Subject: Swage block stand

From: [email-masked] (Dave Uebele)
Date: 14 Sep 1993 21:41:21 GMT

I just aquired a 300 pound swage block.
Now I'm trying to figure out the best way to design/put together a stand.
I'm envisioning a stand with a angle iron lip around it and cutouts
in the stand to allow it to stand on edge and be about the same height.
A socket for a small boom (to manouver it from one position to another)
would complete the setup. Any other suggestions?

thanks
dave
-- 
Dave Uebele        [email-masked]
DoD# 1717	'92 R100R

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From: [email-masked]
Date: 15 Sep 93 08:30:18 -0500

> would complete the setup. Any other suggestions?
Just a word of caution - one of the smiths here in Gainesville welded
up an angle-iron frame for his block. It featured an angle-iron lip
on all sides and a central well into which the block could be lowered.
He found that getting the block out of the well required that his
pickup with a crane be employed - a major pain.  But not as painful
as an accident which occurred when a block was balanced on one end
(to avoid using the well) and toppled over onto the angle iron edge.
The block and the angle-iron made an efficient shear which clipped
the ends off of a glove and the finger-tips in the glove which just
happened to be resting on the edge of the swage stand (no permanent
damage, just a lot of mushed nails and massive hematomas).
  I put together a stand which has worked well (for a matched pair
of Yager 125lb blocks).  There is a 1" lip running along the front
and back of both blocks, a 1" extension on the ends (leaving most
of the end open) and a slab of steel with 1" diameter holes (a 
junkyard find) installed on the left end, i.e.,
  +----------+ ..........................
  |     O    |    block   .   block     |
  |  O     O |    #1      .    #2       .
  |     O    |            .             | <-angle iron stub
  +----------+ ..........................
                angle-iron lip
The slab + 1" pieces of round-stock makes a good bending-fork. When
I need a block edge up, I can flip #1 on-end, scoot it over against
the slab, and (if I'm feeling paranoid), slide #2 over to support
#1.  The length of the footprint of the stand (under the blocks)
is apprx 3" more than the blocks combined span.  As a result, I can
slide a hand down between them when I need to flip a block.  I have
also added a couple of shelves below the frame to hold misc. stuff.
Now - flipping a 300lb block by hand may well be a different story!
  Good luck with your blocks - I've had lots of fun with mine.

Steve Bloom ([email-masked])