Shelbyvision's Universal Stake Holder
 


"Universal" means it will hold almost any style or size of stake, square or round, straight or slightly tapered, and not just hold it, but hold it tightly and securely, limited only by the mass of the stump it is mounted on. Makes it possible to make your own stakes out of any size round stock from 1-1/2" diameter all the way down to 1/8" diameter. The clamping screw is the highest grade alloy steel, 5/8" diameter, and the grade 5 nut is easily removable and replaceable, although it will most likely never be necessary.
Recent Changes:


Most of the installation instructions show the first version of the stake holder, with the fabricated jaw. Since then I have changed that to a one-piece machined jaw, and more recently switched from paint to a burnt oil finish. Most recently the mounting holes have been moved to the corners of the base, which requires that the jaw and screw be removed before mounting the stake holder on the stump. The jaw is easily removed by pulling up and away from the screw (top right). With the the screw removed, the mounting hole below it accessible (bottom right).


What's in the Box:
Universal stake holder
1. Stake holder
2. Allen Wrench
3.  Magnetic Retriever for Spacer
4. Spacer, 1"
5. Spacer, 2"
6. Adapter Block
What you will need to install on stump:
  • 2-1/4" (57 mm) wood boring bit
  • Heavy duty electric drill
  • Four 3/8" lag screws, at least 2-1/2" long
  • 3/8" and 21/64" drill bits
  • Wrench for installing lag screws
Price: $100 plus shipping

Instructions for Installation and use:




View of the underside, showing the steel angle projecting 2" beyond the bottom of the plate, giving it extra strength, requires a hole in the stump to accomodate it.
 This also allows the stake holder to be held securely in a vise, as pictured above, if a stump is not readily available. If at all possible, mounting on a stump is preferable for a variety of reasons.
Installation on Stump:


1. Mark a line extending from the center of the stump to the edge. Make a mark for the edge of the 2-1/4" dia. hole at 4-3/4" from the edge of the stump. If you prefer to mark for the center instead, it would be 3-5/8" from the edge.
NOTE: I made the stump 20" high. In my experience, that has proven to be the ideal hight, when sitting on a typical height-adjusting stool. Your requirements may vary.
 2. Here is the type of drill bit you will need. It will cut a smooth hole all the way to the
bottom, with a smaller hole in the center.


3. Drilling the hole. CAUTION: This is a potentially dangerous job. The drill bit tends to catch in the hole if not held perfectly straight. If you have no experience with doing this kind of drilling, I recommend you get someone who has experience to do it for you.
 4. Drill the hole 2" deep. This extra depth allows for extra strength in holding larger
stakes, and extra height adjustment, which is sometimes critical for working
comfortably and efficiently.


5. Showing the weld on the bottom, which will interfere with a good fit of the plate against the surface of the stump. don't try to remove the weld; it's there for a purpose.
 6. It's much easier anyway to take a rat-tail file and file and file a groove in the wood.
The outside corner of the angle piece should go right against the surface of the hole.


7. A view of a 3/8" by 2-1/2" lag screw. You may want to use longer ones, especially if the stump you are using is soft wood. Take note of the length of the unthreaded part on the screws you use.
 8. Using the plate as a template, drill a 3/8" hole just deep enough to accomodate the
unthreaded part of the lag screw. Then drill the rest of the length of the screw with a
21/64" drill bit, or smaller, especially if it's soft wood. When you do this, make sure the
unit is positioned correctly, with the angle piece snugged against the inside of the big
hole.


9. Install one of the lag screws so the unit is held down securely, then drill the shallow 3/8" holes in the other three locations. This insures that the holes in the wood allign precisely with the holes in the plate.
 10. drill the rest of the holes with the smaller bit, as in step 8. Through some quirk of
geometry, the holes lined up just to the side of the line on the stump.


11. Install all four lag screws, tighten them down good and tight. You're done; it's ready to use.
If any of these instructions are unclear, feel free to email me with your questions.
steve(at)shelbyvision.com


Price: $100 plus shipping



Using the stake holder:


My raising stake in position 1, all the way to the bottom of the hole. In the foreground,
the 1" spacer, the 2" spacer, and the magnetic retriever.
 Same stake in position 2, 1" higher with the 1" spacer in the hole.


Same stake in position 3, yet another inch higher, using the 2" spacer.
 Same stake again, in position 4, 3" higher than position 1, by stacking both spacers.
WARNING: never have the bottom of the stake any higher than the center of the clamping screw. It could cause severe damage to the stake holder.


Using the magnetic retriever to remove a spacer. There is no other way to get the spacers out, other than turning the stump and all upside-down!
 Holding a 1-3/8" diameter stake. This is the largest stake I own. It will hold larger stakes, up to 1-1/2".


A 5/8" diameter stake. It will hold as small as 1/2" without the adapter.
 Using the adapter, it will hold from 1/2" down to 1/4" on the large end. Here it's holding a 1/4" chasing tool.


With the small end of the adapter, it will go down to 1/8" diameter. I don't have anything that small, but here it is holding my smallest dapping punch, about 5/32" in diameter.


Price: $100 plus shipping