dogs

Does anyone know where I might find some log dogs. thanks tb

lee valley
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=46365&cat=1,41131

what size dop you want?

I am not quite sure what size, as I have never used them, but I know I should have them when I start hewing seriously. I guess they seem to be about anywhere between 1- 3 feet, right? with 3 inch staple ends? The Lee valley ones look decent, have you used these? Let me know what you think. Thanks Mark and NH, tb

A local blacksmith should be competitive.

cheers,

Gabel

Gabel,Where do you live that you have a local blacksmith. As far as I can tell blacksmithing is just another one of the trades, like framing, that has been taken over by big business and the industrial revolution. tb

Hello all

timber brained,

I live in north georgia. I know of 4 blacksmiths within 20 miles. Just like us, they are out there. And just like us they need all the help they can get.

cheers,

Gabel

Gabel, any idea how i might find a local blacksmith other than just poking around with the locals and asking them??tb

TB

I used to live over your way about 20 years ago. If it still exists, try Sugar Loaf (down near Chester if memory serves me right). It was a colonial village type of setup and they had a blacksmith. You might also try the Historic hugenot settlement in New Paltz as they may have some idea who is in practice.

Andy

Try starting here
The New York State Designer Blacksmiths

The smiths I know I met at local art and craft shows over the last few years.

cheers,

Gabel

I would suggest at least 24 inches long... 30 would be better.
I made my current dogs by cutting shorter ones and welding them onto rectangular tube stock.. I wish I had made them longer. I had some dogs years ago that I liked a lot. the tips on those dogs where wider at the ends and one end was parralel to the dog, the other end was perpendicular. The pyramidal shaped tips are good at all angles but they don't hold as well and the wider tips.

We don't actually have any dogs. I kind of wish I did, but we just use a short 1x and nails.

Gabel

I have made a few dogs in the blacksmith shop at Hancock Shaker Village. I also make drift pins, ring dogs, and froes. Although I haven't made a froe yet that I really like. Hewing dogs are fairly easy to make, froes are a pain in the butt. Next year I am going to try making some scoring axes and broad axes. I like making the blacksmithing tools to make the timber framing tools to make the timber frame.

DMS. Sounds cool. I have always been into blacksmithing, read a ton of books, but never had a forge, or a place to build one, to do any forging. It always was and still is my dream to build a forge and start blacksmithing. It seems to go hand in hand with my other passions, Stone masonry, timberframing, etc... I would love to be able to forge my own tools as well as some wrought iron fixtures for my projected structures, even sculptures! tb

I don't know where you live, but if you have any land at all you can build a cheap portable forge from a brake drum and an old hair drier. The forge at Hancock is a very nice setup, but I am building a drum forge for my house so I can do quick little jobs without having to drive up to the village. iforgeiron.com is a great blacksmithing site.

DMS: can you get me some details on that homemade forge you described. It sounds quite affordable, as I dont have a lot of resources for a more seriously constructed forge at this time, but I do finally have some land to set it up. Thanks tb

around our shop, i think the short haired dogs do better, as the husky and that other shaggy dog get too clogged up in the planer debris and cow poop. they are also harder to blow off with the compressed air. short hair all the way.

tb, I would go to iforgeiron.com and search the Blueprints section for some homemade forge ideas. I have a couple of brake drums off a heavy van and I am going to make one into a homemade forge. I was given an electric Buffalo blower so I will use that. Basically you need a brake drum, a piece of pipe for a stand, something to mount it on to keep it from tipping over, and an air source. An old hair dryer that doesn't heat anymore works well, or you could find one at a junk shop and unhook the heating element. You will need a little welding experience as well.

You mentioned that you need a peavey as well, you can make a ring dog in the forge as well. It has a peavey style hook hanging from a four inch ring that you slide a four to six foot pole through. I used an ash pole a little over two inches in diameter. The ring dog only takes up about ten inches and you can just peel a pole when you get to your job, and you don't have to worry about fitting a new handle, they just slide right in.
You mentioned you are from Woodstock, I don't know how far that is from here, but I have an extra brake drum and a set of rebar hewing dogs that I don't want. Let me know, they are yours if you want them. If you need any more help with forging questions just let me know and I'll do what I can to help. This weekend I am going to start dismantling a nice little 16x20 timber barn that is going to be my blacksmith shop, I will build a brick or stone forge in there once it is up next summer.

I have been thinking of selling some of the timber framing tools that I make in the blacksmith shop, like dogs, ring dogs, and drift pins, but I doubt there is much demand. I really don't like the modern versions of the old tools. Have you seen the new froes? Just a piece of flat stock with the edge ground on it. Functional, but not the same as the old ones.

Dave

edit: I see Woodstock is just above Kingston, to get to my place you would have to get over to 9, take that to Hillsdale, take 23 to MA and I am ten minutes from the NY line. I think Kingston is maybe an hour.

Added blacksmithing tip: you can get smithing coal (low ash bituminous) at Aubachon Hardware, $7.50 for a 50lb. bag. I looked all over for good coal, and it turned out to be only ten minutes from my house.

Dave:
Keep me in mind for some drift pins when you get your place set up.
I'd like some.
Jim Rogers
PS. I don't have a dog.....(keeping on topic)

Jim, I am still doing some smithing at Hancock, they don't close until after Thanksgiving, and soon I'll be doing some at home after I finish my brake drum forge. What kind of drift pin do you need, I have seen several styles: ones with the end bent 180 and driven back into them selves, ones with a 90 on the end to drive out with a hammer and the ones I have been making with a ring on the end so you can insert another pin and twist it back out. I make mine out of 3/4" for 13/16" peg holes. That way you have a 1/16" so they don't bind, but will still snug the joint right up. I don't think they would work as well without any drawbore. I am also going try making some pins to drive pegs out from the back.

Anyone who has any questions can post here or e-mail me through this site.

Dave