In With The Old - Out With The New

I have been putzing around with the hammer the last couple weeks but knew that a few major issues had to be accomplished.  The frame needed to be drilled for a motor mount which I was in the process of creating.  After looking around the shop to see what materials I had available, I came up with a suitable mount idea.

A piece of steel strong enough to support the weight of the motor and mount was needed, so I decided to use a piece of channel.  There will be no flexing this stuff when it is in place.  Next I had to actually drill into the hammers frame.  A quick look online gave me enough information to do this myself. 

First I made a drilling guide from some scrap oak I had.  It needed to have a pilot hole guide and the final hole guide.  The guide also had to be clamped to the frame so it wouldn’t move.  This was an easier process than I had anticipated. 

Next, the holes had to be tapped.

This is how the channel will be bolted to the frame.

For the motor base plate I found an 8 ½”x11” frame made of angle iron.  To this frame I welded a piece of ¼” steel plate and drilled holes to bolt the motor to.  

The clutch pulley had to be put in place to find the motor location.  This wasn’t very easy.  I had to carry the shaft, flywheel and pulley assembly up a ladder and put it on top of the frame.  Then I lined everything up and marked the location of the hinges needed to connect the motor frame to the channel.  Holes were drilled to attach the hinges, nuts and bolts were tightened up and she is ready to be painted.

Got it all painted and let it set overnight.  Next day I put it all together and measured for the drive belts.  Wouldn’t you know…the store only had one belt of the size I thought I needed.  Turns out they measure these belts by the outside and not the inside dimensions.  The belt I bought was a little too small.  Call’m up and order two of the right size belts.  Getting so much closer to Hammer Time!

I was really hoping for this project to be complete by today, Dec. 31, 2013.  All that is left to do is to get the ram or hammer head to ride properly in the guide.  Hook up the toggle arms to the flywheel and set the ram to the right height, so it hits the way it is supposed to and give it some electricity.  Lets see what I can accomplish today.

Happy New Year to all of you! 

  Talk To Y'all Next Year

Thanks for being part of all this.

Knife Guy From Waynesboro, Tennessee

The end of the year is always a busy time.  My posting comes long after I jotted all of this down. 

The weekend after Thanksgiving a guy named Dan called me wanting to look at my knives.  His cousin had one of my knives and gave him my card.  He told me that he tried to Google “Knife Guy From Waynesboro” which didn’t come up with my name.  So…I figured if I posted this it may come up in the future.

Dan picked out two knives, one as a gift and one for himself.  I also get to make a second sheath for his cousin who had his own idea of what he wanted.

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Planned a trip to Milwaukee to see our newest grandson, Henry Jack, long before he was born.  I headed up to Nashville in the midst of inclement weather throughout the plains and Midwest.  My plane was lucky enough to fly over the storm so there were no delays.   

Had a glass or two of Single Malt with my son.  Check out the buffalo horn scotch glasses I made for Sam a few years ago.

My folks drove 200 miles south to Milwaukee to see me.   

We had breakfast together with all my brothers.  Makes a son feel special.  It was so nice to see everyone.  My dad was about to turn 89 so seeing him was a top priority for me.  Then I took mom to see her great grandson for the first time.   

She held Henry for 2 hours and I didn’t even get to hold him…go figure.

Had a great Turkey dinner with my daughter Jess & Bob, son Sam & Mara, li’l Bobby and Henry on Saturday night.  I got to hold Henry for hours.  Babies sure give you a whole new perspective on life.  Hope to see all of my family again real soon.

Witnessed the aftermath of two large pileups on Hwy 894 in Milwaukee.  The first one was on the other side of the road and about 12 cars.  They were all over the road in all states of wreckage.  The second pileup was another 7 or 8 miles away.  We noticed that there were no vehicles were on the other side of the freeway and figured it wasn’t a good thing.  Between Lincoln Ave and Greenfield Ave there was close to 30 vehicles strewn about.  It was utter chaos.  Apparently there was a death at each pileup.

On the way back from this excursion, I saw a guy smash into a light pole and it ended up across the hood and windshield of his car.  Left Milwaukee to go back to Tennessee.

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Took a couple of days for me to adjust back to the slower lifestyle.  Finally got to spend a few hours in the shop so I laid out some hunting blades and measured the motor I picked up, for the pulley.  I need a double pulley so I’ll head to Etheridge, TN.  There is a machinist that makes pulleys for the Mennonite community.  On the way I saw two dead COWS on the side of the road!  They were gone when I came back to get pics.

 I stopped at Sweetwater Machine on the way back from Etheridge and picked up the pins that I ordered from Binford. You can see the difference 100 years can make in steel.  Binford also broached a keyway into the new pulley for me.  That will keep it nice and tight on the shaft.  I always learn so much at the machine shop.  The pins fit well and there was only slight modification needed to another part for perfect fit in the whole assembly. 

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Within the last week we took a bunch of product out to the Rivers Edge store in Clifton, TN to stock it for the upcoming "Stroll Through Clifton" Dec. 20-21, 2013.  I'll keep the goods there until shows start next March. 

Leslie does such a great job of displaying everything to make it look more appealing to the eye.  Rivers Edge is only open Fridays and Saturdays, but it gives my work exposure during the off months.

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I recently finished a Christmas gift for my co-worker at the sewer plant.  I couldn't post this till he opened it.

It's a small damascus knife with buffalo horn handles and a black leather sheath.

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And last but not least...

Only in Waynesboro can you stop at the bank to do your weekly transaction, and someone you know asks you if you would like a dead coyote.

The pelt looked in fine condition, it was small and it was free!  After a little work in the shop I transformed it into a beautiful piece that will go on my show table.  I'm trying to get a bunch of different hides on the table for people to touch.  It really draws folks in to the table.  

That's it for now.  Trying to get the hammer ready before the end of the year.  When I do I will try to get a video of its first use.  Till then, hope Y'all get what you wish for!!!

November Was Busy

Well, November is over!  Thought I'd post the last of the happenings before they are gone from my memory for good.

Started work on a few Chef knives.  These are the first large kitchen knives I have worked on.  Trying out some 154CM high carbon stainless steel on two of them and the third will be made from 1095.  I'll post pics when they are looking pretty.


Thankful for a kiss from my beautiful wife at our Thanksgiving celebration with so many good friends.


Thankful for the deer that my buddy Tony dropped off at my house on Thanksgiving day.  I am a very lucky man.

Finished a display for a customer that wanted something to show off the knife she bought from me.  It should be in her hands soon.  Have to beat that Christmas rush.

Have got most of the parts together for the hammer.  Need to find the motor and make a mount for it.  Hoping to have it running by the new year.  What a way to start 2014.

And Something To Chuckle At.

Oodles of Poodles!

 As Leslie and I were going to pick up a few things at our not so local Walmart store in Savannah, TN, we spotted a minivan with at least a dozen furry little poodles inside.  They were laying about in all sorts of crazy ways.  You can see 8 in the picture but there were more in the back.  I just had to take a pic of them.  We actually thought they were stuffed animals before we saw them move.  Hilarious.