The saw horses were just convenient for the photo but I have used them to draw wire. Usually I clamp the 2x6 to my workbench (not my jewelry bench) with a “C” clamp. Heavier duty saw horses than the ones pictured should work fine but you probably need to clamp the drawbench to one of them. Actually, your kitchen table or countertop would work. Mostly, you just want the drawbench to stay put while you turn the crank.
The eye bolt is just a standard 5/16-18 eye bolt from the hardware store but you need to check your locking plier for the proper thread. I’ve probably had that ViceGrip for more than 60 years (USA made/SAE thread.)
The aluminum angle you mention would probably work… easy enough to try it. You could use two pieces of angle to form a Tee with the center (vertical) leg of the tee being the doubled one. If using a single piece of 2" x 2" x 1/8" angle place the drawplate so that the hole you are drawing through is down (near the corner of the angle.)
You can use a spring clamp or even a large binder clip to hold the plate to the angle. No tension there. You just want to keep the plate from falling to the floor after every pull.
You wouldn’t have to weld anything. You could braze in supporting gussets. Silver solder, which is a brazing alloy properly speaking, works fine on steel. Just don’t put in the pickle.
Rob and most people I know who draw wire use draw plates. My father had some plates but he rarely used them. Most of his wire was round wire and it was drawn through Union Round wire dies with tungsten carbide surfaces. I use these dies as well and the die is held in a bracket I made of machined aluminum. Over all the bracket is pretty blocky but that is because that is what I had. You can see the cup that holds the die is actually pretty light weight. The face is only 3/16" of an inch. The bracket is held to the bed of the bench by two #8 -2" sheet metal screws. I have used this rig for 10 years with no evidence of wear.
ok, i have everything i need…i just have to get the angle iron (i got it at the local Ace Hardware for $6/ 36” length…!)… cut, notched, and drilled by my gate guy.
…i noticed, re the strap on the winch, that in the photos posted here, you all opted for the strap to come from under, rather than over, the drum, which is what i think i want also.
i found the below video informative re racheted pulling winches…reversible ratchets…and strap installation…for Dutton-Laison winches
Plywood wouldn’t be a good choice unless you are laying up 3 thicknesses of 3/4" plywood. There are so many wood and glue combinations we could debate for this draw bench I would think back to the simplest is best line of thinking. Rob’s design is very good and it is easy to build. Before I moved my shop my bench was hung vertically on the end of a stack of shelves because it took up very little space that way.
Actually, " Tungsten Carbide is a hard, brittle ceramic which, when combined with 6% to 10% Cobalt, forms a tough Cermet (Ceramic-Metal). This material was developed for use in cutting tools, having hard ceramic crystals of a few microns in size within a ductile metal matrix."
Marlin
do i had em cut it down to 5ft.