Cedar Crest Forge

Nice anvil! If you notice it walking, try 4 nails, one on the inside of each foot. That is what I use anyway, for my temporary setups.

Wow, what a wonderful deal for a German style anvil. Keep the good karma going by forging something wonderful on it !

Oklahoma is usually a good place to find anvils, due to the number of old farms and ranches. If you can avoid the big auction houses and city antique stores, you should do fine. 2 to 3$ a pound I am guessing. Ask around...network your way to an old farmer. And don't forget to bring a ball bearing. If you run out of luck, expand your search to nearby states, like Kansas. But avoid New Mexico...prices are much higher in the southwest , compared to the mid west.

Looks like a fun project. If you can afford it, I also encourage you to look into 2 x 72 grinders. There is a lot more available in 2 x 72 : Plans, Parts, accessories, training videos, belts, etc will be easier to find. As an aside, I still have my 4 x 36. Sometimes I just don't need to fire up a 2 hp 2 x 72 grinder. You can also get surface conditioning belts for the 4 x 36.

Will you be traveling from Atlanta to Washington with an empty load? You may want to consider picking up a load to help offset the gas costs. I would mention where to look for loads, but my post would probably be deleted and I would be issued another 2 warnings for advertising and swearing. Apparently, an advertisement is like swearing on this site, lol.

Sure, that may work. Or any metal cart may be a good start. Side notes: There are many other ways to attach metal, besides welding. In most cities, recycled metal is cheap, no need to buy new. Those pictures are humorous to me. A carpenters mind at work. I wonder if the plywood floor comes as a bonus gift with the second blacksmith forge. What they should have done instead is just made simple metal legs, like a rivet forge.

Not sure if you are joking. The table has other uses for the shop. Replace 3 top boards and it is back to a normal table. I am simply suggesting to make the forge all metal (well, non-combustible. It could be brick, stone...) , for fire safety reasons. If you go online, you will not find any modern propane or coal forge that is constructed with wood.

The tuyere is 22$. T pipe suggestion is a good idea then , as 400$ is a lot! . p.s. If you put a hot piece of metal on sheet steel, it may still burn any wood supports underneath it. Heat transfer. Same physics apply to your pipe. As it is, the hot coal will slide down the pipe, catch the wood support on fire, and then travel up to the rest of it, all while you are in the front yard, distracted. (Murphy's Law)

Nice forge start. Wood though? Is there a thrifty store near you where you could buy an old metal desk , or maybe a metal retail display with a shelf, cut a hole in the center, and use that instead of the wood? It looks like a fire waiting to happen. Plus, you could then put your hot items down safely. Actually, your entire area looks unsafe to forge in. Smiths occasionally drop hot steel, and if it fell under that shed, it would make quite a mess. p.s. You can buy the bottom part of the forge, tuyere etc, in solid cast iron and well within your budget.

So you are looking for an x y z table mounted sideways to your grinder, correct? By the time you are done, you will basically have what ThomasPowers mentioned, except sideways.

Great knives, looks like they were fun to make! And Frosty is helping, so you are good there as well. As for breaking bits, did you want additional advice? If so, how exactly are they breaking? What is your process, and what step in the process are breaking them? I am sure we can help refine your technique so you do not break as many. I can only guess at possible problem areas: Are you using a drill press, and if so, is the handle moving around as you drill? Are you using the drill bit , or the foredom, to start the hole? What speed are you drilling the bone at? High or low? Drill bit brand?

Yeah, thats what I meant. The standard area. Thanks for clarifying.

Interesting anvil. For weight, look for the english weight marks on the end of the feet. I am guessing about 300 lbs. Looks like the thinner tool steel plate was welded on over the original plate, probably at the factory. Should be fine as long as you use the other side, and don't miss with a sledgehammer too often. Suggestion is to make a striking anvil instead, if you plan on having a striker. Your anvil looks like a better deal than what I am seeing out here in the southwest usa. If you clean it, and want to keep the original patina for historical or antique purposes, than use a wire wheel , rather than a flap wheel or grinder. Then BLO.

Little Giant has been selling dies with this design, as the "two piece interchangeable system". How well it holds up under stress, I don't know, but they have been selling them since 2002.

Nice vise, but that doesn't look like a blacksmithing vise. Actually, those sanders don't look like they were designed for a blacksmith shop either. What exactly is your goal? In an ideal setting, you would have a mentor guiding your projects, and the tools you buy would directly support those projects. It looks like you are randomly buying tools. Those tools will then decide what projects you will be able to make. This is the opposite of where you want to be.