MJ Hofbauer

In regards to the KMG, it actually started out as a DIY project thru a wishlist of features by various guys. Rob is actually very approachable by people wishing to build their own and will answer questions people have. Not to mention sells the harder to come by parts. I just have a Grizzly, heh -MJ

You should have a certain amount of play utilizing the tensioner. Plus you always have the option many shops go with in making your own blades. Just purchase a spool of blade, then braze/weld the length you need (Also handy if you need to make an inside cut on a piece). You can also check thru the different possible manufacturers listed on OWWM and possibly could find your model + info. OWWM Like most, they were made by multiple manufacturers and rebranded. So might take some searching. -MJ

Duck, something about that screams to me its for some sort of casting. Just out of curiousity, is there any holes on the inside opposite the center square channel? If so I think it's upside down, that would be a pouring ramp, the two holes on either side would be sprue holes for excess material pouring out. If so, I'd recommend trading/selling it off as apposed to using it for a forging shape. As it would probably be more appreciated in the hands of an amateur caster for the purpose it was intended for. -MJ

The 2x72" deal is good if you are looking to just get a good flat surface or grind off scale on bar stock (ie. for making strips to do damascus/pattern-welded steel), if you want to do any precision grinding you want to use the stones. Reason being you can't run a single point dresser across the belt in parallel with the with the bed so you'll be limited to the flatness of the contact wheel and belts. Alot of the people on the forums don't really need that precision and the belts safe money and time. I only mention it for those that might need the precision and don't realize the difference. (For instance, you want stones if you were grinding folding knife parts) -MJ

tbrforge; oh, definately the route to go... sorry I should have elaborated this... I don't want to pay the cost of having all my gage blocks cert'd regularly, so instead I send off one or two (right now I'm having one solid carbide 1/2" from a scherr tumico set done) then calibrate everything off of that... plan to use the millimess for comparative readings to calibrate the other blocks which then are used for the mics/etc in other ranges. And yeah it's overkill, especially since my home isn't fully climate controlled, etc I just like it, and it goes well with my OCPD -MJ

The smallest reading indicator I have is a millimess comparator which reads in .00002" Strange, I haven't used it yet. Hey, it was free! I plan on using it for calibrating gauge blocks and other gear I have. -MJ

Hmm, when you add a Scanning Tunnelling Electron microscope and full metrology lab to your smithy? P.S. there ARE DIY Electron Microscope sites on the web for anyone feeling really ambitious. Rahmenlayout Schler STM Homepage

1 and 2 are the Milling attachment for the lathe. Usually sell on eBay for 200-300 bucks or more depending on condition. Since I had a milling machine, and not alot of cash I sold the one I had with my Southbend for $275. -MJ

To IronFist and Mende, Don't think someone is currently working on a scheme for an End-Use License for the above. More and more items are starting to go along that route, or require ID/signing for (like various chemicals, etc) because they could possibly, with 6 other things, and a variety of equipment, be used for, bad stuff. Heck I have to sign for my Claritin-D(little TM thingy) because someone can use an active ingredient in it to make Meth. What the gov't wants is enough interconnection between all businesses and a large enough database system that every transaction that ever takes place can be recorded and analyzed to determine potential uses/misuses of the items by the purchaser. -MJ Seperate rant, considering how much Claritin-D costs, can someone really make much money after processing to convert it to Meth? Personally I'm wondering if buying Meth and converting it to C-D wouldn't be cheaper ;)

As far as storing in the closed position there is even more reason not to. Any temp changes will cause the metals to expand/contract and if the spindle expands or the frame contracts more then the other the frame could warp. While one can easily zero out a micrometer, a bent frame is like to cause the anvil and spindle face to no longer be parallel. Not easy to correct, and not easy to identify (if its just a couple thousanths) without an optical flat. -MJ

You can still find good deals on eBay but you need to know how to look for them... One way is like Aaron said... Another is location specific items that are heavy/local pickup only... I stay away from any tools that could be deemed as collectible on eBay... -MJ

