Heat Treat Station

T

tmerkl

Joined
Jan 8, 2007
Messages
157
Well, I finally got my shop wiring finished and can actually plug in my evenheat kiln I bought about a year ago. Now it's time to start thinking about cabinets and organization. How do you guys have your heat treat stations set up? The model I have is too long to fit on a standard depth cabinet, so either a special surface just for the oven, or some kind of cart is what I'm thinking. I'd like to have one location to do the foil wrapping, heating, and quench plates. I've seen guys using a quick release woodworker's vise for the plates, attached to the cabinet or cart. Any other ideas? Anyone have any pictures or descriptions of how you have yours set up? Thanks in advance.
 
My oven is homemade and is freestanding on legs and my quench tank is an old ammo can sitting beside it. If you need a stand for your oven I have seen many people recommend the stand sold at harbor freight as a good option.
 
I bought a couple of small painted steel tables for my 24 inch Paragon and my KMG with the cruiser armor baseplate.
 
I'm in the process of building my heat treat area right now. It's getting its own bench that but I'm shying away from horizontal surfaces as thy are junk magnets. I have one nice table in the middle and that will be where everything goes to be worked on and the machines around it will have dedicated stands/benches of sorts. The heat treat oven bench will be wide enough to stage some blades and have the quench plates on it and that's about all. I'm trying to keep the new shop clean(er) then my last one. So the plan is everything has a place, not a every place is covered in things.
 
Do yourself a big favor and put your HT oven on a rolling shop cart ( HF has them at a great price).
Store the foil, HT tongs, gloves, etc. under the oven on the top.
Store other supplies on the middle and bottom shelf, or put a toaster oven there for tempering.
You can roll it over to the HT area, over to the quench tanks, etc. When HT is done you can roll it aside to cool off. When done for the day, roll it into a corner, or a storage room, out of the way.
 
That's the direction I've been leaning towards. I'm also in the middle of re-organizing my shop and now is the time to make these kinds of decisions. I'm thinking a cart with all the supplies and tools onboard would be the way to go.
 
CONSIDERATIONS FOR HEAT TREATING EQUIPMENT LOCATION:

Heat source (kiln or forge) should be located away from conbustible materials, close to electricity or gas sorce and at a height where you can easily access it. If judging temperature by eye using a forge, must be in subdued light.

Quenching area, for oil or water quench , as close as posible to heat sorce (minimal transit time from heat to cool), away from combustible materials, away from drafts. For air/plate quench must have unobstructed path, and no combustibles.
Ventilation after the quench is usually needed to remove the smoke and or heat.

Tempering oven, close to electric outlet, away from combustibles. The shorter the distance from the heat source to the quench, the less the chance of dropping or bending the blade in transit.
The closer the tempering oven is to the quench area the less chance of dropping (not good for untempered steel).

A nice roll arround tool chest base, makes a good stand for a forge, a kiln or an oven. It can be wheeled out of the way when not in use. It also supplies a flat work surface for all those oddball items in your shop to congergate on!

Fire extinguisher, should always be readily available, 5 gallons of water in your slack tub will also put out a small blaze but can be a little messy.
 
JTknives said:
I'm in the process of building my heat treat area right now. It's getting its own bench that but I'm shying away from horizontal surfaces as thy are junk magnets. I have one nice table in the middle and that will be where everything goes to be worked on and the machines around it will have dedicated stands/benches of sorts. The heat treat oven bench will be wide enough to stage some blades and have the quench plates on it and that's about all. I'm trying to keep the new shop clean(er) then my last one. So the plan is everything has a place, not a every place is covered in things.
Click to expand...

That's nice but where will you put your junk? On the floor? :p
 
JTknives said:
i'm building a rather large shelf that takes those plastic totes. kinda like how mythbusters kept there random junk.
Click to expand...

I gutted an 18' camper and turned it into a storage shed, ALL my junk is going out in it. NOT in my shop. Keeping everything out of my new shop I don't NEED in it. The only thing going in my new shop that may never get touched are my old mans old base station radios covered up on one of my shelves.
 
I did just that, put it on a table/cart with casters. It's my kiln, temper oven, quench tank, dry ice container, foil, tongs, aluminium plates etc.

I don't move it a lot, but it's possible to do.

DLiUKzx.jpg
 
If you go the HF cart route, be sure to get the heavy duty one, not the cheaper red one.
I got the red 3 shelf one and immediately decided that the oven would make it too top heavy. I still use it for my supplies but the oven got a dedicated spot on the bench.
 
I have as much as possible on rolling carts. The welder carts are perfect for forges ... and welders. Shop carts are great for tools that you use regularly enough to need them close by, but not daily enough to give up valuable bench space. A mini-mill, small bench top drill press, 4X36 sander, etc.. You ca make a latch/clamp that will hold these carts tight to the bench when in use, and then release the catch and roll them away to free up floor and counter space.

A sharpening station built on a cart top will hold all your supplies and stones in clear bins, and is there when you need it.

A rolling belt rack with storage bins for sandpaper and back-up rolls of belts can be made by adding angle iron corner extensions up to about 5' high, and making a rack with pegs across both sides between them. If you go to 7' high, you can fit an upper and lower belt rack on each side.
 
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