Jacob

I disagree about needing a 1/4" round transition. Using a monkey tool to upset the end of the parent stock and sharpen the shoulder gives a nice look and a tight fit. If done hot enough, there should not be an issue with cracking. Normalize or anneal the part if you plan on cold riveting. Hot riveting, particularly with a torch, makes assembly much easier. I've had core drills recommended to me for making tennons in a production setting. However, catalogs do not tend to specify the center hole size. I picked one up recently and plan to try it out. Another option would be hollow mills: Genesee Manufacturing These are more expensive but adjustable. Either option would give a nice sharp corner and could be set up to make each component to exact length. If made just oversize in length, you could still heat the ends and upset the shoulders to get the required length and better look.

I'm a beekeeper, and I'm not sure what they do to the white wax to make it that way. It's naturally that dark yellow. Last time I used some, I needed a small bit, and just put the warm metal on an unfiltered blob with all the cocoons, etc. still in. The cheapest way of cleaning the wax is a solar melter. There are plans online. You get much less beeswax than honey from the hives, so I don't have it to spare. Most of what you can find is imported. If your metalwork is no longer warm from the forge, you can use a torch to warm it. If it's small enough, an oven or toaster oven works fine.

The bottom tool should fit in a bench plate. I thought the top tool was supposed to be struck, but at least one of them here is pointed, so I guess you'd strike the arm. Check where the wear is an any mushrooming. Think of them as a set hammer and bottom tool pair for sheet metal. The hinge keeps them aligned, but limits the depth that will fit inside.

Nice. I'm currently collecting parts and ideas for a similar one. I'm planning on using a square hole in the hammer and anvil, with a wedge to hold tooling in place. It looks like you have the room underneath for a wedge, but no hole. Are you planning on using bolster plates or something similar to clamp onto the anvil/head? You're alignment system for the head looks different than others I've seen online, too. I'd like to see another picture or two. I'm currently thinking of using the roller blade wheel guide, but I have access to a mill for cutting alignment slots.

I got a ~15x30 detached garage/shop as a main selling feature of our house. There's a heater once I hook up the propane, and there'll be a chimney for the coal forge once I finish putting it up. It has a two story ceiling, 60 amps for outlets, seperate breaker for lights, and it's own paved driveway. There are other outbuildings for garden tools. It's good so far, and should be great once I get the forge chimney set up. However, it's filling quickly.

I bought a few Grizzly belts with my grinder years ago so that I'd have something to use once it was assembled. Now I buy real belts. Ebay seller Barbkat (or something similar) was recommended to me and I've been happy with them so far.

I have one of the Grizzly grinders. The belts I got from them and the zirconia belts I bought on ebay are about an inch different in length. If you're building a grinder, make sure to give yourself a few inches of easy adjustment.

The face plate (on the pulley side) should have one or more cutouts in it for driving a lathe dog. Do a search on metal turning between centers. Only, instead of turning tools, this will grind the OD. Depending on setup/adjustments, you may be able to grind tapers. Depending on how beat up/worn out it is, it may only grind tapers. Can the center be adjusted side to side on the tailstock? Do they currently line up together?

I was about to say there's room for bigger equipment to start rolling in, but it sounds like you're already working on that. My chain fall has allowed me to bring home a couple large tools already. Task/area lighting will allow you to control the light better, and wont waste electricity at the far end of the shop. My shop is currently lit by halogens and I have a few work lights I can move around. I need to look into hanging some flourecents for general purpose without compromising my head space. While you're at it, install outlets everywhere to get (most) extension cords out of the picture. I'm currently putting in more outlets along the walls. My shop is only 15' or so wide, so I'm avoiding overhead outlet drops so far. My large cutting tools float around the middle of the shop for easier material handling and to move out of the way when the next big tool comes in on a trailer. Keep overhead lights and outlets on different breakers so you're not in the dark when something goes wrong.

Sounds great. There were farm shops on both sides of my family. Most everything was long gone by the time I was around and interested, but I did inherit the leg vise from my father's side.

What do you mean about throwing the shirt away? Cut the buttons off and you have another shop rag. They work better than paper towels. Just be careful how you store them when oily.

FYI, the size and price of the coal tend towards anthracite, or hard coal. Obviously, it will burn and get you going. But keep a look out for bituminous coal.

