DSW

Ok, I'll bite. What's the purpose of the glue? Is it to seal up the ends so the wood doesn't crack until you go to use it?

You do gain some clamping strength from using the two plates with the bolts tightened up. In your application it's probably fine with no real heavy snow loads. That plus the rigid end walls will probably take care of you no problem since it's not that big of a building. Toe nails don't add a ton of strength as usually they pull out of the wood pretty easy, but every little bit helps. I think visually they look great.

Looks nice, but I have a few questions. Joints look weak with only one fastener in each piece of wood. Top plate looks like the top fastener even falls right in the joint. Are you using glue as well as the bolts, or did you mortice and tenon the joints and then add the reinforcing plates? When I build butted trusses ( trusses where the members just but up against one another) I always go over kill and use plywood gussets with plenty of construction adhesive and nails/screws to hold the gussets in place until the glue sets. If I use steel truss plates, they almost always have multiple fasteners in each member. I know factory trusses with the truss plates rely on multiple points of the truss plates to transfer loads. ( personally I don't really like them. the trusses don't take much abuse to knock the plates loose) Mortised trusses are different when used in timber framing. There the joints take almost all the loads. In theory a "hinged" truss design works. However there's a lot of other factors that have to be accounted for to make them work in real life.

I'm impressed. You need to have quite a thick wall to have an R 30 rating on a wall. Walls and windows are usually the biggest heat loss areas if you insulated the ceiling and floor well. Yes I'm poking fun at you just a bit... :P The idea of using room air to feed the furnace might work to drive circulation, but don't count on gaining any "heat" from that air. My guess again unless it's super insulated, that the "room" air temp won't be significantly warmer than outside air temp by the time it reaches the furnace traveling all that way outside. Problem is going to be that the "room" air will go up the chimney after it's used in the furnace. That means you need to replace that air with something else. Now in theory you have a partial vacuum in the house, so the system will want to suck in cold air around any gap or crack. Gaps and air leaks around windows and doors usually account for the vast majority of heal loss in most semi well insulated homes. If you really want to warm up the room, 1st thing I'd do is get someone out to do an energy audit on your home. Get an independent guy to come do it. They work for you and don't have an agenda to push like new windows etc. Most of these guys have thermal imagery. They can quickly show you where your house is loosing heat. It could be from leaky windows or if you windows are top notch, maybe the air leak is from around the window. ( One of the reasons I'm not a big fan of "replacement" windows. The window may be well sealed, but you are still relying on the old frame and the leaky connection to the house.) With the increased interest in "green" living and 5 star energy homes, there are plenty of companies out there that will help you pinpoint where you need to work on your home to cut heat loss.

You loose heat based on surface area. With a run that long my guess is you will loose any heat gain due to the surface area of the duct work outside unless you super insulate it. It's been way too many years since my HVAC and insulation classes, but there are formulas that figure heat loss based on surface area, interior and exterior temps and R value. I think you would be better off insulating the underside of the bedroom vs trying to insulate the duct work to retain any heat. Spray foam comes to mind as the easiest and most efficient way to solve this issue. 1" of spray foam is equal to an R 6 to R8 depending on the foam company. 2" of spray foam gives you as much or more insulation than 3 1/2" of good fiberglass. Filling an 10 to 12" floor bay would be equal to almost 24" to 30" of fiberglass. I'd look at opening up the sofit under the room outside and pulling out any insulation and foaming it myself. I just priced out a kit from Tiger foam. R value is R7 per inch IIRC and kits were $330 for 200 sf 1" thick or the bigger kit 600 sf 1" thick for $600 just to give you an idea on cost.

It's not just artists that are having trouble. A lot of people I know are wanting stuff cheap. It's tough to compete with companies that offer cut price "deals". Not sure I agree there. Lots of stocks getting traded, but today I think the vast majority are being traded by big funds, not small investors. I haven't yet seen any kind of jump in disposable income for the average person and I doubt I will in the near future. Tough subject to discuss and not get into the general state of the economy and "politics".

Good to have you here with us.

