Using Casters for Effective Use of Space

[JHCC]

I'm a hobbyist working out of my garage, and my gear has rapidly outgrown the space I have available. In recent months, I've put my gas forge, my hydraulic press, my 2x90 pedestal grinder, my hydraulic press (aka The Pressciouss), my horizontal bandsaw, my chopsaw, and my quenching oil tank on casters, so that I can fit everything into a much smaller space when it's not in use. My coal forge, tool racks,  anvil (with its treadle hammer), and vise stand are not on casters (especially since the latter two need to be as immobile as possible), but I'm thinking of putting the coal forge on casters as well.

Here it is all packed away:

And here it is set up for forging (with the two saws and the grinder behind me and the quench tank moved to the driveway):

(I'll try to get a few more photos from different angles to give a better idea of how this works.)

It's amazing what a difference it makes being able to expand your workspace quickly and easily. At one point today, I needed to be able to get quickly from the forge to the oil tank out in the driveway for a quench, so I pushed The Pressciouss out of the way and moved the gasser closer to the door. Cut the number of steps from the front of the forge to the quench in half.

[Glenn]

Like having a tool cabinet and being able to remove and use only the tools needed. Reconfigure the work space as needed for the project at hand.  Brilliant.

[Hans Richter]

Very good 'movement', I have put the F&F Tumulus casting, welding and ceramic equipment on 'rolls' or transport carts from the very beginning. Partly due to a lack of space in our workshop.

However, two things that are very important for safety reasons. Point one, depending on the floor of your workplace, it is important that the wheels are large enough to roll over unevenness. Top-heavy equipment in particular tends to turn over when too small casters get stuck in slots or holes. Point two is a good brake or lock during use. It is very dangerous if your machinery starts to roll unintentionally if you are processing a glowing piece of material or in my case 'liquid soup' at 1200 ° Celsius.

[Kevin Olson]

Casters are cool. Easy to move to where you need to use them then tuck away for storage. I wish my shop was big enough to let things have a spot but I work on cars in a 2 stall shop and have to make room by pushing my stuff to the side. 

[JHCC]

Here's another view of the packed-up workspace:

And these shows how much floor space there is when everything is unpacked:

10 hours ago, Hans Richter said:

However, two things that are very important for safety reasons. Point one, depending on the floor of your workplace, it is important that the wheels are large enough to roll over unevenness. [...] Point two is a good brake or lock during use

Most of the casters came off of carts and such from the industrial surplus warehouse and are pretty heavy duty. The exception is the oil quench tank, which came with a set of smallish casters; fortunately, it's pretty low to the ground:

The horizontal bandsaw sits on an old piano dolly with the carpet removed (so as not to trap the metal shavings):

The 2x90 grinder's wheels were on a material handling flow rack and lock. It can be a bit wobbly, but that was true before I put it on casters. A foot on the base solves that problem.

The chop saw and the gas forge are both welded to metal dollies; these don't lock, but I've got an idea for making some chocks that will keep the wheels in place when in use, but pull out easily when not:

The gasser's dolly got cut apart and reconfigured to make the base of the forge cart:

The casters on The Pressciouss are the largest and beefiest, and they also have a heavy-duty locking mechanism. These were also originally on a flow rack:

[Marc1]

I like the Hippocrates quote you chalked up on that board.

"Craft ( technique) takes long to learn, life is so short" 

[JHCC]

That’s the side of the bosh on the water tuyere; the other side says “By hammer and hand, all arts do stand” and the front says “Stop! Hammer time!”

[Marc1]

Interesting motto. I wonder who was the author of "By hammer and hand ... "  ?

Considering it was used extensively by craftsman and tradesman, the word 'art' here, like in the Hippocrates quote, means craft and not art as we understand it today ... but only speculation from my side. 

[JHCC]

“By hammer and hand...” is the motto of The Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths, the British blacksmiths’ guild. They might have some info on its history. 

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Here is a link to their history.https://blacksmithscompany.co.uk/history/

[JHCC]

Then there are the REALLY big casters with the 8” wheels. Someday, I’ll figure out what to do with these. 

