knots

In most jurisdictions you can build an outbuilding, which is not intended to be inhabited/lived in, without a permit. My recollection is that the maximum size exempted from permitting requirements is around 150 square feet. However jurisdictions do vary. I suggest that you go online and check for both State and local building codes. Many times the Building Codes will be posted on line. After you think you know what the requirements are verify them with whatever jurisdiction is responsible for enforcement. You will need to build on a good foundation if you intend to finish the building out. Frost heave will be a problem if you don't set the foundation to a depth below frost line. Building movement due to frost heave can spoil dry wall joints and more. If you are in snow country make the roof pitch as steep as you can. A few years back I built a small outbuilding. I built it with a stout gable roof on it. Rafter space is good storage. You can never have to much of that. Also in a small building gable windows add a lot of natural light. If you want to avoid deep foundations look into pole buildings. There is a lot of information on line on this kind of construction. Good luck. Happy forging. PS - You could do an end grain floor in a pole building if you use ground contact treated timber around the perimeter. There is the issue of moisture to deal with. The details would need to be carefully considered.

Shish Skewers. Use 3/16"square stock. Included is the jig to form the loop. These go really fast. Cooks love them.

Thanks Matt. Elegantly simple solution

I don't have a copy of Anvils in America. Well yes - Pattern welding. But I was thinking of pattern welding being in a class of it's own. I do know that old wood working tools often were forged from mild steel with forge welded high carbon steel inserts at the cutting edges. The cutting edges of axes were frequently forged with edge inserts. I guess steel faces forge welded to wrought iron bodies and shear blades are the other examples of true laminating that I can think of. Today examples range from armor plate to cooking pots and on to bimetal saw blades, electric switch components,

How did Fisher fuse their anvil face plates to their Cast Iron bodies ? What would you call the process ? What are other examples of "old technology" metal lamination ?

Bar Gong or Pan Gong ? I assume bar gong. I wouldn't think that a bar gong would be a problem. Pan gong in that shape sounds pretty iffey unless it is really big. What size? Years ago Scientific American had an article on bells and gongs. I will look to see if I still have a copy.

For pavers on grade ( on the ground ) for interior locations the recommended installation consists of : A layer of graded crushed stone about 4" thick. The stone needs to be sieve graded to consist of moderately sized stones without fines and stone dust. This creates a open bedding which resists wicking moisture from the ground up to the bottom of the pavers. A vapor barrier consisting of polyethylene sheet. Use the heaviest sheet that you can find. In some jurisdictions building codes have specific requirements for thickness. Generally 8 mil poly is Ok. This vapor barrier is laid directly over the drainage fill. A layer/bed of sand or fine crushed stone for setting the paver. I have used as little as 1 1/2", 3" is recommended. Pavers of your choice. Your crushed stone is a good start. If it is not graded as drainage fill, that is OK just add to it. Avoid raising the floor above the level of any wood construction unless it is treated for ground contact. Good Luck

Setting pavers in a sand bed can be a bit of a pain. The main problem is that once the sand is in place and leveled you cannot walk on the sand bed without displacing the sand and spoiling your leveling work. Which of course you can repair, but at the expense of time. The pro's use a fine grade of crushed stone for the finish setting bed layer. They level the fine crushed stone ( Basically screened to max pea size with additional fines, No. 10 I think, ask your local supplier). Compact the crushed stone with a motorized flat plate compactor to form a dense flat surface ready to receive pavers. This surface is very dense and can be walked on during the paver installation. I have used this method to set brick, concrete and stone pavers however see no reason it wouldn't work equally well for wood block pavers. If I understand - The intent is to use rough sawn timbers to cut the blocks from. If so, you cannot assume that the blocks will all be of uniform size since the dimensions of rough sawn timber are frequently less than consistent from timber to timber, and even within a single timber. The timbers can also be sawn out of square. Just be aware that slight variations of paver block dimensions can result in a cumulative error causing the floor pattern to be thrown out of alinement. This is not to say RS timbers should not be used, just to be prepared for some puzzle work, and block trimming. Sweeping sand into the spaces between the blocks will stabilize the pavers so rough joints should not be a problem unless visual perfection is desired.

I have my 248 pound Brooks set on a 3/4" thick disk of plywood which is bedded into sand contained in a stainless steel vat that just happened to be the right size. This arrangement works OK except that after a couple of days forging the anvil begins to list (lean) away from me. As it turn out it is easy enough to rotate the vat and then the anvil in the vat to correct this. This arrangement has dampened the ring dramatically but not to the THUNK stage. From my experience I would have thought that setting the anvil directly on sand would result in the anvil quickly rolling or tilting and being in general unstable under heavy use. I am generally satisfied with the result of my plywood disk/sand/vat anvil stand but with hindsight would probably use a loamy clay with an inch or so of sand to top it off instead of all sand. I think that would be likely to provide the deadening without the movement.

