[TheForge] Precision Forging

Mon Jun 3 23:55:01 2002

I can understand the logic of making test pieces, but what I'm asking isn't
specific to a particular piece.
If I make a 90 degree bend in 1/2" square today, I ought to be able to count on
it taking the same amount of stock tomorrow.
If today I make something 6" long, and tomorrow it has to be 8" long, I doubt
I'll spend time making a practice piece 8" long to figure out how much material
the piece is going to take.
(I don't think it makes sense to make test pieces every time I go to forge
something.)

I have a friend who is a carriage-maker, and I know that every time he makes a
wheel of a different size he doesn't make a practice wheel first to figure it
out.
He has his particular rules of thumb which work for him, though someone else
may figure things out differently for themselves.

Now if I'm trying to figure out how much 3/4" stock it takes to make the top of
a Suffolk latch, then a test piece makes plenty of sense.
But what does that teach me if I don't at least try to figure it out in advance
and seeing how close I am to my figuring?

If you don't at least make an educated guess, then you'll never know if what
worked out in practice would have worked out in theory as well.

Besides, we're not talking about forging something with an irregular shape.
All we're talking about is figuring out how much length is required in making
certain types of bends.

Actually, though, what I'm looking for specifically IS the theories and their
relationships to the realities.

Bob

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of Mike Linn
Sent: Tuesday, June 04, 2002 1:19 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Precision Forging

>This is easy..... make test pieces....   What works in theory does not
>always work out in practice.

mike