Red Pig Garden Tools: Hand‑Forged in Oregon Since the 1990s

In Boring, Oregon, Bob and Rita Denman run Red Pig Tools—one of the few U.S. shops still hand‑forging garden tools. Bob, a former English major turned advertising exec, learned blacksmithing 20 years ago and now crafts over 1,000 tool types with one full‑time helper in a barn built from reclaimed 100‑year‑old boards.

The Making of a Fulcrum Weeder

Follow a rural road to find Bob at his propane forge.

The forge where every Red Pig tool is born.

Bob’s smithy—any blacksmith worth his salt makes his own tools.

Workshop at rear of property; new barn near retail shop will showcase the process.

Fulcrum Weeder ($24): heating, hammering the forked end, shaping in a vice, attaching a wooden handle with his father’s drill.

If the shop appears closed, ring the barn bell or visit the white farmhouse at the driveway’s end.

Hours: Wed–Sat, 10 am–6 pm, or by appointment. Piles of cultivators and hand rakes ready for sale.

For more hand‑forged tools, see Fisher Blacksmithing Tools for the Gardener. (Updated from August 26, 2013.)