Ye Olde Forge

[Screwdriver]

Thanks. Here it is again!

I got some railway sleepers to play with and spent way too long overthinking how to best make a swage block stand. This is the best compromise for ease of manufacture and rigidity. I appreciate there is no clearance below the generous depth of the apertures but otherwise I have to use 1 inch angle iron which looks a bit too spindly (and I haven't got any). I also much prefer the idea of the whole thing being mounted on solid wood.

 

[selectedgrub]

Brilliant.

 

[Screwdriver]

I am trying to find solutions with the least action. This happened surprisingly quickly (for me!).

I just need to finish my cuppa, pop out and chop up some angle iron. Then I have decided to fit some little feet.

They should help reduce the possibility of tipping, give me something to bolt or stake into the floor (if I so desire) and I might even make up a little bracket I can fit a long lever into for manipulating this gigantic lump of steel.

 

[Screwdriver]

So it works quite well even with just the strap.

Both ways up.

So I drilled a thousand holes and jigged it up.

Have to say I'm not happy with the fit. I hadn't realised just how important accuracy would be and those lumps just aren't accurate enough. There's a gap when the wood is held firmly against the angle iron. So I think I'm going to have to chop up another (1m) sleeper and this time get them all bang on. There is no wiggle room even for such a crude design. It does rely entirely on the size and squareness of the wood. Plus the sleepers I have are pretty variable with tapers, lumps bumps and knots to contend with. If I don't cut it dead square, I then have to trim across the end grain which is horrible...

I may also make up four additional metal straps to hold the frame dead square and weld them in tomorrow.

 

[Parm]

So it works quite well even with just the strap.

Both ways up.

So I drilled a thousand holes and jigged it up.

Have to say I'm not happy with the fit. I hadn't realised just how important accuracy would be and those lumps just aren't accurate enough. There's a gap when the wood is held firmly against the angle iron. So I think I'm going to have to chop up another (1m) sleeper and this time get them all bang on. There is no wiggle room even for such a crude design. It does rely entirely on the size and squareness of the wood. Plus the sleepers I have are pretty variable with tapers, lumps bumps and knots to contend with. If I don't cut it dead square, I then have to trim across the end grain which is horrible...

I may also make up four additional metal straps to hold the frame dead square and weld them in tomorrow.

To get it spot on you really need to have the timber planned all round, but is it really that critical?

 

[WorkshopChris]

Remember the timber will move throughout the year, so tight in the winter and lose in the summer.

 

[dobbslc]

I like that, it's like a building block from Minecraft coming into the real world!
What it that big chunk of metal from?

 

[Dee J]

I like that, it's like a building block from Minecraft coming into the real world!
What it that big chunk of metal from?

It's a swage block, a genuine blacksmithing tool... or kind of multi-tool. Provides a myriad of shapes angles and surfaces for metal shaping.

 

[Matrixx]

Very nice use of Sketchup, I use it a lot to. great bit of free software.

 

[Screwdriver]

To get it spot on you really need to have the timber planned all round, but is it really that critical?

IKR. It's just a big lump of iron held up at the right height for smiting. But the wood is a bit further out than I had expected, a few more warps and the top rocks (not in a good way).

I need to do a bit of fettling to account for the slight taper in the sleepers so that the swage block lies flat. I might be able to do that with a hand plane. I'm not going to sweat it too much, the whole idea is that the thing is quick and easy to build but last night I just couldn't bring myself to button it all up without having the opportunity to fettle it.

The only concern I have is that the fixings should not be stressed. They should merely hold the sleepers in place and all the weight and force of hammering goes straight into the wood or the screws might eventually work loose.

 

[Screwdriver]

So I thought I'd just run at it head on, drill it out and get it done!

It's not perfect but neither is that blasted block which I discover has "flash" at the bottom edge which jams it into the frame. Gravity or strictly speaking, inertia will sort that out next time I drop it in though I did file the bottom edge to be square. Also, if I'm not happy with it in the long term, just make up four more chunks of wood

It will have to sit where it is in the paddock area for now. I asked my back if it wouldn't mind shifting it just one more time. Back says no.

 

[Screwdriver]

Nearly there.

Need to come up with a simple wall bracket for all the tongs and top swages, flatters, fullers etc. Move the gas cylinder outside in its own dedicated enclosure then I guess I better build a bigger forge.

 

[Screwdriver]

I stuck it in there anyway...

Next job stick all those tongs on the wall and make a rack for all the top swages, fullers, flatters etc.

It is kinda tight in there but rather have a roof than an open shelter and the roof needed to be err, stealthy...

 

[Chillitt]

I reckon you need to start using it before you get too carried away with placing everything. Looking good so far though.

 

[Screwdriver]

I reckon you need to start using it before you get too carried away with placing everything. Looking good so far though.

Yes thanks. That's why so far everything is on a movable base. The rear of the forge is still a huge storage shelf. Things should open up a bit once I turf all that crap out of there. Next I need to build a proper full size forge - out of stainless steel beer kegs.

I just need somewhere to store those tongs and flatters in the meantime so they're off the floor and not on the soon-to-be-gone racking!

 

[Pollys13]

Wow A man of many talents, interesting project, thanks.

 

[Screwdriver]

Things move on apace and the device-which-cannot-be-named is coming along nicely.

It is a forge of course and I have changed plans slightly by incorporating a door and an inner ring seal.

It is a bit of a parlava tbh, making the top a door, fitting a hinge so I didn't waste too much time doing it. It's only for access on this first prototype so I can get to the insides and replace the brick floor or insulation if it degrades. The inner ring seal is way over the top too but if I stuff the gap with fire rope, it will make a perfect seal and it was all I could think of.

This is an example of some of the best welding I have done for a while! It's not that good obviously but I'm not too unhappy with it.

More importantly, it's stuck together, square and fits the hole.

Just need to knock up a smaller square version at the other end making sure it's as square and level with the front door as possible.

I have been trying to keep it all stainless but am now building a frame/feet and that's probably going to be good old fashioned rusty angle iron or maybe rebar....

 

[Screwdriver]

So I found a couple of huge sheets of SS I rescued during a shed clearance. Marked out.

Chopped out on the venerable Gabro. it really doesn't like 1.6mm stainless. I need new blades...

Bit of faffing about on the flypress and a few choice dings on the anvil...

Sometimes I amaze myself! It's stuck!

And that's where I'm at. A fair bit of fettling to match the ports to the holes and keep them in line.

Even for a prototype, there's no excuse for not having the two ports aligned.

Because I went for a door, I needed to chop back the <un-nameable item> by 100mm so that the door fits inside a wider section. Now it's about 2 inches too short to fit three fire bricks (easily). They will go in but the curved ends mean I will need to chop a corner off and the ports won't be flush against them but will probably sit on top of the bricks. I'm not sure if that's a good idea to have even 1.6mm SS inside a forge. The plan was to have the ends of the port largely covered by the ceramic wool (which is held in place by the port) then they would butt up against the bricks. Too narrow for that, I need to have a cuppa tea and a think.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Even for a prototype

You planning a production run, given that you have a decent supply of ≤ un-nameable item≥ s ?

 

[Screwdriver]

You planning a production run, given that you have a decent supply of ≤ un-nameable item≥ s ?

I'm hedging my bets. This one might not work. Though I am fairly confident it will get hot, I'm not so sure about how efficient it might be or if it needs more doors or whatnot.

Meantime three full bricks do fit.

But it's kinda dumb like that so I cut one in half.

Slight delay when I noticed a dead fox not three feet from where I was working!

Now the bricks are sorted, I need to make a table top stand for it which can be easily converted to a remote stand. I want to fire it up outside first.