Frosty Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 Looking good Dave. I can send a sketch if you'd like. Once you see it you'll get it immediately. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FieryFurnace Posted March 19, 2009 Author Share Posted March 19, 2009 I'll post pictures later. I'm working on bolting all the boards down and then I will screw the boxes down. I'm going to try to fire it up tomorrow! Go ahead and send the scetch. I like the idea of having a stableizer and I'm going to cary a jack in case of tire trouble. (Although I don't have a spare!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 (edited) Here you go Dave. Sorry I was a little slow getting this to you, I finally got a break in the weather and got my stove pipe through the shop roof, guyed off and just had to see if it'd make the shop warm. WooHoo, it was warmer inside than out! I hope the sketch is clear enough. The receiver tube is the same basic thing as a trailer hitch on a pickup though it doesn't need to be the same size. The male as marked is the same as what the ball, pintle, etc. hitch is attached to. Then there is the frame to mount the vise or it could be a post drill, jib boom crane, etc. The male tube is welded to the mounting frame at a height where the foot is on the ground when the trailer is level. The vise bolts to the mounting plate on top with the pin on the leg through a hole in the foot. To put it on the trailer lower the tongue with the jack (if it's behind the axle, raise it if in front) till the vise mount stand will slip into the receiver tube and pin it in place. Then raise the jack till the vise stand is supporting part of the trailer's weight. Now your vise will be as solid as your trailer, more actually because the trailer now has another solid leg to the ground so the whole set up is more solid. I hope that's clear enough, if not let me know and I'll make a drawing with Sketchup. This system will also work for a number of different things so it'd be entirely reasonable to have the whole trailer off the ground (you could even pull the wheels.) resting on these things. A post vise and jib boom right off the top of me pointy. A jib boom crane is wonderfully handy, especially as you get older. Frosty Edited March 20, 2009 by Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 Nice idea and drawing frosty- If it were me, I think I would mount one on at least the back two corners, think tripod. Post vice, tongue jack, adjustable leg. One could use the other side for another tool...as you suggested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FieryFurnace Posted March 20, 2009 Author Share Posted March 20, 2009 I think I got it Frosty. It's a good idea and I wouldn't mess up the paint when I welded either! I don't have a tongue jack. I'm going to forge a by-pod with feet. It's what the artillery cassions use. (Chock the tires with 4x4's) I filled the coal box a little over half way today. I thought the box would hold about two five gallon buckets worth of coal. Well, it actually holds about 8-10five gallon buckets full! Shouldn't run out of coal! I know I promised pics. but I'm gona have to wait till tomorrow. Probably round lunch or so. Were having a family of 12 over (at least I think it's 12:rolleyes:) so it'll be pretty busy! Till then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 Dave: They make jacks that come right off so you could set the vise, then the bipod, then remove the jack. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FieryFurnace Posted March 20, 2009 Author Share Posted March 20, 2009 Alright, Got lots of photo's! This is the right hand side of the trailer. I still have to put a few more bolts on to attach the wood to the frame. (I ran out of bolts.) This is the left hand side of the trailer with the forge. It's finished! COAL! This is where the vice will mount. I still have to do the light too! I have more poics coming later but I have to get ready for company. I fired it up and it works great!!! Particullars later. I don't know when I'll be back as I'm spending my extra time preparing to teach at church this Sunday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 Dave: I think I'd put the vise on the trailer tongue with a receiver mount like I described. That way you wouldn't need the bipod to support it and there'd be plenty of weight to keep the vise stable. Are you going to make a wind screen for the forge? She's looking good. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tech413 Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Looking real good Dave, making me jealous:) I really like the wood sides. Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Nice set up! Looking forward to seeing it in action!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FieryFurnace Posted March 21, 2009 Author Share Posted March 21, 2009 Here are some pictures of the first fire in the trailer! Starting the fire! Oh yea, In the picures the trailer looks too tall on me. I parked it on top of a mound of dirt so I'm standing in a hole. I need to move all my stuff around and park it in a better spot. FIRE! With that flame it looks like I must be blowing myself to death. Actually, I'm blowing a good steady, aprox. 