Handrails and guard rails are a bit different. If the vertical height is less than 30", but more than 3 risers, you only need a hand rail. Over 30" you need a guard rail. A guard rail has "pickets" or some other barrier to keep someone from going under the railing. No part of the guard rail can allow a 4" sphere from passing thru. If the rail does not extend to the stair, you can not be able to pass a 6" sphere under the lower rail. Hand rail height from top to nosing needs to be between 34" to 38" in residential construction on stairs. Top grip needs to be 1 1/4" to 2" and "gripable". Max projection into stair space is 4 1/2". Ends must return to wall or newel post. If attached to the closed side of a wall, min space needs to be 1 1/2". Rail needs to be able to support a 200 lb person. Handrail needs to be continuous from top to bottom and can only be interrupted by newel posts at landings in residential construction. Here's a few links I have saved on the matter. I have to dig a bit more and find my other links. http://www.robbinsdalemn.com/Download/Build_Inspector/Stairtextandpics5-8-08..pdf http://www.battlecreekmi.gov/Assets/Permits+and+Forms/Building+-+Inspection+Permits/StairCode.pdf I wouldn't have any issues building a rail for a customer to instal. My biggest concern if anything would be having a big enough plate at the top to make sure they were able to tie it into the studs well enough or into blocking that was installed to support the railing. That said, my contractors insurance would cover me on this.

Looks nice. Personally I'd like a longer finial on top, but that's just me. I'd be tempted to weld on a longer piece and draw it out. I might even try and make a ball swage and have a ball just above the basket and then draw down the finial to a long taper. I may have to play with this next month if work is slow. I like the idea of Christmas decorations made of iron and steel.

Depends what kind of coal they sell. I wouldn't choose to run "hard" cola ( anthracite) in my small pump forge like that. It's too hard to get going and it takes an almost constant flow of air to stay running. Soft coal ( bituminous) on the other hand lights real easy and will stay lit with the air shut down so when you stop pumping it's not a big deal. I use bagged soft coal in my pump forge and hard coal in my table forge with the electric blower. Most of the suppliers in my area that stock coal all sell "hard" coal for heating. I can buy "soft" forge coal from a couple of suppliers, but they are a fairly decent drive for me to get to, about 1 1/2 hours one way. Luckily one of the guys in my local blacksmithing groups sold me a bag of soft coal from their forge, and the one place an hour and a half north of me is next door to where they hold hammer-in's for another group. I can pick up coal when I go to the meeting. Right now the only reason I'm using hard coal is because I was given 3 55 gallon drums of it for free by a friend whose old farm house used to have a coal furnace. As soon as that is gone I'll just buy soft coal by the ton and use it for everything.

Might be that you asked for the wrong thing at the plumbing supply. Rather than "pipe" if you asked for "nipples" ( short lengths of threaded pipe) they probably had them. "Nipples" up to 12" long are pretty standard. Most guys won't usually bother to thread stuff shorter than 6" to 8", as it won't fit in the threader easily, so they just buy the parts. Stuff over 12" is hit and miss. Some places do carry longer lengths, but diameter tends to be a factor in what they keep on hand. You are more likely to find longer nipples in smaller diameters. As far as filling the bolt holes I'd have to see it to make a call. My 1st thought would be to simply clay the bottom and cover the holes. 2nd thought would be to weld a bit more to the flange to cover the rest of the hole. Last option I'd try to plug the hole with a chunk of bolt the right diameter and then spot weld the other side, almost like a rivet. It is possible to weld cast iron. It's just not easy and the results can vary from good to impossible. Usually mechanical fasteners is a better way to go. Brazing is also an option, but I probably wouldn't choose if for anything on the inside of the pot.

That's the same anvil I'm currently using. A bit small, but certainly serviceable. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one if it was under $100. I'd certainly try and bargain using the damage to reduce the price.

Trust me the way business has been this year I'm VERY tempted to do just that. Not quite ready to throw in the towel and go PT with my business, but I've really thought about seeing if he could use some PT help over the winter when my business is slow.

Ha,ha,ha... You nailed me in one... I have a Bachelors of Architecture but have never worked in an office. I was making too much money swinging a hammer like I did to put myself thru school. I know quite a few people who I went to school with who are out of work in Architecture right now. Guy I'm friends with who lives near me, just got offered to buy out the "blacksmithing" company he has been working for. They mostly do iron fence and gates and only a small part is actual smithing. The owner is almost 70 now and wants to retire completely so he's offered my friend the chance to buy everything and work for himself. Last time I talked to him he's probably going to take the offer.

