GAP Report post Posted February 14, 2010 I posted this on leather pro forum and thought I'd share it here as well. This was made from scavenged Oak and steel for a few dollars. About $16 for the 1/4" plate added to reinforce the bottom and the hinge. The woodwork was all completed with a chainsaw, shoeing rasp, and disc sander. Went with pipe for the undercarriage, mostly for ease of making it. The left jaw (as sitting) is stationary with lag screws into the seat, and a block screwed and glued at the top junction. I thought about reinforcing it at the bottom, but believe this is sufficient. You can see a throat is cut out into the seat area too. There is a spool above the catches that lets the leather move freely to cinch down the jaws. And a spring across the bottom of the jaws to open them. Just a little over 36" of throat, and a person could modify things some to get clearance to floor level if needed. The right jaw is attached with a simple T hinge, welded, and with a carriage bolt ran through both the plate and seat. I did tighten the T hinge up by putting it in a vise and giving the center portion a few good raps with a heavy hammer nad a cold chisel. I've always wanted one that I didn't have to fold things over, or sew at a cocked angle above the jaws. It took a few hours knocking this out, but I believe it was time well spent. Gary Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pelallito Report post Posted February 14, 2010 Gary, Looks fine to me. It should serve you well. Regards, Fred I posted this on leather pro forum and thought I'd share it here as well. This was made from scavenged Oak and steel for a few dollars. About $16 for the 1/4" plate added to reinforce the bottom and the hinge. The woodwork was all completed with a chainsaw, shoeing rasp, and disc sander. Went with pipe for the undercarriage, mostly for ease of making it. The left jaw (as sitting) is stationary with lag screws into the seat, and a block screwed and glued at the top junction. I thought about reinforcing it at the bottom, but believe this is sufficient. You can see a throat is cut out into the seat area too. There is a spool above the catches that lets the leather move freely to cinch down the jaws. And a spring across the bottom of the jaws to open them. Just a little over 36" of throat, and a person could modify things some to get clearance to floor level if needed. The right jaw is attached with a simple T hinge, welded, and with a carriage bolt ran through both the plate and seat. I did tighten the T hinge up by putting it in a vise and giving the center portion a few good raps with a heavy hammer nad a cold chisel. I've always wanted one that I didn't have to fold things over, or sew at a cocked angle above the jaws. It took a few hours knocking this out, but I believe it was time well spent. Gary Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites