Add on for swage block stand

[jlpservicesinc]

3 minutes ago, ede said:

JLP suggested them, I figured why not, can't hurt might help.  I think it has made it more rigid. 

I was considering tubing but decided on 1/4 angle since I could weld it in different planes, on the top, sides, and underneath.  I'm sure tubing would have been fine too.   You can fill the legs at least that way.   

Looks great..  I would have brought the center ones from the bottom slides to the feet at the legs.. This would have made the center section more resistant to flexing and springing when heavy sledge hammer use while standing on edge.  Maybe a tie rod between the to legs as well.. If the stand is bolted down it will help with side load flexing on impact.. That would be the only thing I would do different.. It looks great.. 

[jlpservicesinc]

5 minutes ago, Marc1 said:

From someone who does not use swage block and does not even own one.

If I really needed to use one ... it is clear that using the block on its edge on the same stand designed to use it on the side is not a good idea. Unstable and way too high.

i would make a stand with a slot in the center to fit the block down the slot and so having the working surface at table height. A shaft through the center and two removable supports at each corner means you can turn the block around without any lifting by removing the corner supports and replacing them. if you want to use the face you can build a contraption to lift it out of the slot and lay it on the stand or ... have a second block permanently on the side. 

Lets back up a little bit...   In days gone by they pretty much tried every configuration there was for a block or stand.. A lot of blocks had an option for a cast stand  with the same basic design as what Ede has shown..  

They also made them roundish with a center pivot.. They made them long with trunnions on each end.. They also had them with pins that you could pull out once turned into position.. all aimed at a certain working height.. 

on a square block it's pretty easy to make the correct working height for using the sides same or lower than anvil height.. You just put the groove that holds the block lower and build around this frame.. 

With a rectangular block this adds a lot more to the build as now you need a stand with 2 different depth of slots to get to that ideal working height..  

I have 2 stands to make for rectangular blocks and then the square block will need modification.. 

The largest consideration is the type of use the block will get.. Light vs heavy use.. Flat vs edge use.. My big block has bolt heading sizes up to 2" shaft and the largest round is 4".. This will need a heavy stand with enough support in the center section to put all the pounding squarely transferred and on the ground.. Any flex in the frame means less than stellar performance.. 

The 2 rectangular blocks will need the 2 slots to be different lengths so you end up with the same work height for both the long and short side and do the same thing with putting the pressure right on the ground.. I will more than likely have the legs mounted off side vs onside like in the pictures.. This will offer both extra support for the block on edge and also flat but will complicate passed through use and is the reason the centers were left open.. 

[ede]

Thanks, JLP, I appreciate all your suggestions.   The 1/4 gussets is just from material I had laying around.   At some point Down the road it will be bolted down.   

[Judson Yaggy]

Posted this here before but was lost in the Great Photo Purges of IFI.  Ignore the dog, the poor old fellow is long gone.  Was a good dog. 

 White oak timbers, 4 @8"x8"x whatever hight brings the block working surface up to anvil hight, thru bolted with allthread. Rabbit (slot) allows edges to be at same elevation.  Top 1/2" of wood is routed out to contain the SwBloc .  

[jlpservicesinc]

12 minutes ago, Judson Yaggy said:

Posted this here before but was lost in the Great Photo Purges of IFI.  Ignore the dog, the poor old fellow is long gone.  Was a good dog. 

 White oak timbers, 4 @8"x8"x whatever hight brings the block working surface up to anvil hight, thru bolted with allthread. Rabbit (slot) allows edges to be at same elevation.  Top 1/2" of wood is routed out to contain the SwBloc .  

Sorry about the Doggie..  Losing a family member is never easy.. 

Nice block with block.. That is a super popular option Or I should say I went for a visit with a fellow smith yesterday and he had the same style.. 

If I didn't know any better I'd think they were twins..  

[ede]

17 minutes ago, Judson Yaggy said:

Posted this here before but was lost in the Great Photo Purges of IFI.  Ignore the dog, the poor old fellow is long gone.  Was a good dog. 

