Fowllife

I agree with the others, very nice roses KYCATS. What was the thickness of the material you used to get that much texture on the peddles? The only thing I would add would be a couple thorns on the stems. To me it just adds a whole nother level that really makes them pop. I finally lit the forge for the first time since Christmas, and the second time since about November. The old arm lost a little condition in the time off. The wife and I don’t usually do much for Valentine’s Day, but I lucked out to land a pretty amazing woman so I needed to make her something. I made a couple heart wall hooks and my first feather. They didn’t turn out as good as i’d hoped but not bad for being rusty.

You are both correct, "period blacksmith" would have been a better term. For a little twist, I'm a woodworker as well. Should I only be allowed to use a hammer and chisel? Can I use a brace and bit? Or a cross cut saw? I much prefer my shaper, chop saw & planer. Does that not make me a woodworker? The same would go for many "old" professions or trades. Why do smiths feel like they need to put themselves in a box?

I hear that reference mainly on a farming forum I read. The assumption that I have always made was it is somewhat of a regional, or generational slang term. Their dads, or grandfathers in the late 1800-early 1900 always had to take their steel equipment to a blacksmith for repair. Traditions and slang can sometimes die hard, so they still use the term blacksmith for any steel repair shop. In essence though modern welders and fabricators are performing the same tasks that traditions smiths did back in the day, just with torches and welders. I would answer your question like others did above, in my opinion having a welder in your shop would make you a smart blacksmith. We should always use whatever tool or technology make our jobs easier. It is up to us the be a good blacksmith and know where and when to us them. The exception of course would be if your goal is to be a traditional smith using only traditional tools and methods. They would pick the time period they would like to stay in and not deviate.

I'm not as brave as John, I want no part comment on the "her" TP was referring too...... That second picture was taken the weekend we moved into the house down south, Max was a tired dog. He has always had a habit of squeezing into the small beds instead of laying comfortably in one of the bigger beds.

Personally, I'd sell it and buy/build the setup I wanted. But I also don't have the power available for that big of a unit. That would be what 130 amps at 220v 3 phase? Also check the voltage for that motor, with it being that big there's a good chance it's 440-480v. Do you have that kind of power i your shop?

Yeah well, it would t be as fun if I didn’t have to do a little research. Its great that your so close to SOFA and have already started some classes. Unfortunately I’m 1-2hrs from the closest group either east or west. The forge is looking good so far, what are you planning for a burner? I went with a 3/4” Frosty style T with a naturally aspirated ribbon burner on mine. So far I’m really happy with the setup. I believe JHCC has the same setup (and many others) and has some pictures of his on here.

The picture of the steer was actually somewhat of a joke. It’s good to know he was still welcomed though. He took a ride to freezer camp a couple weeks ago, and the new guys in the pen aren’t nearly as curious. Max is the dog that spends time out in the shop with me.

This followed me home a couple weeks ago. Lucky for me a fellow member keeps his eye out for local smithy stuff that I could use. Also lucky for me this just happens to be the style of press I was planning on building this winter. She needs a motor & pump which is almost a plus since I can put on exactly what I want. As for cost, it was a touch over scrap price. I think filling the truck with fuel on the way was more then the press.

I would agree that there is nothing wrong with using a welder, but just like any other jointing method it needs to be done correctly. I have also noticed items with welds that totally take away from the looks in my opinion (mostly pintrest/etsy photos) I think the bigger question is what do you consider a "blacksmith"? In a large part of the mid-west USA I hear the term blacksmith used for steel & fabrication shops. These shops don't usually have a forge or an anvil. In that area a blacksmith is anyone who can fix stuff with steel, a welder, and a torch.

Welcome Keith. I must say, I had to look up were Vandalia is as I've never heard of it. I can very much relate to the whole too many hobbies part and being somewhat of a tradesman. You're lucky to have a local club that offers classes, there isn't really a whole top offered up north. Looks like your off to a good start.

2.08 C.I. Since "heavy C" isn't a shape I used an MC3x7.1 which is the heaviest 3" channel I found, is my guess right? I know you were just making a statement that some shapes are harder to calculate, but I had to guess anyways.......

I'm surprised that some guys are still buying as low as $.35/lb since that's below wholesale price on most if not all shapes. Following are the "stander" lengths per my reference book from a fairly large multi state steel supplier HR round, square, flat - 20' HR strips (1/8"-3/16" thick) - 16' CR round, square, flat- 12' Angle - 20' Channel (bar, Structural, MC) - 20' (available in 5' increments after 20') Beams (I, WF, H) - 20' (available in 5' increments after 20') Pipe - 21', 24', and 42' (up to 60') Tube - 20' (24', 30', 36', 40'. 48', & 60') Threaded rod - 12' I should say, this is the stock length from this supplier, others may vary. Longer lengths are also available on some items.

Does this guy count? He’s the biggest “pet” I have had in the pasture all year. The pasture is next to the barn, if I have the doors open when I’m working he is usually standing there looking at me.

Mr Stevens - Big Azz (if I can say that?) fans do do a good job. There should be enough height for the small diameter fans to work here. If JLP is interested in going that route I would suggest a different supplier though. That particular company is VERY proud of their product, there are several other companies making high volume/low speed fans that would be more cost effective.

