Project Spotlight
A practical fabrication project that brings mobility and efficiency to the workshop.
SAFETY FIRST
Before you start any project involving welding, make sure you have the right Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), which includes, at least, an ANSI-approved welding helmet, safety glasses, appropriate welding gloves for the process you’re using, and a flame-resistant shirt, jacket, or sleeves to protect from UV rays and burns. You should also keep a fire extinguisher close at hand. Use adequate ventilation when welding. Use an approved respirator if exposure to welding fume cannot be controlled, or if welding outside and natural air movement is not sufficient to keep welding fume out of your breathing zone.
BUILD A MOVEABLE ANVIL STAND FOR YOUR SHOP OR GARAGE
If you use an anvil on a regular basis, you already know it can be a useful tool. It could be even more useful if it were portable, but anvils that weigh in at 600 or 800 pounds (or more) tend to stay in one place for obvious reasons. In this issue of ARC, Jimmy DiResta builds a movable stand that will put your anvil on wheels and get it around your shop with minimal effort – because in the ideal work environment, scooting an anvil across the shop floor and positioning it closer to your work piece can be a lot easier than moving the work piece to the anvil.
Step 1:
Use the circular saw and the hand saw to square up the ends of the pine block.
Step 2:
Use the chopping band saw to cut the angle iron to the appropriate lengths to accommodate the pine block. Using fireball squares at each corner, weld the angle iron at all four corners to create the stand frame. Use the reciprocating saw to cut away the excess squares at the four corners and smooth out the edges with the grinder.
Step 3:
Weld the casters onto the underside of each corner of the frame. Cut away the excess metal once the casters are attached. Check to make sure the frame with attached casters fits around the pine block.
Step 4:
Cut the square rod into two lateral strips. Tack weld the strips together and cut a diagonal/triangular notch into the stacked strips simultaneously. Separate the strips and weld them into place on opposite sides of the frame assembly. Weld the 3/8-inch rod in place on either side (along the lateral strips) to create a sliding channel.
Step 5:
With the stand inverted on your bench, weld the two pieces of the hasp to the frame, with sufficient space in between to accommodate the lever that will move inside the two pieces.
Step 6:
Use the drill press to drill appropriately spaced holes in the lever to accommodate the rods, then insert the rods and tack weld them to the edges of the hasp assembly at the top and bottom levels of the stand.
Step 7:
Slide the entire assembly onto the block. Cut the square rod into 4-inch sections to create the four lifters, and drill bolt holes in each lifter. Attach wood spacers to the lifters as well as the four corners of the wood block.
Step 8:
Insert the lifters into the diagonal notches on the frame and bolt them to the side of the wood block. Grease the lever and all connecting and sliding points in the final assembly. Weld an additional length of square rod to the lever to create an angled lever arm for easier access and control.
Materials
One large square or rectangular slab of pine (or other wood)
13 feet of 3x3-inch x ¼-inch angle iron
13 feet of 1.5-inch x .5 inch square rod
13 feet of 3/8-inch rod
4 casters
1 anvil
Welding/Cutting Equipment and Tools
Lincoln Electric MP 140
Circular saw
Hand saw
Band saw
Reciprocating saw
Fireball squares
Grinder
Drill press