What did you do in your shop today?

[Jeremy Blohm 506]

So I've been on the hunt for a suitable hood to get my forge inside before winter. This I what I came up with. It was a big hopper system of some sort. I got it inside and hung up today. 

[Chris Christenberry 331]

Wow, what a find, Jeremy.  That ought to work a treat!

[Jeremy Blohm 506]

I forgot to mention that this is a double hood so i will be able to have 2 forges under it. I will use the forge I have now and I have everything to build another bigger forge. 

[Taylor Hendrix 2]

Jeremy,

 

Are you talking about your charcoal forge or another forge? How big is the current forge? The hood looks great.

 

When you get things moved in,  show us the set up.  I'd be interested in seeing how it comes together. I have to cover my kiln yard slab and I plan on putting my small charcoal forge under it as well.  Might have to vent.

[AJ Chalifoux 57]

I got more done that I was expecting today. The flats are mostly ground on the longsword, and it's poised to be about 51" long overall. It's only at 50 grit but I did a test etch and I like it so far. The profile (still basically as-forged) will be touched up now that I can actually see how the bars shifted while forging. That way I won't end up all lopsided.

 

 

 

 

[Garry Keown 890]

Got four knives prepped with three shipped off and the fourth ready to go to the city on fri then got a hunter and two chinmese vegetable cleavers profiled, pre-ground and heat treated or at least the first of the temper cycles so will get the other cycle done later this evening 

[John N 263]

No pics or vids yet, but as of yesterday I am now the proud owner of a working power hammer! 

 

Little 'woody' the 15kg anyang I have owned for about 15 years got well and truly BBQ'd when the factory burnt down (and a wall fell on him). I have picked away, couple of hours here, couple there, and hes back running  

 

Quite symbolic he's working again. Stubbon little fella actually seems to be hitting harder and more controlled than before his 'stress relieving' ! - New motor & belts, new lube system I frigged together from found bits, and ready for a bit of hot metal! 

[Brian Dougherty 1,092]

Congrats John.  I've been wondering about your recovery efforts lately, but have been afraid to ask how they are going.

 

[John N 263]

@Brian Dougherty- Thanks! nice to have a working hammer, even if no time to use it ! 

 

The recovery has been horrible, relentless hard work so far (a real slog) - just kinda having to keep pushing and pushing even though 1/2 of me does not want to (the other half seems to be winning though). Getting some small wins, that are becoming more frequent. Im now a bit more accepting that I cant keep everyone happy and just getting on with doing my best (I might have nearly run out of F's to give )

 

I just had a look on my phone for a pic of woody buried under the pile of bricks, but that section of the factory was insanely dangerous after the fire (even though it was not as burnt as the rest of it, it had more stuff ready to fall!) so just took a general pic down towards my old forge area! 

 

[John N 263]

Found a pic of Woody after the fire! - just posting this so you can see how different he looks in the next (happy) post I put up of him running again. 

 

When the factory was burning we had the foresight to get the fire service to flood my forge area (hence its partial survival!) The forge area was on a fire break to another unit, so they really flooded it! - if you are eagle eyed in this pic you will see a crazy number of anvils in the background. They all 'ring' to a hammer still, so I have hope for them. I have bought a hardness tester to properly check they are OK when I get a chance.

 

Even at UK prices there is a crazy amount of (uninsured) money  (and love) tied up in the anvils. Fingers crossed !

 

[Garry Keown 890]

Todays grinding session will give me some handsanding to do next. Three slicers (Nitro V) a chinese vegetable knife and a wapiti knife.

 

Bought another very nice lot of handle blocks with spalted buckeye and gidgee from
Jason Williams
who has the best selection going and is a real gent to deal with.

[Alan Longmire 2,634]

14 hours ago, John N said:

Fingers crossed !

 

Going by the paint and stickers on that hammer to the right, I think they'll be okay...  Woody does look toasty, though. 

[John N 263]

8 hours ago, Alan Longmire said:

 

Going by the paint and stickers on that hammer to the right, I think they'll be okay...  Woody does look toasty, though. 

 

Ran woody again tonight, he seems better than before! I really need to find my 'Bush' hand hammer and some tongs, and get an anvil set up and im good to forge this weekend! 

