A Shop-Made Dustpan

Any interior space to be swept clean needs some sort of dustpan to transfer the collected material from the pile on the floor to a waste receptacle. The usual household dustpan is often far from adequate for service in the boatshop. The shop version must combine strength, good balance, and, most important, volume without restrictive weight. The plans below detail such a tool: one that has proven itself over many years in our own shop. I have specified cedar for this project, but any lightweight softwood will do. Light weight will help, because this dustpan is larger than the usual size so it won’t have to be emptied every time I use it. I start each morning’s fire with the sweepings from the day before, stored in the dustpan overnight.