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12:57 pm
October 21, 2011
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Hey all
After a long hiatus from smithing, and related absence from the forums, I am jumping back into it!
I have for the most part been working outside and exposed to the elements, which has pretty much shut my whole operation down for the winter these past few years.
I need a roof and walls to keep the rain and tweakers out!
After scrounging for a few years, I have managed to collect a sizable stack of lumber, a few sheets of plywood and a couple sections of tin roofing. I also bought a roll of tar paper....Definitely enough to get a good start.
I've framed and built houses before, but never a structure meant to be a dedicated smithy....That little voice in my head says that I would be pretty dumb to not ask questions before I start building.
First off, I want a modestly sized 'semi-permanent' structure which doesn't require permits.
A dirt floor costs nothing, is more comfortable to work on for long periods and doesn't catch fire.
Ceilings high enough to allow a full-arm hammer swing, and to maneuver longer stock around.
Since I'm only making smaller things, I'm thinking a 4'x8' door should be plenty large enough.
Are there any 'Blacksmith specific' designs or features I should take into consideration?
Is there a particular type of structure better suited for our rainy NW winters?
Please let me know if I need to provide more info/be more specific about anything.
Heck....If any of you guys live in or around Portland and feel like nailing some timbers together, I would be sure to have libations and perhaps some grub on hand.
Just a thought 🙂
Thanks, and take care!
Iain
5:00 pm
NWBA Member
August 7, 2010
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Good Morning,
Normal size for a shop or a boat = 2 feet too small/short
Let the air in, let the smoke out. Heat from the fire will heat the shop. Must heat the shop to keep the moisture out.
Enjoy the ride, keep the wind & sun out, keep the joy in.
$.02 worth:giggle:
Neil
As long as we are above our shoes, We know where we are.:happy:
5:24 pm
NWBA Member
April 19, 2010
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Iain: My only 1.5 cents worth is MAKE the door opening larger!! I only play around with small stuff too,but at least a couple of times a year I seem to need to roll something big in or out and a 4' door just wouldn't get it.If you can back your pickup into the door it can really help with loading/unloading.
Dirt floor with building on pier blocks qualifies for "temporary structure" status down here in my part of Oregon!!
9:17 pm
October 21, 2011
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Thanks for the responses....
As for size, I know from other tradespeople and personal experience, that it's far too easy to grow out of a work space!
I was thinking of building a 10x12 or 12X12 Lean-to. The idea I have is if I ever need more space, It won't be too difficult to build an addition.
Going with Eric Sprado's suggestion of making a larger door, not only would it help with loading and unloading larger items (like a power hammer!?) I could swing those doors open in good weather and enjoy the extra air and space.....
These ideas are helping a lot. Thanks for sending 'em my way 🙂
Iain
3:01 am
NWBA Member
June 8, 2010
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Iain Heyworth;16159 wrote:
Heck....If any of you guys live in or around Portland and feel like nailing some timbers together, I would be sure to have libations and perhaps some grub on hand.
I wisht I was closer to Portland!!! I'd come help you with the project!!!:bounce::bounce:
6:23 pm
September 7, 2010
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10 x 12 Meter? , That's what I recon is a decent size shop, it will probably be too small soon:happy:
6:56 am
May 22, 2010
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If you can help it, don't make the door face into the Sun, face it directly opposite otherwise the sun will beat down on you in the good weather. I find it gets a bit too warm with the sun actually beating down on you. :hot:
Always good to enjoy the weather, but not if it's beating you to death, so-to-speak.
That's my 1 cent. :playfull:
Brad Roland :hot:
8:44 pm
October 21, 2011
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Ahh yes.....
Ian..just for you I looked up the metric conversions. I personally prefer the metric system, (My favorite tape measures are metric!) but alas I live here and am forced to abide by standard measurement laws.
12 feet in metric are 3.65 meters
Right now I am trying to figure out a foundation with pretty much ZERO budget!
I have a couple sacks of concrete, but no gravel
There were some before and after pics taken of the site (which is my mother's extremely spacious back yard!) which basically was a very large pile of tree trimmings and overgrown weeds.
The matter or my smithy facing a certain way to avoid sun glare is somewhat irrelevant as there are several tall fir trees here which provide ample shade.
My big issue is that the ground I wish to build upon consists mostly of rotted fir needles. I scraped the upper layers away, but still am looking at fir needles which pose an obvious fire risk to me, and also don't strike me as being such a great soil type to build upon.....
