Ok, so I'm new to this and working on building up my blacksmithing/bladesmithing shop and wanted to document it and possibly get opinions as I go. I feel like I've got a good start at it with the tools I've picked up so far. So here is what I have so far:

A drill press: I got this for drilling pin holes mostly, but it will also be used when making my burners for the future forge.

An angle grinder: since I don't have a saw I'll be using this for cutting things. Yes I'm aware of the dangers, I am very familiar with the use of grinders as I have precision ground gears for heavy equipment with them. I also play on building a jig to use it for bevels.

A bench grinder: my plan is to get a buffing wheel for it and use it to mostly clean up my work. Honestly it was free from my father in law and I'm sure I'll find uses for it.

A plumbers vise: pretty straightforward really, clamping down my work as needed. Again this one was free, it's also not pictured below, but it is what I consider an average sized vise. 

Now for my plans. Probably today I'll be making a combination file/grinder jig to do my beveling and profiling. I still need to build a proper work bench to mount things to, but that will have to wait so I'm planning on using the table picture for now. I won't be able to mount things to it, but I plan on clamping it all down as needed.

I will be building a forge, though I'm redesigning it, and burner in the near future. I will also be making an anvil, my goal is to find a forklift fork but any large chunks of steel I find will be considered. Clearly there will be hand tools and other disks and PPE, but that's all minor for now. I even want to make my own tongs and hammers, but that's further down the road yet.

I do have some questions though. My resources for anvil material haven't found much yet, so for now could I use the anvil on the plumbers vise?

Beyond that I'm pretty happy, so if you have opinions I'm open to them.

 

I wouldn't use the plumbers vise anvil. Find a large sledgehammer head and use that. 

The vise on the drill press looks like a drill press vise to me. Never saw a plumbers vise like that. As Daswulf said please do not hammer on that vise, you might be able to use it for light work but for most forging it would be too small to hold stock. I just noticed that you said the plumbers vise is not pictured...."so never mind" except the don't hammer on it.

This update is a bit off but it's progress. I helped the father in-law hang half a roof on this old carport frame. The plan is to use the back half of this as my temporary shop.

My shop made in old shed (or barn) in Boyarka near Kyiv, Ukraine

It looks like you have a pretty good setup there.

Thought I would share some pics from today, we got an insane amount of snow. I've got to build some drawers in my work bench and then wrap it and build a lock system, but it functions. That random box like hunk of metal to the right on my bench is the shell of my forge. It's got a long way to go and I have no time or money with the holidays, but it's a good start.

Edit: I also need to run some power out to it before I can get back to using it all.

 

Reminds me of when I was going on a business trip to Europe and was routed through Atlanta GA, USA. They got 3" of snow and closed down the airport.  We were redirected to Chicago they had about 2' of snow and it was business as usual...

That sounds about right, yeah.

Thomas, that is exactly what it's like. I'm guessing we got about 3" and the whole city is shut down. I went in to work today, but there was no way I was grouting in this weather. We don't have any sort of heaters or anything so it would have been me with my hands in frozen water all day.

I loved it up in Utah, I went there a couple of days before they got hit with like 8+ foot of snow, it was crazy.

Got me a forge, anvil, and work bench set up under a roof. I'd call that a shop haha.

Don't make fun of my anvil mount... It's extremely temporary, im going to be replacing it with a 12" x 12" block either tonight or tomorrow. For now it works... Mostly, it's wobbly and very inefficient, but I can move some steel with it.

I would agree that a pile of sand bags and a sledge hammer head are not the best set up.

A 4x4, a sledge hammer head and sand bags (tapped) to hold it upright would be pretty good tho

Unfortunately I don't have any 4x4s but im going to pick up a few and make my stand from them. Nine pieces of 4x4 strapped together at roughly 28" high ( my knuckle height), with the hammer imbedded into the center. It gives me a project in the form of making bands and nails to secure all of the 4x4s together.

I might still have to brace the sides with sandbags, but for that I'll just have to see how stable it is.

2x 12 is easer as you can glue and nail. I would probably go 2x8

and band the bottom with 2x to widen the foot print (a 1/4” proud on the band helps with wable as well)

4 hours ago, genesaika said:

Got me a forge, anvil, and work bench set up under a roof. I'd call that a shop haha.

• in about 1956 I started work at a livery stable where they restored horse drawn carriages and sleighs my job was cranking the blower for the boss a couple hrs a week and this was just a 8x8 roof nailed to an Elm tree and no sides, this was in Vermont and it always seemed to be in the winter.  A shop is a shop where ever it might be. 

Somewhere around here, I have a photo my mom took of me smithing outside in a Vermont winter. Any roof would have been an improvement!

I think it would be next to impossible to forge down here where it rains almost daily haha. Not having sides on the shop is already pushing it. My poor drill press has surface rust on it everywhere.

You better keep that equipment oiled up being in an open air environment or it will get ruined. At least a spray down with wd every other day. 

And 9 4x4s? That's a bit much for a sledgehammer head. Probably 4 and a base would work fine. 

Oh I try to keep it oiled, I've been really busy lately though so it's been a week since I was out there.

My plan is to have the hammer head in the center and mount a RR track on there too so I can have more options.

There we go, I got it all mounted up. Cut the hole about 1/8 inch smaller and drove that sucker in. Leveled it off and then straightened out the 4x4s.

I'll probably get to do some smithing tomorrow, I bought some 1/2 inch round stock to turn into tongs.