Honestly that machine isn't rated to do 1/4". It really is an 1/8" or less machine under real world conditions. Bevel and preheat will get you a "better" weld, but it's not what I would do for critical applications. That said it will work for what you are doing, just don't expect easily repeatable results in the future. Also make sure you are on a dedicated 20 amp circuit with nothing else on that line. A 30 amp would be better, but most guys don't have access to a 30 amp 110v circuit. 350 or 400 deg would be fine. If you are preheating with an OA torch, use 100% acetylene to "soot" the work, then heat until the soot burns off and you are about right. Welding vertical up will give you better penetration vs vertical down. The rising heat will also help to preheat the material some. HOWEVER... if you can't read the puddle and do decent welds vertical, I wouldn't go that route. 95% of the hobbyists I have helped learn to weld can't weld vertical when they come into class even if they say they can "weld". All they do is make a drippy ugly mess. For those who can't read the puddle yet you would be better off welding this in the flat position. The preheat will take care of your heat issue and because you aren't fighting gravity, you can take your time and burn in the weld more. Take your time. From what little I can see of the welds on your plate, they look cold and rushed. Close up picts would give me a better idea what they are like.

Bit late, but I'll toss it out for others that might have this issue in the future. Sprinkler guys are a possible source for black pipe and fittings, as are HVAC contractors who work with gas furnaces. If they don't have drops, chances are they can sell you partial lengths. They also usually have the tooling to cut and thread the pipe as well. Check their shops or any medium or large commercial site under construction. Also many guys forget about regular plumbing supply houses. I'll grant you sometimes the counter guys aren't the nicest guys to deal with if you just walk off the street, but That's not always the case. They tend to treat you better if you know what you want and don't waste their time, especially if you walk in while they are busy, 1st thing in the morning, at lunch time or just before closing. Walk in when they are dead slow and often they'll be easier to deal with.

I probably won't get a chance until late next week, but if I remember when I get back to the shop, I'll grab some picts of my forge like that for you.

Another option would be to neck down some thin wall pipe to use as your socket and weld the basket to the socket. Yes I know I just gave all the purists a heart attack by suggesting this. but you can blend the welded joint after welding by forging it out. The pipe would give you as long a socket as you want easily.

Here's a tip chart that shows gas volume useage. I used to have a better one, but the site it's at isn't up any longer. Note that propane tips are listed below the acetylene chart for #10 and up. http://dennisalbert.com/Welding/WeldingTipGuide.htm If you look at a #5 rosebud ( for acetylene), it calls for 6 to 20 cubic feet per hour. My medium sized 75 cf acet, using the 1/7th rule for withdrawl, will operate at the lower end of that range. A #6 tip with a lower flow rate of 14 CFH is over the limit. Same goes with cutting tips. They do sell manifolds that will allow you to gang multiple cylinders together, but then you have to add the cost of the extra cylinder plus the manifold to your equation. Propane does away with that issue. Also because propane is stored as a liquid, you get more "gas" per volume. If I remember right a 20 lb propane cylinder will equate out to roughly 170 cf of gas ( propane weighs 4.22 lb per gallon and you get 35.65 cf of gas per gallon of propane) One down side to propane in cold weather is that you have a pressure drop when temps get cold. I've never had issues getting propane filled with the exception that some places will want all propane cylinders to have the newer OPV valves on them to fill them. Since propane cylinders for welding and heating are exempt from this restriction, that's not a problem as long as the guys at the fill station actually know the regs. I take mine to two places who don't hassle me about this. The fact I bring in 5 or 6 cylinders at a time and bring the work truck, probably doesn't hurt either. My supplier will sell me any cylinder up to roughly 150 cf no problem. Anything bigger are rental/lease cylinders. However because I have an account with them, I've never had any issues swapping one of their cylinders for another one, even though I don't have any leased cylinders on my account. If I have one of their cylinders to swap and get the same gas, same size, no one asks any questions. On occasion I'll borrow larger cylinders from a friend of mine who has a lease, and when I'm done, I usually swap them out and return his cylinders full. My guy will also spot me "temporary" cylinders over a weekend for example. If I know I'm going to use a lot of gas, he'll give me a "spare" full cylinder as long as I bring it back 1st thing on Monday morning. One of the advantages of getting to know the guys behind the counter and having a place who is willing to work with you. Smaller independent suppliers are often more lenient on things like this than the bigger chain places. Unfortunately near me the majority of the independent guys have closed or were bought up by the big guys.

