Just a little useful info heating up steel that is over 1 1/2” thick prior to welding is a common practice to help protect your welds from cracking 150 degrees is common temp
Chris, not sure if anyone gave you this tip in the comments. You can use vinegar to remove mill scale and zinc from steel. It takes a few days if you have the time. I have 3/4 plate sitting in some as we speak. I use a large plastic container and about 4 gallons. Hope that helped
As a guy that frequently laments over the strength of his Taiwanese socket set, this video was truly AMAZING!!! Thank you for this.. it goes a long ways towards demonstrating that life doesn't have to be delicate.. Brute force creates some amazing things with a little forethought! Thank you soooo much!!
Great project! Remember the welder's saying, "if there's slag, you drag". Running down hill or pushing dual shield, you risk slag entrapment that reduces the strength of the welder's greatly.
I keep coming back and watching this, even years later. I have a leg vise now, and I'm getting my act together so I can build one of these. Wish me luck!
Hands down the nicest striking anvil build I have ever seen. The sand might be for weight, but others would say it is to deaden the noise made during hammering. I especially like the wheels and the beefy dimensions of the 2 inch plate. A few might want a shelf to store a few bottom (hardy) tools but it looks cleaner without one. Another common feature is to have holes in the feet to bolt it to the floor, but if heavy enough, I doubt it wouldn't jostle around much. Wheels allow you to move it aside when not needed. Let me know when you begin making them for sale.
I was fortunate enough to retire early, but it got old really quickly. I live on a small acreage with a steel insulated building out back about the size of a 3 car garage. I welded a few years in high school and decided to take it up as a hobby. Things have changed a bit in 37 years but I love it and I only started a few months ago. I can see getting addicted very easily!
Strong work! As you say, Terry Estes here in Texas has been building those for a few years now. Mostly he uses an old forklift tine as the striking surface. I like the addition of the wheels. I promise to copy! I’d consider adding the sand, not for the weight, but to deaden the sound.
As luck would have it, I have TWO of these 1” thick slabs already welded onto very nice, thick I-beams. Holes already drilled, too. Looks like someone had a plan such as yours and abandoned it. I have an extra vise I’ve been wanting to put on a moveable stand and use the anvil. This showed me what’s possible and gave me some great ideas, can’t thank you enough! Gonna git to it today!
I'm so jealous of this piece that I come back and watch the video every now and then and just salivate. I found a leg vise, so now I'm going to have to build my own.
Nice job, inspired to make one myself. A tip on the mill scale the best way i have found is to pickle it which is just to soak it in acid then neutralize it with a base like baking or washing soda. I like to use muriatic acid which you can find easily and it will take the mill scale off in about an hour, quicker if its warm out. Vinegar will work too but takes a long time. It will also eat the zinc plating of fasteners you want to weld.
I think this is the first video I've seen of yours and I subbed immediately. You provided some good advice and received some good tips in the comments that I'll be putting to use if I can get my shop put back together. 2 things I would do differently: first thing is preheat the plate stock before welding. It will help temper the welds so they don't fail when you hit the plate with big hammers and it will help the welds to get better penetration. 2nd, I would lay down a multi-pass weld. Thats 3 inches of steel with what looked to be a 1/8in weld. If you're planning on hitting that with a 10lb sledge, i don't think those little welds will hold up under that much pressure. Otherwise it's a very nice stand combo.
To save on tips predrill a hole before cutting with the plasma on thick materials... you can also add a piece of ar500 plate to the top of that 2" if you need a harder surface. Great build :)
That is both functional & beastly. 300+ pound should take heavy pounding for several lifetimes. Really nice striking anvil vise. Great tip using the channel iron to make heavy duty wheel caster mounts.
Beautiful work. Kind of thought it looked like some of Terry's work. I personally know Terry Estes. Lives down the road from me about 20 minutes. Does great and meticulous work. Made an anvil stand for my 157# Henry Wright. Yes it's a Henry Wright not a Peter Wright. Only difference is, he put sand in my stand legs. Helped cut down the ring on the anvil. Highly recommend this gentleman for all your metal needs.