I played with it some more and got the L3 to L1 voltage to 240v (unloaded) . One more 50 mf cap should balance the RPC (unloaded) . Having gotten that far I started the machine up. The motor runs without excessive bearing noise. I had rewired the machine from 480v to 240v . That conversion seems to be ship shape Before I use the machine, or proceed further with balancing, I need to install a magnetic on/off switch. The mill is a Gorton MasterMill built in 1958/59. Built in oiler, mechanical quill power feed, x axis table power feed. NT 30 spindle. The power feed for the table is interesting in that the feed motor is 3 phase, with variable feed accomplished by introducing a variable DC current into the dive motor rotor winding. The DC current rectifier uses vacuum tubes. The table is a little rough but he ways are in really great shape.

I think I saw one like that in a movie a few years back. Oh yeah- maybe MAD MAX.

Actually I have not checked the readings under load. I was aiming to get the voltages a bit closer before connecting to and running my new/old mill . The voltage is within 8% so it will probably be OK. I have heard of others running their RPC's with no capacitors and no problems reported. I also expect just running the mill without a milling load will not tell me to much. Is that a correct assumption ? Thanks

Artist - Thanks for your response. I never heard of that one before. How would they be wired - In parallel ? Is there literature - If so where ? Probably only academic, because additional capacitors are cheap, but I am interested anyway.

I just completed wiring a 5 HP rotary phase converter . I now need to balance the voltage between L1, L2, & L3. My line voltage is 250 volts at the outlet. With my current capacitor configuration L1 to L2 = 250v, L1 to L3= 225v, L2 to L3 = 225v. I was hoping to balance the legs to within say 10 volts however before proceeding with the balancing I need to buy more capacitors. Has any one here built and balanced a RFD ? Any comments and observations will be appreciated since this is breaking new ground for me. For instance - is there a procedure used to balance or is random substitutions of capacitors until balance is achieved the usual approach ?

There may be more to head bobbing or other body movements associated with hammering than random affectations or just bad technique. I am not a head bobber. However I do use my body, acting with the hammer's rebound off of the anvil, to overcome the hammer's inertia on the upward swing. I started this practice when my families genetic endowment of of arthritic joints began to affect my wrist. My body motion is more like a slight body bow. That is, my head does not nod but moves with my body. Once the hammer is moving up, rebounding from the anvil, all of the power raising the hammer is provided by my body first and then my arm until at the middle of my upward swing my wrist, aided by the hammer's upward inertia, begins to move and finish the upward swing. This seems to reduce the stress on my wrist in the lower part of the up swing. I doubt that I am alone my attempts to find ways to compensate for the results of the aging process . It may well be that there are other better ways to compensate than the one I have found. If so I would dearly love to give them a try. In the mean time I have been following the Hofi thread with interest. The truth of the matter is that no mater what other tooling you have there is just no substitute for the hammer/anvil marriage . I am well into my seventh decade yet feel that it is way to early to give them up.

Posted on January 20, 2011 "I FORGE IRON BLACKSMITHING CONFERENCE After a decade online, I Forge Iron announced it’s first blacksmithing conference which will be held May 19th-22nd at Cedar Lakes Conference Center in Ripley, West Virginia. The Blacksmithing Conference will be featuring Mark Aspery and Brian Brazeal. Mark is the author of Skills of Blacksmithing as well as the editor for ABANA’s publications. Brian is fresh off his North American tour where he has been demonstration proper technique as well as tool creation and maintenance. Additional presenters from the community and local blacksmithing groups will be running classes throughout the weekend."

I agree with Tom, however if there is no other option ramping it out safely can be done. My picture shows the set-up I used when moving my MasterMill into my shop. The part of the machine in the trailer weighed 2400 pounds. I lifted the trailer tongue to match the ramp angle I wanted. Double chocked the wheels, and bolted 4 x 4's ramp timbers to ledger provided on the back of the trailer for this purpose. In order for the machine to be made stable at the ramp angle it was bolted to multiple layers of 3/4" which had been screwed together to form a base. The machine was lagged to that base. This arrangement provides a large enough base, projecting more to the ramp side, to make the top heavy machine stable at the ramp angle. If rollers are used to ramp the machine out it needs to be restrained from rolling with a come along to control the movement down the ramp. The ramp must be secured to the trailer . I moved this machine off of my trailer and into my shop without this assistance using this set up and come-alongs. Pipe rollers rollers were not placed under the machine until it was on the shop floor. It is not easy but it can be done. By all means use a big loader or fork lift if at all possible.

