kubiack

That looks really nice. Is the anvil section solid or pipe? A treadle hammer is on my short list of things to build.

Here is one solution to the problem of anvil height. This is an anvil stand that is adjustable for height and is pretty simple to build. The frame is made of angle iron and should be bolted to the floor. The wooden section is a build up of 2x12s and can be raised by putting wooden blocking underneath. The chain is attached to frame which is bolted to the floor. It is run over the anvil and is tensioned with a threaded hook. The chain pulls the anvil against the wood block and the block in turn against the floor. When the chain is tight the anvil is firmly anchored and does not move while forging. To raise the anvil simply loosen the chain, lift the block with a crow bar, and put blocking under the 2x12 block. It only takes a minute or two to change the height of the anvil so one could fine tune the height if they were doing a long production run on with a specific size of stock. I have built two of these stands and keep one anvil pretty high for hand hammer work and the other lower for sledging and using hand tools. The frame also provides a nice place to mount tool holders.

I assume the column is square tubing or tubing of some sort. If so you may want to do some research into flame straightening. This is a process of localized upsetting using a oxy/fuel torch. I have used it successfully so straighten structural members that warped upon welding. If the tube warped when it was welded then I would use the flame straightening to fix it. However if you just did not get it square prior to welding I would cut it apart and weld it again. Which ever you do the time spent on it now will be well worth the effort.

Oh, nice looking shop. What's the story on the bellows, did you built it? I've always wondered how they compare to a hand crank blower but have not ever had the opportunity to use one.

Well I did go out to the shop last night and put a metal yard stick across the face so I could take a picture to see how flat it was an mine does in fact have the same drop to the heal as yours does. I was quite surprised as I have not ever noticed it before. I did check the face with a steel rule when I got it but it was only a 12" and I had it on the main body, which is flat. The drop is not noticeable to the eye without a long straight edge. The face appears to be ground in on continuous pass so I wonder how exactly they do the main body flat and then a drop in the flat horn in one set up. At least I can not see separate grinding marks for each section. The hardening would have been done before the grinding so if it did happen in heat treatment as you suggest they would have been able to see that the face of the main body ground before the horn. It seems they would have to a special set up to grind it this way. It makes me wonder if this is done intentionally of is really a mistake. If it is a mistake they have been making for a while as I think my anvil was bought 3 years ago. Joe could you put a long straight edge across your older anvils and see if the also have the drop on the flat horn. I did check prices again and link removed is still not the cheapest: link removed: $2,265.00 link removed: $1,787.72 link removed: $1,775.00 If you don't trust the dealers and felt they treated you poorly you would be doing people here a service by stating which ones you had trouble with and why. I don't think there is anything wrong with relaying your personal experiences with a business. You have not set out to maliciously harm them but through the course of normal conversation you have been asked about it.

Who was dealer you purchased and returned the first anvil to that said they were all like that? It might help others to know so they don't order on from them as well. I would also contact Ridgid and send them some pictures of this anvil and let them know you a very unhappy with the product. A few yeas ago I had to send them a vise that needed repaired under warranty. It took a few phone calls and they ended up sending me one of their new forged steel vises when the one I sent in was a cast iron model. In my dealings with them they seem very concerned with the quality of their product and keeping me happy. One more question. Why did you order the anvil from link removed instead of one of the blacksmith supply companies like link removed ? It seem like you would have a lot better chance of getting a quality product from them as their business is forging supplies. More than likely they keep anvils in stock and could check the quality before shipping it to you. The prices from some of them are less than link removed.

Wow, That is pretty sad to see. I would not have believed that without seeing it, how did it pass quality control. If you are paying for an anvil with a ground face then that is unacceptable. The weld does look terrible also. I would send it back and get a refund. I have to agree with you for $1800 you should be getting a better product. Can you show a shot of the makers mark on the other side of the anvil and one showing the face from above? I'd be interested in seeing more of your anvil. I bought my anvil from Blacksmith Depot and have been really happy with it. lt did have the flats on the horn but the face is dead flat and the weld looks good. The only small complaint I can make about it is that the hardy hole was broched crooked by a few degress. The hole is square just not square with the sides. I'll take a shot of mine with a level across the face and post it for comparisons sake.

If the listing does not cost the seller anything the price is going to start way too high. If you actually had to pay for your add you would want it to sell in the first or second posting so you don't end up wasting money. If the add is free more than likely the seller is going to start way too high and gradually work down until the item sells. I have scene items on CL listed at the same price for several years. I am guilty of this myself from time to time. If I'm not in a rush to sell something I will start out with it quite a bit higher than I would think is reasonable and work down. It has worked out good for me as I usually end up getting more then I original thought I would have. On the other hand it has been maddening seeing something I want to buy being priced out of contention and then having to watch for it to come down to a reasonable price. The thing that I really don't understand is having a used item priced at new retail prices. Like it or not it is the new normal and is here to stay.