Always a great help to see a well suply shop , And yes as I and others said best to get all table and tools the same high and yes we not born in the perfect world. A great shop and you know how to run things great . Thanks for the teaching Sir
Beautiful work station. I figured out how to watch these without getting a massive,debilitating migraine, I just mute the production and turn on the music. Beautiful work station.
Your shop is amazing, im just getting into metal fabrication, black smithing etc.. And starting to get equipment but it hard just starting out, there are so many tool you need, but seeing you make your own tools is really great, even thou that requires a lot of tiils in its own right. Just a peice at a time I guess. Great video, thank you
One piece at a time is right! It’s taken me years of buying and selling to get this shop set up. I am constantly reinvesting in myself and my shop. Never buy anything that can’t help you make more money!
Roger that, good advice. I have a small flux core welder, (gonna be doing mostly small stuff to start) but as far as cutting what should I get first Oxy/Ace first of save up and get a plasma cutter. I can Probebly do more with the cutting torch first huh?
💡 idea! Roller on the side of cutting table to roll heavy material on/off. Also, chop cutting table down to same height as your welding table/work bench.
An easy way to remove mill scale and prep the surface is soak it in vinegar or soak rags in vinegar and wrap with plastic, then it washes right off after a day or two.
Very nice build thank you for posting, your attention to detail is out standing. Looking forward to seeing your vise and stand in action when you began your blacksmithing project. Again, Thanks...
Try vinegar for removing mill scale soak it overnight usually will clean it so well you will be so happy ! Big stuff soak as much as you can rags soaked in vinager wrapped works
Great shop!!! I hope that you get to enjoy Blacksmithing a lot... also I saw the practice weld, fail to spark!!! I so hate when the Ground clamp fails to anticipate my next move!!! 😆😎
I've built a similar one engineers vice on one end to flush with the striking plate whist the other end has a detachable horn with some spring pins holding to hold the it in place it's one of my better investments since it saves a bunch of space.
Your young man so you can get away with lifting while twisting or twisted - until you can't. Takes only 7# to break your spine, which is easy to do if you relax at the wrong time under load. Wish I would have listed to that before my 40+ years of construction, maybe I wouldn't walk so funny now. As usual most excellent video.
Use muriatic acid to remove millscale. Wash steel with detergent or solvent to remove oils. Brush on muriatic acid solution (about 50/50 - do it outside for ventilation). Let sit for 5 or 10 minutes. Scrub off. Reapply until clean. Usually takes 3 applications.
Beautiful work station. I'm surprised there are not commercial versions of a leg vise currently. The leg design drives half the pounding force into the floor instead of applying all shear force to the screw & land as on conventional bench vises. Not to mention leg design offers a wide opening which makes it versatile. My back hurts watching you wheel that around! A small fulcrum & temp rotatable back wheel (inserted for moving only, stored on a peg on the legs) would be my solution to drag that beast across the shop, maybe a future improvement
Where ever possible companies will save money. And that extends to industrial forging. Its really only done when needed now. Guess its not surprising the big boy toys of yesteryear aren't as common in the face of that.
Nice job on the video. Nice piece. I don''t want to sound critical but you should never push any flux core wire (or run any flux cored wire downhand) to avoid slag entrapment in the weld and avoid a lack of penetration issue. You will always get more penetration in your welds with a pulling motion.
@@MakeEverything You are welcome. 2 things I see done on youtube quite often that are not safe welding practices are someone going down a piece of metal or pushing a welding rod or flux core. Any process using a flux should be pulled or run vertical up. The other is mig welding downhand. Downhand welding should never be done unless it is on sheet metal and the user has at least tested their method of doing so. It leaves a very thin throat depth and not a lot of penetration. You have some very nice equipment and your videos are done well so I would hate for someone to copy what you are doing and have something happen based on what they perceive to be a proper practice. Thanks
Very good welding process dualshield fluxcore is the only way on plate like that spray transfer with hardwire is good as well but you would have to get at least a 90/10 argon blend to achieve it
I like your idea I have heat treated plates 2-1/2 “x18”that need to be held down instead of welded. I would leave my vice full length cutting it down rest it on the tubing kind of takes away from the old design kind of distracting from it intended uses. good idea. I just don’t feel comfortable forging tool steels with mild steel. Did you plan to forge tool steels. Was you vise to close to your striking area.
