What kind of way do you use to hold an anticlastic stake in a vise?
For my round stakes, I’ve replaced one vise jaw with channel iron
and that works well, although not particularly convenient. When I
was learning the technique, we had a stake that was permanently
secured to a stump. While it didn’t need to be set up each time, you
could only work on one side.
The stake that I got from Otto Frei has a square end for clamping,
but of course it turns in the vise as you use it. This stake is
used in a class I teach and it is frustrating to the students to
have it move about. The classroom has a 4" vise.
There has to be some ingenious way to do this. How do you do it?
I haven’t used it for holding a stake but I have a 4" vise mounted
vertically with the moveable jaw up. With notches cut in the jaw
plates it could hold the anticlastic stake just fine.
I used a non swiveling English Record vise ( on closeout) but a
swivel 4" vise from Harbor Freight should work too. These go on
sale for less than $20.
This system was put together as a frame to play with some small
metal forming tools such as an English wheel and more. It is
portable but not very light weight.
I can send jpegs of the set up off list if any one wants them.
Hi Judy, How long is the square end? If it is one or two inches
long, it is a “head” stake that is meant to be put into a stake
holder (called a “horse” for some reason—I have no idea why!). The
stake holder (horse) can be straight, bent, or double-ended. I put
these in the vise so that the bottom is against the lower part of the
vise, and that keeps the top from twisting out.
Another useful gizmo is the sort of thing you can find from places
like Grizzly and Harbor Freight that go over the vise jaws, and have
angles cut into them, to hold objects like stakes and pipes.
It’s hard to describe these things—so much easier to show them! I
hope this helps somewhat.