ironrosefarms

I've heard tell of these things called table saws and scroll saws, heck even heard once of a key hole saw!!! Heck my 18" husq can cut a table and I don't need a saw at all to make scrolls... Key holes though, isn't that something you would punch and if it needed to be fancy maybe a little file work? Crazy wood smiths

Double Double Double post

I'm more of a Husqvarna kind of wood worker myself but I've picked up my Brother in laws Stihl a few times... still better than those "precision" cutting tools many wood smiths use.

Especially if the fray is in the seat of your new GRAY dress britches

flick my bic

Glenn good thing you got that snow melted off, that white stuff mixed with the black char could have made a big mess! I can't believe so many people from so many countries could come to a web site like this and all be in denial! Come on 50+ countries, 6775 members... We can't all be wrong!!! The hammer striking hot iron on an anvil is like magic. It can make it like no one can see you, take you away from danger and strife. Much like a magic ring our hammers act as the medium that allows us to slip away into a much different world. Guys, guys, where did you all go? You wouldn't leave me here all alone, come on at least help me build a fire first!!! Just a little fire... At least I still have my hammer, my "PRECIOUS" hammer... Bilbo Anvil Banger Errr I mean James

Mike awesome, as a cubmaster and scoutmaster I appreciate your willingness to give a presentation to that group of young men. You may never know what type of interest you planted in the heart of some boy during that presentation! James

My favorite type of wood work is done with a chainsaw... I have a closet to build in our home and my bride has already informed me that I can not use my chainsaw to build it... Now that's abuse!

Far too many play more than they PRAY

fires out.............

Arrrr Matey

Hey I've got a MEAD five star note book!

I am very impressed dief. The illusion of the etched metal almost gives the impression of a glass appearance in that you expect to see through it. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your work. James

I have vowed that upon each use of my Hofi hammer that I will pray for Uri and for the peace of Israel. To be honest though Israel has been in my prayers daily for many years and will continue to be so. Hofi, stay safe and we look forward to hearing from you. James

Welcome, your going to find folks of every level of knowledge and ability here. You probably will want to go to the top and click on UserCP and enter your location. Glenn has reported that there are more than 50 countries represented and location can have a lot to do with some of the things that you may ask or know. Look forward to seeing you around IFI James

That is incredible, would you be willing to give us some detail of material and how the portal hinges?

If I tried to make my living picking a banjo, it would be a mighty LEAN existence

Seven leagues under the sea

My connection just came up good enough I actually watched the video, I've seen guys shave with their pocket knives. One of these guys is the man who taught me to sharpen a knife. I don't shave my face, but as I sharpen a knife, I do test it on my arm hairs. (I don't teach my scouts this method as mothers tend to freak at the idea of their sons using a knife that sharp near their skin ) I know that arm hair is easier cut than facial hair but the technique is the same. It is not that unusual for me to have a bald spot on my arm... A dull knife requires far more pressure to cut an object than does a sharp knife. That additional pressure can be enough to cause unsafe cutting methods to be used. Those unsafe cutting methods can lead to lots of damage to a knife, including nicks, bends, breaks. Maybe more important though is a dull knife is more apt to cause injury to the user or someone near by. As the supervisor at work, I am responsible for safety training of my people. I recently received some statistics that show steep increases in seriousness of injuries caused by knives that are not maintained and sharp enough to cut with minimal force. I also find that my sharp knife doesn't take near as much maintenance to keep sharp as the effort I see many folks suffer through using their dull knife. James

Welcome to IFI, look forward to seeing you around the forum... James

Hey Jayco, got a dare for ya to try... take a handful of sassafras twigs just like you would usually use to light your forge, dunk them into the slack tub and hold them there, count to five (ten if it makes you feel better) pull them out, shake off the excess water then stack as usual and light it... I love doing this with young scouts who "can't" get a fire going! The oil content in the wood resists the water real well! James

Welcome, Look forward to seeing you around IFI James

I think sharpening a knife well is far more about patience than most folks would like to admit. First comes the patience (and willingness) to learn. Second the patience to make mistakes in practice. Third is the patience to to sit down long enough to actually perform the task correctly. Working with scouts for as many years as I have, most of them that don't really learn how to sharpen a knife well are those who won't sit down long enough to perform the task... I keep my knives very sharp as a dull knife in my opinion is dangerous at best. James

A boy scout at heart here I guess, I start mine with wood kindling and a single match. As I hike around on our property I gather sassafras twigs from off the trees that have died and dried but haven't broke off yet. I keep a bucket of such twigs on hand most always. Sassafras has a higher oil content than most woods (similar to cedar), Starts easy burns hot, I usually have a fire ready for metal within 8 minutes maybe 10 if I'm slackin'. When i worked at the pioneer village we used cedar shakes that didn't split well. Lay the shake on the anvil and basically pulverized it into tender... worked as well as my Sassafras...

Not far from Terre Haute, Indiana and I know of several folks who may be interested if you get a list and pictures together. James