That time a drift pin snapped and took out my anvil stand

I was out back in my shed in Marietta last spring trying to drive out a stuck bushing from a tractor hitch. The drift pin I was using (cheap hardware store junk) sheared clean in half and the piece flew right into the leg of my anvil stand, cracking the old oak board. Had to spend a whole afternoon rebuilding the stand with some pressure-treated 4x4s I had lying around, and I still wince every time I look at that repair. Has anyone else had a simple tool failure turn into a whole project? I'm thinking of switching to solid punch sets now, but I don't want to drop $80 on a whim.

3 comments

3 Comments

torres.riley1d ago

That cheap hardware store stuff gets me every time too.

gray3141d ago

That cheap hardware store stuff gets me every time too" - so you've been through a few of these snaps yourself? How many punches did you break before you finally switched to something better?

alext521d ago

Yeah, I saw a guy on a different forum say he switched to Mayhew punches after a similar snap and never looked back. I'd say grab a single solid punch first before dropping the cash on a whole set.