AndersMJ Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Here's just a few pics of my shop. It's not very large right now and I still need a few odds and ends to get it going, but it's all minor details from now on. I fabricated the table and got help from a friend who lives close by who happens to be a boilermaker. The bricks are for normalising, the bucket is filled with water for hardening, cooling, etc. Need to find one to hold oil. The big mason's bucket is materials. And then there's the tool stand behind the anvil. Originally it all faced the other way but the barn opening would be behind me and I decided I want to be able to see who enters. It feels like the flue has enough draft although after mounting it all, I read that the space between the flue and the top cap should be the diameter of the flue or more. It's a mere 4-5 inches now, but in any case, I'm gonna buy a carbon dioxide alarm. (btw, where should I put this?) Only need an air supply now for the pot and to shorten down and fasten the anvil to the floor. :) Thank you for watching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Looks like you have the beginnings of a very nice shop! I'll admit to being jealous, even incredibly so. What are the dimensions on your forge table? I'm looking building one in the near future, but I can't make up my mind about how big I want to go. Yours is looking about like what I had in mind. That large mason's bucket would make a very nice slack tub. For oil quenching tanks, I kinda like large ammunition containers from the Army Surplus Store. Depending on what your town has, you can find ammo containers made from fiberglass or heavy plastic, and metal, that have nice-fitting lids. A lid on the water tub is nice because it stops evaporation and bugs, but on the oil it's really nice for stopping fires if you have a flare up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel.85 Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Very nice, keep it clean! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndersMJ Posted June 3, 2012 Author Share Posted June 3, 2012 The height of the forge table is about 32". I'm not at my parents right now and can't remember the exact dimensions but an estimate would be 28" x 36". It's quite heavy for one man but doable if need be. I plan to just place some bricks on either side of the fire pot to contain the coal. And then remove them if I need to place some iron through the hearth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted T Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Looks like you have a good Start! You will no doubt learn as you go (Adjust & Adapt) I wish for you a great journey in the fine craft of Blacksmithing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Wow...no junk, I mean, stock, parts, test pieces and metal that will become useful someday. Enjoy the space and lack of clutter, that'll change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndersMJ Posted June 3, 2012 Author Share Posted June 3, 2012 Wow...no junk, I mean, stock, parts, test pieces and metal that will become useful someday. Enjoy the space and lack of clutter, that'll change. The barn was a mess before this. We cleaned it up, swept the floor and you could almost do surgery in there now. I know what you're saying though, a lot of the blacksmith shops you see around has all sorts of metal everywhere. Organised chaos is ok in my book and it's actually quite charming imo to have that rural, old school, dark blacksmith shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOblacksmith0530 Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Looks good, I wouldn't worry too much about fire bricks on the sides. I leave the sides open and hill the coal up on the side away from the flue to coke it and work it in the fire as needed. I have 2 firebricks paralleling the sides of the forge but past the firepot and that contains the hill of coal. As to the cleanliness it is good you have pics as that will change. I have a pile of scrap and misc pieces under the forge table almost all the time they are failures or design changes. I have a fresh one from last week it was the handle for a chest and a phone call caused me to neglect it long enough to turn it from part to sculpture (I seem to forget at least once a week what the blower switch is for). Welcome to the wonderful world of blacksmithing, may your journet be long and fruitful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramsies11 Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 i would place the co2 alarm above where you will be at most (above the anvil probably) i wouldnt put it TOO close to the forge because the draft system works, but some always rises up. but your work area looks really good. id put the alarm on the wall nearest to your anvil, and id have it about 1.5 feet above your head (not exact) this will give you time to smother the forge and get out to let the thing air out a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EGreen Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 sure neat forge. some thing to think about,'bout 74 or 75, I made a hood for my forge,we had a real old feed grinder that had a cone and an dust remover? I cut off the cone it had 6" pipe feeding it.flopped it over anput it thru the shop roof above the forge.seems like at the widest it was 24 to 30" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Looking good, too clean but that'll come, you're just getting it going. <grin> It'll make a good workspace, do you know what size work you'll be doing? Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy k Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 What is the size of the building and how tall of side walls? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndersMJ Posted June 8, 2012 Author Share Posted June 8, 2012 Haha too clean. It doesn't look like the typical blacksmith shop with metal and tools everywhere no, but I'm pretty confined to that corner so it's limited how much I can actually stuff in there. Thing is my dad and I were cleaning up the barn completely. I plan to make smaller ornamental pieces to start with and then progressing to knives and axes later. No wrought iron gates here right now hehe. basically things that doesn't require heat treating. Just normalize and done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndersMJ Posted June 8, 2012 Author Share Posted June 8, 2012 What is the size of the building and how tall of side walls? Probably 50' x 25'. My shop area right now is approx. 10' x 10'. Walls are probablt 7-8'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy k Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 . That will make a nice area for you to use, and you'll find you can do lots of work within that area Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Salvati Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 You will fondly look back at these photos in 10 years and wonder at all the space and how clean it was :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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