Great video! Love the use of the pole vise like that. Also, the affiliate link to the Tapmatic cutting head takes you to the annular cutters page. Just FYI...
Really nice build! I really like the design of your plasma cutting table - removable slats is definitely the way to go! Also like the idea of cutting your 20’ tubing on the shelf - w/nice support brace on the right. My first exposure to channel and I just love it. Subbed, notifications and liked! And I’m a woodworker! But want to branch out into metal. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and builds!
@@MakeEverything if you do decide to start a hammer let me know i have built pnuematic and electric motor driven hammers,mostly for armoring but used alittle for blacksmithing.
@@MakeEverything I don't have the skill to do that. I imagine I can, but not really, I would fail abysmally. I would love to see someone talented do it! Those old tools are so useful and there aren't enough antiques to serve the new makers who would use them. I know you don't mass manufacture, but I would love to see a new business do just that. Imagine how useful that would be for people who are reviving old crafts, like blacksmiths and toolmakers. There is a definite business opportunity for someone talented. Thank you for the reply!, I never imagined you would see one of my comments.
@@Moondog-wc4vm And there are many other tools especially woodworking tools that have been resurrected and made people quite wealthy. Nielsen macks many fine planes. Bridge city makes many fine measuring tools. And don't forget the knife makers such as leatherman (I have used them since the early 70's), and especially the fishing lures which if it is catching fish, just one will make you wealthy be good for your days off. You can use TH-cam videos and your special fishing (liars) measuring tools to describe the monsters that you had to release as well.
Most leg vises are sized based on their jaw width. Smaller jaws means a taller vise to work in smaller work higher up. I’d try using it at the height it is and if it’s too tall you could always make it shorterZ
Just a little useful info heating up steel that is over 1 1/2” thick prior to welding is a common practice to help protect your welds from cracking 150 degrees is common temp
Chris, not sure if anyone gave you this tip in the comments. You can use vinegar to remove mill scale and zinc from steel. It takes a few days if you have the time. I have 3/4 plate sitting in some as we speak. I use a large plastic container and about 4 gallons. Hope that helped
As a guy that frequently laments over the strength of his Taiwanese socket set, this video was truly AMAZING!!! Thank you for this.. it goes a long ways towards demonstrating that life doesn't have to be delicate.. Brute force creates some amazing things with a little forethought! Thank you soooo much!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great project! Remember the welder's saying, "if there's slag, you drag". Running down hill or pushing dual shield, you risk slag entrapment that reduces the strength of the welder's greatly.
I keep coming back and watching this, even years later. I have a leg vise now, and I'm getting my act together so I can build one of these.
Wish me luck!
I am never, ever bored watching your work, Chris.
Hands down the nicest striking anvil build I have ever seen. The sand might be for weight, but others would say it is to deaden the noise made during hammering. I especially like the wheels and the beefy dimensions of the 2 inch plate. A few might want a shelf to store a few bottom (hardy) tools but it looks cleaner without one. Another common feature is to have holes in the feet to bolt it to the floor, but if heavy enough, I doubt it wouldn't jostle around much. Wheels allow you to move it aside when not needed. Let me know when you begin making them for sale.
I was fortunate enough to retire early, but it got old really quickly. I live on a small acreage with a steel insulated building out back about the size of a 3 car garage. I welded a few years in high school and decided to take it up as a hobby. Things have changed a bit in 37 years but I love it and I only started a few months ago. I can see getting addicted very easily!
Strong work!
As you say, Terry Estes here in Texas has been building those for a few years now. Mostly he uses an old forklift tine as the striking surface.
I like the addition of the wheels. I promise to copy!
I’d consider adding the sand, not for the weight, but to deaden the sound.
Terry and I spoke of this yesterday.
As luck would have it, I have TWO of these 1” thick slabs already welded onto very nice, thick I-beams. Holes already drilled, too. Looks like someone had a plan such as yours and abandoned it. I have an extra vise I’ve been wanting to put on a moveable stand and use the anvil. This showed me what’s possible and gave me some great ideas, can’t thank you enough! Gonna git to it today!
