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swedefiddle is correct. It's a top tool for dressing stone drills.

The cleanest way to make that opening would be to slot punch rather than slit. Great job by the way!

Actually the flow of electrons is from negative to positive. Old Ben Franklin got it wrong and has been confusing the average guy about this stuff ever since.

Remember this quote from Dr. Seuss via MACBRUCE "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." — Dr. Seuss

Bubbasan, How big is your Tatara?

Sonn's book is just that if your interested in Hardware of the colonial period and after. It references date place and most times origin of like English, Dutch, French etc.

I think this answers your question best. If it does I have other titles for you. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Albert%20Sonn

If you want to be a millionaire blacksmithing.........Start smithing with ten million in the bank and keep forging until there's only one million left.

If The numbers I read are 0 3 16 .Your anvil weight's 100 lbs.

I agree with both Wooldridge and Martin. Has it been considered that older anvils were usually tempered deferentially and that the closer one gets to the wrought iron under the steel the softer the temper might be?

Crunch, Yes you can do as you've described to an old file and it will work fine.But I would follow Stefflus's warning if you're planning on making long dowels. A dowel plate works well for short dowels,say like for shoe pegs or broom handles but not very well if you want something over 4" in length.

If all you need to make is doweling tool any simple carbon steel will work. Old files, 5160, etc: don't get caught up someone elses marketing scheme when all you want is a simple tool.

Uneven hammering can cause warping also. Try to forge each side of the blade with as equal a number of hammer blows as possible. When quenching you can limit your movement of the blade to up and down and spine to edge with out the sideways movement. When you do encounter warping it can be straightened after removing the blade from the quench and prying it between slightly opened vice jaws as long as the blade is still 800*F or hotter. Your window for doing this is quite short so work quickly.

macbruce since you've posted the pic and someone took that photo I think it qualify s as recorded :D

If you were to try to cast an anvil you would be foolish. If you have what seems to be a large supply of tool steel you'd be much better off fabricating your anvil by welding. Not having a welder or the skills to do it is not an excuse. Your questions about foundry work say you don't have those skills either. It would be much easier and cost effective from any stand point to fabricate your anvil and if you have to learn those skills and purchase the equipment to do it, they are skills and tools that much more match the needs of blacksmithing.

Great job!!!!!!!!!

Weight is deff the problem no matter the size of the tree.

As far as I know all pieces of steel have three dimensions, 10.5" X 6.5" leaves one out. Are you trying to cut the 10.5 the 6.5 or is it 1" thick or 1/4" thick and your trying to cut one of those dimensions? We need more information inorder to help you! The difference between 10.5 and 6.5 is 40% and even that makes a big difference when it comes to cutting with a torch!

Create a normal 90* bend to get your sharp corner. Then open it up to create your less than 90 corner. It will take a little tweaking to bring it where you want but it is the quickest and simplest way.

Leave out the chrome and just use the chainsaw chain. There is plenty of carbon there for an edge and enough difference in alloys between side plates rollers etc, to give you a pattern. Here's a link to atleast one method:......

I've seen a forging hammer made from a jackhammer many years ago. It was at a quarry forging shop in Barre, Vt. It worked and did the job,but not a choice I would have made to accomplish the task.

By splitting do you mean a length wise split or a crack that is perpendicular to your cross section? If in fact it is the latter it's probably do to taking too many heats to accomplish your tapering. Get the metal hot and hit it faster and harder. :)

Many or most of the leg vises I've owned do not have hardened jaws.I do understand your issue and the repair I've done in the past is to take a couple of old files and weld them to the jaws. The heat from welding softens the file (less risk of chipping) and the teeth of the file create new cross hatching.When ground and sanded properly after a little use you'll be hard pressed to know they were ever replaced.

I like this and don't forget many a blacksmith has built a hydraulic press with a 5 hp motor! Draws no more current than a 5 hp motor on a wood splitter ;)

" I'm seeing some serious wear on the male threads at the last inch." That wear is probably from not having the proper washers in place,thus allowing the screw to rub on the opening in the front leg. I don't think it will affect the working of the vise as chances are that even when the vise is fully closed those threads wont even enter the thread box.