Rivetted and solid links were used historically. The solid links were either welded or punched. The manufacture of the solid rings is difficult to be sure of, because suits of half solid-half rivetted mail tend to be older and often rusted into an ugly wad if there is any left. Rivetted rings are wound around a mandral, cut, the ends are overlapped and hammered together, pierced, and then rivetted with a pin or wedge rivet. Wire sizes varied. 16-18 gauge is a good start. 1/4-3/8 ID. Butted mail skips most of the trickey steps, but still may require hundreds of hours. I have most of a suit made in 17ga 1/4" ID butted links. There are probably 50,000 links and 500 hours involved. The "cool factor" of my nice suit fell down a notch when cheap rivetted mail from india became common. I also have a couple of 14ga butted suits which are even heavier. Butted suits need to be heavy or else their own weight pulls them apart. Forge welding will require a lot of practice and an anvil sitting right next to the fire. There is a guy who has figured out a way to spot weld rings (include "knut" in your search).

I have an old buffalo forge co. blower that is similar to jayco's. Since you're designing the motor attachment, you can control the fan speed with the pullies you choose. Use whatever belt type that will work with your pulley sizes. I'll be using a v-belt and pulley on the motor to drive the flat belt pulley on the fan. When calculating speeds, the v-belt pulley size should be measured at the bottom of the v-belt, since that is what touches the flat pulley. Even with a ~2" flat belt pulley, there are small enough stock v-belt pullies to reduce the speed enough from a 1750 RPM motor so that you don't need a jack shaft. With a jack shaft, you can probably pick any speed you want. I'd aim for 800-1200 RPM. I considered a sewing machine foot pedal for speed control, but I don't think it'd last long on the shop floor. An air gate is easy enough.

Ted, If you want another cool feature, pipe your air in from outside. If the intake is outside, or the entire blower if electric, you wont burn up the oxygen you need to breath.

I have a double horned anvil, so it points both ways. I never remember what way the rounded horn is "supposed" to go, so I just use it as needed. I wouldn't mind finding a nice steel block anvil at some point for heavier work, but I'd be lost at which way to point it. :confused:

When I made a bunch of tenons for a gate, I used a spring swage and then a monkey tool to upset and sharpen the shoulders. For uniform fabrication, I've heard core drills recommended in a drill press or lathe. However, looking in catalogs for bits, they don't seem to specify the core sizes but they look small. Using large bits may be required. If they are drilled so the shoulder spacing is a bit long, a monkey tool (block of steel with a hole in it, never heard it called anything else) can still be used to upset them.

Thanks! I'll forward the links to him. The last one looks perfect, but I don't know what size he needs.

I have a friend looking for wire screen for a custom fireplace. Has anyone here used wire mesh for a fireplace? Where did you get it? I found a manufacturer in China, but he only needs one. Are there stores that would carry them as replacements? black fireplace replacement screen mesh Thanks, Jacob

Argon Tool was recommended at the armour archive recently. Argon Tool & Manufacturing Co. - Marking Equipment and Steel Stamps It was about $80 for a custom image stamp, not just letters. Letter and number stamp sets can be purchased easily from a lot of sources if you want to make your own.

I'm building one this way. My wall is cinderblock for the bottom half, and wood for the top. I'm sending it through a knocked out block so that I don't have to isolate heat from the wood. I have a taller roof, and I'm using 12" diameter pipe. The larger diameter should help get around the corners a bit. 12" was strongly recommended to me, so you might try that if you havn't purchased materials, yet. There are some things you can play with if you want a different performance. Insulating the outdoor chimney would help keep it warm, insulating it inside would keep the shop cooler. Different caps will also impact the draft. I'm going to try the low loss design shown on anvilfire.

Did he have a pocket full of rusty spikes?

Hammerkid, You may want to weld a handle onto that cap for your ash dump to make it easier to remove. If you can find a pipe flange with the same thread, you can use that and make a pivoting ash dump, which is common and easy to use. I don't know what you're using to control air volume. I've used a reostadt on a couple of forges, and I'm not generally impressed, but I think some blowers will handle it better than others. I'm going to try a gate in my new one. Fire it up!

Mlmartin15, Build a socket that will attach to the support going from the anvil to the main upright. If it clamps on with a large wing-bolt (weld a rod across the head) it will be easy to adjust.

Anyone care to comment on material used for the bearings on these? Plastic? Bronze? I think I'd want more weight in the anvil than a sand filled tube. You may also want a wider base or bolt it down when you really start jumping on it with weight in the head. Looks like a good start for one day.