Charles R. Stevens

Build your "garden shed" half your shop. Hopefully that will be under the minimum footprint for permits, then build a second facing it. Finish it. Now that your neibors and the city are used to it, connect the two. Potentially 3x the shop. As code enforcement usually comes around only if some one tips them off. That said, your post and infill should pass anyway.

Marc, "whitesmith" is Glenn's son. By all accounts Sean was a fine youngman.

On more reflexion, I think heating one bar in the middle, as Mac suggests., with practice and a fairly thick peice of stock one should have enough heatt to forge the two pivot bosses 180 from one another in one heat. Then draw a second heat for the jaws. Take some creative fire management in a small rivit forge but a larger forge should, 8-10" of heated bar should give you your bosses. Drawing the reigns are obviusly independent operations, as is finishing the jaws, but if you have a large forge fire and would like to minimize the number of heats, I could see the potential for having two sets in the fire. This creating the blanks for two sets at once. This could be an efficient way to produce them, especially if using welded reigns.

I wouldn't harsh that little shed. Admittedly a bit drafty for a Canadian winter but well built and clean looking. Build it's twin at your place in the spring, and ad to it to tighten it up. Another one facing it would give you more space to work in, the skin can be a lot of things, from recycled privacy fence over a couple of layers of tarpaper, waxed cardboard, black poly etc. recycled barn tin, sod etc. lots of options, same for the roof.a nice little "Soddy" with it's back to the wind would certainly be cheap and weather tight. As it is just installing cedar shakes to it would make a nice shed that the wife wouldn't be ashamed of.

By the way, the front rotors tend to be be vented, as they do much more work , and get hotter, another reason to use the rear.

To help clear (or mudy) the waters.a rotor is the disk, in a disk break assembly. The dished part of the assembly is called a hat. The hat provides the offset behind the hub so the caliper has cleriance as not to interfear with the wheel. The part we are talking about is rotor with intrical hat. As indicated the rear rotors on 4 wheel disk assemblies usually have an intrical break drum for the parking break assembly. I know some of you have had lick with them but I don't tink there really deap enough. Even the ones off of heavy duty applications. For those of you who still insist on break drums, look for traier electric break drums, salid cast, intrical hub, no need to put a plate in the bottom. You can lay hands on mobile home axle drums if you scout around. I think for the amout of fabrication you have to do (exept for a trailer drum, you can make a nomber of other setups. I would think that a drain pan, clayed like an old rivit forge, wold be less fabrication.

Lots of different options, some work better than others, like using rail for an anvil, a drum or rotor is less tha ideal but it can be made to work. Glenn's 55 forge or it's veriants (like the side draft) work very well for the $ a 2" to 8" black pipe reducer is a the bomb for a bottom blast, but I do like my side draft.

I'm not a fan of cement for a refractory, heat turns it back into clay and lime. Clay and sand 1/3 works well, but I stray from your question. Claying your drum will alow you to insulate it, extending its life and making it less likely to scorch you in a careless (I phone substituted "Charles" which is appropriate ;-) moment. But it's big advantage will be to allow you to form an efficient ducks nest, helping insulate the heat as well as conserve fuel. Try this link. http://ezinearticles.com/?Depression-Refractory-Mix-For-The-Backyard-Foundry.&id=85797 The water glass is what makes "stove cement" different from building cement.

I think your actually closer than you think.

Glenn will be proud, you have gotten his reason for creating and maintaining this site.

The barn building industry uses 2x, lumber, laminated together to address Neil's concern and keep prices down. By using below ground rated 2x4's you can build a 4' post with the ends stagerred, allowing regular 2x to be spliced in to make a 12' post. With this rought, simply apply rubberized asphalt between the two PT halves and coat the lower 3 1/2' with the same, wrap in 6mil poly (or use ice dam block/ flexible flashing, which is Polly with a coating of rubberized asphalt) you may see as much as a 50% reduction of material cost. And it is much easyer to scrounge 2x4. Then again scrounging old wooden fence works too. You can splice the posts that rotted off at the ground, to make 12' posts rapping the bottoms so they don't rot, and using the fence as wind block (I have a feed shed built exactly that way)

I commend knocks for taking responsibility for he education of his daughter. She is in no way less capability of learning to handle a knife (and obviusly a firearm) than is her ancestors. As little as 50 years ago every little boy in this country had a knife in his pocket, as did his father, grand father and every other man. As the father of girls, I see no difference between a boy 50 years ago and a girl of today. In my opinion, he made a knife for his daughter (I'm sure her mother was me than enameled with this idea) knowing full well is was a letter opener, knowing also that she was going to cut her self (he aperiantly has ample experience in that regard) that's mearly a fact a life. Infact she will most likely abuse the little knife and bend the tip. In my opinion it is time for dad, and daughter to go back to the shop, and after taking in to account what her hand will look like in a very few short years, build her a proper knife. As her first edged tool will have sever it's intended purpose bu the time it is finished and in her hands (and will serve as encouragement to learn responsibility and respect for this potentially dangerous tool) as did the BB gun that preceded the .22 This I'd the first step in her learning how a properly sharpens tool is safest, be it her knife, grandmothers pinking shears, grandfathers wood chisels, moms kitchen knives or dads old buck.

