I was looking for a easy way to point stakes and see that lumberjacktools.com has a 15 degree pointing tool that will work with a drill and put a pencil point on up to a 1 1/2" stake for a little over $200. I was wondering if anyone has used one that could share their experience. Thanks. :)
I have a Hudson stake pointer and it works well. If you were closer, I'd say just come use it. I think Poston "the goat" has one of those that he made a jig for. He showed pictures awhile ago and I think he is very happy with it. You need a good size drill to run those tenon or point cutters.
I don't have any experience with that tool, but I think it depends how many stakes you are making. I think it would be ok for small scale stuff - personal use. I would be nervous using it with a hand held drill though.
Quote from: Jemclimber on May 15, 2017, 07:29:22 AM
I have a Hudson stake pointer and it works well. If you were closer, I'd say just come use it. I think Poston "the goat" has one of those that he made a jig for. He showed pictures awhile ago and I think he is very happy with it. You need a good size drill to run those tenon or point cutters.
That Hudson one is great for production. I have a old lathe I was thinking about using to turn it. I only need to point a couple of hundred stakes for my garden. I usually just cut 4 sides on my bandsaw, but find the ones with pencil points twist less when driven in and are easier to drive in my soil. I plan on making a simple slide type pounder to make it easy to drive them in without damaging the top. :)
Quote from: SlowJoeCrow on May 15, 2017, 08:59:49 AM
I don't have any experience with that tool, but I think it depends how many stakes you are making. I think it would be ok for small scale stuff - personal use. I would be nervous using it with a hand held drill though.
I just plan on making a couple hundred replacements for my garden and a few to try and sell on Craigslist. I was thinking a lathe to turn it and hoping the stake could just be pushed in like a pencil sharpener with a simple wood wrench to keep it from turning. :)
There's a posting (with pictures) on Lumberjocks forum showing a table saw jig a fellow uses to put points on his stakes. It uses toggle clamps which may slow down the process. A side cam clamp might be quicker.
I have a Lumberjack tenon cutter. Makes 1-1/2" tenon 3" long with a 60 degree shoulder. I feel it is a quality tool well made and worth the price. Using it on a 1/2" drill will beat you to a pulp if you are not careful especially when the blanks are at or near the limit it will cut. Smaller pieces are a breeze and I suspect the same with the sharpener you are looking at.
I make my stakes out of 1" X 1" hardwood strips cut like stickers then saw a 45 degree point on with a circle or radial arm saw. Using a circle saw on a row of 10' long 1X1 strips gives me 2 finished 5' long stakes with each cut. Not as fancy as the pencil point but they work in my low end market.
Good luck.
Grizzly sells them so last time I was in the showroom I looked them over good. Look like a quality item. Back home I thought it would work well if I could mount it on a dedicated motor. I called the company and wanted to talk with somebody about making me one with a custom mount. I didn't think it would be hard....made in the USA product. The person that took my call acted like I was from outer space and I never did get to talk to an intelligent person about my idea.
I know you are looking for a rounded point, but I thought I would share how I tip my survey lathe stakes, which don't have to be sharpened on four sides, only two. In my case, my number one selling stake is a 7/16" x 1 1/4" x 4' stake. I chop my boards to a 4' length. Then at the table saw, tilt the blade 15 degrees from plumb, and using a tenoning jig, stand the whole 4' board on end on the table top with the large flat side of the board clamped in tenoning jig. Adjust jig so blade cuts in the middle of the board and run through saw. Flip board 180° in jig and run though again. Now your entire board is v-pointed on one end and it is ready for the rip saw. Run it though the rip saw and you have instant stakes ready to be bundled.