 

Got a few commissions I need to make, and want to get a few made 'on spec' for sale in December. Busy Busy

 

[Taylor Hendrix 2]

Newbie did some wood working on this non-forging day:

 

 

20+ forging hours on the stock handles was enough.  Will try these shapes awhile and see.

 

[Austin_Lyles 147]

I really need to get a few knives made for the Christmas season... but I've got an order for a musical instrument at the moment.

 

Edited October 23, 2020 by Austin_Lyles

[Don Abbott 98]

Another momentary detour into woodwork between knives...

 

I have been blessed with four grandsons and finally a baby granddaughter week before last.

 

The boys are five and a half, four, three, and two. The five year old and the four year old are getting to the age where they have began to accumulate treasure. I've taught them how to find arrow heads in the garden. They find cool rocks, and they like bones and horns and unique things from the woods. I stand accused of encouraging such behavior.

 

Anyway, my wife decide it would be good to start making each of them a treasure chest for their birthdays. So my #2, Judah, turned four last week and this is my first try at a genuine pirate treasure chest:

 

 

 

All from scrap on hand. I re-sawed the boards from some 2x end cuts we think are mahogany. The hinges are pallet banding. The hasp was scrap flat stock and a 16p nail. The handles are old iron ground wire and salvaged bolts and washers. I had some old upholstery tacks that I've had for 25+ years and the name plate was a scrap of copper etched in ferric.

 

This was my first attempt at finger joints. I did them with a table saw sled.

 

For my next one, I can feel some dovetails and ebonized oak coming on.

[Alan Longmire 2,634]

Great idea, Don!    Kind of makes me want to fast-forward 60 years to hear the stories they'll tell about Grampa Abbott.  

[Gary LT 98]

Don, this is a wonderful idea. I have 3 grand boys and one grand girl. The two older boys asked me for pocket knives and with parental permission first, I made each one a knife. However, the two youngest (boy and girl) could get more benefit from such a pirates chest. I do have some old wooden ice box hardware but the salvage ideas you put to good use are even better. Thanks for showing this!

Gary LT

[Garry Keown 890]

Make sure you have a few extra keys for the padlocks as the young are libale to loose them . Great gift by the way and very neatly done.

[Gilbert McCann 51]

Yesterday. Didn't have to much time but I spent over an hour drilling two 1 1/4 holes in one inch plate. This is when my Daytona drill press could use more than 1/3 hp.

[Pieter-Paul Derks 206]

Today I built a leather sheath for a huge ''rambo'' knife for a customer, and finally made some covers for my leather tools and chisels, something I've needed to do forever.

 

I also learned that a crushing headache and the smell of leather dye are not so great together. 

[Bill Schmalhofer 80]

Interesting knife Pieter. How did you cut the teeth on the spine and are they actually "saw tooth". If they are, how did you sharpen them? I have a potential customer who is wanting something similar. I haven't given a reply yet as I have no idea how to even begin to cut the saw spine. Was thinking a chain saw file, but that would be a LOT of work.

[Garry Keown 890]

One of todays jobs was to prepare this Chinese vegetable knife for the handle and the pommel. Blade was cut from and old pitted bench saw blade which was hard wire brushed and then done again after the heat treating process to maintain the blackened look of a rescued old knife. Will have bronze and ebony furntiure so the bronze bolsters are pinned on and the pommel anchor cut and peened in place with its pin rounded to lock on the pommel plate.

 

And another meat (or vegetable) slicer  wanted to show one of the processes I use now to ensure there is as good an epoxy hold on the steel as is possible. The little dremmel has only one use in the shed and that is with the small carbide burr to do the roughing of the tang.

 

[Pieter-Paul Derks 206]

15 hours ago, Bill Schmalhofer said:

Interesting knife Pieter. How did you cut the teeth on the spine and are they actually "saw tooth". If they are, how did you sharpen them? I have a potential customer who is wanting something similar. I haven't given a reply yet as I have no idea how to even begin to cut the saw spine. Was thinking a chain saw file, but that would be a LOT of work.

The saw teeth are filed in opposite directions like a chainsaw, but they are not ´´set´´ so it does not saw all that well. My customer wanted them just for the look.

 

To make them I first marked and drilled a lot of holes and then cut them out with a bandsaw.(hacksaw would work fine too) I only had to do a little bit of filing to clean them up.

[Conner Michaux 271]

My first attempt at making a bottle opener. Made out fo a horseshoe.