henerythe8th

I have the potential to land a boring/repetitive/non-blacksmithing metal fab job in which I need to cut about 6000 pieces of 5/8 diameter round stainless steel. I am thinking that a shear of some sort is the right tool. I am willing to purchase a tool/machine for the job. The pieces need to have little to no burr/distortion... ...any ideas? Thanks, Henry

When I started looking around, it became pretty obvious pretty quick that my local LP gas dealer was the right place, generally speaking to buy all of that stuff. You can look around on ebay, buy parts and pieces from here and there via the internet, etc. . . By the time you get everything together via that route you'll likely adapt up and down to get all of your stuff to work together... ...if you go to your LP dealer with a photo or schematic of what you're trying to do, you'll likely leave with a "plug and play" setup... Saves time/frustration, likely a wash $-wise, have a "clean" setup, and you kept your money local, too... My opinion... Henry

Spoke with someone at the ABANA conference about this tool and he thought from my description that it was a tool used for joining to pieces of roof deck of a commercial building under construction... who knows for sure?

Haven't made anything but a spike knife (letter opener), yet... ...but I am a knife appreciator, and that is one fine looking knife that looks to be of a very functional design that "feels good in the hand"... ...wish I could hold it! H

Okay boys & girls, Lets follow Glenn's advice and "ignore" the situation, or follow our kindergarten teachers advice and try the "don't say anything if you don't have anything nice to say" approach for a bit and see what happens... bbb, as far as the shop vac thing goes, rivergazer is not making things up, your calcs may be spot on, but they are being advertised as 6.5hp! Check out the following link. http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS/EN_US/diy_main/pg_diy.jsp?CNTTYPE=PROD_META&CNTKEY=Products_2%2fAppliances%2fVacuums+%26+Extractors%2fWet-Dry+Vacs&BV_SessionID=@@@@0615461939.1152543097@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccceaddififellgcgelceffdfgidgkj.0&MID=9876 Yeah, I know it's tough to bite your tongue--I have fallen victim to my loose tongue more than once! Rivergazer, a bit of advice, if you care to hear any... Remove "Rivergazer" from this forum--then come back--as say "humbleguy I" and start with a different approach. Don't claim any amazing powers or abilities and ask/share realistic questions relative to your skill set and I'll bet that you'll have a lot better time and get more productive responses from the folks around here. Sincerely, Henry

You may find, depending on what you need these cones for that it may be easier to cut sheet and form them from flat sheet and rivet or weld them together... ...just a thought, without knowing what you need them for... henry

...a simple physics experiment might lend some insight... Let's not make this too complicated, though... say you have a piece of 1/2 round bar at a nice forging heat and you are holding it "out in the air" and strike it with a hammer, what amount of work is done to the bar? intuitively, very little right? the bar will have the kinetic energy of the hammer transferred to it and one of two things has to happen--the energy is transferred or work is done (which is really a transfer of energy, too) since we don't figure much work is done the kinetic energy of the hammer is transferred to the bar and whatever is holding the bar. now take the same "work ready bar" and have an assistant hold out an 8# sledge in the air--using the same hammer with the same velocity and the sledge as an anvil--I would figure that more work would be done on the bar, correct me if you disagree... more of the kinetic energy of the hammer will be devoted to "work" (deformation of the bar) because there is a reaction at the face of the sledge in that it takes a lot more energy to accelerate that mass (remember that the user is supporting the face of the sledge in the air via the handle and that person will also have energy transferred to them) Likewise, with a larger AND better supported anvil more energy can be transformed into work. So as anvil size increases more theoretical work can be perfomed on it. Here is where it all goes south, kind of... If the anvil, of whatever size, is supported WELL by a stand (...and the stand by the floor, and the floor by the fill/foundation, and the foundation by the earth, etc.) and the kinetic energy of the hammer blow is attempting to accelerate the earth (the planet) then the work done by the blow is maximized. Now, examine the great anvil and stand in irnsrgn's post, and consider attempting to use it while being supported by a peat bog, or a piece of foam rubber, or on springs; and the anvil will be isolated (partially) from the mass of the earth and the amount of work performed on the piece will be diminished. I think that the size of the anvil is not really as relevant as whether or not the anvil is well supported. How well supported? I think that irnsrgn has made a convincing argument that a stand can be light enough and "strong" enough all at the same time. Seeing everyone else has an opinion, there's mine, too...

