trying to build a little shop

BadKarma05

BadKarma05

Joined
Feb 19, 2006
Messages
554
hey guys! well seems like im always just a little too late for all the freebees and deals you guys make avalible, so i thought i might try to put my foot in the door, im currently trying to build myself a little shop under my house. im in the market for pre-loved tools, i dont have many, currently have a screwdriver set LOL! i just wanted to ask if anyone knew where i could find good used tools or if anyone had recently upgraded theirs, that i would be interested in picking up their old stuff. any advice is GREATLY apreciated! i dont have much money, but i can try to shift funds and borrow if i need to. well anyway, thanks for your time and take care! :thumbup: :D

-BadKarma:)
 
do you have a harbor freight near you? as far as tools go i can check to see if i have some extra stuff laying around.have you considered building a forge? it can be done fairly inexpensive using some creativity. try getting some scrap mild steel from local welders,scrap yards etc. try to get a peice of steel pipe about 8-10"in diameter and filling it with insulating wool,coat with satanite,yada yada(you know the routine).try putting an ad in the local paper looking for a good used anvil,you will get some responses.rockettman did an awesome tutorial on building a nice sander pretty cheap.if you e-mail me your address i will see what i can pull out of my magic hat for ya.im still in the process of aquiring the right tools but i have extras that i could part with.i think ed caffrey sell burners for forges and thats gonna be your biggest concerns building the forge.let me know what specifics of what your looking for and i will see what i can do
mike:p
 
BadKarma:

Have you checked around your area for any ABANA affiliates or other blacksmithing/bladesmithing groups? Odds are there has to be some smiths in your area. Usually for a nominal membership fee (my guild charges $30 a year) you get access to some type of workshop, etc. The most important bit though is that you find other people in your area who share your interests. The blacksmiths and bladesmiths that I've met are some of the best darned people I've ever met. Hang around and learn from them and you'll likely get an invite into somebody's shop to work and learn some more.

My personal opinion is that finding a group in your area that supports the art you're trying to learn is the most valuable tool you can get, and about the cheapest as well.

Just my $.02,

-d
 
I have a 1X30 that I dont use, but shipping it may cost as much as a new one, haha!

Certainly check Craigslist in your area under to tools section......
 
Oh yeah?

In that case, BadKarma, send me your address and I will go home and check out the 1x30 and if its not in awful shape, I can ship it to you. I may also have some firebrick and Kaowool lying around and could make you a little one-brick forge if you want. Shoot me a PM or email and we can figure it out.
 
WOW!:o thanks for the help guys it means SO much to me! im trying to stay practical and down to earth at this point. i will attemt to build a forge, but the problem i keep running into is fueling it, i live in the SantaCruz mountains ans dont have a naturaL gas hookup or a large propane tank, not that kinda stumps me as to what to do, Ideas? Tic-Toc, i would gladly take the 1X30 off your hands. $12 in shipping is definately within my budget! :) i will start looking for a few bladesmithing chapters immediately aswell!

mike i will send you an address right away and thank you :)
im not too familiar with the shiping folks you guys run with, what is Harbor Freight?

as far as what im hoping to comeby, just the bare basics:
small Drill press
belt sander
tabletop grinder
forge(sumthin simple)
anvil (or any cheap alternative)
set-O-files
surface grinder (if im super fortunate! )

i keep finding other tools on the tutorials that are labled as "esential" but if you guys wouldnt mind throwing in you advice i would sure prefer to hear it over people im not familiar with, and i KNOW the quality of work you boys /and ladies put out! :eek: again! thanks for helping me get started. hopefully ill be able to show off some creations woth making a badger dance!:thumbup:

thank you all! BadKarma
 
Fueling a forge is easy. For a one-brick forge, you simply use disposable propane or MAPP gas canisters. For a larger forge with a burner, you can use a regular propane tank for a grill and it will last a long, long time unless you are forging. You can buy an adaptor at walmart to hook up a grill tank to a regulator. Check out ellis refractory. They stock everything you need to make a forge. Or check Indian George's site, where he has the parts list to make a forced air blown forge capable of reaching forging temps for cable damascus. Until you get to that point, the one brick forge works really well! You are really only limited in blade length and size with a one brick forge.

I would say the drill press is an absolute necessity. Drilling straight holes is pretty essential. You can make a jig for a handheld drill, but itll cost about half what a new, cheap drillpress costs. You can pick up a press that will do basically everything for about 100$ in various places.

For a startup kit I would consider:
Drill press
Files or belt sander of some type for blade profiling and grinding
One-brick forge with MAPP gas torch (Benz-o-matic)
Sandpaper
Hacksaw (for profiling)

Unless you plan on forging from the get-go, the anvil is not a necessity. The surface grinder is really a bigger purchase and is not required at all. I am sure there are many makers who dont have one.

My first blades I did all with hand files and sandpaper and a hacksaw. If you take your time, you can make anything look great. I think many people when they first jump into their first knife push it into a spinning belt and dont realize how much you can mess up in a short span of time on a fast moving belt. At least with files, any mistake you make will occur slowly and cant be fixed whereas a brand new guy on a grinder will most often end up with a shorter and thinner blade than they intended, haha!

Its all just practice....get a few tools and start working! Get a few hunks of 1/8" 1084 or O-1 and make a few neck knives. Most neck-knife sized blades are very managable with files alone.

Well, thats enough for now! I will let you know on the 1X30. If its still working, I am sure I have belts for it laying around somewhere as well!
 
One more thing I would add to that list of "essentials" is a vise. It's really hard to hold a piece to file with your third hand :D

-d
 
good point! i forgot to add that, because of my constant confusion and bewilderment, my thirn hand is generally pretty busy scratching my head!:o
 
mike, im not able to get through to your email and the forum didnt like the thought of my sending you a PM.. if u email me a word or sumthin, i can reply to that maybey and TicToc, i got your email and thank you again!

looking at the home depot sit, i see two royobi drillpresses, a 10" and a 12", the 12 is $150 and the 10 is $100, 10" is enough right?
 
My small shop is in my basement so I have to go small. What I consider esentials are: File, hacksaw, sandpaper, dremel tool and vise. The next step for me was drill press, then wood/ supposedly metal bandsaw then a 4X36 belt sander. I do not finish knives with any speed but I can now let my imagination run wild
 
mike, i got an email sent out to you! thank you again!
and thanks for the advice CUTS LIKE A KRIS! i apreciate it :)
 
ill start getting stuff around tomorrow. its not a problem, i like helping people out as much as i can( i remember when i was the one who needed help!) ill ship it all out on mon or tues.
mike

ps got alot more than files! and i checked the grinder, it doesnt work:(
 
too bad about the grinder, but ill be thrilled to get anything you send! thanks again for your support and generosity! :) -BK
 
Send me an email. I'm sure I've got something you can use.
If I clean up my garage, I'm sure there's stuff I forgot existed...
 
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