[TheForge] Rolling mill notes

[theforge@mailman.qth.net]

Gents and Ladies,
  I have made four rolling mills that are based on the Hugh McDonald plans.  
I bought the plans from Norm and made alterations to the originals to allow 
for my taller stature.  I made the rolls at 52 inches from the floor, don't 
like to bend over much.  I also made the machine run on a 60 to 1 gear motor 
and haven't as yet stalled it.  The motor is 1 hp, I did make one that used a 
1/2 hp motor, but it had a 110 to 1 reducer on it.  It turned out to be one 
of the favorites of my students.  One of the most useful changes I made to my 
machines is that I put a jack screw under one end of the bottom roller to 
allow me to roll the bevel into Japanese swords.  This takes a great amount 
of the work out of forging the blades, but you must make a vertically mounted 
roller (single) mounted from the top cross member that you can clamp in 
various places on the cross member so that it rides against the spine of the 
blade to keep the steel from walking out from under the tight end of the top 
and bottom rolls.  How was that for a run on sentence?
  I taught my students at the forging and Damascus classes that I gave last 
summer to use only the forging press and the rolling mill in the making of 
their steel and found a few things out.  It typically takes about three hours 
for a rank beginner with no forging experience to get the hang of running the 
mills without slipping the rolls or digging in.  Second I found that the 
students did better work and were happier with the results than they had been 
in the past using only a trip hammer.  In my humble and experienced opinion I 
feel and teach that you can make Damascus using only the forging press and 
rolling mill with great success.  I have been using the rolling mills now for 
well over a year and love them.  I get a perfectly smooth finish that allows 
me to fold without clean up and I can roll the steel to very precise 
thickness.  It is possible to make contour rolls for rolling fullers and 
bevels at the same time into sword blanks as well as make rolls with V's 
turned in them to allow for precise rolling of square cross sections for 
making composite and mosaic billets.  Since putting both the press and the 
mills into service I haven't used my trip hammers except for ornamental work. 
 You will find that you can forge large billets of Damascus or draw out 
larger pieces of steel almost silently, a really good thing if you have 
neighbors close by.  I often don't notice the mill running because it runs so 
quite and I almost shut the whole shop down before I remembered that it was 
still running.  
  If I can answer any questions please email me direct since my wife uses the 
puter for her work and I only get it late at night, after midnight here now.
  If you are in the area, please feel free to drop in and see the machines 
mentioned.  I live in Keenesburg Colorado, northeast of Denver about 45 
minutes.

Trusting HIM,
Steve Rollert