Rodney Skinner

I got a chuckle out of construcitng a building and heating it. That's my favorite! lol I use a natural gas furnace to keep my shop above freezing and to drive out the moisture to keep the metal from sweating. Then the wood stove is fired up for an hour to make it cozy for the blacksmith. I will add a insulated box around the anvil with a light to keep it a bit warmer. I have always been careful not to work on a cold anvil for fear of damage to the anvil. I over looked the cooling of the metal being worked. Great thread! Always something new to learn everytime I log on. Thanks folks

I like that very much. I may try and make one of those.

I would like to attend a blacksmith get together of some kind. Loose weight of course... thats the short list. I don't want to over do it and wear myself out next year!:D

Helping out the neighbors goe's along way. I give them free eggs from my chickens. Weld items for free and help the neighborhood kids with bike repairs and filling up tires with my compressor. Now and then a neighbor gets a free artsy item I could not sell. I also try and watch what I do noise wise. I live in town but have a lot twice the size of everyone else, so there is a bit of space between us. I work midday and shut down before folks get home from work. During the summer I won't work past 8pm. I find the biggest noise makers for me are my hand grinders. My anvil is 165# JHM with a chain wrapped around it several times and anchored on both front and back of the anvil. Now if I could just sneak in a power hammer!:D

the 1/8" per foot for sag rule of thumb, I read in the english rural craftguide last night in the section of making an ornimental gate.

I bought a 6" x 12" beam at the lumber yard. I cut three pieces to length and glued them together with elmers wood glue. Its been working fine with a 165lb anvil.

I have natural gas in the shop and need to look into finding/making a gas forge. Too many projects I want to do and not enough time. I may be forced to buy a gas forge. I love the smell of the coal and would hate to give it up.

Thanks for the welcome. I primarly have been fabricating my work with a little blacksmithing touches here and there. I am trying to increase my blacksmithing skills to build gates with traditional techniqes. I would also like to apologias ahead of time for my poor spelling. Spell checker laughs at me! I built a cnc plasma cutting table and use it to cut my door strap designs, weathervanes, signs, brackets etc. I have a background in industrial automation and have been blacksmithing as a hobby for about 10 years on and off. Mostly OFF! It is hard to find a good time to run a coal forge in town without making the neighbors mad. I fire up the forge in the winter months when everyone is at work and the rain knocks down the smell some.

Its nice to know I am not the only one that needs help!

I wanted say thank you to all who have shared info and their photos. I have been enjoying the forum for awhile. I enjoy seeing other peoples forge setups and tools. I have a fabrication/blacksmithing shop I call Legacy Iron Works. I hope to share photos with all of you folks soon.