oakwoodforge

Glenn , I am afflicted with the terrible desire to make make my own tools, Hammers , cut-off tools that type of thing. I think that part of the problem I am having is the fact that the 4140 Steel axle shafts I am using are just some tough stuff. When working at a bright yellow it moves reasonably well with my 2.2lb heammer, its just slow going. I am thinking that a treadle hammer with about a 50lb head could take the place of a striker and I wont have to mortgauge my house to buy it , like I would a Power Hammer, I would Love a nice well kept little giant but... :D

I'm split, Treadle hammer or biger anvil, I am sort-of limited by the anvil I have right now, anything larger than 1.5" thick takes f o r e v e r even with a 3 lb hammer, of course I am not sure my arm could take anything larger than the 3 lb hammer. But I think and correct me if I am wrong, that a Big anvil say 350lbs + would make the big stock move much quicker and with less effort. But then again I don't have 3 arms so a treadle hammer would make fullering or anything else that uses top and bottom tooling way easier, heck it might even help move some of the bigger stock I work sometimes. I think the first one I would actualy buy is the treadle hammer. More imediate uses, as I can always get by with my little Vulcan 110lb but try as I might the third arm just wont grow :D

My first Damascus billet in almost 10 years, First one in my new home, and First one on my new anvil! Not bad considering I just did my first forge weld in 10 years last week. Easier than I rember, but I was using coal back then, must be the charcoal. Gotta be the charcoal. :D

Any one have experience using a "router speed controll unit " with their belt grinder. You know what I mean, the little box with the rehostat on it that you can plug in line with any AC motor to control the speed. works great with routers, drill presses, saws and my old Delta belt grinder. Just kinda wondering if anyone has used one with the Grizzly, some times the motors are touchy on different tools. Just worndering if it works ok ?

http://www.galleria-e.com/cgi-bin/Colemans.storefront/en/Product/196701

My 15 year old Delta 1"x42" belt grinder gave up the ghost this week, I have a Birthday comming up the 7th and was thinking of asking my wife for a new belt grinder. Anyone have experince with the grizzly #G1015 "knifemaker" beltgrinder ? Is it any good ? I'm thinking the 2"x72" belts are going to cut better and last longer plus I can get a good sized contact wheel for Hollow grinding not to mention a MUCH better belt selection . The Delta had a few shortcomings but I made do, But I think it is time to step up to something better, any ideas or recomendations less than $400.00 ?????

The Rear brake drum from A late 90's Dodge or Plymouth Neon is just a hair smaller than the OD of a 2 " gas pipe nipple , a little work on the grinder and it fits tight- pound it about 1/4 inch into the hole. Flip it over and using a ball pein hammer, pein the pipe over into a flare locking it on to the brake drum. WITH NO WELDING ! ( a 1996 Dodge neon brake drum brand new at the parts store is $12.00 or you can get one free from your local service station, other models might work too but my wife had a 96 neon and I have done the brakes a few times... ) All you need now is a 2 " gas Tee 2 more 2 " pipe nipples a 2" end cap and a blower ( Colemans Surplus sells a 12 volt blower, military surplus for about $16.00 look them up on the web use it with a car battery or if you have any old electronics with the "wall wart plugs" you know the big square ones like your computer speaker power plug , look for one rated at 12 volts cut and splice... ) . look in your local hardware store or plumbing supply house for a 4"-8" cast iron drain cover for a ash grate ( cost $5.00-10.00 ) Find a old steel rim that the brake drum will sit in , drop the drum/pipe assy through the rim add a clay and sand mix ( dig it from your yard if you can- or the super cheap Kitty litter or automotive "floor dry " will work too it's made from clay ) let dry slowly, smoothing any cracks with water. place on a stand at your desired working height a stand can be anything ... stacked concrete blocks , bolted together angle iron or scraps even wood will work for some parts - you do own a hacksaw and drill dont you ? if you are working outside you are done , otherwise run your vent pipe in a manner that complies with all building saftey and Fire codes and avoid Galvanized vent pipe, it emits toxic gasses when heated. If you are good at scrounging and have a good imagination you should be able to build a good working forge with the blower for less than $50 -$60 and still have some cash left over for that nice 2 lb german pattern cross pein and a few bags of charcoal and hey: YOU BUILT IT! Thats what this is all about, being able to make all the tools you want ! :D

If you cut the "Crimped" end off 2 peices of 6" snap-lock an flip one 180deg. they will make a 12 " dual seam snap-lock pipe ( put several sheetmetal screws through each seam) , you just have to re-crimp the end and " massage" the pipe to get it nice and round ( this works better with 22 Gauge and lighter snap-lock pipe ) All you need is that 5 blade pipe crimping tool $ 20-25 bucks, a good investment if you are putting lots of pipe together otherwise you might be able to borrow one from a HVAC guy.

