Archive for November, 2009

28
Nov

First Stones Laid at Grimsson Forge.

   Posted by: admin    in Project News

Today the first of many stones was put in place at the Grimsson Forge site. These stones are the start of the small 50-60cm high retaining wall that will give the Grimsson forge site another 1 to 1.5 meters of usable space making the area a viable workshop and camping area. Further landscaping will also take place over the few weeks to provide the foundation for the actual forge which will be the next phase of construction. Earth for filling in behind the wall which is located on the slope to the lower tier is being provided by digging out the seating tiers on the slope up to the road.

The first stones at Grimsson Forge

It is planned that after the landscaping of the area to accomodate the forge is to construct the forge itself against a wide stonewall. The forge and two furnaces on the oposite side of the wall will provide buttressing for the free standing wall and chimney stacks. The forge itself will be made fully operational before any further construction take place, this is to provide an incentive for people to come out to Crossroads and use the forge as well as a means of making some of the parts and tools that will remain with the forge for use by Crossroads members and approved visitors.

Stay tuned for more information as landscaping and construction proceed.

21
Nov

Plans have been approved by the board!

   Posted by: admin    in Project News

After a meeting with the Crossroads Board Chairperson today I have been given approval to start work on the forge construction. There was one request from the board, and that be that I move the forge further away from the grand staircase so in order to comply with this requirement I have moved the proposed forge placement across by around 6 meters giving about 8 meters of space beside the grand staircase for future development.

Further thought on the design has also lead me to believe that a minor change in the forge and furnaces design could actually allow for a more efficient construction, as well as allowing for a multi-stage construction that would get the forge itself as well as 2 furnace chimney stacks all built first and become operational before the roof and final wall structure are built.

The plan now consists of constructing a T shaped wall with a large open forge on one side, and the enclosed furnaces on the other side. There will be about 2 metres of roof covering the forge side, and a little over a meter of roof protecting the furnaces. This will mean that to protect the entire workshop area from sun wind and rain, a canvas wall can go around the entire 10 Square meter covered area. There will be space between the two funaces to stack cut wood for long term storage between uses and there will be storage are in the forge side for tools and equipment.

I am also look at plans to use either steam or hot rising air to power a hidden blower system. This will be in operation most likely before a proper bellows is constructed, as it will allow the forge to be used more effectively to actually construct stuff on the property. I have some plans in mind, but would be willing to hear from anyone on their suggestions for this as well.