Roofer's ripping spade

A roofer's ripping spade, comprising:

• a tool head including a blade, a back-side cavity in the blade, and a handle receiving socket extending from the blade;
• a composite tool handle having an end inserted into the handle receiving socket of the tool head, the inserted end including a thermoplastic section;
• a molded, integral, composite block underlying and positioned adjacent to a lower surface of the blade, the composite block including a fulcrum portion extending away from the lower surface of the blade;
• means for mechanically attaching the block, through the fulcrum portion, to the blade;
• and
• a tang having a first end secured to the composite block, and a second end secured to the end of the tool handle inserted into the handle receiving socket, wherein the tang interconnects the composite block and the inserted end of the tool handle within the handle receiving socket.

A roofer's ripping spade, comprising:

• a tool head including a blade, a back-side cavity in the blade, and a receiving socket extending from the blade;
• a tool handle having an end inserted into the handle receiving socket of the tool head, the inserted end including a thermoplastic section including a flexible core comprising an elongated, generally cylindrical body, at least one groove formed in said body forming at least one socket filler for bearing a compressive load in the handle receiving socket, a flexible shaft capable of bending to permit the core to conform to the shape of the handle receiving socket, and an elongate tang receiving channel;
• a molded, integral, composite block underlying and positioned adjacent to a lower surface of the blade, the composite block including a fulcrum portion extending away from the lower surface of the blade, and a frog portion situated within and configured to fill the back-side cavity of the blade;
• means for attaching the fulcrum portion of the composite block to the blade, including aligned apertures through the fulcrum portion and the blade, and attachment rivets extending through said apertures for fastening the fulcrum portion of the composite block to the blade;
• and
• means for interconnecting the frog portion of the composite block with the end of the tool handle inserted into the handle receiving socket of the tool head, wherein the interconnecting means includes a tang element having a first end secured to the frog portion of the composite block, and a second end secured within the elongate tang receiving channel of the thermoplastic section of the tool handle, the tang element having cross-sectional dimensions greater than the cross-sectional dimensions of the elongated tang receiving channel, and wherein the tang element includes surface irregularities to inhibit removal of the tang element form the tang receiving channel.