HIGHSIDER Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 Hello everybody! Hope you’re all doing very well! Tom here from Ireland doing the decent thing and saying a quick hello with an introduction of myself. I am a design engineer by trade but also have a range of interests at home from woodcarving, woodturning, motorcycles, old wood & metal working machine restore, (the real old girls, heavy cast machine body, built to last, yee know the type!) and quite recently, started taking a real interest in forging & blacksmithing. Those big power hammers, wow, how exciting!! Those babies’s pack some punch! Got to get myself one of those someday! Lol..I’ve also had a bit of bad luck there about 4 years ago and have learned a very valuable lesson maybe I could share with you guy’s that may act as a little reminder of when things go wrong. I’m sure I’m not the first that this has happened too, I’ve had a workshop fire that levelled the place! Only the four walls and the steel work of the shed remaining all caused by grinding steel late one night, some sparks smouldered where I had a small store of timber, a fire got hold of everything, took off and destroyed the lot, a lifetime collecting old machines and everything a busy workshop contains all gone up in smoke in a mater of hours!! Oh I could cry!!Nevermind, that’s all behind me now, I’ve spent the last 4 years rebuilding the workshop and rebuilding all my machines, those that could be saved. The place is better than before now and I’ve got the drive & spirit back again to create. It’s been a slow rebuild but I’m nearly there. The fire was not on my schedule and was a major set back both mentally & financially, but hey! It could have been a whole lot worse?? No body was hurt or worse. Just be careful folks, a workshop fire is a terrible experience! Be careful! Looking forward to reading & learning from you guys. What a great forum! Keep up the good work all, thanks for having me.TOM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 Welcome Tom. Unfortunately shop fires are not unknown in the blacksmithing community. A goal I'm working towards is to split off the forging and grinding "dirty crafts" in a separate addition from my woodworking, handle making, etc shop to help deal with fire issues. Where I live is a desert, we had just over 4 inches of precipitation last year *total* and fire is a constant fear. Tonight I plan to go mow down the weeds not because we care about the looks here in the country but to lower the fire danger; a fully grown tumbleweed burns like tossing a cup of petrol on a fire! Glad you are getting into smithing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HIGHSIDER Posted September 18, 2012 Author Share Posted September 18, 2012 Thanks Thomas! Yes, you have to be so careful, a fire can spread so quickly. I like your approach and I’m in the same mindset. I have to separate the dirty work including welding away from the wood shop and reduce all possibilities. You learn from experience, once bitten twice shy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dillon Sculpture Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Can't wait to see some pictures Tom, welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 My original shop has *no* wood in it: concrete floor metal frame metal walls and roof. My dirty shop extension has 4 telephone poles of creosoted wood as uprights and then everything else is metal save for the dirt floor---I had to pay for the extension myself and so it's all used/scrounged materials save for the purlins and screws which I bought new. What kinds of things do you like to forge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HIGHSIDER Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 I'm not forging just yet where I'm still getting myself set up however I do have an idea where I would like to focus on a celtic type art forging using a design similar to the image below and include wood turning as a finished piece. A blend of the two crafts if you like. That's what I'd like to work on. I've a bit to go yet before I get there, but I'll get there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HIGHSIDER Posted September 20, 2012 Author Share Posted September 20, 2012 Can't wait to see some pictures Tom, welcome! Many thanks Danger..I just got some pictures there just out of interest now that you have asked.. Finished this vice/work station there few weeks back, solid legs with 30mm plate, bit of weight in this thing, exactly what I'm after. That's my best pal alone side This is my old Adcock & Shipely pillar drill, quite an old drill I believe, it's not finished or positioned just yet, I have the switch gear & lubrication system to fit and it's then more or less ready for action. Here's a recent project again, almost complete. lot of time gone into this, over two years with a complete take down and rebuild, Lovely old tool maker lathe, Maker; Drummond Bro's Surry, UK This is my power hack saw currently under rebuild, have a mod on this where you can see an old water pack water pump that will act as a coolant pump, hey!! got to use what I can find? lol Some of my woodcarving. My spindle lathe, not finished! My bowel lathe, this a home made job, I've used a gearbox from an old ferguson 20 tractor and fabricated around the box, little bit of ballest included, here to dampen vibration, 1100kg, Another old girl, 1930's J Seager halifax, thicknessing machine, again not complete or in position That's some of what keep's me head right!! Granted they are not complete or installed but will be soon enough, one step at a time. Hope you enjoyed my few photo's. I have just visited your own website and can just say...That is ""AWESOME!!"" and I'm not just saying that. Nothing would give me greater pleasure if I could only achieve a fraction of what you have listed on your web page and at your forge shop. That's an inspiration! Every success to your work and future projects Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Definitely need a "split shop" set up as sawdust/shavings and grinding, welding and smithing do not play well together! Lovely tools, just lovely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HIGHSIDER Posted September 20, 2012 Author Share Posted September 20, 2012 Definitely need a "split shop" set up as sawdust/shavings and grinding, welding and smithing do not play well together! Lovely tools, just lovely. Thanks for that Thomas.. ""do not play well together"" I do like that description..Absolutely agree fella...A split is on the cards, in fact it's madness having it any other way. I've learned my lesson mixing the two Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dillon Sculpture Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 Hey Tom, you certainly have a good start on tooling back up and a beautiful job restoring those wonderful pieces of machinery. It seems a project always seems to find me as well, I was modifying a press this morning and thought how enjoyable it was, oh well back to work. Nice skull! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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