Project Offer - Too much for a newbie - Toronto

[CaptainSpaulding]

Hey everyone...

 

I've been playing around doing some backyard smithing for a few months now and I've found a nice little niche market selling decorative hooks (mounted or 'loose) and racks and such, and I came across a place in Toronto who makes what is called "live edge lumber" which is vertically sliced and kiln-dried sheets of wood from huge trees.  Long story short, we got talking one day and he asked if I could do anything that would compliment their stuff, we went back and forth with a few ideas and then nothing came of it.  

 

Fast forward 3 months to today, a woman called me who had just bought a large piece from him - about 6' x 3' and 2" thick, to be used as a coffee table.  She saw my rail spike hooks at their shop and thought that a scaled up version  (like, really really really scaled up) of rail spike hooks would look great as table legs (I happen to agree with her), so that the head of the spike would be the foot and the underside of the table would rest on the curved part of the hook, with the "point" of the hook pointing down to the floor, and they'd be turned inwards, towards the middle of the table.

 

I can't really come up with anything do-able with the tools and materials I have, and even if I were to buy materials (I was leaning towards using 4" square tubing), I still don't have the tools (large scale forge, heavy table and jigs, etc.) needed to work with stock that big, let alone having the experience to do it.  I'm sure I'd put all kinds of kinks into the tubes...so I'm about to gracefully back out of this opportunity.  She also asked me if I knew of anybody who could do this kind of thing.  So, if this kind of thing is allowed here, I was wondering if someone here knows of anyone in the Toronto Area who a) could possibly re-create a rail spike into a larger version, or b) work with this lady to create something that will make her happy.  She wants HEAVY, rough, industrial looking legs and she said everything she saw online looked to clean or "polished" and she wasn't referring to finishes. 

 

I'm sorry if I'm breaking any rules or posting this in the wrong place, and I didn't just want to tell her to use google to find a metal works place in the city.  I think that's a rude way to deal with someone who is asking for help.  
 

I'm not looking for anything whatsoever in return, but you have all been very helpful to me so I figured I'd return the favour by offering up an opportunity to someone here.

 

[PaulKrzysz]

There are a few blacksmiths in the city.

I have found one guy advertising the the Polish Business book.

Try this site

http://kaasmetalart.com/kaas/home.html

[ianinsa]

It's great of you to "Put it out there" . However I would advise that instead of saying you want nothing out of it  I think you should "insist" :)  on assisting and thereby you could boost your skilset in order to be able to do the next project yourself.

 

Ian

[CaptainSpaulding]

Ian, that is actually not a bad idea.  Thanks.

 

 

There are a few blacksmiths in the city.

I have found one guy advertising the the Polish Business book.

Try this site

http://kaasmetalart.com/kaas/home.html

 

 

Thanks, WhiteHot I'll look into that guy.

 

[Frosty]

Have you offered her any alternatives within your skill and shop's capacity? I get requests fairly often and made up a twist display I pack around to show folk. What I find really often is the potential customer just doesn't know what's available and showing some alternatives makes a huge difference. Graph paper is your FRIEND, making quick sketches of potential leg placements has changed customer thoughts on what the legs should look like many many times.

 

She wants a heavy industrial look but this doesn't necessarily mean a big solid bar like a scaled up RR spike. How about a riveted bridge truss or box girder structure? Sure she says she likes the RR spike look but if she hasn't seen other options she may just NOT know and may be far happier with cool looking riveted box girder legs.

 

My personal like don't matter, I'm not buying a thing. what I CAN offer is my insights on what will work, what's practical and maybe some options for balancing visual elements and making a style that works and balances.

 

For instance, she has a large slab of darned expensive wood ad wants industrial. Matching and balancing the two offers some issues, I wouldn't offer a rope twist or wood grain branch or tree trunk form. they may go beautifully with large wood but it's not what she wants. What's wood and industrial? How about a saw blade? If available crossed circle saw blades would look wicked cool and could be made plenty safe by blunting the teeth and careful placement well under the table. Misery whips on the other hand might look cool but aren't nearly as structurally sound as circle saw blades so they'd need additional structure so I'd be less inclined.

 

Okay, let's assume she's fallen inn love with the RR spikes and that's what she wants. Is she dead set on the method of manufacture, does it HAVE to be forged? If yes, it's got to go to a heavier shop, deal done. Bargain for either being on hand during construction of a finder's fee. I usually only refer folk to friends gratis.

 

If a good looking fabricated piece is okay, this is far less a problem, Sq tube cuts and bends for spike like points no sweat. the spike head is the only hassle but it's not a problem.

 

Simply cut the four head shape's TOP from mid weight plate or sheet, say 1/8" or 3/16" tops. Now just forge the dome to suit.

 

Now is the only sort of tricky part, the head's "bottom" has a rectangular section that transitions from the spike shaft to the into the head's bottom proper. It's entirely possible to cut the square tubing and bend it out to form the rectangular section and weld it to the head bottom. Or fab the rec section from plate. It just need to be thick enough to represent a RR spike closely enough the viewer's eye will fill in the fiddly bits.

 

If she's okay with fab, I'd take it on in a heartbeat. If she wants forged elements I'd have to ask around for a helper and some serious tips. Whatever the construction method it MUST look nice while filling the customer's expectations.

 

Once again, I'm all rambly but this kind of project sticks in my mind's eye and I start looking for solutions. I LOVE brainstorming and this is a good one. I'm dieing to hear other guys ideas.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[VaughnT]

On a piece of wood that size, I wouldn't use something as heavy as 4" tubing.  That's HUGE and would overwhelm the wood, and not be really workable.  The client wants the look of a spike, but that doesn't mean you have to simply increase the dimensions of hook until you've reached the length needed.  4" tube would would be incredibly heavy, both physically and visually.

 

I'd use 1" solid stock, upset and flatten the end for the head.  Pointing and curling would be super simple as long as you can get the metal hot.

 

If you can't upset and flatten the head because of your tooling/knowledge limitations, find a local welder to weld on a piece of 1/2" flat stock that you can file and grind to shape to create the look of spike's head.  Heating it all up to a cherry red will scale off the odd file marks and blend the two together, then hit it with some black paint.

 

Frosty is right about offering the client other ideas.  They saw your hooks and had the idea to simply enlarge them into legs.  Okay, great.  Maybe, however, they would like something else if you showed them something else.  I like the idea of a girder span to give it that old bridge look, maybe the client would, too.