I need to take some pictures of this so that it is clearer, but here is a tenoning jig:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/44509/7a1dc45d-290b-45d3-9b97-f5017d30a60f_1000.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1494871204)
And here is a pile of boards that have been pointed, ready to be ripped into stakes:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/44509/20170411_170257.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1494553064)
Quote from: Larry on May 15, 2017, 12:47:12 PM
Grizzly sells them so last time I was in the showroom I looked them over good. Look like a quality item. Back home I thought it would work well if I could mount it on a dedicated motor. I called the company and wanted to talk with somebody about making me one with a custom mount. I didn't think it would be hard....made in the USA product. The person that took my call acted like I was from outer space and I never did get to talk to an intelligent person about my idea.
They now offer a motor adapter for it. It screws in the end after the drill adapter is removed. I saw last month they had them on sale for $130 and contacted them about the next sale and was told there should be one memorial day. I think I may try one if the price is right. :)
I just mount the tenon cutter in my wood lathe and hold the log...
I think mounting it to a motor or lathe would be the way to go. I will be watching this as it would be a cheaper option for sharpening hubs.
Check out 13:15 to 15:45 in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiGH0Qsu3ak
Now that's a way to kill a lot of Vampires!
Great video. A few simple jigs can make any job easier. :)
I guess I will let everyone know how it works. They just started their memorial day sale and I have one on the way . They have up to 50% off their log tenon cutters also if anyone needs any. 8)
Yep let us know, that is quite a good sale price.
Well it arrived today. It is a very nicely machined piece of aluminum. Have to set up the cutters first. Says they can be set for speed of cut, or quality of cut by adding some washers for shims. Got a big old 500 RPM drill to try it with before mounting it on a motor and building a tool to feed the blanks. Looks like a giant pencil sharpener that should work with any blank up to 1 1/2" square. That was a great sale price. 8)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/34694/IMG_2365.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1496442432)
Hoping to saw up some stakes tomorrow from a couple of ash logs I cut last spring that should be pretty dry. I will make a video of how it works next week. :)
Got a chance to try it out on some scrap today and made a quick video. https://youtu.be/BNiyPq6iG9k
Still have to perfect the blade settings, but it works awesome. 8)
Waiting for the rain to stop so I can cut the stakes and get going.
Hey thanks for the update and video, looks like it's gonna work out! Here's a thought: what if you chuck that in your drill press, turn the table sideways so table top is vertical, clamp a vertical fence on the table top to center the wood being sharpened and clamp the wood stake to the table top. Sharpen away. That should take care of your alignment and hold down issues. whadoyoutink??
Quote from: SlowJoeCrow on June 06, 2017, 12:46:05 PM
Hey thanks for the update and video, looks like it's gonna work out! Here's a thought: what if you chuck that in your drill press, turn the table sideways so table top is vertical, clamp a vertical fence on the table top to center the wood being sharpened and clamp the wood stake to the table top. Sharpen away. That should take care of your alignment and hold down issues. whadoyoutink??
Trouble is the tomato stakes will be 6 1/2 - 7 feet long. For now I am going to use it with the drill for pointing my stakes. Next winter when I have more time I plan on getting or turning a motor adapter and making a semi automatic pointing machine around it that holds and centers the stakes then feeds the cutter with air cylinders. I want to locate off the corners so it will work with any size stake without adjusting. That old drill being so heavy is part of my problem. :)
Haha, you just need a BIGGER drill press! I didn't realize your stakes were so long.
Got the first batch made and it cut the green ash like butter. Don't laugh at the milling job, I am still learning. Vampires beware. :D
https://youtu.be/RuDiQspYxP4
I guess you could put this is a heavy duty upright drill press and for stakes 4' or so it would work? No? Yes? thoughts?
Looks like an old shop smith would work real well
Yes you could
They work great
Quote from: nativewolf on July 07, 2019, 11:23:41 AM
I guess you could put this is a heavy duty upright drill press and for stakes 4' or so it would work? No? Yes? thoughts?
That would work. Just don't spin it to fast. You could even mount a board on the base with a mortise that matches the stakes to keep them from spinning to make it a quick job.