Agita Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 I want to make a Stake tool for my anvil. Specifically a small diameter mandrel. Going mabey from 2" down to nil over 12" or 16" or so. The other side would be Square or something else. I've attached a picture of something like I'm looking to achieve. Normally I'd just by the thing but they are hard to find and expensive. I've got time to waist coming in the next few weeks. so.... Some Ideas please. -How to get it even, Any Ideas or would y'all just work it out by hand? -What would you make it out of , I can find just about anything, Got a very large piece of stainless to fool with too. -What would you put on the other side? All help is always appreciated ,everyone has been awesome in the past. -THANK YOU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 I would most likely make it in 2 pieces with the joint @ the "T" intersection. I would rough forge and then turn the cone section and them make the swage part after that. Depending on intended use, I'd probably use 4140 for the work part and mild steel for the stake part. Whatever you do- Show Pictures... We like Pictures :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agita Posted March 25, 2011 Author Share Posted March 25, 2011 Turn? as in a lathe? I wish I had one. I'm currently making a hydraulic press like a gas powered wood splitter just bigger. Thought when I finished it I would Make a die or something. I'll talk around, maybe someone would let me borrow a lathe in their shop. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Turn? as in a lathe? I wish I had one. Thanks Yup- as in lathe. I made a round bick and forging a true round is really hard, at least for me. Making wedge shape dies for the press will help but it will be slow going. Power hammer is the best tool, If you have access to one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silkhopesmith Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 why don't you just forge it to shape? It doesn't have to be perfectly round, as usually you're only going to use the top third or half to forge against anyway. The bottom half can be left rough. Forge square taper, then octagon, then round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teenylittlemetalguy Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Why bother with the Tee at all? why not forge or turn the taper in appropriate size stock and then bend in an Ell? The little swage block could be made seperately if needed. One other point, be careful about putting to much leverage on the hardy hole with a tool like that. The sheet metal guys have special bases they put stakes in on the edge of a bench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agita Posted March 25, 2011 Author Share Posted March 25, 2011 Why bother with the Tee at all? why not forge or turn the taper in appropriate size stock and then bend in an Ell? One other point, be careful about putting to much leverage on the hardy hole with a tool like that. I would really intend to use it to bend small angles on random stuff, so I didn't intend to put much pressure on it. But still hammering may add too much. ?You think? I want to use it in my anvil. I Did originally plan to forge to shape. I figured that most of you guys could make a perfect taper by eye. I want to get a plate for a stand beside my anvil kinda like a Pexto stand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Lets see I've made a half dozen or so so far. They are relatively simple. First go find an old alignment pin for structural steel, AKA bull pin, You now have a nicely tapered round cone. Mount it as you wish. Ones I have made include one on the end of an open end wrench---forged the wrench down to fit my hardy hole and then bend it 90 deg where the cross section was rectangular. made a vertical one by welding the end of a flat ended bull pin to a hardy hole sized piece of sq stock. I pick these up at the fleamarket whenever I can find them cheap. They also make good mutes for the anvil when stuck in the pritchel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thingmaker3 Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 I would do the same as Teeny. 2" Parent stock would need 4" to make a 12" round taper from round stock, or 3" to make a 12" round taper from square stock. (Most of the numbers a blacksmith needs to know are "3" and "4" or their reciprocals.) Then neck down for the bend. Then butcher the tennon for the hardie hole. Then bend. I'd use 4140 or 4340 if I could get some cheap. And I'd put Padawan to work as a striker - most 2" bars are bigger than I am. Filing something from "roughly round" to "very round" is a lot easier than most folk think. Just roll the file backwards while pushing it forwards. (Tip of file goes away while rocking up, handle goes toward work while rocking down.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfootnampa Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 It is really not so difficult to get very close to the taper you want by forging. Then I would finish dress it with a file and flap sander. With a file you can check for high spots pretty readily and then do most of the grinding with the flap sander. For a perfect shape done quickly a lathe is the only way to go... for a one-off that you will use yourself I wouldn't worry about trying to trade for lathe time. I just made something similar a couple days ago, though I've not yet dressed it out. Mine is a hardy/vise cone for shaping/sizing tool sockets. If you really want to get picky about it you can use a set of station profiles (half rounds) like they do for boat building and a straight edge to check it in the other direction and with patience you might even be more accurate than most lathe operators. Mine will not need that level of accuracy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agita Posted March 25, 2011 Author Share Posted March 25, 2011 Possibly a stupid question here, but... I do have a 2" thick 4' ,- an inch or two, piece of 3 series stainless.... would that work? IT HURTS IT HURTShttp://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=7401&step=4&showunits=inches&id=255&top_cat=0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbob Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 I made one several years ago out of a cut off section I beam about 2" wide and 12" long for the center section ... just had to forge a point and dress it up with a grinder then forge the middle section to fit my hardy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hammer Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Find a HUGE eye bolt and cut the top of the eye. Then straighten the loop flat and forge each end to the shapes you want. Finally, forge where the threads were to a taper and then fit into your hardy hole.... Look for an eye bolt at steel recycling yards. I have seen many of them made of stock up to two inches thick. That oughta work for ya.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hammer Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 If you want to make stakes that don't involve a 'TEE", you might hunt down some old jackhammer bits. The attached picture illustrates some of what I have made with them.... A little rust has creeped in on me, but they work pretty well. Good Luck.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Will stainless work? Yes---if you have access to a power hammer! I prefer a medium carbon steel for tooling (or higher carbon left in a normalized state) as it's a bit tougher and dent resistant. But I've made a lot of one off tooling out of mild or whatever was handy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 A lot of the tooling I have made has been out of mild steel scrap. I have a spring swage I made for my power hammer and I have made about 35 parts with it so far and it is still as sharp as it was when I made it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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