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South Bend Cast Iron Stand - Teaser

Papagrizzly

Aluminum
Joined
Mar 19, 2007
Location
Bellingham, Wa
In keeping with the South Bend tradition of building top quality things, here are some pictures of a cast iron stand that we have designed.

Each leg weighs 110 lbs and they are 36" tall. Two legs per set. Availability is September 2010. The Oak top and bottom are only for display and not included. Pricing will be around $500.00 per set (not fixed yet). The legs are cast in a mold, top and bottom are milled to ensure squareness and then they are powder coated. Finally, solid brass nameplates are attached to both sides.

64gcno.jpg


f022kw.jpg
 
They look very sturdy and you certainly achieved the vintage look, however in my opinion they dont look quite industrial enough. I think the South Bend was designed to work first and its looks come from that, I think its very hard to recreate that "form as a result of function" when you are mainly concerned about aesthetics.
 
They look very sturdy and you certainly achieved the vintage look, however in my opinion they dont look quite industrial enough. I think the South Bend was designed to work first and its looks come from that, I think its very hard to recreate that "form as a result of function" when you are mainly concerned about aesthetics.

What is so scientific about the "function" of a workbench? You could park an Mac truck on one of these.

SMT - pictures resized.
 
Im sure theyre incredibly strong, I just meant that in my mind it doesnt seem quite seem to "fit" with other south bend stuff. Im not trying to insult your great looking legs that Im sure many hours of design went into, just sharing my opinion.
 
It would actually present better and be easier for many of us to see if you dialed down the picture size a bit. I'd like to see it, but not gonna wait 10 minutes for something to download that still requires scrolling up/down & sideways to see.

thanks,
smt

I had problems with photo size last time I posted on the forum. The pictures were way too big and I couldn't get the a proper size. I am using PhotoBucket and I don't know if it's them or the PM site. The photos were of a D1-4 cam lock spindle and later the size reduced it self?
Test:
D1-42.jpg

I see the work bench photos are now all right, does anyone know whats going on here?
Tex
 
Awww man! I commend your work on the stand. PapaGrizzly, the way you introduced it makes me believe you are taking great pride in the design of these new (retro?) parts. FWIW, 220lbs of iron sounds sturdy enough to me! :) haha. I personally am glad to see a modern product with curvilinear shapes once again. If you look at the history of industrial design (or architecture, for that matter), the minute scale models went from clay to CAD those beautiful human curves disappeared. Good job!
 
The Oak top and bottom are only for display and not included

Oh man, they make such an attractive bundle in the photo too.....

I don't have a bench lathe, but could do with a work bench - unfortunately I don't have a budget for one right now, and at that weight if I did the shipping would probably eat it up.

'tis a thing of a beauty either way.
 
PapaGriz, Nice! Your'e gonna sella whole bunch of those things, and a lot of them will never see the inside of a machine shop! Bill S
 
Thanks for all the positive comments.

The cast iron pieces are 36" tall and by the time you add either a maple butcher-block or an oak top, the height increases to about 38". For me, a 38" height is perfect workbench height, but may be too high for some. Would love to hear opinions on that issue. Thanks.
 
Not too sure about the height question, never measured workbench height, but that would probably suit me. Nothing worse than having to stoop very slightly to work on something - cranking the main handwheel on my 13" for any length of time makes my back sore, but I could operate the tailstock all day :)

Obviously if you get too high it becomes an issue for smaller people lifting stuff up onto the bench or wielding a hammer effectively over the work.

Unfortunately ergonomics is quite a personal thing...
 
Nice look , good height , plenty strong enough , but what's going to keep it from rocking side to side ?( besides the bolts holding the top and shelf ) . Will some brackets be included ? Also ... $500 is a lot of bread for a pair of legs . PeterJ
 
Nice

Good looking legs! As for the height, it is probably the best compromise. I'm just over 6' and I like a 41"-42" workbench height. However, if a lathe was mounted on it, it may be the right height Of course, shorter people will argue for lower height.

I guess you will get as many answers as there are different people :willy_nilly:


danny
 
Nice look , good height , plenty strong enough , but what's going to keep it from rocking side to side ?( besides the bolts holding the top and shelf ) . Will some brackets be included ? Also ... $500 is a lot of bread for a pair of legs . PeterJ

Yes - salty for sure. Did not have an idea about the weight until these were cast. I could have the mold modified so there is a groove on the inside part to lighten it, and the price and the charm will go down. Although, about $2.40 a pound isn't that bad for a powder coated cast iron stand that your great, great grandkids will use :)

I have added a side bracket behind the nameplate area in the actual run so you can bolt a beam across the upper part of the legs. That will take care of any side to side jolting that will take place over the years.
 
Hello Papa Well done. I would like to place the first order for a set. Keep up the good work. If you are looking to obtain a dealer in the northeast I would be very interested.

Ronnie
 
hey Papagrizzly, I'll bet this is the first time anybody's says anything good about your legs. ha ha. But seriously great job, I only wish I had a place for them.

promacjoe
 








 
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