[slivers&dust]

Mark Yundt has a very interesting thread going in the WIP forum called “several posts in one” where he has touched on the subject of securing your work piece in some kind of way so I/we thought this would be a good time to show off my new stand. Obviously there are a number of ways to secure a piece; I myself have a couple different vises, etc. but lately I’ve been using a carvers arm and screw.

A couple weeks ago I wanted to replace my portable Workmate bench with some kind of freestanding stand in which I could attach my carvers arm on when I am forced out of my shop and into my basement do to cold weather.

I had a few ideas of what I wanted mainly something portable and thought I could build it out of wood and weight it down with sand or something. I was chatting with Mark and decided to get his input on the idea.
We ran our ideas back and forth and came up with what you see in the pictures. Our main concern was keeping it from moving since it couldn’t be bolted down. Being in the monument trade I found a remnant piece of granite out back in the bone yard for the base (18" x 18" x 6 1/2" @ 210lbs.)
Mark had a great suggestion to make the stand adjustable in height so I decided against building out of wood, instead I went with 24"x2"x 1/4" square tubing with ten preset height settings from 21" - 42" high with settings every two inches. The arm is attached to a piece of angle iron and a piece of seamless tubing 12"x 2 1/2" x 1/4" with a hole for the adjustment pen and a couple of jamb nuts to eliminate any movement between the tubes. Another piece of angle iron in the back was attached that swings past 180* so I can hang a lamp and my Foredom from.

After I got the stand home I decided to eliminate the 210 lb rock base and went with a platform made of six 24 x 18 x ¾ pieces of plywood screwed together and attached to the platform made of two pieces 54 x 28 x 3/4 to which the stand is bolted to from underneath.

This last weekend I started Mark Gargac’s Mountain man mask (carving size 9 x 6 x 2 ¾) (second attempt) to take the stand for a test drive and it is rock solid. By removing the mounting bolts I can move the platform out of the way or down to my basement in just a few minutes.

Oh yeah I almost forgot because the top tube comes off I can make interchangeable fixtures for it, like a tilting table for relief carving etc.

The little fixture you see in the photo is one I made to work like a screw but has a mounting plate instead for pieces that are thin.

[slivers&dust]

Here is the mask pic

[slivers&dust]

here is the drawing I made for the stand. The final piece was changed just a little but you can see that in the pictures.

[Juhani]

You might have to start mass marketing this thing!

[Irishman]

Yes you better put a patton that jig before someone makes some money on your idea Your not only a good carver but quite an inventor.
That mountain man is going to look pretty darn good if your roughout is any indication. I'm a step or two beyond a rough out for my Native American Indian and it doesn't measure up to what you have going on so far. Keep those pics coming Tony.
Patrick

[Mark N. Akers]

Tony:
Great looking stand,the light bar added is a real benefit.

[wade clark]

Tony,
Juhani's right this looks marketable. Nice job!
Wade

[Anthony Filetti]

So Tony when can we expect to recieve our stands???

[BobD]

I see a poor man's tool contest entry!!!

Bob

[Ron Davidson]

I can't see it but from the description I would like to have one like it.
Ron