The Peddinghaus #12 I bought new a few years also had the flats on the round horn. I don't think they grind them though I think they are a result of the drop forging process. They are certainly not a problem to smooth out with a flap disk. The waist on my anvil does have a nice weld with no undercut. I checked the picture on the Ridgid website and no your new anvil is not going to look like that. However none of the food I have ever ordered looks nearly as good as in the advertising either. Without a picture I am having a hard time believing that the face has a 10mm deep depression. Please post a picture of this. If it is that far off they should have no problem taking it back and giving you a better anvil. They are advertised as having an induction hardened and ground face. If it is 10mm off something went terribly wrong in the grinding. Have you contacted them about this?

When I bought my Peddinghaus I also check at HD. They were able to look it up in the Ridgid tools catalog and then call the distributor to get me a price. This was a hard copy they had in the store not on the computer. If its any consolation it was still several hundred dollars less to order it from Blacksmith Depot and have it shipped. I did ask them if they could match the price with Blacksmiths Depot and they said not on special order items. If you can get $45 shipping I don't think they will be able to beat the price even if they could order it. The 275lb Peddinghaus is only $600 more than the 165lb. If you can I'd go ahead an get the big one. It may seem like a lot now but this is something will probably last the rest of you life. I sure would hate to look at that 165lber everyday and wish I had spent the extra for the bigger one. Looking at the prices of the two at Blacksmith Depot are $1165 and $1775 respectively so that makes them $7 and $6.46 per pound. The bigger one is a better deal.

I think this is one area where you really have to be better at making them than your compitition. If you make a lot of them you probably have built the tooling, jigs, and techniques that will allow you to make them better quality and in far less time. If that is the case then you can sell them for less than your compitition and still make a good profit.

That looks very nice Jeremy. I always enjoy seeing your work. How did you finish the metal panels?

I'm pretty sure you did, in your original post you asked what everyone thought. If all of the people that responded so far did not like the forge and said so they are simply doing as you asked, sharing their thoughts. If you did not want to invite criticism you should not have asked for peoples thought on the matter and instead given examples of all the things you do like about it. I think the forge has its place and I with the guy well on his endeavors. This would make a pretty good starter forge for someone who does not have the time, skills, or tools to build a forge. However it is has its limitations and for you to say someone should be ashamed for pointing them out when you asked them to do such is not right.

I would think doing a test peice and recording the beginning and ending sizes would be the best solution. I have sceen several scroll patterns which had removable sections which were pin in place. After the scroll was bent the pinned section could be removed which then allowed the scroll to be removed without damaging it.

Like to be different huh. Here is a link to the side blast forge I built. I guess I should have said if I was going to build a bottom blast I'd get a commercial fire pot. However after having used a side blast for a while I don't think you could talk me into switching to a bottom blast. Post #13 shows some pictures of it underconstruction and finished. I had the plate sheared at a local fab shop but did the rest of the work myself. I think the price for the plate and to have it sheared was about what one the Centar Forge coke firepots cost. '?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>>

If I was going to take the time to build a coal/coke forge I would want to do it right from the start and get a good comercial cast firepot. At this point in my life the time spent building one is more valuable then the cost of the firepot. There are several good ones to choose from I have had good experence using the heavy duty coke ones Centar Forge sales. Also the Roger Lorance fire pot seem the get a lot of praise. If you have the cash and this is going to be something you are sure you will stick with for the long term you wont be disapoined buying a good one. However if you have more time than money or will be using primarly gas then building one is a good option.

Along the lines of better tools making you more efficient and not damaging your body, I got to use a pair of tongs that had been forged from Titanium and was just shocked at how light they were. Not only were they light but is it also seemed they provided more tactile feel and finesse of movement. If I ever get to do this professionally and find I use a few pair of tongs more than any other I would defiantly consider making them from Titanium.

