ichudov Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 I hope that you like these three pictures. I just made my blacksmith shop. It is an anvil, Reed 6" vise, a propane forge furnace, and a blacksmith table with a 2" thick round top with holes. All is mounted on a 1" thick blue painted steel plate. I made it so that I can move it around my warehouse with a forklift and so that everything is properly mounted. The "shop" is what you see mounted on a blue steel plate in foreground, not stuff (semi trailer) behind it. I was hoping to see if anyone has any comments. I have not, yet, fastened anything and also I wanted to make a custom shelf under the propane forge. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 I foresee work triangle issues. You want to be able to just turn or turn and one step to get from the forge to any of the tools---unless you are working large stock for large items---you didn't say making it hard to give really good advice. I suggest you take a piece of steel that's the size you plan to work and go through simulating working it. Do you have to walk around the perimeter to get where you need to go? Does it catch on other pieces of equipment when you are trying to *quickly* move from the forge to anvil or postvise?(generally when I use a machinist vise I'm working cold steel and so it's not needed close to the forge and anvil) I generally consider an 8-10' sq to be a good size for a small shop's hotwork space for small items (knifemaking for example). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 The one tool a blacksmith would use the most is the forge, followed by the anvil. I would position them so they are next to each other and one step apart. The vise would be on the other side of the anvil from the forge. Think of a small work triangle or by the end of the day you will have walked a marathon. Most blacksmith shops have tools in two locations, one is within arms reach, and the other is hanging out of the way on a wall somewhere. Do the dance and see if things are conveniently located for you. If not then change something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Cochran Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 I think the idea has some merit but I couldn't use it. It's a little crowded to me. The round table setup you have would probably be better (for me if I was using a setup like this) pushed back as far as it would go into the corner and cut to a point with shelves under it. I'd definitely put shelves under the forge as you mention. You could use the space between the table and the forge to hold a tong and hammer rack. I'd also try using the anvil in line with the edge of the plate instead of at an angle like that. I just know I have a habit of bumping into things if there too close together and I don't like doing that with hot iron in my hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 Ahhh would anyone be bending down to access the shelves under the forge and putting their head through the dragon's breath? I was once asked to help tune a smith's propane forge that was their first gas forge, coal having been used in their previous forges---they had mounted the tank and regulator below the forge and were having trouble as the forge was just not working right. Well I bent over and adjusted the fuel air balance and WHOOSH their forge was working great, and I wiped off quite a bit of my beard mustache and eyebrows and I'd been using propane forges for 20 years! My students get taught that *when* you drop something in front of the forge it has to be picked up from the side and NOT the front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 May want to put a thin metal plate under the front of the forge to force you to access the shelves from the side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ichudov Posted January 23, 2017 Author Share Posted January 23, 2017 Guys, thanks a lot for your wise thoughts. I do plan on working outside of this work space and not standing inside. I will rearrange the items so that the anvil is next to the gas forge, and the vise and blacksmith table are on the other side. In any case, I would walk around this pallet/blue plate -- and not inside -- to get from one work item to another. Thanks a lot. I will post updated pictures when I rearrange. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 Walking around will not be efficient or pleasant and for small items in cold weather you may not even get a single hammer blow before needing to walk back and reheat. What is it that you are trying to accomplish where you have to have a forge in this arrangement? For a very small set up you might try it on the diamond: forge at one point with postvise and anvil at opposing points and the entryway over the last point opposed to the forge. You won't be wanting to maneuver long lengths of stock so a bending jig table is probably not needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ichudov Posted January 23, 2017 Author Share Posted January 23, 2017 This is in my commercial warehouse, where space is at a premium. The warehouse is 10,000 square feet, but it is used intensively for buying and selling industrial equipment. That is why I want those items on a single pallet sized plate. I can always pull it out so that I can easily walk around it when I work. 48 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said: For a very small set up you might try it on the diamond: forge at one point with postvise and anvil at opposing points and the entryway over the last point opposed to the forge. Yes, this is EXACTLY how I will set it up. I have to switch places between the round table and anvil to get to this arrangement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Stephens Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 I have the great great grandfather of your forge, don't use it much but would like info on if and where parts can be obtained. Got mine in the last century in St. Louis. I visited a shop once that had a power hammer mounted on metal "skid" with a 2" "hardy" that he dropped in a hole in his floor to keep it from walking. When he wasn't forging he moved it out of his way. I applaud your thinking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 Please try out the arrangement before locking things down. People like and dislike ways of doing things on a personal basis and like Kipling said "There are nine and sixty ways of constructing tribal lays, And every single one of them is right!