Ed Thomas, The Permanent restoration product " factory Manifold grey paint " is a brush or spray-on paint that exceeds 1400 deg temp stability and is acid , salt water, chip and scratch resistant , so much so that you can Paint right over the old rust with very little surface prep. Not like regular manifold paint that re-rusts an a few weeks here in the humid state of Iowa!!! I sell Lots of it to restore old Dodge trucks , and we use it in our shop all the time. great stuff !! If you can't get large black stove pipe from your local Ace hardware or whatever check with: www.ventingpipe.com they arn't the cheapest but they have it. Also check with your local HVAC guys they might have a local supplier wharehouse that you never knew was there. Or they Might be able to make your pipe in their shop.

"Galvaneel" is just a newer hot dip coating process for zinc plating steel, involving a heat-treat process that chemicaly bonds the zinc to the steel. I beleive it is some what less dangerous than standard galvinized a high temps, its major industry benefit is that paint sticks well to it. Weater it makes you sick ??? Heavy-metal posioning is no joke, I wouldn't risk it. Plain black iron pipe or stainless will always be safer, but if you are using coal , you will be making sulfuric acid so black iron pipe will rust , if you dont want to deal with rust , Look at POR-15's Rust proof automotive exhaust manifold paint, It should hold up to the heat and sulfuric acid. Hope this helps

Here is a quote from MOOSE CREEK FORGE that I thought might interest every one. Since I am a Natural Charcoal guy when it comes to my forge fuel I just thought I should share this. If you are looking for good quality hardwood charcoal ( NOT BRIQUETTES !!!) but real harwood lump charcoal check out : www.cowboycharcoal.com you can also Pick it up at Menards home improvement stores across the midwest. Well here is the quote from Moose Creek Forge ... "Yes, you can most definitely reach welding heat with charcoal

It all started when I was about 3 , my parents still tease me about my favorite toy from back then a green plastic hammer ... fast-forward to age 7, I had started collecting knives, this was the "rambo " era. My first non folding knife was one of those hollow handle " survival " knives made in taiwan which I promptly broke Wouldn't want to have to depend on one of those !!! At age 9 I got in trouble for mouthing off so my wicked step mother took away my whole knife collection. So I promplty went to the library , checked out a few books on knifemaking and blacksmithing and read every word atleast 3 times I think I had late fines ( aus- forging is a hard concept for a 9 year old, xxxx the word austenite is a big word for a 9 year old ). One thing led to another and one Saturday afternoon I was in the backyard ( unsupervised but wearing saftey glasses ) with a hairdryer, a campfire ring, some home-made charcoal, a big vise with an ASO "anvil " on it , a pair of vise grips and a hammer. I made a respectable knife that day, File steel is good stuff, it still holds a good edge to this day, I guess it was luck that I hardened and tempered it right. I am still really proud of that knife, wasn't bad for a 9 year old . ( I think that I have Thanked my step mother at-least a hunderd times for getting me started) By the end of that afternoon I was Hooked .. you mean I can make ANYTHING I WANT with just a hammer and fire ? Holy cow ! I went to my first hammer-in when I was 13, I begged and begged and pleaded with my dad for a couple of months , he finaly relented and took me. I still have an "S" hook I made there. My wife uses it to hang pot holders on the kitchen stove. So now I own my Home and 5 acres in the country , between the blacksmith shop, the wood shop and the garage I think I have more square footage in tool storage and workshops than we have living space on the ground floor of the House luckily I have a verry understanding and supportive wife ! next time you go to a hammer-in ... take a kid

You would be surprisesd how often Flatheads and coal dust mix, I've found that Power Wagon owners from Iceland to Austraila have a higher than average ownership rate of anvils and forges. Ps: broken m-37 front axles make a mean cut-off hardy, I was working on a new one earlier tonight, A guy at the rally running 44" swampers on his m-37 striped a tracta joint in the mud down at the Adams farm I pulled the busted axles out of the scrap heap this afternoon. Sometimes I wonder what pecent of ABANA members own Power Wagons, I bet its pretty high.

