work station for working staves

[hedgeapple]

I need to build an area to remove bark and work up staves.  I need to do this as cheaply as possible.  Here's what I have in mind. Let me know what you guys think.

I plan to bury a post, fence post style, in the ground.  On top of it I plan to mount two, 2-4" logs that are about 2 ft. long, horizontally.  This will give me something of a nature V to wedge stave into.  I plan to ratchet style staps to hold the stave.  About 3 ft from the end of the horizone longs, I plan to bury another post to use as a brace and a backstop to help hold the stave steady.

Here diagram.  I'd love your thoughts.



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[DanaM]

Should work. I use a 6" el cheapo vise I mounted to a tall sawhorse.

[Sidewinder]

I think there is more than one way to skin a cat and that looks to me like it'll work. Give it a go and see how it turns out.   Danny

[sailordad]

that should work,by why not sink the post and just put a vise on top of it,would be easier to put together and would allow for working 360*
around the stave

[Ryano]

I got a brand new 5" craftsman vise in the box at a auction for $10.00.......mounted it to a old counter top for a work bench, works for me.

[hedgeapple]

Sailordad,  That's what I'll probably end up doing, later.  But, right now I don't have a vice and I do have all of this material.   

[Pappy]

Use what you have ,looks like it would work,I got a pipe fitters vice mounted on a truck frame
that I use for tough debarking and getting the sap wood off of Osage.Keeps me from tearing up my regular benches. I'm with Ryan you can buy a cheap 5/6 in. vice for 20 or 30 $ can't do a lot of beating on them cause they are cast but they work fine for wood work. Let us know how it works out,always looking for a cheap easy work station.
   Pappy

[Timo]

  That  will work, just looks like a lot to go through? I mean I've build miles of fence.......I hate settin post!

I still use the vice/draw knife method some, but after my surgery,......all that pullin ain't good!

So now I use a band saw to cut the bulk away. Ya just gota be careful.

[GregB]

The post idea is good because it's solid and you can work around it...especially solid if you set it in quikcrete. I think a vise would work better and would be small investment. It would be better at serving a wider range of working with a stave beyond just removing the bark. From removing bark to chasing a grain, to any other part of the process can be done with a vise. Using straps on a roughed in bow I don't think would hold the wood as solid as you'd need it, although it might work okay for the split stave and just removing bark. Don't have to worry about that with a vise. Why limit yourself?

Just my 2 cents worth...

[Sidewinder]

You make do with what you have until the resources for a more effecient method shows itself. When I first got started I did'nt have a vise, I was bar clamping log splits to the top rail of my deck for debarking as well as when I was roughing it out with draw knife and rasp. It worked,...not very well mind you because it kept coming loose from the clamp, but it worked until I finally got a vise. So I built a bench and Now I am in tall cotton. One thing is for sure, you can't wait till everything is perfect before you jump in with both feet. If that was the case, most of us would still be waiting. It seems as if this journey is progressive. You learn what works and then what works better and you make adjustments until you get comfortable with your set up.     Danny