Guillotine tools

[Pr3ssure]

So I've been looking up guillotine tools. I'd like to make one but I'm not so sure I'm comfortable enough with my skills to make one that works really well. Any designs you guys have made that are easier or harder? Not even that I need one but it seems it would be super handy when an occasion arises. 

[Glenn]

You have a welder? If not you can rivet it together.

Just make it stronger than you need. Tolerances between the die and the guide are a consideration and leave a way to easily clean out any debris from the bottom of the tool.  Construction is straight forward otherwise.

[Pr3ssure]

I've got a stick and a cheap 120v mig. I'd like to make one like the smithing magician but idk how I'd cut the holes in the plates. How much do shops charge for something small like that usually?

id also like to just bolt it together to be able to used different size tools, just change spacers out. 

[Glenn]

Cut the holes?  A machinist would drill them, a blacksmith would hot punch them. (grin)

You do not need holes if you just weld the plated together.

 

And a riveted version

 

[Pr3ssure]

I was meaning like how the smithing magician has the front as one solid piece with the big square hole in it to run stock through. The bottom one seems like the easiest to make for me. I've seen the top one and I think I'd make it crooked welding it one way or another. 

[Latticino]

There is a guy on ETSY that sells a guillotine tool kit (xxxx), cut and ready to weld for $40.  Can't provide a commercial link here, but if you have decent welding skills that seems like a pretty easy way to go.  

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

One thing to consider is how tall you make the tool, if you are using it on your anvil. Too tall and it's tiring to use hammering on something much higher than anvil height.

[Donal Harris]

That third one Glenn posted looks like it would be the easiest to make. The one that appears to be the most versatile would be the second. Although the 1st one, which looks like it is the same style GS Tongs makes, would be almost as versatile. 

I have never used one of these, but have watched a few reviews. One problem with those like the third style, those like the one on the Etsy site, and others in the Smithing Magician style is lack of visibility and inability to use the tool from the side. 

When the day comes that I make my own, I expect it will be a copy of the second one. My only concern is how do you remove a die if you deform the top die?  I plan to drill holes and thread them so I can remove the front plate. 

[Frosty]

The third guillotine only needs a hack saw, hand drill, bits and hardware. 

This is mine though not a great picture. The arm and dies are at 45* to each other so I can use it to cut long stock or say fuller a long section. Long stock will pass the post either direction. One thing I'd do differently is NOT weld the hardy shank under the bottom die, I should've put it behind the post so the dies were centered over the anvil's sweet spot and aligned with a side edge. The dies are 5/16" x 2"  leaf spring and I have plenty left over to make whatever dies I might need for a while.  

Frosty The Lucky.

    

 

[Glenn]

If the tool accepts dies, make more blanks than you need.  You can grab a couple of blanks and weld on what ever working end you need.

Making a guillotine tool, I followed the plans exactly as shown.  2 weeks of use later the guillotine tool was no longer usable due to what I called a design flaw.  Used that knowledge to redesign, rebuild, and create the improved version. Several years later, the new version has had some hard use, production runs, and is still in use.  The one improvement was to drill a hole in both the top and bottom die so they can be held together as a pair with light wire. Does not seem like much when you have only a few dies, but as the number grows looking for the matching die can be a pain.

Disregard the wanting it to be done right the first time. The first one is just a prototype and can be improved upon. Once the prototype is in production you will see ways to modify things. Take notes and then build the improved version, that works better. 

[HojPoj]

I've not pulled the trigger on making/buying one yet, but from what I've seen what is likely to drive the long term cost of ownership is the die material.  Buying known die materials (such as 4140) that aren't mild steel quickly exceed the initial cost of the holding tool with just a couple die sets.  I'd say pick the die size that you can stomach the material costs for and still accomplish what you expect from it. 

[Buzzkill]

For dies I use pieces of leaf springs from semi trailers or tractors.  If you can find even one that has 7 or more in the stack you will probably have a lifetime supply of die material.  You will have to heat them to take the slight curve out.  After that you can choose to heat treat or not.  I don't and they hold up better than mild steel, but the struck ends do experience some deformation.

[4elements]

My son drives a dump truck and the company replaces the entire spring set when one leaf breaks. I had to tell him not to bring me any more because I have several hundred pounds already. Some leaves even have a straight section in the middle. You might ask at a truck company or truck repair shop. 

[Michael]

I just recently made this out of 30 inchs of 1/2 round stock. Not interchangable dies but useful for fullering.

Another smith gave me a dead simple diagram and it took an hour, a hammer and a vise.

. Need to make one out of spring steel next

 

[Frosty]

I make these to suit but it's a spring tool not a guillotine. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Pr3ssure]

Frosty, that looks like one I just saw on blacksmithing joeys YouTube. Hi May have been bigger though. I do like the idea of spring fillers though but the guillotine just seems "neater" or "fancier". I will probably start with a spring fuller or two and just make a guillotine in time. Might start making some since my fingers messed up. I think I can forge with it but I wanna give it a good week or more before I even try. Fabricating should be fine though. 

[pnut]

There's info in new edge of the anvil on making a spring fuller like the one above minus the hardy shank. 36 in. round bar flatten the middle 8 inches and bend into a circle leaving the jaws about an inch apart.

Pnut (Mike)

[ADHD-forge]

here's my home made guillotine tool it has dies made from c45 steel that are made from old keys from gear trains that whe've had to replace at work. i have a flat set and 2 angled sets and need to make a couple of round ones 

[pnut]

Looks good. I bet it comes in handy pretty often.

Pnut (Mike)   

[ADHD-forge]

i use it almost every time i'm forging. i only wish i made it a bit larger so i could fit lager stock. but works like a champ

[Pr3ssure]

How did you get the right angles? I'm guessing the angle is whats marked on the tool? All I could figure is using a mill. At least to get perfect angles.

[ADHD-forge]

band saw at work and a bit of filing 

when i'm using them i realy need to use ear protection because they make a XXXX of a lot of high pitch noise when hitting them, i think a combination of the anvil and the tool together seen as its loos in the hardy hole. 

[Another FrankenBurner]

I just finished up a guillotine this weekend.  I took the simple tool used by Glen (GS Tongs) and added Frosty's idea of remoting the dies from the hardy hole to get them both at the edge of the anvil and over the trunk.  It is a wonderful tool.

Back when I was tougher than loud noises and high velocity shards I damaged my hearing and had metal extracted from my eye.  I was educated.  I am now a safety dork and I am no longer tougher than even airborne dust.  So there I was, in my leather apron, electronic ear muffs, respirator and safety glasses, while using a rotary burr, I managed to shoot a sliver into my eye.  It penetrated, oh goody.  I used a strong magnet to get it out but it still didn't feel right so I ended up going to the eye doc again.  Luckily all was well and it only added $50 to the cost of this project.  I still have depth perception, yay.  I will be wearing goggles or a shield when using burrs from now on.  

[Judson Yaggy]

6 hours ago, Another FrankenBurner said:

while using a rotary burr, I managed to shoot a sliver into my eye.

If you are right handed, hold the die grinder in your left hand while working.  This throws the chips generally away from you rather than into your face!

[Chris C]

I'm VERY right-handed, Judson.  I fully understand what you mean about using rotary tools.  Only my left hand doesn't know how to do anything............and since losing a lot of gripping strength due to losing a ring finger on the left, I can't even hold rotary tools in my left hand properly to use them.  So I'm relegated to face shields when using them. (and not real good about remembering to do so.)