You nailed me, I have probably sold you parts for your M-37's VPW is the family business :D

Plumbers hanger strap works ok, steel cable works well too, you can use steel straping, rod stock or even angle iron, just use what ever you can get your hands on. Even if you are in a really wind prone area the round contour of the pipe resists wind-loading so extensive bracing shouldn't be required. Just be sure that every joint of pipe has at least 4 screws in it ( 5/16 hex self drilling screws are best). You should be able to get everything you need from Lowes or Home Depot , right now is the wrong season for them to carry a great selection of this stuff but with a little immagination and flexability you should be able to make something work. I just built a new built in forge in my work shop for about $85.00 including the vent just to see how $ cheap $ I could make a good one. now I use it more than my old Champion forge (I was getting tired of the hand crank anyway). The forge body is is a 9.00 X 16 Dodge Power Wagon truck wheel, the fire pot is a rear brake drum off my wife's old '96 Dodge Neon- the hole in the drum for the hub was exactly the right size for 2" gas pipe ( when you take a grinder to the threads- insert the pipe and pein the edge over to lock it in place) a 8" cast iron drain cover is my ash grate. It took ( 3) 6" long 2" gas pipe nipples ( 1) 2" tee and one end cap , I happened to have a few old electric blowers laying around and some concrete block. A rainy day trip to the local building supply house and one thing led to another... 2 hours later I was forging a new Pair of tongs with out cranking on a blower !!! ... for your side draft forge are you thinking about a long shallow fire pot or a small deep fire pot ? A peice of 2 " pipe laid on its side with enough holes drilled in it to equal the same surface area at the end opening would work, the number and size of holes would varry by the length of the desired fire pot. What are you wanting to start forging? basic tools , knives, hooks that kind of thing or are you wanting to do big stuff ? If so make your Tuyre adjustable. ... Just dont make your first project Samuri sword as you might get a little frusterated... I started making knives when I was 9,( my Step mom took away my woodcarving knife as punishment- so I decided to make one ... thank you step mom !!! ) I didn't make a respectable sword till I was 17 , I'm 28 now and still going strong. Some times the best tools are the ones you build !

Rick , of course you can use double wall b-vent all the way but 8" B-vent is more that $10.00 per foot at wholesale! If you can afford it its alot safer. Black iron woodstove pipe is less than 50 cents per foot and works great . If you go streight up through the roof the draft will be a slight bit better than going through the wall, only because you will be using two adjustable elbows ( every elbow = 6' of pipe). I don't think the minor increase in draft justifies the extra work and cost of going through the roof. Either way just be sure to run your vent Pipe 3 feet above the peak of the roof or higher if your roof is flamable. If you are venting through a wall you will have a horizontal run of pipe make run this as short as necessacary and pitch the run of pipe upwards atleast 1" rise per foot. Its been my experience that cutting a hole in a wall while I am standing on the ground or a short ladder is a whole lot easier than trying to cut through 3 layers of shingles ,Plywood decking and whatever else is under your roof while you are standing on a 30' extention ladder. Also becareful of old barn roofs they may not hold your weight !

