Swage Block Stand

[Rustyiron]

Yeah, no kidding! On my bucket list is a visit to Terry's shop. Sad thing is I have good reason to be in his neighborhood and haven't made it happen. This summer it is going to happen!

He!! I'm looking for a neighboring property to buy.:laughing:
Outstanding as usual. :thumbsup:

 

[searcyfarms]

i wish he was my neighbor id help him do everything so i could learn stuff

 

[TMGT]

Man I'd love to have those swage blocks, around here prices for anvils etc. have shot up the past few years. Seems that ridiculous cable show about making knives might have been a part of it.

 

[Big Barn]

Even with my distaste for reality tv shows I gave one of those knife making programs a try. I even tried TWICE. I couldn’t do it.

I just couldn’t get past the dramatic music and moderating style of the host and panel.

As for the swage (also pronounced “swedge”) blocks, the first one I bought about a year ago from a local iron worker who was a fourth generation blacksmith of Norwegian heritage. He had a wealth of knowledge and was an all round personable guy.

Just recently he decided to part with his second one and let me know so I grabbed it. I consider myself lucky as I have not ever SEEN swage blocks except in photos.

This is probably the first time in my life I’m GLAD I procrastinated building a stand for the first one! ( maybe somewhere in the back of my mind I thought I would acquire the second one?).

 

[mwayne]

Like others have already said, cool! My youthful memories of our local blacksmith shop was that everything was covered in coal soot, including the blacksmith, and then he would reach in his overall's pocket and pull out a bag of chewing tobacco and with his almost completely coal black hand fill one side of his mouth with tobacco. Ah memories! So your shop is much different, in a super way, than what I was expecting.

 

[searcyfarms]

Like others have already said, cool! My youthful memories of our local blacksmith shop was that everything was covered in coal soot, including the blacksmith, and then he would reach in his overall's pocket and pull out a bag of chewing tobacco and with his almost completely coal black hand fill one side of his mouth with tobacco. Ah memories! So your shop is much different, in a super way, than what I was expecting.

you forgot the polka dot welding caps, harold our local blacksmith always had a polka dot hat on of various colors and oh my yes coal slag/soot crispy underfoot as you walked around the shop, all galvanized rusty tin

 

[rankrank1]

And here I always thought how lucky I must be to have 2 or 3 old antique pull type moldboard plows (or ploughs for the spelling purists) sitting out back behind the barn in the weeds and how handy those plows have been to me over the years for their occasional use of non-plowing duties where I used the plows to beat on as an improvised workbench and strategically utilizing all the handy built in crevices and shapes found on the plows accordingly. Alternatively to find the helpful oddball shapes on the plow to straighten bent metal via pry points has been quite handy too.

I simply never knew there was a purpose built tool for this job. That is one nice shop!

 

[Big Barn]

And here I always thought how lucky I must be to have 2 or 3 old antique pull type moldboard plows (or ploughs for the spelling purists) sitting out back behind the barn in the weeds and how handy those plows have been to me over the years for their occasional use of non-plowing duties where I used the plows to beat on as an improvised workbench and strategically utilizing all the handy built in crevices and shapes found on the plows accordingly. Alternatively to find the helpful oddball shapes on the plow to straighten bent metal via pry points has been quite handy too.

I simply never knew there was a purpose built tool for this job. That is one nice shop!

All our mouldboard plows were mounted but I’ve used the frames for exactly the same purposes. Mostly heating bent pieces with the oxy-acetylene torch and using the frames as an anvil or sticking in the holes to straighten. Thanks for the memories!

 

[Hiptfarms]

Very nice shop. Your swage blocks look very nice. I like the way you set them up. I feel lucky to have come across one last year but the one I have is nowhere near the size of yours. Mine is about 1 foot square and weighs probably 60 lbs or so. I've never actually weighed it or measured it. Nice job on the build.

 

[rankrank1]

Oh yeah mounted plows work too. One simply has to have them blocked up well if not hitched to the tractor or they will easily roll on you which can be dangerous. I have a couple mounted plows here as well but usually prefer to use the tow type plows for improvised metal smithing duties as no need to worry about blocking on them at all - especially since I was not exaggerating when I said the weeds behind the barn. Gotta love working in mud, chiggers, ticks, and garden snakes that go along with such a fine work environment like mine.

That all said, I usually pick the plow that happens to have the shape I need somewhere on it. Between them all being different brands and different sizes 12", 14", and 16" as well as different bottom #'s then my crevice shapes are surprisingly rather varied amongst the 4 total plows in my weed pile (JD 2-12 tow trip on steel wheels, IH 2-14 little genius tow trip on rubber wheels, Ferguson 3-14 mounted 3 pt type plow, and even a Farm & Fleet brand 1-16 mounted 3 point type plow)...have all been handy for non-plowing duties on many occasions.