[TheForge] Build it or buy it

[terry l. ridder]

hello;

i like to build the tools to make things with. i have the time to spend
doing it and short on money to by the tools. sometimes i do get a bit
carried away. i just finished my post vise stand this weekend. i wanted
it to portable/movable. i cut a 100lb propane cylinder ( taking safety
precautions while doing so. ) so the bottom was 30 inches tall. this was
three inches taller than the post vise leg's mounting bracket but i
was putting two pieces of 2x12 ( one with a hole to make a socket for
the leg ) to help spread out the force from pounding on the post vise,
and to provide stability. i made a three inch thick wood plug out of
2x12s to fit the top of the cut cylinder for the post vise mounting
bracket. used a belt sander to true up the wood plug so it would drop in
place.  my mistake came when i filled the cut cylinder with 250 lbs of sand.
between the cylinder, sand, and post vise, i can not move it. the nice part
about the stand is that i am able to get to all sides of the post vise. i
have other post vise that also needs mounting and this time i would use a
66lb of 40lb cylinder. the 100lb cylinder is roughly 14 inches in diameter.
66lb and 40lb are roughly 12.25 inches in diameter. same height of 30 inches
would be less sand and still be stable.

while making the post vise stand, it dawned on me that a cut 100lb
cylinder filled with sand would make a nice anvil stand. so this just
finished post vise stand may be an anvil stand sooner than i thought.
i do like the stablity of the vise stand and the height. the only draw
back is not being able to move it. 

sand is inexpensive and scrap propane cylinders are freely available.
it does take time to recycle the scraped propane cylinders but that is
part of the fun. i always get new ideas as to what to do with scraped
propane cylinders. thinking of rebuilding my propane gas forge using the
top piece left over from the post vise stand. i may just use it as a
slack tub.

lord willing the project for the new year is to mount the post drill.
;-)

On Sun, 24 Nov 2002, Phlip wrote:

phlip> 
phlip> Well, you know, this is pretty much my attitude. I like to tease you guys
phlip> sometimes, about ignoring your high-tech ways, and detailed methods of
phlip> rebuilding 25 lb Little Giants, and so forth, but I think for each of us,
phlip> the joy of smithing is in doing what you want to do. I take my pleasure in
phlip> the shaping of the steel by hand, and the teaching of new, or better yet,
phlip> very old, techniques- for others, the joys are different, but still, each of
phlip> us, when we hold what we have wrought, or use it, or, sometimes, as I saw
phlip> yesterday, observe the joy on face of the person who'd never touched a forge
phlip> before, holding in their hands this thing that THEY MADE..... Ain't nothing
phlip> better than this ;-)
phlip> 
phlip> Phlip
phlip> 

-- 
Terry L. Ridder ><>