It's always hard to get an idea from ones mind, out ones mouth (or keyboard) in some one else's ears (or eyes) and in to their brain. With our entropy mutating the original idea, it can get worse as the idea is bandied bac and forth, or better. If you are taking about laying the lump on its side. Then cutting notches in the top of two sides of the box should be stable. If you are talking about setting the lump upright in the box, it would be best to crenelate the top of the box so that each side pokes like a fence picket. You can still lay the round on its side diagonally. This also moves the support for the lump farther from the center when on its side. It also maintains more contact between the sides of the box and the lump when it's set upright in the box. With limited wood working skills, I think making a stump by laminating (gluing and nailing or screwing) 2x stock to gether will be easier. To recap, you need a solid core that the lump sets on, that goes from the ground (or below) then another layer wrapped around the core that extends up 1/3 to 2/3 the sides of your lump. You want the end grain up. Now if you cut the peices that wrap around the core, and form the sides of the box so they look like fence pickets. You should have a secure holder for your lump in 3 positions. ( or more if you carve shapes in the sides later on) scrap wood sliced at a 45 Insurted in the inside corners will be a bit more secure and give you a place for wedges if the fit is to loos. Lastly, if you have three feet on the bottom of the stump it will set more stable than one big foot or 4.

Adjusting the jaws to fit a size of stock as Frank described usually fixes the jaws not closing all the way/evenly. As for grinding, fist try a bit of valve lap compound or a file. Bolt the halves to gether and work them with leaping compound (abracive and grease) also, if its just rivit drag, heat the joint and Quench wile working the halves against each other to fit the joint.

I bet that would feel funky. I can see mechanically why it might be better. It makes the death grip less damaging to the body, and elivistes the tendancy to "force" the tool. Only the inertia of the tool is doing the work, not unlike the spring linkage on a power hammer. If the handle is strong and flexible like a bow stave I think it would be safe enough and would reduce tenden irritating vibration. But I still think it would feel funky, and I'd be afraid of it smacking me between the eyes on the rebound!

I get these really knarly calluses on the out side of my pinkies.... ... But that's from the driving lines. Actually I have a very pronounced callus on the side of my index finger proximal and distal of my second joint. My palms are clear, the pads under my first and second joint on all my fingers are calloused but that's from the post hole digger and tamping bar.

If you plan right, you can place a PT member around the parimiter, with a rabbit on the top edge, placed at the right hight, place "Z"flashing and set the 3/4" T11 right on it, if you lay everything out right, the sodding fits between the bird blocking, and the sill with out cutting, as well as the sill retains your gravel (or I like brick pavers) floor higher than the outside (nice to have dry feet). If you still want to use corigated tin, just instal it horizontally on the walls, and trim. It looks better, and uses less material, paint it and it looks good. And you can span 4' or more with perlings on the roof. "Z" perlings are recommended for tin to wood on roofs to prevent the expansion and contraction from slotting the screw holes and letting in rain, or worse, snow melt.

Suart, that is high prase, thank you. Don't go chopping off to much handle. Hold the head in your hand (make a fist around it) and cut the handle at the crease ov your elbow. As to replacement handles, unless you mail order them its a XXXX to find the right handle ( I used to use claw hammer handles and reshape the square) if you can find appropriate material to split a handle blank out you'll have a better handle, if not by a sledge hammer handle and make three blanks. It isn't as much work as you think, as you need to rework the comersial handles any way and I find they have less wain. And thank Thomas for this, don't spend all that time wiping the handle with oil, just soak it for a day in 1/2 linsead oil 1/2 thinner (mineral spirits or turpentine) wipe it off and let it dry a day or two. Then install it.

Yep, I'm right. Look at the picture

I bet your holding the handle in a closed fist.

Change your grip, the hammer sould lay in the center of your palm (between the muscle for the thumb and the pinkie. Pinch the handle between your thum and index finger ( not to tight on the way down) hold your other fingers progressively looser. When the hammer strikes the work, your palm sould be flat to the ground. Second, sand off any varnish of the handle. Re shape the handle might be in order, your fingers should come close to touching your palm. In the mean time, a pice of duct tape (on your palm) will reduce the friction.

Medium carbon. It will work for a punch, works especially well for drifts, tongs, hammers, axes... Bottom tools, top tools... Generally good stuff, just don't cool a tool in your slack tub if you let it get red hot. By the way, it's a great way to build your hammering arm, it isn't the hardest steel to move, but it certainly isn't the easiest

Nice use of your fire irons to support the steel.

First try heating the assembled peice and let it cool, normalizing may solve your problem, if not, reheat and forge to fit.

Metal building suppliers sell 4'x 100' roles of insulation, makes fast work of the walls, and if you sod the roof, sufficient for the ceiling too. A sod roof will require a 100# per square foot roof, a truss plant can hook you up with trusses for a 24" spacing and deck with 3/4 OSB. Standard in your area should be 32" with 1/2" OSB. A few LED bulbs for lighting are a lot more economical than the solar panels. Intact a Steve Bear style solar water preheated would see a bigger drop in you're bills and have a faster payback.