ThorsHammer82

Trust me, I know exactly how you feel. but I need weeks to get all my projects finished up. not just an afternoon.

those are blowers. and they'll put some heat in. but what ever you use, make sure you design in some way to regulate the amount of air you're putting in, a dimmer switch. multi step switch, Air gate, etc.

it will burn through eventually, but than again, so does everything else.

yes, the expanded will melt through eventually.

as for the fish mouth, If you don't have a notcher, but have access to a chop saw, or band saw you can cut stright angles on the pipe. a 90* < on the horizontal pipe (two 45* cuts in oposite directions), with the point of the < centered, and than 45* half cuts on the two sections of vertical pipe so that the end of the angle is in the center of the straight cut end of the pipe. weld the veritcal pipe together so it makes a l-< that the horizontal pipe goes into  and than weld that on. Thats what I did for my build.  '?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>>

it'll do ok in the short term though. I've got a 1/16" floor drain cover in mine right now and will worry about replacing it when it's melted through. 4 hot fires so far and it still seems to be doing good, but than again, I haven't had it burning for more than 2-3 hours at once yet.

How are you going to get the ash out of the pipe?

I'm sorry, but I fail to see why any of the bike must be steel. you can build the frame, wheels, handbars, seat, pedals, and pedal arms from wood. where as a sprocket is the common thought for use on a bike, you could use pulleys which could be made from wood as well, and rope, as the chain. Knots evenly spaced and notches in the pulleys could act as the links in the chain and teeth of the sprocket. Will a bike made like this have a lot of longevity without constant maintenance? probably not. but it could be done.

someone makes fucntial bikes out of nothing but cardboard...

I'd do a glass top and put some coal under the glass as if ready to "fire up" the forge if I were going to make it into a table. but If it's usable, why not let it be used?

not sure you're going to be able to do it line with the post without going side blast unless the leg/post is open at the bottom. the slide blast means you don't have ash dropping down the pipe. As for getting it inline. Get a fitting that will fit over the post and onto the black pipe fittings you already have. If you can find a T to do this with you'd be the best off. that way you don't need to have a second fitting in there that would increase the height of the forge. Plumb the T to the blower and up into the fire pot. 

I'd be all over that. from what i've seen, a lot of hand crank blowers are pretty noisy.

That's one beast of a home made anvil to be proud of.

get us the measurements on the hole and we can go from there. the ducting can be made with thread together pipe fittings that can be purchased at any hardware store so no need for welding at all. Though a weighted ash dump or sliding ash dump is better than a threaded one, but it works if thats all you can do.

I would build up. The biggest issue you're going to have is getting the hole in the cast iron. I don't think it's bad persay to use it, just more work than other options. Getting a hold in the cast the size you need without cracking the whole thing is going to be your problem. but it's doable with the right equipment. but as you said, this is your first foray in metal working, so the chances of you actually having the right equipment are slim. but if you know someone who does work with metal they may be willing to help you out for a case of beer and or some manual labor.

Nope, it give you a could sections of tubing. Horns are nice but not needed. Get a solid section of large round stock. Mount it securely and than you can use the side as a horn.

now that's just Perty! Very nice.

Clamping to the table, or having the legs extend under the table so the table lets could sit on the tree legs would also help. that way there is no need for additional storage space for weights and what not. Personally, I'd make the upper half Super light and the lower half only moderately heavy. this will keep the center of gravity down on its own. How many mugs are supposed to be on the tree? Maybe reconcider the floor mounted trees and go with smaller table top versions that can be clamped to the top of the table or secured in some other way. I would think that a 5' tall tree made from 5/8" bar would get to be a bit unwieldy for a woman if she's dainty.

"I may be wrong but..." 

 

 

No, no.  Always best read the owner's manual or ask experienced smiths when dealing with these new models of anvil!

Especially with those new hybrid hydrolic anvils.

hmmm... yet another occation where the newb (me) doesn't know enough to know that the question he's asking really isn't answerable. Sounds like it's a lot more about personal preference than a set size for a given purpose. Still trying to get out of the machining mentality where you start with one size, and machine it down to another to fit the need. It's more of a use what's at hand and forge it to something that's useable for the purpose at hand.

Using the topic title as the search brought up nothing.

Has anyone created a useful materials chart for building the common tools that we use on a regular basis?

For example, the proper size stock for Hammer Eye drifts, Hammer head of differing sizes/weights, etc?

I know for punches and drifts you can just use the diameter rod that you want the hole to end up at, but for odd shapes or uncommon sizes is there something do use as a reference point for a good start?

if you want it to be mobile at all I wouldn't use the sink. but if it's astationary unit with a hood and what not I don't see why it would be bad to use it. Especially since you're going to have to clay it to get a usable fire pot anyway.

Joe,

If a mistake happens, it's always your fault. The steel is inaniment, It cannot do something to be at fault. Either you used the wrong tool, the wrong temp, the wrong technique, the wrong amount of force, or the wrong angle for that given piece of steel. Saying it was the steels fault is like saying it's the cars fault for a drunk driver. or the guns fault for a shooting.

The cheapest way to get steel is to either get drops. Basically the stuff that's left over after someone else has used up most of the useable length of a given "stick" (full length). Or buy a full stick. Stick lengths will vary between the different sizes/shapes of metal you're buying. some come in 20' some in 24' and some in other lengths. You can ask about price per inch, price per foot, and price per stick. they all very. The larger the thickness, the higher the cut cost. Basically they are charging you for the time of the cut/the wear and tear on the saw.

It took me three years to finally go through my scrap buckets to toss the stuff that was not going to be useful. I recycled less than 1/4 bucket of scrap.

Mac,

thats like walking into a buffet and asking if anyone came to eat. I look at it as selective hoarding. I only keep what I think can be useful. Typically, anything that is over 2" in length I consider to be potentially useful unless its rotted out with rust, or covered in welds and torch slag if it has those it needs to be more than 3" in length.

you did good. Is it all in working order?

you could start by getting the 9 layers of paint off of it so you might be able to find the markings.