You have a nice workshop setup with plenty of tools, fair play
Turned out awesome Chris! Great work!
Hundreds of these vice legs were cut to lengths to suit each job. Most shop work required a lower vice. John from Oz
I'm so jealous of this piece that I come back and watch the video every now and then and just salivate. I found a leg vise, so now I'm going to have to build my own.
Haha thank you! Now that you’ve got a vise it’s time to get building!
Nice job, inspired to make one myself. A tip on the mill scale the best way i have found is to pickle it which is just to soak it in acid then neutralize it with a base like baking or washing soda. I like to use muriatic acid which you can find easily and it will take the mill scale off in about an hour, quicker if its warm out. Vinegar will work too but takes a long time. It will also eat the zinc plating of fasteners you want to weld.
I think this is the first video I've seen of yours and I subbed immediately. You provided some good advice and received some good tips in the comments that I'll be putting to use if I can get my shop put back together. 2 things I would do differently: first thing is preheat the plate stock before welding. It will help temper the welds so they don't fail when you hit the plate with big hammers and it will help the welds to get better penetration. 2nd, I would lay down a multi-pass weld. Thats 3 inches of steel with what looked to be a 1/8in weld. If you're planning on hitting that with a 10lb sledge, i don't think those little welds will hold up under that much pressure. Otherwise it's a very nice stand combo.
That is one kick ass addition to the shop would love to own it.
Looks great 👍 when welding thicker steel and cracking is a consearn it is recommended that you preheat it
Awesome work Chris! 😃👍🏻👊🏻
Thanks man!! 👍
To save on tips predrill a hole before cutting with the plasma on thick materials... you can also add a piece of ar500 plate to the top of that 2" if you need a harder surface. Great build :)
That is both functional & beastly. 300+ pound should take heavy pounding for several lifetimes. Really nice striking anvil vise. Great tip using the channel iron to make heavy duty wheel caster mounts.
Beautiful work. Kind of thought it looked like some of Terry's work. I personally know Terry Estes. Lives down the road from me about 20 minutes. Does great and meticulous work. Made an anvil stand for my 157# Henry Wright. Yes it's a Henry Wright not a Peter Wright. Only difference is, he put sand in my stand legs. Helped cut down the ring on the anvil. Highly recommend this gentleman for all your metal needs.
So, so, so, so nice!!! Great job, as always!!!
Always a great help to see a well suply shop , And yes as I and others said best to get all table and tools the same high and yes we not born in the perfect world.
A great shop and you know how to run things great .
Thanks for the teaching Sir
Beautiful work station. I figured out how to watch these without getting a massive,debilitating migraine, I just mute the production and turn on the music. Beautiful work station.
Your shop is amazing, im just getting into metal fabrication, black smithing etc.. And starting to get equipment but it hard just starting out, there are so many tool you need, but seeing you make your own tools is really great, even thou that requires a lot of tiils in its own right. Just a peice at a time I guess. Great video, thank you
One piece at a time is right! It’s taken me years of buying and selling to get this shop set up. I am constantly reinvesting in myself and my shop. Never buy anything that can’t help you make more money!
Roger that, good advice. I have a small flux core welder, (gonna be doing mostly small stuff to start) but as far as cutting what should I get first Oxy/Ace first of save up and get a plasma cutter. I can Probebly do more with the cutting torch first huh?
@@rossgagne5494 id go the biggest plasma you could afford. Just me personally...
Flux core does lay down and penetrate a bit better when you pull vs push. It still looks great, i hope to build its twin soon.
💡 idea! Roller on the side of cutting table to roll heavy material on/off. Also, chop cutting table down to same height as your welding table/work bench.
Well, Mr. Everything, you sure have it going on! Mighty nice gig.
If I had a shop like yours, I'd sell my house because I'd live in the shop!
Nice mixture of old and new!
Great job Chris , I was Educated and Entertained. It turned out Fantastic and you will get great use out of it . Stay well to you and yours.👌🙏🙏👌🤜🤛
Glad you enjoyed it
An easy way to remove mill scale and prep the surface is soak it in vinegar or soak rags in vinegar and wrap with plastic, then it washes right off after a day or two.
Very nice build thank you for posting, your attention to detail is out standing.