I keep normally transport my machines vertically . If you have a machine at both ends of the move that can lift this machine I would secure the base against sliding around by picture framing the base with 2x6's with ends wedged against the trailer sides. Alternatively bolt it to the trailer floor if that is not an issue with the trailer owner. I will then normally use 2x6's clamped to the top of the trailer sides to brace the machine against tipping. Then strap it all down good and tight. If a machine is not available to unload it, I generally will laminate 2 or 3 layers of 3.4" plywood together to form a base . About 3 x 4', and lag or bolt the machine to that base. That will provide a a more stable base if you plan to ramp and roll using pipes as rollers. Unloading with ramps can be pretty tricky. When ramping out of a trailer be sure the wheels are chocked on both sides of the wheel . I will normally use my loader and a ball to lift the trailer tongue up so that the trailer bed becomes part of the ramp. Secure any ramping to the trailer ! (Movers once dropped one of my heavy machines when the ramp they were using slipped off of the truck bed. ) Luckily no one was underneath the machine when it landed. Moving something like your Little Giant is serious business. If you make a mistake the consequences can be terminal. Work slow, keep clear of the down side of the move, don't try to move your machine if it looks or feels in any way insecure or awkward. Spend time on your set-up for loading and unloading. Safety First !!!!

Weld Fusion/Penetration: When I first started welding using MIG welders I had troubles with failed welds. I quickly learned that you cannot depend on your MIG welding machine to cut through mill scale on the surface of the work piece, and provide penetration into and fusion with the metal below. Over time, experience and research revealed the preparation procedures that I now use whenever I weld. They are as follow: GRIND OR BRUSH THE WELD AREA CLEAN: Dependable welds cannot be consistently achieved without good cleaning preparation of weld areas. IF A GOOD STRUCTURAL WELD IS REQUIRED GRIND BEVELS TO PROVIDE GOOD PENETRATION INTO THE WORK PIECES. IF A YOU GRIND YOUR WELD TO BLEND OR MATCH THE WORK PIECE PROFILE OR SHAPE, GRIND A BEVEL FOR GOOD PENETRATION. If this is not done, when the welded joint is ground, most of the weld will be lost leaving a weak joint. SELECT THE WIRE SIZE TO MATCH THE WELD SIZE: Fusion at the root of a weld is influenced by wire size The time the arc is held or dwells on the weld without excessive weld metal build up will effect the quality of the weld at it's root. Select a wire size that will allow you to see the fusion and degree of penetration as it occurs. A smaller size wire will give you a bit more time to weld deep into the root of the weld joint. I call this dwell time. Use small wire for small work pieces. ADJUST SHIELDING GAS FLOW, WIRE FEED RATE , AND WELDING AMPERAGE AS RECOMMENDED BY THE MANUFACTURER OF YOUR WELDER. BE SURE THAT YOUR WELD WORK PIECE IS PROPERLY GROUNDED. If your wire fails to strike an an arc, check your ground. If your arc is unstable or doesn't sound right, check your ground. It is a good idea to purchase a good quality cast bronze grounding cable clamp to replace the stamped sheet metal clamp shipped with most welders. Both powered by 220 volts. However neither of my two welders are big machines. They are: an older Millermatic 35, 150 Amp @ 60% duty cycle, Millermatic 185, 150 Amps @ 60 % duty cycle. I run >030 wire in the MM35, and .023 wire in the MM185. I have had good results with my MIG welds since I started following these rules. The picture below shows last winter's project, my 4x8 heavy tandem trailer. It's maiden voyage was a trip to HGR Industrial Surplus in Euclid Ohio to pick up my Gorton MasterMill. Since then I have also moved a power hammer and loads of other stuff. All of the welds were made with my ancient MillerMatic 35.

I use the corn huskers and steal a bit of the Neutrogena every night form my wife's supply. When cracking starts I also use Burts Bees Hand Salve as suggested by Marksnagel. This winter's cracking event was brought on by finishing the chore of putting fire wood up for the winter. Last year it was fabricating my tandem trailer. I only use the glue when things get to the point of bleeding and throbbing . Bentiron, so it works for de-clawing cats ! My original logic for it's use was that surgeons use glue. I bet they buy theirs at Home Depot as well. Next event I plan to try the Teat salve. Old N Rusty, Heat treating hands ? HMM - What is the critical temperature and quench medium ? Do you need to anneal or normalize first ?

Francis - I had a look at Clay's "system". Yes, lots of good tooling. Thanks for the reference, and thanks to Brian for the link. I really do not see a conflict . I use spring swages, and snappers. These approaches are not mutually exclusive. Why not take advantage of these and other systems as well . Why not take advantage of all available options. I like having more than one way to perform a given task.

Francis - I would like to see some pictures of your fixtures and system. It is always interesting and educational to see alternative solutions.

Hey FE - Sorry - I think you misunderstood. It was not my intent to imply that you were being disagreeable about anything. I simply meant that I do not take issue with anything that works. I will try to be a better communicator . Milling your dies flat and working from there seems like a good plan. In fact the shorter holder dies would preserve the stroke length rather than shorten it. That would be a good thing. Sorry for the confusion.

Hi John - Yes I have three sizes of twisting wrenches for square stock made from old monkey wrenches. They work really well because the wrench face is wider than modern wrenches. At least on mine they are.