Leon Renaud

I used a cheap Harbor freight car port over my outdoor forge for doing demos now for 5 years never had an issue but I have it on 10 foot at the center ridge and 7ft at the sides. Only thing I've seen as far as an affect on the cover is it does sort of inflate above the forge a little if I'm really pushing the heat. I have no flue over the forge. i do not operat it with any of the side walls inplace just the top.

following.

I joined a "New England " Mountain Man group online only to find you also have a "New England" I'm still an online member it's a great group of people and i get to learn a little of your great country as well.

Woodworkers tool but if it's like the 60s DShop Smith they are very rugged machines and performed very well .They just took a while to change machine set ups and the table for the saw was tiny. I would love to have one again it was the first power tools i was exposed to with my dad .

ok must be a local term what is a Chook?

Look behind him everything He has on display is tall like Lantern Hooks/Bird Feeders and Tripods . when I am planning on a run of items like this I set up much like he did here I want a bit more room to maneuver that long stuff without having to swing hot steel up and over or around the equipment like blower etc.to get to my anvil . I also agree that he is using a canvas tube that seems like it will close off if not pulled tight but I also think with all that tall goods he has on display he found what sells well in his area and has adjusted his shop to suit making those goods so he has to take an extra step or 2 BUT he has a clear path to each of his shop tools so it actually runs much smoother than being set up the way all the books say "In close"

Yes you want to check any old guns or gun barrels for obstructions it is not uncommon to find old Muzzle loaders still loaded today and capable of firing! A fully loaded cannon sat in the Providence R.I. State House rotunda from the first battle of the Civil War till only about 15 years ago!

I've seen these powered with everything from a Maytag 2 HP washing machine engines to small rocket and jet engines ! it was common to see up to 4 chain saw engines in the early days of cart racing and just about every motor cycle engine ever made.

you can power that cart with a good battery drill ! no need for fancy wiring or anything ! Chuck up a small wheel then mount the drill so the little wheel rides on one of the rear tires for a friction drive . Next you need to make a Throttle this is nothing more than a bar on a pivot your throttle cable will pull to "Push" the trigger . If you look up Popular Mechanics archive you will also find that a car starter and battery will power this thing just fine without fancy wiring and run it for a day per charge.I have the 1955 Popular Mechanics Do It Yourself Encyclopedia there are 2 or 3 "Sidewalk Cars for Kids" in it but I don't have a way to share the plans with you .A weed Whacker engine will drive this little cart way faster than you want him going right now !My grandson has one on a 26 inch single speed bike and it will run close to 30 MPH with him on it my grandson is 17 and about 160 pounds .Another option would be a low HP electric boat motor adapted to the cart . I've seen the cordless drill used to power several "Electric Bikes" with good results and you can show him how to flip the forward /revers4e for power in both directions! a Brigs 3-5 hp will push it well beyond 20 MPH with the governor inplace and close to 40 MPH with it taken out . Chain saw engines will push it into the 60s ! For right around 90$ you can get a nice Honda clone 7HP engine from Harbor Freight these are always going on sale I've seen them as low as 59$ It'as one of the few "Good" power tools I've heard of from HF everyone seems to like them another 30$ will give you a new "Go Cart" clutch a throttle stop can control speed .

Make it easy on yourself go to your closest metals dealer and buy yourself a length of 1 inch heavy wall tubing it's not any different than a 50 caliber gun barrel in looks only. you have a heavy wall tube with a 1/2 inch I.D. and a 1 inch O.D. that mimics a rifle barrel in looks that you can easily forge the body of a pipe hawk from . you just need a piece of round rod for a mandrel when forging the pipe section of the hawk head to keep the hole open .

I love it when they pull a horse shoe out of the fire quench it in a huge cloud of steam then put it on the anvil and start forging ! Happens that way in most westerns and Blacksmiths never shoe a horse they just "Tighten up the left rear shoe" make new shoes as described earlier and fix broken wagon wheels AFTER some idiot states "I should of had that wheel tended to in the last town"

I just found out there was a "Bench "version of this vice/multi tool . that one has the hand wheel on the opposite end under the anvil horn . It was not part of a forge set up like this but built specifically as a work bench tool for light metal work.

I just read on another site that all vacuum motors can be rheostat (Dimmer Switch) controlled. Not a week goes buy i don't see old shop vacks curb side on thrash day usually missing the hoses/attachments ,It wouldn't take much to make a nice blower out of the motor off one of these for very cheap!

Don't limit by age! Make everyone sign a disclaimer/waiver for them and their child. I have had the good fortune to have my youngest son attend Blacksmiths guild Meets, Plymouth Plantation and Mystic seaport classes and even NRA pistol courses from the time he was roughly 6 .I had to sign waivers BUT he had high interest in these activities and in each case the instructors made it quite clear IF he in any way disrupted the event we would both be TOLD not asked to leave! We constantly say "We need young blood to survive" Well that means letting young blood TRY! I've had bigger problems with 14 and older than with young kids ! It has to depend totally on each individual young person and the adult with them.

Check this axle tube out very carefully before using it ,I had a 96 Grand Caravan that the rear axle rusted through and snapped ,It took me 4 tries in scrap yards to find a replacement that wasn't rotted through in the same places as mine! Look around where brackets a welded to the main tube for thin spots or rot through.