Ohh well....We're not building a piano here, just a grungy little forge shed.
8:56 pm
October 21, 2011
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Ohh yes, I forgot to mention that my mother's neighborhood is not the best!
Items like tongs, steel stock, and basically anything which could be sold for scrap...Especially anvils!!!! Is fair game to those F-ing tweek thieves!
My mother fortunately has an attentive, but not vicious dog, a Scottish dirk and my Remington 1858 revolver.
I would love any ideas you guys may have for a "theft proof anvil"
10:48 pm
May 14, 2010
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A smithy can be a simple building, even just a canopy. I built a canopy, part which has hip height walls. I have light weight panels to close it in during the winter. Unless you are hung up on a traditional foundation, you don't even need one. Use treated 4x4's or 6x6's for corner posts (just in earth or concrete), and put in a stone dust floor (purchase at a quarry). If you are going to have walls, hip height or all the way, put treated 4x6's in shallow trenches (with part above ground) and screw or nail your siding to it. I would definitely remove all combustible material from the floor area before putting down stone dust. The picture was taken from the back side of my outside smithy. The canopy has two areas, only one of which has hip walls that get completely closed in for winter. There is a power hammer in that part of the smithy I don't want subjected to snow.
Theft proof anvil?..... Get a 500 pounder.... or mount a smaller one on a tree trunk that is sunk three or four feet into the ground. Fabricate something that holds the anvil to the stump so it cannot be removed from the stump without serious cutting.
Grandkids and blacksmithing... Joy Joy Joy..............................YouTube Channel: djhammerd
3:15 pm
September 7, 2010
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Iain,
I knew it was feet that you were refering to, I said it somewhat tounge in cheek, I'm in my 50's so feet and inches are still understood(and used from time to time). A 12M x 20M shop would be quite some backyard shed.
Good Luck with your Shop
Regards Ian
2:24 pm
NWBA Member
March 1, 2011
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I have been considering putting quarry fines down on my shop floor too. Right now I have a firm pit run base but a little rocky. Did you prepare the stone dust floor in any special way?
Thanks,
8:30 pm
May 14, 2010
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Trevor MacCay;16190 wrote: I have been considering putting quarry fines down on my shop floor too. Right now I have a firm pit run base but a little rocky. Did you prepare the stone dust floor in any special way?
Thanks,
Actually, all I did was remove all surface debries down to dirt (earth), then shoveled the stone dust onto the floor. In my case, the dirt is clay. It provides a very stable base for the stone dust. I raked the stone dust even, then tamped it just a little. If your base is stable, I suggest you do the same. If your base is loose, tamp it down before you put the stone dust in, then put down stone dust and tamp. I used a heavy hand tamper, with a 6"x6" head. If you have areas where the stone dust will be more than a couple inches thick, put a couple inches in at a time, tamp that, then put more over it. The stone dust will compact with traffic. If you have any equipment with legs (such as an anvil base, or a table), they will work into the stone dust.
Good Luck.
Grandkids and blacksmithing... Joy Joy Joy..............................YouTube Channel: djhammerd
2:46 pm
NWBA Member
March 1, 2011
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Dave Hammer;16192 wrote: Actually, all I did was remove all surface debries down to dirt (earth), then shoveled the stone dust onto the floor. In my case, the dirt is clay. It provides a very stable base for the stone dust. I raked the stone dust even, then tamped it just a little. If your base is stable, I suggest you do the same. If your base is loose, tamp it down before you put the stone dust in, then put down stone dust and tamp. I used a heavy hand tamper, with a 6"x6" head. If you have areas where the stone dust will be more than a couple inches thick, put a couple inches in at a time, tamp that, then put more over it. The stone dust will compact with traffic. If you have any equipment with legs (such as an anvil base, or a table), they will work into the stone dust.
Good Luck.
Thanks for your reply. I've heard that this eventually packs down almost as hard as concrete; has that been your experience?
2:39 am
May 14, 2010
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Trevor MacCay;16217 wrote: Thanks for your reply. I've heard that this eventually packs down almost as hard as concrete; has that been your experience?
It compacts, then hardens in traffic areas. If there is no traffic, it doesn't settle to hard...
Grandkids and blacksmithing... Joy Joy Joy..............................YouTube Channel: djhammerd
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