Looking forward to seeing your vise and stand in action when you began your blacksmithing project.
Again, Thanks...
I think I need one of these..
Try vinegar for removing mill scale soak it overnight usually will clean it so well you will be so happy ! Big stuff soak as much as you can rags soaked in vinager wrapped works
I need to build one for my vice ! Thanks for the video!
Used your idea to build my own version. Ended up at 350lbs. Thank you for a great idea. I use it for my blacksmithing and it has been very handy.
Nice work. I'm having a bit of shop envy.
Thank you! I do love my tools!
Awesome build. Nice shop. Great score on finding all that thick plate. 🙂
Great shop!!! I hope that you get to enjoy Blacksmithing a lot... also I saw the practice weld, fail to spark!!! I so hate when the Ground clamp fails to anticipate my next move!!! 😆😎
That’s a really beautiful piece of equipment. You did a wonderful job I like it.👍🏾
Thank you! Cheers!
Great video. My first visit. Thank you. P
love that work table
I have a 4” post vice and I’m going to make a scaled down version for my home workshop.blood work.
You should get the 3M mask that is closed, the model is "versaflo tr-600"
Nice job Chris. I can see that being used quite a bit in your shop.
Thanks absolutely is! 👍
I've built a similar one engineers vice on one end to flush with the striking plate whist the other end has a detachable horn with some spring pins holding to hold the it in place it's one of my better investments since it saves a bunch of space.
Your young man so you can get away with lifting while twisting or twisted - until you can't. Takes only 7# to break your spine, which is easy to do if you relax at the wrong time under load. Wish I would have listed to that before my 40+ years of construction, maybe I wouldn't walk so funny now. As usual most excellent video.
Absolutely beautiful work
That is outstanding work.
Use muriatic acid to remove millscale. Wash steel with detergent or solvent to remove oils. Brush on muriatic acid solution (about 50/50 - do it outside for ventilation). Let sit for 5 or 10 minutes. Scrub off. Reapply until clean. Usually takes 3 applications.
Oh man thats awesome. Such a good build. Thanks giving me some ideas!!!
Gosh damn monster! Awesome work man. 🙌
very nice shop. This project should be a valuable addition..
I know its an older video. But really nice design and work thanks for showing us .
Thanks for watching I use it almost every day!
Very, very cool. THAT is an incredible tool!
Great job you did Sir
Great job on.doing this great build Sir
Beautiful work station. I'm surprised there are not commercial versions of a leg vise currently. The leg design drives half the pounding force into the floor instead of applying all shear force to the screw & land as on conventional bench vises. Not to mention leg design offers a wide opening which makes it versatile.
My back hurts watching you wheel that around! A small fulcrum & temp rotatable back wheel (inserted for moving only, stored on a peg on the legs) would be my solution to drag that beast across the shop, maybe a future improvement
Where ever possible companies will save money. And that extends to industrial forging. Its really only done when needed now. Guess its not surprising the big boy toys of yesteryear aren't as common in the face of that.
Nice job on the video. Nice piece. I don''t want to sound critical but you should never push any flux core wire (or run any flux cored wire downhand) to avoid slag entrapment in the weld and avoid a lack of penetration issue. You will always get more penetration in your welds with a pulling motion.
Thank you! Flux core welding isn’t something I have a ton of experience with so this is very helpful info!
@@MakeEverything You are welcome. 2 things I see done on youtube quite often that are not safe welding practices are someone going down a piece of metal or pushing a welding rod or flux core. Any process using a flux should be pulled or run vertical up. The other is mig welding downhand. Downhand welding should never be done unless it is on sheet metal and the user has at least tested their method of doing so. It leaves a very thin throat depth and not a lot of penetration. You have some very nice equipment and your videos are done well so I would hate for someone to copy what you are doing and have something happen based on what they perceive to be a proper practice. Thanks
Finally an awesome video!!!!
Very good welding process dualshield fluxcore is the only way on plate like that spray transfer with hardwire is good as well but you would have to get at least a 90/10 argon blend to achieve it
Awesome build
Cool build i like the use of that vice to build something that you can use key is that your going to use. Awesomeness Takecare and keep safe
Great work and design! I really like how you made the bracket for the post vise. I have a post vise that is missing the mounting hardware. 👍🏼
Great write up well done, Brotha!