 

Very nice swage stand and even nicer with your old sweet dog gracing it.   

I can see the benefit of your design and it looks very useful.  

Thanks for re-uploading the photo..

[DanL.]

A couple of shots of my still in progress stand with a swivel jib crane. So far in just testing it out the swivel has been handy to help get the block up on the stand and maneuver it into and out of the slot on to the edges of the frame. I've added a winch already which makes it much easier. The jib arm is a total of 5ft tall and I would go at least 2 inches higher, I didn't account for the flex in the metal and the shackle that the pulley hangs from.

The crane was made from 1.5" OD x 0.12" wall tube and the sleeve was 1.75" OD x 0.095" wall tube, it just about fits perfectly. The arm coming off was made from the 1" sq tubing that I had lying around.

The frame itself is build from 2" sq tube and 2" angle, both 1/4" thick. Legs are filled with sand and oil. I still have to fit and weld more angle along the sides of the slit for the block to keep it straight and secure when working on the sides.

 

[jlpservicesinc]

Looks good..  I am curious about the sand and oil in the legs?

[DanL.]

14 minutes ago, jlpservicesinc said:

Looks good..  I am curious about the sand and oil in the legs?

Thanks, definitely a few things I would do differently next time. The top frame is about 1/16 too small, I lost a little more than expected grinding the ends of the angle and I think 1 corner is off by a hair, so the block just barely fits and needs a little convincing to go into the slot. 

The sand and oil mix is from a few other threads and suggestions I've seen to help dampen noise and vibration and stop rust on the inside of the legs.

[ThomasPowers]

(He comes from a damp climate; out here I have to put pieces where the lawn sprinkler waters just to get any rust patina on them at all)  The oil is NOT a vegetable oil but a petroleum based one.

[jlpservicesinc]

3 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

(He comes from a damp climate; out here I have to put pieces where the lawn sprinkler waters just to get any rust patina on them at all)  The oil is NOT a vegetable oil but a petroleum based one.

I was curious as I have for years worked on cars and trucks.. I have seen where oil and sand have eaten helped to eat away steel as oils can be hydroscopic and the water gets in behind and can't go anywhere.. 

I can see you are in Seattle so moister I imagine can be a problem.. I have no good answer to the problem of moisture inside tubes other than to paint inside them or use a cold galvanizing zinc or a waxoyl, or Fluid film type product.. 

3 hours ago, DanL. said:

Thanks, definitely a few things I would do differently next time. The top frame is about 1/16 too small, I lost a little more than expected grinding the ends of the angle and I think 1 corner is off by a hair, so the block just barely fits and needs a little convincing to go into the slot. 

The sand and oil mix is from a few other threads and suggestions I've seen to help dampen noise and vibration and stop rust on the inside of the legs.

Have you thought about opening a notch in 2 corners and opening up.. Having it to small can be a real problem when going to use it.. I found this to be the case on the stand I had shown.. 

[DanL.]

9 minutes ago, jlpservicesinc said:

I was curious as I have for years worked on cars and trucks.. I have seen where oil and sand have eaten helped to eat away steel as oils can be hydroscopic and the water gets in behind and can't go anywhere.. 

I can see you are in Seattle so moister I imagine can be a problem.. I have no good answer to the problem of moisture inside tubes other than to paint inside them or use a cold galvanizing zinc or a waxoyl, or Fluid film type product.. 

Have you thought about opening a notch in 2 corners and opening up.. Having it to small can be a real problem when going to use it.. I found this to be the case on the stand I had shown.. 

I'll get back to you in 20 or 40 years on the moisture in the tube. I am hoping this will work well enough. I wasn't sure I would be able.to effectively paint the inside with the equipment I have and thought bouncing sand would wear that away.

The legs are pretty securely welded to the top frame at this point, it's tight along the sides and not the corners, so if it try anything to open it up I'm afraid of making it less rigid or severely compromising the strength. I may add some additional bracing on the outside so I can grind the inside just a bit. I'll see how well it works once the rails in in place vertically along the slot.