Tom Allyn

Can you elaborate on that?

Some sort of drift pin, perhaps? Does the tip come to a point like a nail or a blade like a chisel? Have you done a file test?

They don't cut as fast as coarse-grit sanding discs but they last longer and they grind and polish in one step. I keep some around.

Check Craigslist for drill presses. They're a dime a dozen (well not literally). Pass over all the home-store junk. Find an older industrial unit, even a benchtop unit is fine. They come up fairly often so keep your eyes open for a couple of weeks. Carbon steel can be drilled easily so long as you anneal it first. High speed steel bits will do fine if you take it SLOOOOOOW. And don't forget to use cutting fluid. For even better results try cobalt bits. They're not just coated like titanium bits are. You can sharpen your cobalt bits. And sharp cobalt bits will even drill stainless steel.

Maybe this will help. http://www.carbideprocessors.com/pages/brazing-carbide/brazing-tungsten-carbide.html And check out Weyger's book. He talks about silver soldering tungsten carbide tool tips.

Do I recall correctly that tungsten carbide can be brazed onto the tip of a tool? Perhaps you could cut some small pieces with your grinder and braze them onto the tips of some cutting tools, maybe lathe tools.

A 'dead' anvil can be indicative of an anvil with flaws in it. So you're right in asking about your anvil. But the proof is in the putting. Put some hot metal on it and bang away. Odds are you have a fine anvil there.

Your China anvil, with the RR track under it, should do pretty well - short term - for a few years. The anvil won't hold up over the long run. It's mounted about as well as it can be now. Living in the Northeast, I think you would be very likely to find some decent anvils at any local blacksmithing association or group. Look up your local chapter. Go to a few meetings and start asking around. If they hold conferences then go to those (your best bet). In the mean time work with what you have. Many work on far worse than that.

A piece of axle shaft like that would need to be used on end to be effective as an anvil. For that matter your RR track anvil might also be put to better use if turned on end. But heck yeah, I think a tractor axle should make a fine anvil. And at scrap prices I'd sure grab a few.

We've had good luck with Bosch grinders in construction, better than DeWalt or Ridgid. I like the ones with the deadman triggers. I have an old 60's vintage Black & Decker 7" grinder. All metal, no plastic. That thing is a brute. It'll about break your wrist if you're not careful. I had to put new brushes and a trigger in it a few years back but it's still humming right along. Never tried a Metalbo. I guess I need to.

Those tongs are nothing to be ashamed of. To come up with serviceable tongs out of scrap rebar is an achievement.

Those are excellent first efforts. Much better than I fared my first time at the fire.

That's great. Sounds like a productive day. I'd like to see pictures of your anvil and vise stands. And even the rebar tongs, too!

Why the duct tape hiding the table? Is it cracked?

Stone hammer.

It's probably worth 20 times that just as scrap.

Perhaps if you bolted the lower handle of said bolt cutters to a short plank they would be easier to use. The lower jaw could be forged into a dish shape to hold the nut while the upper jaw, perhaps forged like a straight peen, does the cracking. Of course the lower jaw in a pair of bolt cutters need to be able to move a bit. But if you secured the end of the handle to the plank with a pivot pin and captured the front of the lower handle in a fork then I think you'd have something. Go check out the motion of a bolt cutter to see what I mean. Observe what happens when you try to pin down one handle.

Maybe you could forge new 'nutcracker jaws' for a pair of bolt cutters. Otherwise I guess it's hammers. http://new.yankeemagazine.com/article/hard-nut-crack

I did something similar for my first anvil. One thing I'd suggest is cutting the wood down a little shorter than the RR rail. Gets the wood out of the way.

We're scavengers at heart.

Mine is a pair of 6x14 Douglas Fir beam ends that are nailed and strapped together. The strapping was donated by the local lumber yard.

She's a beaut! Give us a bigger picture.

I'd like to see that, Eric.

I'd forgotten about that. And I just noticed a closeout special on misc. brass down at the hardware store. Gotta get back down there tomorrow.

After a little more research I've found that they are both indeed Indestro ratchets.