Great job on the build 😁👍😎
Very good video and a very cool project. I am picking up a leg vise today and have ordered the steel to make one for myself! Thanks!
I like your idea I have heat treated plates 2-1/2 “x18”that need to be held down instead of welded. I would leave my vice full length cutting it down rest it on the tubing kind of takes away from the old design kind of distracting from it intended uses. good idea. I just don’t feel comfortable forging tool steels with mild steel. Did you plan to forge tool steels. Was you vise to close to your striking area.
fill the legs with sand- it will really deaden the noise of hammer blows, and make it heavier
Great video! Love the use of the pole vise like that. Also, the affiliate link to the Tapmatic cutting head takes you to the annular cutters page. Just FYI...
Wow that thing is a tank! awesome build mate
Thanks 👍
Really nice build!
I really like the design of your plasma cutting table - removable slats is definitely the way to go!
Also like the idea of cutting your 20’ tubing on the shelf - w/nice support brace on the right. My first exposure to channel and I just love it. Subbed, notifications and liked!
And I’m a woodworker! But want to branch out into metal. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and builds!
Vinegar takes millscale right off and also leaves a sandblast looking etch on the surface.
Thats like a mobile Blacksmith, LOL Awesome and thanx for sharing!
Very nice and detailed
turned out great
whats the sound like when you hammer on that?
Now build a power hammer! I built 4 power hammers and they are fun to build and use.
I want to!! its on the list!!
@@MakeEverything if you do decide to start a hammer let me know i have built pnuematic and electric motor driven hammers,mostly for armoring but used alittle for blacksmithing.
Job well done sir ! 🇺🇸🇺🇸
When you want to mill shit, the shit wants to move big times 😂 and I always remember that hence I snapped a couple of half inch bolts in one day 😬
Great project. Thanks for sharing.
Given the skills displayed in this build, I can't imagine that you would not be capable of building a leg vice perfect for the project.
Moondog 1970 one of these days I’ll make one from scratch!
@@MakeEverything I don't have the skill to do that. I imagine I can, but not really, I would fail abysmally. I would love to see someone talented do it! Those old tools are so useful and there aren't enough antiques to serve the new makers who would use them. I know you don't mass manufacture, but I would love to see a new business do just that. Imagine how useful that would be for people who are reviving old crafts, like blacksmiths and toolmakers. There is a definite business opportunity for someone talented. Thank you for the reply!, I never imagined you would see one of my comments.
@@Moondog-wc4vm And there are many other tools especially woodworking tools that have been resurrected and made people quite wealthy. Nielsen macks many fine planes. Bridge city makes many fine measuring tools. And don't forget the knife makers such as leatherman (I have used them since the early 70's), and especially the fishing lures which if it is catching fish, just one will make you wealthy be good for your days off.
You can use TH-cam videos and your special fishing (liars) measuring tools to describe the monsters that you had to release as well.
Love it and nice layout and work
really nice. all your stuff is well thought out and excellently brought into being
buy use and be proud of american made products keep america strong
The biggest travesty about that Vice is it isn’t in my shop and I didn’t think of this, but I will be copying it. Very nice work and a superb video.
Great work!!
Just what I was looking for!!! Thanks you got a subscription
Nice work!!!!👍👍👍
You are THE Man!
you need a pritchard hole. Good job.
Good work mi frend congratulations,is bery strong you anvil 👏👏👏💪🤓👍
I’m 5’-9” tall,,,,I have a 4” leg vise. What should be the proper height. Your build is awesome brother.
Most leg vises are sized based on their jaw width. Smaller jaws means a taller vise to work in smaller work higher up. I’d try using it at the height it is and if it’s too tall you could always make it shorterZ
@@MakeEverything Thanks brother I appreciate it.
I made something similar with some 1-3/16" plate, but without the vice.
Thats awesome build big measurment flat anvil. I loved. 👍 from Bendungan Depok - Indonesia
fantastic job
Thank you very much!
Are you going to hard surface the anvil plate?
Work shop envy!
Outstanding!👍
Nice work!