As a general rule I find that if an item is listed anywhere that does not charge for the listing then said item is going to be overpriced. In almost all cases they are going to get on EBay and find the most pristine example they can usually in unused condition which also sold for an exorbitantly high price and think theirs should at the least be pretty close to the same. I routinely see items listed on Craigs List and EBay that are higher than what they cost if you were to buy a brand new one. It quite boggles the mind however if it does not cost them anything to list it they have nothing to loose. I have found several great deals in the past few years. One was a Bridgeport shapping attachment. I found it under a work bench at a tool sale. I ask the guy what he wants for it and he says $100. I say it says Bridgeport on it so it’s probably worth more than that. This guy has a whole shop full of stuff he has to clear out including several larger machines as says he does not have time to mess with all the little stuff and to give him $100. I get the item home clean it up and replace the belt and oil. After the cleaning this thing it looked brand new so I took some high resolution photos along with a video of it running and it brought $1600 plus shipping on EBay. The second was for a large Fisher anvil that was listed on Craigs List for around $1100 or $1200. The add also said he had a few other smaller anvils. I went to see the smaller ones as the Fisher was out of my price range, I did however take a fist-full of cash. The guy had two good smaller anvils, the large Fisher, and a leg vise. I told him I wanted all of them and stated counting out hundred dollar bills. I guess the smell of the green stuff eventually got to him because I got the whole lot for $800. I ended up getting that for the Fisher and made another $1000+ on the other three. My favorite deal though was the brand spanking new still in the wrapper Peddinghaus anvil I bought 3 years ago. I think it was $1600 on sale and the shipping was just over a $100. I think this is just about the best deal you can find for a new anvil and really even a pretty good deal when compared to what used ones are bringing now. It was $6 a pound shipped to my door when I was finding that most used ones were actually selling for $4-$5 per pound. Last one I’ll list was some steel plate that I had sheared by a local shop which I used to build my forge. After figuring how much plate I needed and getting several prices from steel yards it was only going to be $50 more to have them buy the material and cut it for me. There are no longer and scrap yards here that will let you in to buy used materials so I had to buy new. It saved me no telling how much time over cutting it myself with the torch and prepping it for welding.With the price of acetylene I probably came out even and saved myself all the work.

Just to add to what DSW said on older industrial units especially the 330 AB/P and the Dialarc HF. The foot peddle for these two machines is very expensive so you need to make sure that it comes with one and that it works. On newer machined the foot peddle sends a single to a circuit board and the welder controls the amperage. On many of the older machines the foot peddle itself controls the amperage. You can usually tell this type because the foot peddle has two large wires connecting it to the machine instead of just on small wire. I know I had to pass on a few of these as they were missing the foot peddle and it was going to cost more than the machine to replace them. I did end up finding a Miller 330 ST Aircrafter in good condition.

I had a VFD on my lathe before buying a large RPC. It took several seconds for the motor to go from 0 to 60 hertz. Speed changed after the motor was running were not instantaneous either. If I remember correctly VFDs were original created to lessen the inrush current when a motor is turned on by controlling the electrical cycle frequency. I don't know if other VFDs have parameters that can be changed so that speed changes happen faster but I would defiantly say it would not work with the one I had. There was a thread on Practical Machinist recently were some installed a 75lb Fairbanks hammer and removed the jack shaft and the old motor and replaced it with a higher HP but lower RPM modern motor. The new motor without the extra rotational mass struggled to get the hammer moving from a dead stop. Something to think about if there will be no line shaft or clutch pulley constantly spinning.

That is quite the assumption on your part, and incorrect.

I took some more pictures of my anvil last night and also took some measurements on the hardy hole. I used a 6" machinist scale wedged against the side of the hole. Then to get an average of the side I placed 12" machinist scale along the side of the anvil. I then used a machinist protractor to take a reading between the two and it showed to be out of square by 2.5 degrees. It really looks like it is more than that but I measured it several times and from both sides of the anvil. I could not get a picture of the setup as it took both hands. I did take one with the 12" scale placed against the small scale in the hardy hole so you can see it better. I have a hardy bickern that is bent to a right angle and this is what it looks then same as the 12" scale when mounted in the hardy. Makers mark & size: Electric welding of the base and top: Hardy hole: Hardy hole with scales:

Beautiful anvil, I like the look a the forge welds better than the electric welding.

To keep the discussion going; To me the main reason that the Peddinghaus is such a good value is that one of the large US retailers puts them on sale every couple of years. Here is how the pricing stacks up on all the top quality double horns avaliable in the US market in the 250-275 lb range. I think the Peddinghaus is normaly around $2200 but is on sale right now for $1775. Refflinghaus 275lb #58: $2400 Peddinghaus 275lb #12: $1775 Fontanini 250#: $1876, Nimba Centurion 260lb: $1805 It is the cheapest of the bunch, weighs the most, is drop forged, induction hardened, and has a ground face. Unless you wanted to jump to the 330# Refflinghaus and get a side shelf I don't see a reason not to get the Peddinghaus. Also for my location the Peddinghaus were the closest and so the freight was about half of the other.

I'll take a few more pictures of it when I get home from work.