I had seen this posted locally a few weeks ago (Might still be available) Don't know if this is what you are looking for, granted you are slightly too far for local pickup, but maybe the model info will help. And perhaps someone else on the forum would be interested in this one. Nuvo Mark 5 Oxygen Concentrator -MJ

Bruce, a Fisher of that style was just on (maybe still) the Bay. I asked a few people and no one was sure what the design was for with the large inset on it. Perhaps you could enlighten me/others? Sweet anvil regardless! -MJ

This is a good post, though no matter how hard you try you won't end the "Hey, I just joined and I need all the info on how to do this in this thread" posts. Glenn's policy of responding with a polite link to the start BP's is a great way to handle it though. I've seen it for years on the forums. To give some perspective for anyone just joining. I consider myself new, though I do hope under Rich's definition I'd qualify for one of the upper ranks of that classification While I have, my whole life, been experienced working with nearly every material other then iron/steel about 5-6 years ago I became interested in knifemaking, and smithing as a result. The first thing I did was spend probably 2 years searching the web and reading what I could available on the forums. I then asked a smith if I could visit his shop, which I did a several times to learn. For various health and financial reasons the hands-on experience sorta stopped shortly after (I've discussed some of which with people in chat, though not all and I'll leave it at that). So I went back to reading and talking with people. As an example, on one knife forum's knifemaker section there is nearly 30k threads (not individual posts in a thread, but threads total!). If you were to read 1 hour a night, averaging 30 seconds per thread, you would be there for 250 nights. I've read probably 40+ books on the subject of blacksmithing and a few on the subject of knifemaking. I've spent the past several years in chatrooms with various noteworthy knifemakers and smiths. When someone asks me what I plan to make I say knives and tools predominately. All that being said and the fact I actually have forged a knife when I finally have my smithy built and my forge going it'll be awhile before I am working on another blade. Instead of my tool steels, I'll be grabbing the hot/cold rolled stock I got sitting around and forging stands and other accoutrements for the shop as well bobbles and trinkets for friends and family. I don't say all this to discourage anyone but to say, but to slow down and look around first, if you take a bit of time (perhaps not as much as me ) you'll avoid alot of pitfalls that will discourage you. In fact, I do recommend getting to the forge as soon as possible, as others have said nothing beats experience. But do take the time to read search and read the beginners info posted on sites like this one. I always recommend reading them (As with anything) with a grain of salt as you'll see there are different ways and eventually you'll learn what works best for you. I also don't feel Rich's point was a, please be quiet and only talk when you have experience. I think the regulars (which includes Rich) quite welcome talking with the new users it's just as has been said, it becomes a waste to explain how to do something really advanced just to watch them give up and quit after a couple months after frustration kicks in. You don't join a welding forum and start by saying, hey I want to scratch-build my own motorcycle, can someone tell me how to weld? I often lurk on a forum for months or years before joining. Including here, I joined at the advice of a friend and I still tend to stick to only posting answers to simple questions or more socializing threads. I also enjoy socializing in the chat, which again I never felt that the experienced smiths had a Members-Only attitude in. (Least I hope no one's felt I didn't belong, heh) Why I mentioned you'll never do away with said beginner posts is having read thru a dozen forums archives over several years. At least once a week there was probably one of said posts. From the, "Where do I start" post, to the "I have a lawnmower blade I want to make into a Katana, do I need to heat it?" to one of everyones favorites "What's the best steel to make a knife?" Looking at the length of this post, perhaps I should give a condensed what-to-do. Take your time and start with forging easy projects and goals. Read everything you can, here, on other forums and books. Make friends with smiths online and in your area. And stick to it! We all get frustrated, the only way to accomplish anything is to not give up. And that's why I joined this thread, to show you, after all the time it's taken me I didn't give up. You can survive delays of a few weeks. -MJ

I typically refrain from joining in on a 'wow' thread, but I really do like that... As has been said, the design is so simple yet elegant. Nice work. -MJ