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 I think you're trying to design a pretty sophisticated set up without having enough experience to actually know what's workable and what isn't. Conserving floor space is a common goal especially where you need room to swing a cat. The idea is good but having all your tools clustered in such a small area means you can only access one side of any one. This severely limits their efficiency. It also makes you walk in a circle around them, working this kind of station will take up more floor space than breaking the tools down into separate units or pairing them. Go along with me here for the purposes of conversation okay? You have lift capacity, I WISH I had a forklift. Consider making the bench larger and rectangular, say 1/2 the size of the pallet, heck it can be the same size as the pallet. Taller so you can store the: forge, anvil, vises, stock and racks under it. The forge then has plenty of room on the pallet next to the table as do: stock, hammer and tong racks. The 2" blue plate is excessive, this isn't a power hammer, a sheet of 1/2" plywood on the pallet would be pretty bullet proof. About putting the vises under the table, I'd lose the nifty stand and put receiver tubing in two corners of the table to hold them, extending a foot pad enough for the leg vise to socket into would work a treat, one wing bolt each tighten both vises to the table and it's a done deal. Believe me if you do any bending the stand as pictures will move, the table isn't going to. The blue plate is still excessive, I'd use it for other things say the table top. You have a forklift, what the hey? Okay, this has your shop stored on a pallet. Set it up by lifting the table off and putting it where you have room in the warehouse that day. set the: vises, anvil, forge and tool racks but set them in a good working pattern. If you place the equipment on the outside of the circle you have to walk around to use your current set up floor space used is a wash. However you're working inside your equipment placing everything within a step or so. Sure it'll be crowded but not horribly, I've worked cramped. And we get to the final plus in my suggestions, it's not permanently fixed, set in stone or steel as the case may be. You can change the arrangement every time you set up until you find one you can live with and then all you need to do is remember what worked best. You probably don't know this yet but different jobs work better with different equipment arrangements. Believe me there will be projects you don't have any use for a vise or bench and others where all you need is a vise. Its nice to be able to put what you want where you want it. Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ichudov Posted January 24, 2017 Author Share Posted January 24, 2017 Frosty, thanks. I was going to set things up along the lines people suggested, and if I like it, I would fixate them in plate, bolt down, weld etc. The exception to this is that the forge will turn around as I need to avoid exhaust gases in my face. I want to weld this steel round table down, this way I can use it (and the holes therein) as a base for bending stuff. I have other work benches, O/A torches, hydraulic press, drill press, lathe, cnc and manual mill and what not. This setup is for blacksmith tools only, it is not my complete shop, just the blacksmith stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ichudov Posted January 27, 2017 Author Share Posted January 27, 2017 Guys, after rearranging, here's how my shop looks. The table, forge, and anvil base are all welded or bolted down. The anvil is held by 6" lag screws. he vise is on a heavy cast iron base that is held down by one bolt only, by design so I can turn it a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 You'll be moving the propane bottle off the pallet while forging? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 Try it for 30 days and then adjust as needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B_HOSS Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 I love the idea. I would need a slightly larger pallet. I am a little rotund lol. Seriously though that's a cool idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ichudov Posted January 27, 2017 Author Share Posted January 27, 2017 Thank you, guys. I appreciate all comments. I tried using this setup already and it seems fairly ergonomic. The idea to place anvil next to the forge, was brilliant. It is much better this way. I will make a few tools for bending, etc that fit in the holes of my round blacksmith table. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Make the smaller bending tools to fit in the anvil or the vise. Depending on what you are making, modify the set ups as needed to make things easy for you. If you want to keep the 4 post version, weld angle iron to the posts and drop in some expanded metal for a shelf or 2 to 3. You should find them convent for hardie tooling. You will also want a 5 gallon metal bucket for use as a quench tank. Start looking for another piece of heavy plate so you can double your shop floor space. You already have the fork truck running so one more lift is no problem. For the second plate, may I suggest a rack for holding 4 foot long stock, electric outlets, and other items you want to have within arms reach. Wheel hubs make a great lazy Susan or turntable. Remember to stay under the lift capacity of the fork truck (grin) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubalcain2 Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 i see you are selling it on e-bay. i think you have a fair price on it. good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 On January 22, 2017 at 7:05 PM, ichudov said: I just made my blacksmith shop. It is an anvil, Reed 6" vise, a propane forge furnace, and a blacksmith table with a 2" thick round top with holes. All is mounted on a 1" thick blue painted steel plate. I made it so that I can move it around my warehouse with a forklift and so that everything is properly mounted. The "shop" is what you see mounted on a blue steel plate in foreground, not stuff (semi trailer) behind it. I was hoping to see if anyone has any comments. And a week later it goes for sale on eBay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millhand Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 That's strange, any of you feel a bit used ?? Lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ichudov Posted January 28, 2017 Author Share Posted January 28, 2017 I do not think that I will sell it at this price. I will keep on using it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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