First off: DON'T USE GALVANIZED SNAP-LOCK PIPE, IT GIVES OFF TOXIC HEAVY METAL FUMES WHEN HEATED AND IT WILL GET QUITE HOT !. Use black iron snap-lock ( like for a wood stove ) or stainless pipe( if you can afford it ). Seccond: any wall penetrations or roof penetrations should be B-vent (double wall pipe ) if going through a wall use a wall thimble and b-vent for at-least the 12-18 inches on either side of the wall or if going through a roof use atleast 48" of B-vent . Going through a wall is easier to make weather tight, all you need is the wall thimble and some silicone caulk.Rember to run you pipe a MINUMUM of 12 inches away from ANYTHING flamable this includes 2x4's insulation , drywall ... Running your vent pipe through the roof is alot more work, and if you have a flamable roof ( aspahalt shingle or cedar shake ) you should run more than the 3" standard building code minimum and use a spark arresting roof cap. Depending on your roof pich and roof construction you will need a " boot " or " roof jack " with a storm collar, there are generarly 3-4 different pitch boots availble at your local hardware store or HVAC supply house. say you have a 6/12 pitch roof on your barn ( thats 6 " rise in 12" ) you will need a 6/12 to 8/12 boot. If you have a shingle roof remove a few of the shingles in the area you will be cutting a hole in, us a 1" spoon ( wood ) bit to drill a pilot hole and break out the sawzall, be sure to cut the hole 4-6 inches larger than the B-vent , depending on the spacing of your girders. Dont forget to remove any insulaton within 12". Slip the upper edge of the roof boot up under the lip of the shingles, apply liberal amouts of butyl rubber roof sealant/adhesive and attach with those self sealing washer head roofing screws. If you have A Tin roof ( safer ) just lay out your hole. Take a sharp edged flat blade screw driver , put the edge of it on to the tin roof and bash with a good sized hammer, once you have torn a hole large enouogh to get a pair of offset tin snips in to it simply snip out your hole , be careful of sharp edges ! Apply sealant and roofing screws as above. A quick tip on puting together snap lock pipe if you haven't done it before it can be a hassel, lay the pipe on the groung seam opening upwards Kneel over it at one end start the joint by pressing the "tab" into the "notch " secure with a vise-grip continue down the pipe pressing with your thumbs, you will hear the " snap " when it is properly seated, use a few sheet metal screws to secure the joint ( away from the ends). Also if you are putting up a long run of pipe keep in mind its mutch easier to screw the joints togeter on the ground than 18' in the air standing on your tippy-toes on top a ladder( verry unsafe ). As far as A plenum ( the thing above the fire that catches the smoke ) use a steel box or 55 gallon drum cut length-wise with some angle iron legs to support it above your Forge, you can buy a "wood stove" adapter ( a square-to-round fitting that you can attach your vent pipe to) use one size larger pipe than you think necessary, for a small forge 6" is the minimum, if in a enclosed area go 8" minimum. Hope this helps! Have fun and stay safe ! incase you were wondering I used to be a Local 9 HVAC sheetmetalworker ( AKA Tinknocker ) Till my car accident.

My point wasn't about the anular growth rings of the wood, but the shape of the handle. It should fit YOUR hand. My "drawing " wasn't that clear, I had to put the dashes ( that look like anular grrowth rings )because when you post to the forum the "code" dosen't recognise blank spaces. I had to put something in there. think of it this way : If you were to take a chunk of wet clay about the same size as a hammer handle, Give it a good squeeze till your thumb overlaps your index and pointer fingernails. Now look at the lump of clay, its a perfect mold of your hand ! Just get out your whittlin Knife and make an old hammer handle look like the same contour as that lump of clay you just squeezed. You might be plesantly surprised by how comfortable this is. :D

Something that I have found to reduce fatigue is a "livley " hammer handle, By that I mean flexible. Quartersawn red oak is good, laminated Bamboo is better ( think high quality fly-fishing rod ). Stiff handles tend to transmit the shock of the blow all the way up you arm. Think about the cross section of your hammer handles, its usualy round or a pregnant oval shape . Now hold your hand in front of the computer monitor , now make a fist like you are holding a "INVISIBLE HAMMER" do you see anywhere that is concave ? I didn't think so. So why are the hammer handles in the store big fat and round ? And why does it take a death grip to control them properly? I hand carve my hammer handles to a modified thin octagon shape, this keeps them from twisting in my grip and helps reduce fatigue, because I just gently close my hand around them . they look something like this: (Pardon my " drawing " ) ..............._____ ............./-------- .......... /----------- ...........|------------| ...........|------------| ...........|------------| ............----------/ ............. _____/ Of course you may find that a different style of handle suits you better , but if you are suffering this may help. Just because they sell hammer handles in the stores with a round profile, dosent mean it's the best shape for a hammer handle, all that means is that its cheaper to make them that way!!!!!!!!!! Bamboo and oak hammer handles in this octagon style are comercialy available for smaller hammers ( less than 3 lbs ) from www.japanwoodworker.com they also sell an awesome hand forged Japanese style blacksmith hammer with all of the weight concentrated forward in the head. this makes for almost effortless work. All you have to do is lift the hammer and aim the blow. Those of you with "blacksmith's elbow" might find this style of hammer a god-send. Well that's my $0.02 on hammer handles PS I just found this forum today, Glad to know it's here!