[TheForge] Small shop questions

[Grover Richardson]

8' may be a little low.  I bend 7' bars in a vise that is about 3' off the
floor.  Either I leave a wide berth for swinging horizontally, or I do it
vertical, and do it just outside my smithy.  I too have about an 8' roof.

-----Original Message-----
From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Andy Vida
Sent: Wednesday, August 11, 2004 12:44 PM
To: Sponsored by ABANA
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Small shop questions




Kirk & Bettina Wehner wrote:
> 
> A few months ago members of The Forge kindly gave me advice on setting 
> up a basic shop.  It's taken a while, but we are now at the point of 
> actually building the shop.  Although I had hoped for more....I'm 
> ending up with a 15' x 20' shop with some additional outside space 
> that will be under cover.  Before we move forward, I was hoping for 
> some more advice.
> 
> (1)  The shop is will have a concrete floor (I know that's a debatable 
> issue, but I like concrete) and will be stick built.  It has 8' walls 
> and will have some windows & a cupola for venting.  I was also able to 
> position it to get a good breeze from prevailing winds.  I primarily 
> use a gas forge (very similar to the one Gabe showed that he's 
> building....in fact mine was from David Lisch).  I also have plans to 
> eventually add a side draft coal forge or a bigger gas forge for 
> larger pieces.  So, the question is, should I have any concerns about 
> using a fairly small stick built structure for the shop?

	Have you considered erecting a pole structure?  They are 
	comparatively inexpensive and if done right, will last
	longer than you.  For the same money as a traditionally
	framed structure, you can probably build a larger space.
	Keep the same concrete size and leave the forge area cinder
	on dirt.  Just a thought.

	Metal skin and roof.  These are relatively cost efficient
	and go up very rapidly.  The most costly single items will
	probably be the footing and the roof trusses.  If you have
	the time/inclination/cash, I'd build the footing to, say,
	at least 12" above grade, install an 8x8 sill and use 6x6
	poles.  If you want to get fancy, use a router to let in
	6x6x1 mortises into which the poles rest and screw them
	crosswise to the sill.  Sturdy and fast.
	
> 
> (2)  Given the small space, I don't plan to divide it up to separate 
> the "cleaner" area from the forge.  Does anyone have tips on 
> maximizing the space utilization?  At the ABANA conference someone 
> suggested making workstations are movable as possible by putting 
> everything on wheels.

	For such small spaces, wheels are a good thing, but the
	equipment must be able to be readily dropped to the floor
	solidly. At the Mesa shop we built caster units for the welding
	tables that we could rapidly attach with a lever-type action
	to roll the otherwise unwieldy beasts here or there, then
	rapily drop them back, solidly to the floor.  My buffer can
	be tilted onto a pair of wheels that sit off the ground
	during normal operation.  So, yes, wheels are a blessing and
	I would say triply so in a small work space.
>
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