Making drawbenches

[ps_bond]

Thought this might be worth hiving off as its own thread -

A collection of drawbench construction methods:

http://www.meevis.com/jewelry-making...draw-bench.htm
http://ganoksin.com/blog/shelbyvisio...de-draw-bench/
http://www.midwest-metalsmiths.org/i...wbench-pdf.pdf
http://ganoksin.com/blog/davidcruick.../22/drawbench/

And, of course

http://www.cooksongold.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2617

Variations on a theme. They don't need to be welded, they don't need anything too elaborate and they don't need to cost too much.

[Dennis]

The Cookson link is to one of my early posts, but sometime, playing around, I managed to erase all my past pictures, when I didn't think that was possible. So here is the post again with its accompanying picture:

Drawing Down Wire

Often it is difficult to order wire without seeing some samples. Having a selection of drawplates enables you to make your own and frees you from the constraints of the stock list. The next problem is that to draw down thicker wires smoothly and easily you will need a draw bench and commercial draw benches are bulky, inconvenient and horribly expensive.

Some years back I called in to a yacht chandler, Arthur Beale in Covent Garden and they came up with this solution. To provide the traction I bought the smallest hand operated winch, one and a half metres of non stretch rope and a steel ring to attach to the end. I happened already to have my faithful work horse with a woodworking vice at one end. An old table or a very stout board might have done. All I needed in addition was some hand draw tongs with one hooked arm. A convenient length for this improvised draw bench is about 85cm, but you will be limited by the reach of your arms, because you have to hold the tongs closed with one hand while winding the winch with the other

A final bonus is that if you clamp annealed wire at one end and stretch it slowly, it will become slightly thinner, but perfectly straight.

[ps_bond]

I'll post a photo of mine when I work out my preferred method for stopping the drawplate falling on the floor as the end of the wire comes out

[Dennis]

Drawing Down Wire ( Cont. )

Three things have since been questioned and are explained below. Having also suffered commercial drawbenches elsewhere, one ancient and one contemporary, I much prefer mine for its lightness and ease of use:

1. The 15cm carpenter's vice grasps the drawplate quickly and firmly without marking it. It is by its nature quick to release so as to move the drawplate along as needed.
2. The non stretch boat chandlers rope is lighter than a webbing belt usually seen, and does not need to be wound up neatly.
3. The hand tongs with one hook are quick to grasp the wire by hand pressure alone, and only begin to slip when the wire needs annealing.

You quickly develop a rhythm for repeated passes, whereas the double hooked self closing tongs need more careful arranging each time. Dennis.

[Dennis]

I'll post a photo of mine when I work out my preferred method for stopping the drawplate falling on the floor as the end of the wire comes out

That's exactly why you need a carpenter's vice, Peter. A 6"Draper one costs about £20 at present.

[ps_bond]

Considered it as a solution, but I'm going to try hard drive magnets to start with. The commercial drawbenches I've been looking at don't use a vice (and to further compound my disgrace, I've got a webbing strap boat winch and self closing tongs!).

[Petal]

That's exactly why you need a carpenter's vice, Peter. A 6"Draper one costs about £20 at present.

Huge thanks for posting this guys, its greatly appreciated. The vice is on my shopping list.

[ps_bond]

Finally tried the hard drive magnets. They're just placed on the back of the drawplate support, with their backs still on - I think they might stick a little too well without them. Works very well.

As a more permanent solution, I might inset & epoxy some smaller neodymium magnets into the support.

[Dennis]

When you've refined your mod. Peter, patent it or someone else might. The traditional system is truly pathetic. Dennis.

[ps_bond]

It turns out there is a drawback (badum) to using the magnets: While normal drawplates are paramagnetic and work well, my tungsten carbide insert plates are not and so don't stick. Time for a rethink...