3 seconds to each turn of the handle, speed. This creates a fire ball about 6 inches deep. I'f I blow much harder I end up with a volcano! This thing heats FAST! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FieryFurnace Posted March 21, 2009 Author Share Posted March 21, 2009 This is some 1/8 x 2 that I heated up. It took about ten minutes from the time I lighted the match to that picture. Close up! Making hand guards for cudgels there. I'm very satisfied with the way it works; it's the first forge I've made where it worked right the first time I ever fired it up. I like the idea of putting the vice on the tongue but I don't know how it will work as far as the spectators view. I want to be at least standing at a side view to the spectators, preferably facing them. To do that with the tongue I'd have to go all the way around the tongue to get to the vice. It's still closer than my vice is now; distance isn't the worry here. I don't want to be demonstrating and I hit my leg on the tongue while I'm b-lining towards the vice! Just dissapear behind the other side and CRY! Now I have to wait untill the third weekend of May to use it at an event!:( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tech413 Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Congrats on the first fire!!! It looks great. Like Frosty said, are you putting up a wind screen? I know everytime I burn coal outside, I put something up to keep the smoke and flames from getting blown around too much, namely in my face. Anyway, looks good and I bet you can't wait to get to demo from it now:) Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Einhorn Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 The trailer looks great! Groundhogs ate the wiring on my trailer. Do you have a source of information on re-wiring a trailer, with brakes, to a 7 prong RV plug? It would also be helpful if I could wire an electric winch to the plug to load and unload a CW era traveling forge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Martin Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Great job dave! You have to be quite happy. Let us know how it works at the demo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FieryFurnace Posted March 21, 2009 Author Share Posted March 21, 2009 I don't know anything about wiring something with that many wires! Ask the guys who were on chat a while back. We were trying to figure out how to hook up a light set that came with another sets directions. I ended up retuning the light set. I'm wanting to build a permanant hood for the top of the forge, but that will have to wait. I'm running low on the green stuff and I still need the burlap to cover the tires, a tent to set up under, and steel to build my stock for events. I want to get it on before the event in May, but that depends on how much I make at the first event this year! I'd like to eventually do what your doing with the authentic setup on top of a trailer! That would be nice. As it is I'm going to have to dodge authenticity specs with burlap!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Good point Dave, there's no crying in Blacksmithing. . . Well, there are notable exceptions but banging a shin isn't one of them. How about putting it on the front of the trailer, just off your left hip and as close to the tongue as possible. That way you'll be standing with your right side to most of the audience and they'll be able to see the work in the vise. A downside would be hammering, you'd find yourself swinging left handed. Of course there's no rule about having more than one place to mount your vise. I'd also replace the roller stand with another receiver, two actually, in the trailer frame in front of the forge. Like the one on my variable volume forge. pics below. Shown are one of the work rests and the tong rack. Both are mounted on SQ tubing and insert into SQ receivers. The work rest's receivers are under the forge frame and the tong rack's receivers ARE the male tubing for the stock rest. The tong rack is what I want to point out though. With it in the position it is in in the picture it's a tong rack, keeping them handy but below the work rest height. However if I need to rest a piece of stock with a center of balance farther out than the stock rest will reach I can flip the tong rack over and it's now level with the table and I can extend it another 14". If you put SQ receivers in the trailer frame you can extend them the whole width and it'll let you heat the ends of some darned long work. Then again it's be pretty easy to lay it on the trailer deck and just lift it over the blower. Of course this forge works much better first time than the first couple you built. Experience will show, you're no dim bulb, you're a quick learner. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Einhorn Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 The tongue vise on a CW Traveling Forge requires that the demonstrator turn their back to the spectators to use it. Note that it also is a "tongue vise" and not a leg vise so it does not have a leg, and is only intended for relatively small stuff. My solution to not turn my back on the spectators is to weld a piece of square tubing to the back of a square jawed wrench so that it can be mounted in the anvil as a small vise. I also have a small period-correct vise that I will eventually make a mount for it to sit in the hardy hole too. I tend to do small quick stuff for demonstrations, for which I fortunately don't need a large vise. The small arrangements mounted in the hardy hole serve me well in demonstrating twisting and bending on small projects such as Celtic pins, small screw-drivers, C-shaped bracelets, etc. Just my thoughts and what works so far for me. When you are flush with money and time for building a roll-off-the-trailer period-correct forge, the earlier forges are a bit less expensive and a bit easier to construct. What time period are your demonstrations set in? Feel free to contact me publicly or privately if you wish to talk about it. ...... I like the idea of putting the vice on the tongue but I don't know how it will work as far as the spectators view. I want to be at least standing at a side view to the spectators, preferably facing them. To do that with the tongue I'd have to go all the way around the tongue to get to the vice. It's still closer than my vice is now; distance isn't the worry here. I don't want to be demonstrating and I hit my leg on the tongue while I'm b-lining towards the vice! Just dissapear behind the other side and CRY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FieryFurnace Posted March 22, 2009 Author Share Posted March 22, 2009 Civil War is my time period too. That's why I did the side boards to look something like a wagon. I know it falls WAY short (authenticity wise) but it's as close as I could get and still have it highway-worthy. Frosty gives more credit to my lot than I deserve. It took me 2 1/2 years! Is that quick? I had thought about making a sliding stand like that. For now I am going to make a "step-in-the-ground" one that is the correct hight. I'll look at the trailer and see if I can put the vice next to the blower there. I think the angle iron supports that are welded to the tongue will be in the way though. Primarily the vice will be used for twisting. I do little and light hammering in the vice. Time to eat. I'll be posting some updates on the sucker rod knife in the knife makein section soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unkle spike Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Just make sure you get one end of the vice clear of the trailer, so you can swing a twisting wrench. All looks good, should work well for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 HAH! Dave I've seen pics of your first forge (I think anyway) and this one is a beauty. Some time ago I was associated with a bladesmith, rented space in his shop actually, and he claimed to have 18 years of forging and bladesmithing to his name. His forge stunk to high heaven, figuratively and literally. This one you've put together with "only" 2 1/2 years of experience is an order of magnitude better than his. Compared to you his learning curve is convex. You know you could make a free standing side draft hood that would just sit on the table when in use. You'd be able to move it around to block the wind or accomodate long work, etc. Hmmmm. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tribal forge Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Frosty, i can tell you, after being down to David's little shop, he has a better coal forge than the one I used to have! it works well and heats metal fast/Selden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Lumpkins Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Looks good Dave, You have alot of people thats been following this Tread.. Good Job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stiffy Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 Just let me say that I do not know very many 15 year old young men that can draw up and build a trailer from scratch. I am impressed and very proud of you. Your design was totally different than my trailer so I think the pics i offered would be of little use to you. I will try to get Glen to help me post some of my pics for all to see. Great job, good luck /Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 Looking Good Dave!!! I was thinking about your vice delema and wanted to suggest something I'm not sure has been suggested. All the ideas and concurns around a tong mounted vice made me go back and look at the structure for the tung. My suggestion is: If you cut a sqaure hole as far forward on the tung structure as possible and mount a piece of square stock running perilel with the front of the trailer you could use it for the vice mount on one side and the tung jack on the other. They could be interchangable. You could face the croud for demo's or have it closer when you are working at home. This would also and hopefully make the shin smaker out of reach. As telented and cleaver as you seem to be, don't bother with a premade wiring harness. You can fastion one fairly easily with a good diagram. I have included a link for one that seems to be pretty good. Check with your DMV on requirements! Be sure to fermly secure the wires so they dont rub anywhere.How to Wire your Car or Truck for Trailer Lights PS. I have to add, be carefull with your pants tucked in your boots. A lump of hot coal or steel could be very painful if caught in there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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