
of the present invention can thus be modified to have different types of 
tool members such as a shovel, etc. The end of the handle 14 may have an 
end cap 38. The combination of the aluminum handle coupled with the spacer 
and fasteners provide a strong rugged garden tool that will last 
significantly longer than conventional wooden handle tools of the prior 
art. The nonconductive spacer and rivets also prevent electricity from 
flowing through the length of the tool. 
While certain exemplary embodiments have been described and shown in the 
accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments are 
merely illustrative of and not restrictive on the broad invention, and 
that this invention not be limited to the specific constructions and 
arrangements shown and described, since various other modifications may 
occur to those ordinarily skilled in the art.