Introduction: How to Make a Weed Cutter Tool Which Can Be Attached With a Variable Speed Reversible Drill

By
About: I like to make things more simple with easily available resources. My favorite quote: A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a…

One of the main problems faced by garden enthusiasts like me is weeds. Many people use chemical weed killers, but we do not use chemicals in our home garden. Manually cutting / removing the weeds is time consuming and laborious. I have seen hand-held petrol operated weed cutting machines in operation, but they are heavy and used for larger areas. My requirement is a small tool which should be very easy to handle and cheap.

I have a 550 watt, 13 mm variable speed reversible hammer drill at home. I thought of making a small attachment for the drilling machine, which can be used as a weed cutter. The tool you see here with the drilling machine in the above pictures is the outcome. Please see video of the attachment in operation. I have just used it for the first time to cut a small bush and it works fine.

If you are interested in making one for your garden, please go through the steps below.

Step 1: What You Need

  • A variable speed reversible drilling machine. You can use a cordless or a corded one as per availability. The reversible mechanism helps in changing the direction of rotation as per the blade alignment. The variable speed will allow you to have more control over the machine while in operation.
  • About one meter length of 8 mm or 10 mm rod. This can be either mild steel or stainless steel as per availability. Please make sure the rod is straight without any bends
  • A "S" shaped blade attachment from an old food processor. I think you can buy it as a spare item from the market

Step 2: Make a Hole on Top of Blade

  • Drill a hole on top of the blade as shown. Make sure the diameter of the hole is one or two mm less than the diameter of the rod to make a tight fitting

Step 3: Insert Rod Through Hole

  • Insert the rod through the hole all the way down. I have lightly filed the hole to match the dia of rod and applied instant glue to hold it in position

Step 4: Epoxy Resin Adhesive for Fixing Rod With Blade

  • Initially, a mix of epoxy resin adhesive has been used to fix the rod with the blade. The resin adhesive is in a semi-liquid form.
  • Pour the resin in small quantities on top of the rod attachment. It will slowly flow down without making any air pockets.
  • You can also use a tooth pick around the rod to remove any air trapped between the rod and the blade.
  • Keep this in a vertical position without disturbance till the emulsion curies and become strong

Step 5: Final Fixing With Epoxy Compound

  • After the resin is cured, fill remaining gap with Epoxy compound. You can use Sugru also for this.
  • Keep the tool in a vertical position as shown in the last picture for another 24 hours

Step 6: Weed Cutting Attachment Is Ready

Now our weed cutting attachment is ready.

Attach open end of the rod with the drilling machine. Adjust the direction of rotation as per the blade alignment and cut away all unwanted weeds from your garden.

Please see the video attached to the introductory part of this instructable