OT: Securing bender to floor

I used "tapcon" screws.

Shear strength is a minimum of 852 pounds per screw (with four holding the bender down) I am not sure you could shear them off by hand.

Well, the way I did it was to drill 2 3/4" holes in the concrete and use Red-Head anchor-sleeves for 1/2" bolts. The problem is to get a roto-hammer and drill bit.

3/8" bolts are too small..... go w/ a minimum of 2, 1/2" bolts. You'll put more force on the bender than you think you will now, and you don't want that sob to suddenly let go. It helps to have compressed air, so you can clean out the sleeves whenever you feel like bending metal.

Rod,

The tapcons mentioned above will work fine, you might also consider some drop in anchors that you could run some 3/8" bolts into to hold your bender. You also could mount a sleeve in the floor, if you don't mind drilling/chiseling a hole on the floor and cementing the sleeve back in. If you have ever noticed how the bases are mounted at a ballfield, it is similar to the Reese type hitches on a truck or SUV. You could mount a 3" ID pipe in the floor, with a 3" OD pipe on the bottom of your bender and a plate for stabilization. Hope that makes sense. :)

Regards, Jim C Roberts

I have a "Sampson post" in my shop and wanted the option of taking it up. I got four 1/2" long nuts available at about any hardware store - intended for joining lengths of threaded rod. I turned a few grooves in them for better bonding.

I then drilled four holes in the floor with a rotary hammer. (If you don't have enough use for one to justify buying one, rent one for half a day.) The holes are a loose fit for the long nuts and a little less than 1/2" deeper than the length of the nuts. I then greased the threads but kept the outside clean and epoxied the nuts into the holes. The steel base of the Sampson post is drilled to take four bolts to secure it to the floor. When not in use, the Sampson post can be removed and four flat head Allan head bolts but in the holes. These lie flush with the floor.

BTW, the steel base of the Sampson post is 1 foot square, the post is

3x3x3/16" sqare steel tube with a plate on top drilled to accept various vises. When salvaging some pipe fittings, two of us had our full weight on a 36" pipe wrench with about a 4 foot extension handle (piece of pipe). No problem for the post.

I now have two of these in the shop and used them and a come along to test some crimp connections on 1/8" cable. The posts are about 4' high and the cable fails at about 1000 pounds.

Ted

Could you give some more detail on a 'Sampson' post? Verbage is fine, pictures are better!

I th> rod riches>

How about a piece of plywood with holes where the bolts emerge from the floor? Undo the bender base, replace with plywood base and put the nuts back on the threads to protect them. If the area will be under the car, but not under a wheel, it should work.

Try these:

The RM type are easiest to install and will be plenty strong for your application. Simply drill a hole, then use a setting tool or a pin punch to expand the "wedge" inside. Hilti also makes these. I know Home Depot and Lowe's carry the ITW Redhead brand. The generic name is "drop-in anchor"

Jeremy

I just posted a write up and some pix to

Ted