Nathan Hall

If you cant get the steel workable, and the other things mentioned have failed, then you could always stop by your local machine shop and have them pop the holes in real quick, nothing a carbide end mill couldnt handle fairly easy id say, and unless they are just covered up busy, which no shop in the country is these days, then it shouldnt cost much at all, Id guess between 10-20 bucks tops for two small holes in something as thin as a knife handle, if you have a cheap source you can actually put a carbide spotter drill, or a ball nosed endmill in a drill and do a servicable job with out a mill if you had too.

It is a two horse motor, I was kinda thinking of putting a step pulley system in play as well, the combo of the pulleys and the speed control should make for a pretty adjustable machine I think. I cant wait to start building it, but alas I have a few loose ends on other projects to tie up first and the annual spring cleaning and yearly equipment maint. knocking on the door so id say i have a few weeks to think on it before I get started. Thank you very much for the info its been very helpful, and great pics of yours as well. Ill get some pics of mine up as soon as I get started on it, well if the gallery deal is working by then anyway

I scored an older treadmill motor today, which im thinking would be great for this as it has a speed control with it. Would that be a feature that is worth having or am I over thinking this?

Also if you live near any Amish you may ask them, after I finally located stores near me that carried it, I was speaking to an Amish neighbor of mine and he had a truck load in his back yard, turns out many of them heat with it, and he was buying in bulk from a co-op............. guess I should have started with the neighbors first

I dont know about where you live, but the best source of coal around me is either the co-op, or a heating store a few towns over, its not per-say blacksmithing coal, and I have to break it up a bit, but its all that is available with out ordering from the web, I just searched the yellow pages for HVAC places till I found one that sold wood stoves and they happened to carry coal as well, before I found those places I was actually using Hard Wood Charcoal I was buying at walmart, they had it in a red bag and I think it was labeled Lump Charcoal or something like that, but whatever the name it was actuall pieces of real hard wood charcoal.......... by the way coal is tons better in regards to heat and how long it last. I could be way off on this, but I actually still use charcoal to start my forge with as well, I have one of those chimney starters and light a bit in it to begin my fire, then add coal.

Holy crap................ I have a set of shop made shooting silhouettes I would let go for half that, since they aint vintage. But only because I am trying to raise money for the Monkey Tea-Pot

They also threw in four of the railroad plates, sorry I dont know actuall name, but the flat pieces that the rail rides on. not sure what to do with those yet, but no way was I turning it down

I have noticed in my part of the country, that since some of the shows like american picker, and pawns pros, have come on that just about everyone thinks they have a priceless artifact hanging around the old milking parlor. Some Im sure do, but the price of good old junk has gone way up. I did luck into a heck of a deal the other day though, well atleast I think it was.......... I got five old 10lb sledge heads, two axe heads, and a wooden ammo crate with around seventy old railroad spikes for fifty bucks.......... when I was leaving the guys wife said if I like old rusty junk I should grab the old plow parts they had too..... they gave them too me for buying the rest............ I was on cloud nine for two days!!!!

Looks great. I will be welding mine as well, and I thank you very much for the info. The contact wheels seem to be about the most expense from what ive seen so far, but after seeing one of these at work durring a hammer-in this summer I beleive they are well worth the time and money

Hey, I am getting ready to start building a clone, would love any advice on parts sources, and potential problems I may run into. So if anyone has built one and don't mind sharing there exp. it would be greatly appreciated

I agree with Zig, far easier to find apprentice programs in related fields, I went that route and became a Journeyman Tool-Maker, and am now working as a mill-wright. The knowledge I gained working as a tool-maker has been invaluable in my smithing. If you are having a hard time finding smithing specific classes, maybe look at taking some welding classes, everything you learn from a good welding program will be of great value to you.

Im new to this so I hope im posting correctly here, but I feel your pain on finding a good anvil, I have been a day late on craigslist for last six months, but I love to hammer so in the mean time Ive done a few things towards the homemade anvil route. I know a real anvil is best, but anything is always better than nothing, so go for it and start enjoying while you seacrh for a better. I have a feeling that ten years from now I will still be looking for the "next upgrade"