Make sure you install some temporary bracing as soon as you get the first bay set. Partially erected pre-engineered buildings have been known to fall down if not braced. We use a bracket that bolts to one of the anchor bolts and use some big 20 ton?? come a longs to square it up.

I applaud you for encouraging your daughter the think through her future and develop a "plan". Our oldest gets out of the service next summer, I may challenge him to complete the same project I think that too often now parents just tell their kids that they have to go to college, and to just pick something they like for a major. Most people just don't make the connection for education cost and potential income. I have an office job in the construction field, and I firmly believe that skilled trade wages will outpace degree professions in the next 10-20 years. It is a huge problem in this area to find people that want to work in the trades. Between the baby boomers retiring and the associated strain on the heath care system, and the lack of skilled trade working, it will be interesting what changes I will see before I retire. On the GI bill, from my understanding after you get out it is a max yearly reimbursement. They do cover when you are active duty, but with deployments and regular training op's its hard to take advantage when active

Picker - Will it work, yeah I'm sure you can figure something out to make it work. In my opinion though it's really not worth the risk, and work involved. I'm not familiar with how the hydraulic pump is set up ion that tractor. Most small tractors are not set up to run the remotes at constant flow, and if yours are controlled by an electric solenoid you may not be able to. If you can't lock your remotes on to full flow you will need to control the press from the tractor. Also, does it provide that flow and pressure at idle, or at rated RPM's? A PTO pump would probably be a better option then using the tractor hydraulics. This option would let you keep the press fluid in a separate system. If you use the tractor hydraulics I would make sure you wire in a murphy switch tied to a hydraulic temp gauge. The hydraulic cooling capacity of the smaller tractors is not all that great. The biggest thing for me though is cost. A electric motor setup is fairly cheap compared to a new hydraulic pump for your tractor. If you figure fuel and depreciation into the equation electric is a no brainer as long as you have power close. I would probably even buy a cheap Harbor Freight Honda knock off gas engine before I went to the work of using tractor hydraulics.

I know they did, I wasn't questioning your numbers. The NEC is one of the nicer codes for laying out numbers.....and the color pictures are nice too..... My comment and number were to point out the numbers on the motor tag don't make sense.

I thought that amp draw seemed low, and Steve seems to agree. Something is not right with that label. Just straight by the numbers, 1 hp = 746 watts. That would mean 5 hp = 3728 watts. Watts/volts = amps, so 3728 watts @ 230v = 16.2 amps. These are theoretical numbers and would need put into real work application. Wire for extension cords is different in terms of wire type and coatings. Romex is actually just a brand name of wire, not a type.

That amp load seems oddly small to me for a 5 hp motor. If I remember right most 220-240v 5 hp motors are 20-28 FLA? Also, NM cable (Romex) is not the right type of wire to use for extension cords.....I would highly recommend adding that sub panel now. It's really not that hard to do, and isn't that expensive.

Most of southern Ohio does not have any zoning or building department for rural areas, so you can build whatever you want wherever you want. There are lots of places where you will see a $750k house next to a house trailer. Even in some of the smaller cities there is not much in terms of regulations. Up in northern Ohio most rural areas have zoning of some type, and almost all cities have a zoning and building department. The township I’m in has zoning, but no building department. You are supposed to get a zoning permit for any structural added or addition. There is a small fee, if it is waived for agricultural buildings. The county just recently has started making people get plumbing permits. Marcusb - great progress. I have always liked that style of barn, although you don’t see many in this area. What is the overall size? Are you putting battens over the joints, or isn’t wind blown snow much of an issue this far south?

I have a '74 3000 gasser that has treated me pretty well. Those older Fords are fairly bulletproof tractors. I've been somewhat looking for a 4xxx series diesel to replace the 3000 since that's the only gas tractor I have. The house/farm is SE of Sandusky, but my wife currently lives in Logan so I'm down in the Hocking Hills area quite often. I'm guessing your trying to get it dried in before the snow flies?

As a beginner myself, who has a 217# Peter Wright, unless you have the money burning a hole in your pocket and just want to spend it I think I would pass on that one. It looks like a fine anvil, but they extra cost would provide some good seed money for some other items you could use. There is a guy just south of Mansfield who has a 160# English pattern for $350, that's the direction I would go personally. It's not a perfect anvil, but it's usable. A lot would also depend on the type of smithing you plan on doing as well.

Asphalt shingles is not an option I would recommend. Most manufactures require a 4/12 pitch, but may reduce that to 3/12 if you use ice guard and reduce the shingle exposure. Your roof looks to be a 1/12 pitch or less. If it is that flat screw down metal roofing is also not recommended. A concealed fastener standing seam roof may be ok if installed and flashed properly. Standing seam will probably require a layer of underlayment (synthetic felt is the best) of a slip surface over the Zip panels to maintain warranty. With how flat it looks, I would think a rubber roof (fully adhered) would be your best bet. Removing the shingles on the existing and extend your rubber at 24-30 inches would be best. As Marcusb mentioned snow load would be a concern of mine. Almost more so ice loading could be a big problem depending on how you insulate the roof.

Good to see some progress, looking good. Dolmar makes some nice saws, a buddy of mine has a few. One of is 7910's is ported and even with a 54" bar it will eat some wood. What model is the Ford, mid-late '60's 4000? Roughly what area of southern Ohio are you in?