The original of this is owned by Mark Hernig at Kick and Stitch Brooms. He did the hand sketches that you will see, and provided the critical dimensions for me to make the CAD drawings so that anyone building this will end up with a working machine.
this construction can be easily be broken down into 3 parts, the stand, the vise, and the barrel/tensioner set up. if you already had a kicker you might want to make the first 2 parts alone.
the stand is a stout frame with angled legs.
the clamp is thick strong jaws with a lever closer:
and the barrel/tensioner is a symphony in simplicity. symphony meaning that there are a lot of parts that come together elegantly!
the stand is the simplest part and can be either hardwood or softwood:
4 legs: 2″ x 2.5″ x 36 1/2″ with a tenon on one end, note angle
2 ends : 2.5″ x 3.75″ x 20″ with 2 mortises
2 cross pieces 2.5″ x 3.75″ x 15.25″ tenons both ends and mortises opposing note angle of mortises
use a strong softwood or a hardwood for the jaws, you should probably use hardwood for the rest but for the lever which could be a “tubafor” (2″x4″)
I’ve drawn the jaws as if you bought 8/4 lumber and barely scrubbed it flat… A 7.75″ x 48.5″ hard (SYP or old Doug Fir plank) slab will do one side…
The 3/4″ x 2.5″ x 6.75″ keepers/feet should be obvious. So should be the 1″ x 5.25″ x 16.875″ lever holder. to make it work you need to hold the jaws in their closed (with a broom in there) position to locate the pivot point on the lever. the lever could be a 2×4 or a 2×6 30 or 31″ long cut a graceful curve for the clamping action.
the vise also needs a jaw pad, I call it a pad but it really wants to be the hardest material you have, rock maple, or osage orange.
If you want iron jaws seem my drawings/post of a stand alone broom vice.
The brake and barrel assembly looks most complicated, but we can break it apart.
separate it into support, brake, and barrel
the support is 2 boards of 3/4″ stock with some holes in them. these (in the final assembly) can be screwed or nailed directly to the legs of the first assembly.
the holes lining up is the only critical aspect of these 2 parts.
the spool and brake cut as shown, mount the 1″ dowel in the sides, and slide the spool onto it, thenyou can use these to layout the concave spaces in the brakes to match the spool, also then to mount the single screw in the pivot point.
the barrel could be made from a log 9 to 10″ in diameter and 20″ long… It would be a lot easier to make it of 2 pieces. A tube and a collar so to speak.
as you can see here, there are several ways to glue up a tube so that it has the space we need up the center. and the collar can be cut out and then drilled for the center hole and for the knob holes. through the collar there needs to be a hole drilled for a bolt to tighten down on the broom handle that had probably want to be drilled before assembling the barrel.
Last detail is the ratchet mechanism.. you can buy or find a piece of iron @ 1/8 to 1/4″ thick and cut it out.. or you can find a 10″ used dull sawblade and just make a bigger hole in the middle, maybe cut the points off. and drill 3 or more holes to fasten/screw/nail it to the collar.
put it all together and you should be ready for years of use.
until then be well
stay safe
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