BUILD: A Toolmakers Bench Block (Staking Anvil)

G'day everyone,

I have bean meaning to add a bench block to my tooling for years but never got around to doing it. They are generally not expensive, but I never got around to getting one. However I have started to use pins, rivets and peens more often, and I do need to get one. I would like a model that has a hex shape, which would allow me to hold it in my vise, but the mass produced ones do not come with a hex base.

Starrett do make one, but once you factor in conversion to AUD, taxes and shipping, the price came out to $450. This is quite a lot of a bench block.

So I decided to make it myself. I have a piece of 4140 in the right size for the job. 4140 is not the best suited steel for the job, but it should be adequate. I will heat treat it to harden it (my first time heat treating a piece of 4140 this big) and I will use my tool post grinder to grind it.

I hope you enjoy the video.

#machining #diy #heattreatment

Mill - Sieg x2.7l
Lathe - Hafco Al-250g

Toolmakers Bench Block
Toolmakers Bench Anvil
Staking Anvil

Timestamps
0:00 - Intro
3:13 - Lathe Work
6:55 - Cutting The Hex
8:45 - Milling and Drilling
12:52 - Heat Treatment
16:33 - Surface Grinding
18:06 - Final Part