Subject: Blacksmith Shop Design

From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 25 Mar 96 15:33:14 EST

After years of collecting tools and dragging my stuff in and out of a 
     shed in order to work, I am ready to build myself a small shop.  I'd 
     like to use the cheapest construction techniques possible for a wood 
     frame building.  This could be a modified post and beam (ie., no fancy 
     joinery) or a stick frame -- I'm not sure which.  I planned to keep a 
     dirt floor.  Is this a good or bad idea?  I don't own any heavy 
     equipment such as a power hammer and I don't see any in the near 
     future.
     
     I'll be using a portable forge to start.  I plan to build a permanent 
     brick forge in the future.  Does anyone have suggestions that might 
     help me steer clear of mistakes.  If you were to start over from 
     scratch, how would you design your shop.  How big?  How high?  Doors?  
     Windows?  Sure, but how big, how many, placement?  Should the shop be 
     rectangular or square?  Where would you place the forge, anvil, vise, 
     workbench, etc?  All ideas will be appreciated, as well as any 
     building plans, materials lists, etc. that anyone may have.
     
     Thanks to all for taking the time to read this post.
     
     John Nicol
     Lebanon, CT

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From: "Szucs" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 26 Mar 1996 09:50:41 -0500

>      equipment such as a power hammer and I don't see any in the near

	Build a pole barn.  They're cheap (relatively speaking), and if
	done right, make excellent structures for a shop.  You should be
	able to get information on their construction at the library or
	a bookstore.  Construction is relatively simple and easy though
	you will almost certainly want to rent a powered post hole digger.

	As for dirt floors, they're OK for certain areas of a shop and
	for some even preferable, but you would be well advised to
	pour a concrete slab to cover at least part of your floor. There's
	nothing more annoying than working on a dusty dirt floor when
	you don't want to.  The pad doesn't have to be very large (9x12
	should be enough to start and can always be enlarged later).
>      brick forge in the future.

	Though I've not built a brick forge ever, I'm familiar with brick
	structures.  The forge will be A) HEAVY and 2) they *don't* like
	to bend at all.  That said, you will have to build a very strong
	foundation to prevent serious cracking of the structure over time.
	No matter how well your earth is tamped it will settle and ceramic
	structures are very unforgiving.  A wide and very thick pad is what
	I would suggest.  Stuff like this I like to over-engineer.  In the
	long run you always thank yourself when after 20 or 50 years you
	look back in satisfaction knowing that you never once had to do
	any major structural repairs.  Doing it right the first time is
	grand virtue.

>      If you were to start over from
>      scratch, how would you design your shop.

	I like timber framing, but it is $$ compared to stick built.  It will
	also last much longer, all other things being equal, is generally
	stronger, and as far as I'm concerned aesthetically much more pleasing.
	The pole barn represents a very attractive middle ground solution.

>	How big?

	As big as you can.  Seriously, this is hard to answer without knowing
	your specific needs/wishes.  I would seriously consider long term
	goals and try to plan as much in accord with those as possible.  And
	if you are telling yourself that you will not be going beyond this
	or that size of work or going deeper than "this" into the art, I would
	caution you to rethink this carefully.  Hobbys like this tend to
	grow despite our assertion of limits early on.  This past year alone
	I spent better than $40K on equipment.  I had NO intention of doing
	anything of the sort, yet here I am.  Believe me, it HAPPENS and if
	today you can afford to build a structure that is, say, 20% to 30% more
	than you think you'll ever need, I can almost guarantee you that in the
	long term you'll thank yourself for having done so.  The only exception
	to this is if you are already thinking in terms of a large operation,
	perhaps as a business, where you're not screwing around at all.

>  How high?

	12 foot ceilings minimum.  16 preferable.  You need room to move
	and room for fumes and heat volume to go.  This will become painfully
	apparent on a hot summer day when you have a smoky coal fire and 8 foot
	ceilings. Work will be nearly impossible if you don't give yourself
	enough high space.

>Doors?

	IMO this is a very important consideration.  I'm partial to high,
	wide doors hung on rollers.  12x12.  You'd be surprised what kinds
	of large things you may want to roll into your shop including
	vehicles like tractors.  Again you may not be planning on it, but
	it tends to happen.

>      Windows?

	Many shops have two rows of windows; one low, one higher up.
	Natural convection works wonderfully in the venting of noxious
	fumes that miss the path up the flue and heat thrown off by
	the forge.

	Since this is a rather large undertaking I feel safe in assuming
	that you intend on staying put for quite a few years.  That being
	the case I will repeat my admonition to you to think in terms
	of the long haul and in doing the job right from the outset.  In
	as little as a year you may find yourself giving thanks for having
	done so, even if you currently find yourself uncomfortably close to
	financial ruin as a result. :)

	Best of luck to you.

	-Andy V.