Thread: Progress pics Snail forge under construction

Hey guys,
This holiday I finally started building a smithy which I could call my own. So far I've been working in the garden, or underneath the carport, but it's an inconvenience. I have always wanted to have a fixed place. That way I can just fire up when I have an hour, instead of first having to set up everything, and clean up everything afterward. After some careful consideration and consulting with my CFO, we decided to build it in the back of the garden, where there used to be a compost heap.

That is also where the name comes from. There was a significant number of snails living there, as well several empty shells. I don't know what to call the place just yet, so for now I settled on snail forge.

this is ground zero:



My friend came over to help me with the first part of the construction. I wanted something strong and sturdy (it is going to be a smithy after all) so I decided to build with concrete pillars after I got the idea from my friend's wood shed. Those pillars weigh 200+ pounds each. They're 2.5 feet buried into the ground, and set in concrete. Moving the pillars was a drag, and digging the holes was not much fun either. My ground is hard clay as soon as you're a shovel deep. On the plus side, the ground is very stable. On the downside, it is hard to dig. And someone also buried a huge concrete lintel right where we needed to dig.



We put in the wooden panels at the end of the day. We were pretty much done for by then.



I built the frame for the roof using actual roof beams. The 3 main beams are 2.5 inches wide, and 7 inches high. Huge overkill for my humble shack, but this way I am certain that the entire structure is strong, and if I ever need to hang a workpiece, some machinery or a tool from the roof for whatever reason, it won't budge. And of course, in the summer I can put up a hammock :-)





That's it for now. I have the roof panels (metal, with a layer of insulation to prevent condensation and echo) lying ready to put up, as well as the gutter for rain water. I haven't started that part of the construction because we are having a local heatwave, with local temperatures way above 36 degrees celsius. Not really the right time for doing hard work in the blasting sun, with panels that are too hot to touch. After the roof, I'll have to put in a decent floor, and electricity and water.

That's pretty cool man ! I have always kind of admired the art of blacksmithing. I haven't kept up on your background Bruno..is this for making straight razor blades or other ??

Fine looking building, Bruno. I wish I had the property to build me just a tool shed.
Are you taking orders yet? Can I put in an order for a nice machete of mid length? With made by "Bruno of Belgium" stamped on the tang.

Originally Posted by Nightblade

That's pretty cool man ! I have always kind of admired the art of blacksmithing. I haven't kept up on your background Bruno..is this for making straight razor blades or other ??

Obivously, straight razors are one of the things I am making. I've already forged a very nice one, which is still waiting for scales.
I've also made a couple of kitchen knives, and some other failed experiments.

Razors and kitchen knives are the 2 main things I'd like to make. However, if someone needs something else, that would be up for discussion too. There is only one thing on which I will not (yet?) compromise. I only make tools. I don't make fancy stuff for display cases. I respect that some people collect knives for the sake of collecting, but I want everything I make to be used.

My goal for this year is to build the smithy and buy a professional belt grinder. As soon as I am set, I want to figure out if I am any good at making things people like, and at what price point I can work. If that goes well, my long term goal is to register as a part time freelancer (a tax thing which allows me to be a part time smith) and earn some money. For now it is all fun and experimenting.

I might work on other people's ideas just for the sake of trying something new, but I am not going to 'open up shop' just yet. Partly because things are going slow, and partly because I cannot open a business just yet, due to tax reasons.

Very nice. It seems traditional to name the forge after some feature of the place. I'm not sure there are any rules though.

I saw very cool building similar to yours that had a giant grapevine up one side and growing over the open roof. At least then you'd have natural shade and something to make wine with at the end of the summer if you didn't get any blades done....

That is great Bruno. I wish you great success with this venture. The only thing I'd like to see is some of that Belgian blue stone used somewhere in the build. Maybe paving stones for the flooring under the forge itself ... good mojo with something like that.

It looks overbuilt - the way a forge should be, I think.
Nice work!

The ground doesn't freeze there, does it?

That is a great looking shop so far. I am looking forward to seeing more updates.

Charlie

Very interesting thread Bruno for sure definately looking forward to the many updates and see some tools and razors from your new shop.

It looks great Bruno. But I have to ask, does it seem odd that someone building a forge is implying it is to hot to work?