Strongbacks/Raising Blocks

**ZaneC** · 15-12-2023, 10:51

I've done it with 16mm plywood before when I had an Square deal. Glue and screws, doubling up all sides and internal brace to stiffen it up. Doesn't have to be steel

**oafpatroll** · 15-12-2023, 11:07

A cut down cinder block would probably work perfectly well too.

**oafpatroll** · 15-12-2023, 12:12

This thing is amazing Dick!

**Dick** · 15-12-2023, 17:34

Originally Posted by ZaneC

I've done it with 16mm plywood before when I had an Square deal. Glue and screws, doubling up all sides and internal brace to stiffen it up. Doesn't have to be steel

Agreed.

**Heath Robinson** · 15-12-2023, 18:54

Wow, that's a serious labour of love Dick!

**Grobbie** · 15-12-2023, 21:20

Originally Posted by oafpatroll

This thing is amazing Dick!

Wow!

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**Alf** · 28-12-2023, 22:02

That looks awesome. How many hours did it take to complete?

**mac 13** · 29-12-2023, 00:34

That is a work of art Dick . And functional. Leonardo took 10 years to complete the Mona Lisa so you could be well pleased with your achievement.

**Dick** · 01-01-2024, 16:09

Originally Posted by Alf

That looks awesome. How many hours did it take to complete?

Don't know exactly; it was done in short sessions of an hour or two because at my age I don't have the stamina to cut thick steel with a hacksaw for longer sessions. A second reason for sporadic sessions was that the drill press motor gets too hot after an hour. I'd guess 40 hours actual working time. But again for two reasons - as I said before, the hacksaw cuts took several hours and a younger man would have done in a third of the time. Drilling all those holes was a frustratingly slow business. It's quicker to drill a 6mm hole and follow with 12mm than to start with the 12mm. Then, even a big drill press takes some time to drill 12mm holes. The drilling leaves a big burr on the exit side of the hole, so I used a chamfer tool to chamfer both sides of the holes. But the chamfer tool couldn't reached all the holes because the flanges were blocking the chuck, so several holes had to be cleaned up with a small half round file which was interminably slow.

It could have been easier in various ways. So why didn't I do so? Because I was so fixated on doing it the way I'd first figured that I just didn't think further. A big rectangular opening in the web would have been better than all those holes. It can be done by drilling four big corner holes and threading the hacksaw blade through them one at a time then cutting as far as that would allow. That had been my preference but the dimensions made it too tricky. In hindsight I could have made the whole block a good bit shorter and that would have allowed the rectangle cut.

You'll see a relief cut in the front edge of the web. Unless that's done the web will obstruct the casting that connects the operating lever to the ram. But the relief cut isn't needed if the Rockchucker is position about 10mm right of centre, which will let the casting pass by the web. That would reduce the hacksaw cuts by about 300mm. That's because I reduced the width of the I beam from 152 to 134mm by cutting off 9mm from four edges (2 top 2 bottom). Positioning the Rockchucker off centre would have needed those cuts on only one edge of the top and bottom flanges as well as eliminating the relief cut.

This I beam has a 6mm thick web and 7mm average thick flanges. 4.5mm would be much easier to work with (if available) with more than ample rigidity. A MUCH easier way to build one would be out of three (or four) pieces cut to shape and welded together.

Finally, I hand painted it because I had small quantities of metal primer and green enamel on hand. It didn't take too long but was fiddly getting paint in the holes. Spray-on hammertone would have been quicker. Powder coating maybe best of all.

Like I said, this was a vanity project in which I used what I had. But it was ridiculously difficult and time consuming. There are easier ways with equally good results.