[Marc1]

And to answer my own question ...

Thank you Irondragon for the link. 

The Blacksmiths' Song was composed by a Past Prime Warden, Moses Kipling, in 1828; it is sung every year at the Company Banquet in Mansion House

In the good olden days when the gods condescended
To visit this Earth and enlighten mankind,
Amongst those who most us poor mortals befriended,
Still Vulcan, our Patron, the foremost you’ll find;
When he taught us with Anvil and Hammer to mould
The Ploughshare, the Spade, and the Sickle to reap,
Had we paid for such knowledge a mountain of gold,
The purchase would still to mankind have been cheap.

To the mem’ry of Vulcan our voices we’ll raise,
May he and his sons be revered thro’ the land;
May they thrive root and branch, and enjoy happy days
For by Hammer and Hand all arts do stand.

Withdraw the utensils produced by our art,
And with them the best comforts of life will retreat;
Without Knives or Forks we should look mighty smart;
As with unshaven chins we sat gnawing our meat.
Withdraw but the Axe and the Saw, and the Plane,
Not a Table or Chair would be made for our use;
To the mud-hut we would soon be driven again –
The best, without us, that man’s art could produce.

To the mem’ry of Vulcan our voices we’ll raise,
May he and his sons be revered thro’ the land;
May they thrive root and branch, and enjoy happy days
For by Hammer and Hand all arts do stand.

Still duly devoted to Love and to Beauty,
Each true Son of Vulcan will ever be found;
For Venus herself taught our Grandsire this duty,
And with all her sweet charms she his gallantry crown’d.
And still ev’ry lovely young Maiden will prove
To Vulcan’s descendants most yielding and kind;
For the good Man of Metal, in matters of love,
Has always the highest regard in her mind.

To the mem’ry of Vulcan our voices we’ll raise,
May he and his sons be revered thro’ the land;
May they thrive root and branch, and enjoy happy days
For by Hammer and Hand all arts do stand.

7 hours ago, JHCC said:

Then there are the REALLY big casters with the 8” wheels. Someday, I’ll figure out what to do with these. 

 

i also have a set of those, pulled off my old boat cradle. May be one day I figure what to do with them

[JHCC]

21 hours ago, Marc1 said:

The Blacksmiths' Song was composed by a Past Prime Warden, Moses Kipling, in 1828

Interestingly, the podcast "Labor History in 2:00" notes that the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of the City of New York was founded in 1785 with the same motto. I suspect that this is a much older motto which was subsequently adopted by the General Society and later incorporated in the Worshipful Company's song.

The Worshipful Company's website states:

Quote

Our main Charters were granted in 1571, 1604 and 1638 enabling us to become the fully-fledged Livery Company we are today, but the earliest written records we have in our possession are dated 1496.

It would be interesting to see if the motto appears in any of those documents.

A heraldry website tells me that the Worshipful Company's coat of arms was granted in 1610, which was a renewal of an original grant of 1490 (no longer in existence). Although the site does not say so explicitly, I think we can presume that the motto was in use at least in 1610, if not 1490 or indeed significantly before.

[Marc1]

You are probably right. I also was surprised at how relatively recent the song was. 

The reading of the history fo this society is rather laborious. All the legal terms and their significance and value are alien to me. 

One section that seem odd, is that they claim to be there to protect the consumer, the apprentice and regulate commercial activities, yet no mention of any protection or privileges for the blacksmith himself, something I find rather difficult to believe since this kind of societies ,secret or otherwise are notorious to work for the members and no one else. . 

[JHCC]

I suspect that that falls under the category of "Things that are so well known that they don't need to be said aloud".

[Marc1]

Ha ha, possible. Or may be the privilege would be percieved as wrong or unpopular if disclosed.  

[ThomasPowers]

I find casters to be sadly ineffectual on my shops soft sand/dirt floor.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Me too however, if I need to move something heavy, I lay strips of scrap plywood down and roll away.