Heavy Duty handle

[Mr Mike Mills]

I have a problem in my shop that the students will break the handles off the push brooms. The metal handles are such a thin wall that they crush very easy. The wood handles hold up better, but tend to break at the base where the handle and the broom meet.

My solution was to drill out the handle hole on the broom head with a 3/4" drill bit. I then took a 10' section of Black Pipe 1/2" and cut that in two. With a little downward force the pipe treads grabbed and threaded themselves in to the plastic broom head.

I think I picked up the 10' pipe for $8.99 so each pipe handle was about $4.50.


To Cut the pipe I purchased a cut off blade that I leave set up in one of my old miter saws. There are a few times where we need to cut piano hinges, drawer slides, or other metal objects that are to long.

[johnny means]

You can buy quality brooms at commercial suppliers like Grainger or restaurant supply houses. Personally, I would be loathe to sweep my 2500 sf with a black pipe broom. I work hard enough.

[Dennis Nagle]

I agree Johnny, but it sounds like the perfect solution for students. They have too much energy as it is.☺

[Mike Ontko]

I'm thinking there are two approaches to your broken brooms conundrum, assuming they're breaking as the result of misuse or abuse:

1. Reinforce the handle-to-broom head connection with support brackets.

2. Take away the push brooms and have your students sweep up using only foxtail brushes, explaining your reasons.


or, Staples has 60" hardwood broom handles, 15/16" diameter with threaded ends listed for $3.49

[Jon McElwain]

My Dad used to screw a triangle piece of 1/2" plywood to the broom portion with the top point of the triangle a foot or 18" up the handle. A pipe hanger or two (can't remember for sure) held the handle to the plywood. with a heavy piece of pipe, I would worry that the next thing to break would be the broom where the handle goes into the hole you drilled. I do like the idea that the kids will have to work harder now because they were rough on the tool - natural consequences!

[Mike Wilkins]

I am going to take a lesson from a neighbor of mine. When the wood handles on my wheelbarrow finally rotted and broke, I went to the local big box store and shelled out $50.00 for a pair. My neighbor, however, used some used chain link fence poles to make his wheelbarrow handles. Cheap and sort of permanent. You might give these a try, and replace your broom handles.

[Steve Peterson]

My Dad used to screw a triangle piece of 1/2" plywood to the broom portion with the top point of the triangle a foot or 18" up the handle. A pipe hanger or two (can't remember for sure) held the handle to the plywood. with a heavy piece of pipe, I would worry that the next thing to break would be the broom where the handle goes into the hole you drilled. I do like the idea that the kids will have to work harder now because they were rough on the tool - natural consequences!

Large push brooms often have diagonal braces to keep the handle from breaking at the base.

Steve

[Pat Barry]

The kid breaks it, the kid pays for it. Why doesn't that work?

[Mel Fulks]

I agree with Pat. From what I've seen they get broken by using them inappropriately in close spaces requiring a corn broom.

[Peter Quinn]

Kids keep breaking them, it's hard to pin the cumulative abuse on the unlucky one holding it when it goes, maybe time to get a better broom? I like the iron handle...perhaps stepping up to a lolly column would reenforce the discipline aspect of it. Here kids....push this! 75# broom handle. I've seen decent push brooms with diagnal braces last decades, the bristles wear out before the handle typically. And men aren't any gentler on tools than boys unless they paid for them themselves.

[Lee Schierer]

Teach the kids the proper way to sweep with a push broom. You sweep with it using similar short strokes as you would with a standard flat broom. You don't just push it around the floor, you sweep with it. Pushing chairs or large piles of dust/debris should warrant having to sweep with a fox tail or flat broom or some sort or a grade reduction.