It's called treadle torch and it uses a gas saver to control the gas flow to the torch. Here's a quick set of plans I located on line for one. http://persimmonforge.blogspot.com/2013/01/treadle-torch-plans.html

Yes, but often there can be a bit more to it. I see a lot of guys who can't think ahead and plan how things go together and fit. I also see a lot of guys that simply lack basic skills in cutting and measuring. If you tell them to make something simple like a square box they simply can't. In theory if you cut 6 sides, all square, all exactly the same size and tack them all up so the inside edges touch, you get a nice square box. Simple right? But I see a lot of guys who can't even cut one square that is the same in both dimensions, let alone 6. Now lets say the pieces aren't all exactly the same... can you adjust how the pieces fit so they still come out square? can you take one that's a bit long and mate it with a side that is a bit short so the dimensions come out right? Can you set it up so there is a gap that you have to fill? If instead of metal that's welded, you now make that same square box out of wood, it's a bit more complex. If you are doing overlapping edges so you can nail or glue, you need to figure the material thickness into the plan. To get a "cube" you can subtract a wall thickness from one side of the "side" pieces so when they overlap you still get a square, but then you need the top and bottom of the cube to be smaller and fit inside. Or you need to cut down the height of the of the sides if the top and bottom will overlap. Or get real fancy and off set 2 of the sides next to each other and reduce the height by 1 thickness and have the top and bottom fit inside on one 1/2 and overlap on the other.... the point being you sort of need to know before you go to cut all your parts how it's all going to fit together, so you can make up a cut list and order material. It gets a bit more complex if you also are trying to maximize your sheet materials at the same time. How many pieces of X and Y can I get out of sheet A and how many of Z will fit on sheet B and still give me enough left over so I can get the rest of the X and Y parts I need out without having to buy a 3rd sheet that I won't need... The more complex the project, the greater the need to plan out parts in advance so they all fit and work together. If you are forging a gate or railing, you probably need to make a bunch of individual parts and then assemble them. Possibly you may have to assemble sub groups1st and then later assemble those groups together. does this section have to fit with other pieces you are making? When you are finished, is the whole thing going to be the right size and square, or is it going to be lopsided and irregular? The day school welding instructor likes to refer to me as a "mechanic". Not because I wrench on stuff, but because I can look at a project and figure out how it needs to be built and put together. I can cut and fit material. Cope where needed to get parts to match existing items correctly. Heat, bend, fold and so on so that pieces match existing contours. Make sure everything is square and that it stays that way when I've got it all welded up. I once told a friend who was amazed I was able to cope pipe to fit nice on the 1st try, that it's not much different than what I do daily with wood. If I can cut and cope stain grade crown molding so there is no gap at either end to fit existing installed pieces, it's not all that different to do it in steel.

Another fabulous job. I love the in process picts.

I'll have to add a gas saver to my collection. I've seen them used before, but never thought much about using one with my rosebud. Definitely see the usefulness after that video.

Yes they make 7018 AC specifically for AC buzz boxes. It has additives in the flux to help it cross over from DC+ to DC- and back for AC use. You have to try it and see if you like it. Some guys used to some 7018 DC only rods like Lincoln Excalibur dislike the 7018AC rods. Others don't mind 7018AC. It's been way too many years since I've had to run it so I can't remember exactly how the 7018AC runs. 7014 would be my 2nd choice. It's a bit less ductile than 7018, but a bit better than 6013. It tends to be my generic repair rod for noncritical stuff since it stores better than 7018 does. 7014 runs nice on AC. It's an easy rod to run as well.

Here's what the literature I found for Stoody 35 lists... Welding Procedures/Characteristics: Can be applied AC or DC, either polarity (reverse preferred). Use straight polarity to increase deposition rate. Can be applied in stringer or weave beads. A two layer deposit should be made to assure proper chemistry for best wear results. It doesn't however give any info on maximum deposit depth or info on buildup. In general all the buildup I've done to wear items was usually done with 7018. I guess 6013 could also be used, but it's not a rod I generally have on hand. 6011 wouldn't be my 1st choice for buildup unless there was no way to prep a really rusty, dirty part. Welds with 6011 are nowhere near as ductile as welds with 7018.