J W Bennett

Uncle Levi, I use a length of chain lag bolted to the Stump (anvil base) with a hefty peice of 2" round bar welded to the other end. When placed over the anvil the bar stock is about 4" of the floor. If I were to make another I would use roller chain so that it lays flat. The regular chain tends to roll. JWB

Squeezplay, E-mail coming at you. Strine, Back in days of covered bridges the most economical material for a bridge was wood. To increase the lifespan and therefore get the most out of the county budget a roof and siding would be included in the design to protect the structual members from the elements. It was quite effective as many are over 100 years old and several are still used every day. The roof and sides also provided shelter for travelers during sudden storms in the days before cars and climate control. JWB

Dodge, I have a Hypertherm 380 and I run a 5hp compressor with a 27 Gal tank. As long as I am not running anything else in the shop I have no problems. However if I have a small leak of any kind I will have to wait for it to catch up. It's pretty safe to say it is maxed out. One of these days I'll get a bigger compressor but I get by with this one for now. Being a Jarhead you should be used to getting by on the minimum.LOL Take heed to the filters and dryers, they will save you alot of headaches. JWB

Rick, Nice job, how about a BP. JWB

Here are a few pictures showing the progress and some of the joinery. In the post and joint photos you can see the wooden pegs used to hold everything together. In the bolted joint and bjdetail photos you can see the stairstep cuts and the key to keep the sections from seperating. It is interesting to see it come together. The arch photo is a section of one the lamonated archs. These were cut on site. The close up of the floor shows the crossbraces and the rods that hold the lower end together. JWB

Brian C. I wish your son, you and the rest of your family well! JWB

SteveA, Yes that is the Parke County you remember. I was born and raised here and came back once I finished my hitch in the Marines. Jr, The beams were all cut on site from native poplar donated from private individuals through out the state. Then the beams were hauled to Zionsville Indiana and a company specializing in post and beam construction did all the mortise and tenons and intricate cuts. The beams were then shipped back and assembly began. Most of the high work is being done by the contractor and the timber framers from Zionsville. I did make a wrench for them today to tighten all the bolt work with. Nothing fancy just a 1 inch x 4 foot piece of schedule 40 black pipe with a 1 5/16 open end wrench welded in one end and a 1 9/16 box end welded in the other end. It has enough leverage to pull the timbers together but still light enough to handle easily. The two diffrent sizes are due too the use of square head nuts. The big push for volunteers will be in about 2 weeks when the sides,floor and roof get started. JWB

Today I had a wonderful oppurtunity that doesn't come to a person often. I had the chance to be a part of history. On April 28th 2005 a arsonist burnt down the covered bridge in Bridgeton Indiana. It was built in 1865 and has been a part of my life since I was a kid. This spring the rebuilding of the bridge began. With a mixture of fundings private, goverment and charity fund raisers the bridge is being rebuilt. Last week the bride an I rode over to see how it was going and a man there said they needed volunteer help. Today I was there at 7 am to see if I could help. I spent the day working side by side with other volunteers and the contract help building the bridge. I have to say it was remarkable. There where no attitudes and no Phony stuff. Everyone there was there for one reason ... To rebuild the bridge. I will go back tomorrow and any day I have free. There is a noon meal furnished by the Mill across the creek. Everybody does whatever they can too the best of thier abilities. The bridge is being rebuilt to original specifications. It is a fantastic learning adventure. I don't know if any of you are near Indiana, But if you have a free day or two this is a rewarding experience. Here is a link to a web site that will tell you more about it. Parke County - Covered Bridge Capital of the World Didn't mean to ramble on but it was a great experience, JWB

Dennis, That would make a really nice Blueprint! JWB

Rick, The NMLRA holds a big event twice a year in Friendship Indiana. One in the spring and one in the fall,plus several other events through the year. A quick look at thier web site (NMLRA.ORG)shows the nationals to be in September. I am not a blackpowder enthusiast nor a member but my wife and I travel down to friendship fpr the national shoot every year. It is educational, very interesting and a nice ride down and back. There is also a big flea market that sells any kind of outdoor equipment, Modern and primative that a man could want. I would highly recommend it to anyone. JWB

AM, Two of the drums will be grinder bases and I'm sure the other one will be a base too. I just haven't acquired the tool to mount on it yet. JWB

Went for an early morning drive this morning and hit 3 spots I check on a regular basis 2 out of three produced unusually good finds. Don't know how many spikes there are but the truck squatted a tad. The tie clips were a bonus.The Brake drums are from a truck shop down the road. May have to hit the spring shop this afternoon, while luck is on my side. I drove home with an old Johnny Cash tape playing and singing to myself(The truck and the shower are the only two places I sing)LOL JWB

Strine, I have 2 in my shop that I have built and use alot. One is a small 1 HP for a lift table and the unit is incorparated into the table. The other is a 7.5 hp unit I use for a belt sander and a lathe. They are rotary converters and have been relatively maintenance free. I Scrounged most of the parts so I really can't tell you what they cost to build. I have been happy with mine. These links are still good and tell you what you need to know. I used the balance capacitors also, with the balance capacitors I am running a 1hp motor on a hydraulic pump with a 1hp pony motor with no problems. These are links to the info I used to build mine. Also if you have a electric motor rebuild shop in your area they can be a good source of info and good used capacitors. Hope this helps. http://www.metalwebnews.com/howto/ph-conv/ph-conv.html http://www.homemetalshopclub.org/projects/phconv/phconv.html JWB

It all depends on type of steel, supplier and quanity. You would be amazed at the different prices you get when you shop around. It is worth the time it takes on the phone considering the money saved. JWB

JPH, For me thats hustling. I never said I worked smart or fast. One of these days I'll manage to get to a hammerin and see how other folks do it. Until that time I guess I'll fumble thru. In my own little world I thought that was pretty good. Gee I hate reality! JWB

Sqeezplay, There's 17 in that batch. Took 10 hours to hammer out with my air hammer. Started on a BP to compare average time for air versus muscle. I have the first half done hopefuly I can get the second part done soon. By the way it took about 14 hours to grind and finish them all. JWB

I have used a blasting cabinet on several occasions with black coarse sand to remove chrome. Some chrome comes of easy some does not. I guess it depends on the quality of the plating process. I try to avoid burning plating of any kind off these days. JWB

Pre 9/11 patriotism was a virtue instilled in veterans families and passed on to future generations. Alot of folks took the sacrifices of others for granted. It's a shame that it takes a tragedy like 9/11 to bring it back to the mainstream. I am proud to have been a Marine and No I don't look like I did in 1980 but I am still a marine in my heart. But it is good to see Old Glory flying in alot of front yards and porches again. Another Vet JWB

Here's my anvil, I've added hammer loops and hardy pockets since this picture was taken.Nuthin fancy just functional. JWB

Hello All, Haven't been able to visit much lately. heres some knives I did back before the ticker went south. the first pic is as forged the second is finished. It's interesting to see how many ways smiths find to do finish the same basic item

Scrapman, Thanks Leah, As much as I'd like to tell you how I slaved away at it I will have to be honest and tell you I used a plasma cutter. JWB

I been playing with oak leaves, thought I would share the results. 3 different candle holders. The patterns were cut from leaves laying outside the smithy door. JWB Threw in a fireplace set I made too!

Jerry, Nice work JWB

Now that is something! Thanks for sharing Jerry. JWB

Jerry, I think your attachment left for a warmer climate. JWB