Square punch?

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A friend wants me to rebuild his 4wheeler snow plow. Italso needs a new cutting edge. I'm wondering if I can drill holes to bolt size in mild steel flatbar and  heat small area around hole, then use old square EZ out to shape holes for carriage bolts?Any other ideas?                      MikeOl' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:What you're talking about is swaging a hole out to size. I've get fairly good results up to 3/16ths as long as you pay attention to the size of the backing hole. After that you need to drill closer to the finish diameter and be happy with less corner area. Of course with heavier metal there is always the chance you are starting your own future crack doing this way. I don't do many so they work good enough for what I want. What would bother me as much as anything is the easy-out thing. Hate to take a chance on toasting a good easy-out.  I got lucky and had a piece of ductile close to the shape I wanted and then ground it to the shape and taper I thought would work. Welded that to a shaft for the press and away you go.
Reply:Thanks, Sandy. I'll be using 3/16" as you don't want anything thicker so the blade will cut ice and snow better.I'm not sacrificing the EZ out as it's an old one that doesn't have much of the edges left.     Appreciate the info,                               MikeOl' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:Another thing you can do is drill your hole close to the size you need and stick a file in your sawzall to square out the corners.  If you are using a larger file you may have to flatten the pointed edge down a little on the grinder.Neil
Reply:Mild steel goes pretty easy as long as you keep the backing hole small. Here's a couple of pics to show that these tools for occassional use do not have to be elaborate. If they work fair but won't hold up under heavy service then consider the first one a prototype and refine it from there. If it works the one or a few times you need it and you never use it again, then mission accomplished.  Whether they work or fail I always consider it part of the learning curve. You don't know what works till you find out what fails.Pic #5 is the punch before welded to it's own base. Pic #3 is the type of hole I can get. Sorry for the pretty poor pics. Attached Images
Reply:I have an iron worker for punching square holes in mild steel, but I think for that use, (small snow plow) I would just use round holes and regular bolts with hex heads. The snow won't know the difference or care, and the limited snow/gravel mix won't be enough to wear out the heads of the bolts. Not tring to be a wiseA, just tring to keep it simple.Just my  opinion, not from a book, just from the road.Howes Welding Inc.www.howesweldinginc.com
Reply:Another possibility here would be flat head bolts.    It would be very easy to drill and counter sink the holes.    There could be some issue with strength but in that case just add a few more bolts.You might try burining them out with a torch.    You would need a small tip and a steady hand.   Yes it would look crude.The ideal option here might be to EDM the holes.   There are DIY aproaches to EDM on the net.    To keep the scope of the project simple you would still need to drill tru holes first.   I'd not go this route though if you don't have a good understanding of electricity.    Some of the stuff I've seen on the web could be dangerous.    The good point is that a square hole is prettty basic. Finally just file by hand.   If you or a neighbor have a young one around, this is the ultimate in simplicity.     3/16" really isn't that thick for hand work and if you team up no problem at all.    A new file would be reccomended.ThanksdaveLast edited by wizard; 04-23-2006 at 01:24 PM.