I'll post a photo soon... Have a hollow ?steel--it is magnetic? ball about 5 inches in diameter (guess) that isn't perfectly round--has a slight bulge around midsection--apparently mold joint line or something. Guessing centrifically formed...

that is obviously a brazil nut cracker! Those things have terrible hard shells... ...no really, that's got to develop a lot of force with those long handles and gearing... a specialty tool for farm machinery or equipment? What sorts of "industry" are in your neck of the woods?

Rick, You probably already realize that the hole will be eliptical but is not really that critical. I've known folks that got all up tight about making the hole precise... If you're "one of them" a couple of methods come to mind. One of the simplest is to get a helper to hold the pipe plumb, centered over the hole to be and trace with a "long pencil" around the perimeter. The slope of your roof may mean that you need a pencil that is longer than normal... you can stick a pencil into a piece of tubing and to extend it. H

great video start to finish sure would be nice to know what they're saying though...

I'm not sure if this is where Strine is going or not, and/or whether the aussies are doin' it or not... ...some/most of the Europeans use a comma instead of a period for a "decimal point"... H the 8th

Jens, I think that you might be on to something... The water in a pail concept is not a bad one and could easily be used with the rest of the "dust collector" system ... In actuality, there would be little to no need for the dust collection portion of the system... You could now locate the blower/vacuum source in the rafters, equipment room, or outside. Plumb the rest of the system as you would for a dust collection system similar to that in a woodworking shop and have either one movable "water filter" or several stationary ones. The idea being intake comes in below water level, say 6-10 inches from the bottom of a small ring top drum (picture grease drum from the quicky-lube joint:rolleyes: ). The vacuum source would be plumbed vertically into the top of the drum with enough vertical distance to ensure that the water does'nt bubble/splash up into the intake... Is this craziness? or should we continue with the concept? I am thinking that it could be used as a weld fume filter and all sorts of stuff... H the 8th

Here is a link to one I've been using for quite a while. Never found an error. download to your desktop, then don't have to connect to the 'net to convert... Not saying it's better, it might not be... it's good and it's free... Henerythe8th http://joshmadison.net/software/convert/ duh? I hate it when that happens...

Rick & others, Check out McMaster-Carr item 7503T5. This is NOT the only place to buy these, but convenient for web search sake. If you place 'mcmaster' in a search or url line you'll get their page then search for that part number, you'll see what I was talking about before. I found what I needed at the local woodstove shop when I inquired re: metal roof... I think the one that I have is black, McM says theirs is grey... as far as the hole is concerned--tin snips, sawzall, plasma cutter? easy on the plaz, likely a pain to pack up there anyway, hah! Your "batting" is just fiberglass with a layer of plastic, eh?--razor knife or scissors... Be aware that most of this "stuff" is heat sensitive, except that fiberglass insulation, and that you need to isolate that heat or risk fire. Keep in mind that the base of that rubber flashing is going to "shrink" when you form it over the ridges in your roof "tin" and keep that hole as small as practical. As stryder says--it's best to get the support kit and graded/cert'd pipe from the rafter/ceiling level up. Likely, you'll locate the support box and go up from there. Easiest to use a plumb bob from the bottom of the roof down to the center of the support, mark, then punch a screw, ice pick, awl, etc UP through the roof. Go up there and then layout and cut from above. Remember that even a slight pitch on a metal roof can be SLICK. A bit of dust and or oxidized paint on that metal and you have a slip and side with a NASTY ENDING.:cry: I've thought of placing a "normal" metal flashing over the rubber one to protect it but we have some heavy wind around here sometimes and I'm afraid it might make matters worse... Don't mean to ramble, Henry

