I am trying to make a swage block. If I make a pattern in cement I can then get it cast. Does anybody have designs or photos of a good swage block please so I can copy them?

TBH if you are going to make one in cement and then have it cast... design your own!! It's the perfect opportunity to make a swage block with just the shapes that you want / need / know you will use. Most people never use half the shapes on their block, but would kill for some on a different block, etc, so its' the perfect chance to pick and chose what you want.

Why a cement pattern? I think wood wood (he he) be simpler to work with.

Show me your Swage Block

Swage Blocks from one of the Anvilfire link sites

as Glenn's links show there are lots of possible features
what isnt immediately apparent is the techniques you might employ making a given item with a certain feature.

At work we do a lot of leaves, door handles, ect. The various sized half hemispheres get used a lot, as do the various sized half cylindersscallops.

One of the features on our block I didnt see was a shovel pattern for a fireplace set, of course it would get a bit boring to do the same shovel pattern, and the truth is Ive yet to see us employ ours once :p

As some of you know I have the shop in China and am building one at my house in Bulgaria. If I can make a swage block or two that I like here I will get them copied in something lightweight like resin and take the resin blocks to Bulgaria and get them cast there as well.

I am making it in cement because for the mark 1 it is easy to get some offcuts of pipe, angle etc. and cast the cement round them. My woodworking skills are best described as rudimentary!

I would second Ice Czar's comments. I have shovel blanks cut to fit the shovel pattern in my block and find no real need for it. the other shapes in the swage are actually more useful to form it with.

Look at the Yater blocks, I have heard lots of positive about them. Another consideration is size. if it gets up to 100 lbs or so it becomes unwieldy so a mathched pair like the Yater blocks may be the way to go to get all you want.

I use the hemispere's and a small spoon shape the most on my block followed by the cylinders on the perimeter. Not sure what I would do with anything else but I don't have them to experiment with, either.

so far I have used the shovel one time . To replace the one I slapped together quickly when I first started because I needed a coal shovel. The other shapes get a lot of use though. I am highly impressed with the SFC block i bought .
Finnr

I hardly ever use the hemispheres on my old block---got too many of them as hardy tools or stand alone dishes. It's much easier to move/use the stand alone ones than the swageblock.

Hey Philip,

Remember you need to factor in some draft angles etc if you want a foundry to use your concrete block as a pattern, and youll need to dress it nice and smooth.

With the labour rates over there could you not just draw it, and get the foundry pattern maker to sort it and the core boxes etc??? - like with computers, foundry work .... rubbish in = rubbish out. - dont forget the contraction etc when designing it

20 mins on a good pattern can save 20 hours of hand grinding !

Philip,
You could consider Lost foam casting, its easy to cut foam and glue the bits together, If you have a good pattern made there, take the measurements and when you get home make the pattern out of foam and get it cast

For what its worth, my swage block is made out of 2" thick steel plate.
It was laser cut. Its got a selection of half rounds and right-angles around the edge, with a large 100mm/4" hole in the center.

Regards
Rusty_iron
Brisbane, Oz.

Ps. did you check out the "Quickie tongs"?

Not sure if they can follow a drawing but I could find out easily enough! I will let the site know. Nothing will happen now for a few weeks though as Chinese new year is upon us so the whole place just closes. Maybe I should wait until my wife is out here. She can translate but that puts her in a position of too much power.