What sort of roof material do you have? Is there a plywood or other wooden deck below the roofing material? It can be a real PITA to get a seal if you are penetrating a metal roof (eg. delta rib form), but I found a great product that will get you there. It is a rubber flashing with a dead soft aluminum banding around the edge that can be formed over the ridges and through the valleys. Your safest bet is to probably use a graded chimney system with support box from your "ceiling" on up. That diameter is likely going to be expensive... My 2 cents... I can probably find more info if you need it. Let me know...

The Shop...

Leah, Your father was obviously proud. Everyone has to go sometime, it sounds like he passed as most of us wish ours could. Your ma will likely have a bit of a tough go for a while. I don't know you, but from what you said in your message regarding tears, your mother may feel too proud to cry, too. Tears are not a bad thing... Tears do not imply weakness... Tears can be cried for many reasons... Your ma may need someone to cry with her... Don't be afraid to be that someone. Best wishes, Henry

Nolano, When I bought my anvil, there was discussion regarding anvil stands. See http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/showthread.php?t=830 So far I like my "box of stand" it adds a fair amount of mass, fill is not expensive, had the steel sheet... overall, I don't think that it's a bad method, plus I can weld tool holders, etc. to it. some day I'll quit working 65-70 hour weeks at my "paying" job and get to spend more time in my shop... Henry

Chris, Where do you live/work? Henry

Chris, My wife and I will also be going. I'll PM you in a moment. Henry

I'm not sure I understand what you're saying, Ralph... Sometimes when we write, it makes perfect sense, probably because we have a mental picture of what we're describing, that's why a picture is worth a thousand words... Do you have a 4 foot diameter piece of plate? Going to weld a 3-inch coupler to the plate and then a 3-inch flange to attach the top end of the vise? The plan for mine was to weld a small "table top" of 1/2-inch thick plate to the top of the 4" SQ tube and weld a stub of the right sized pipe (3/4 or 1 inch) to the base for the bottom of the vice leg to be held by.

Posted similar prior to the BIG CRASH... Bought some steel at the scrap yard a week or so back, thought I was on my way to a GREAT start on my post vise stand... What I have is a piece of 3/4 plate about 24 X 36 with a 4'' SQ tube welded to the center, welded to the 4SQ and plate are 4 gussets (1/4 plate). When I got it cut to approximately the right height, I stood it on the concrete floor and determined that the plate is warped from all of the weld, it rocks like mad! Any ideas on how to ''get it back''? I don't think that my small (110v) wire feed will pour enough heat into that plate to pull it back. It's obviously too big to place in my forge/furnace... Suppose that a big propane weed burner torch would put enough heat into it that I could give it a smack or three with a sledge and get the rock out of it? Also considering welding three or four large (1 1/2 in diameter) ball bearings to the bottom of it, one of which would be placed directly under the leg of the vise... Suggestions?

Howdy Dodge! I am VERY interested in building one of these "tire hammers"! I have attempted to find plans/details of the machine (to no avail)... The basics of the machine are, well, pretty basic. I can figure out the anvil, motor, support, etc. pretty easily. What I don't have access to is decent information relative to the portion that attaches to the wheel and the hammer. Did you build this machine? Would you be willing to share info? Thanks, Henry

Howdy Jerry, I have collected a few chains from a saw shop in the hope of welding them up and making a knife from them. Would you be so kind as to share how you started the weld process? By that I mean, did you cut the chain apart and place in rows, or did you allow the chain to get "wadded up" as they like to do sometimes and go from there? Either way it would seem to have a lot of void space, did that create any difficulties? What about the "bar and chain oil"? Was there enough of it on the chain to create a problem or did you degrease somehow? Thanks for sharing, Henry