- #1
EarthBear
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I am constructing a blacksmith forge and have a bit of a problem regarding counterbalance. This forum helped me in college, but I'm afraid I'm stumped on applying school-physics to DIY engineering.
I have a hand-crank forge blower with a mass of 60 pounds. I need to build a concrete counterbalance stand to place it in. I will be placing the forge blower into the concrete by way of a metal tube connecting the concrete to the blower. There will be a 2" piece of PVC pipe which will be sunk into the concrete that the steel tube will insert into.
The blower is an odd shape, it's about 14 inches diameter for the actual blower, the hand-cranking 'generator' plus blower measures about 15 inches in length, and with the hand crank extended it would be 21 inches in length. I can provide pictures, but I am unsure if this is needed, given the mass provided.
Initially I thought the concrete stand should be a triangle. I have been advised it doesn't have to be such, it can simply be a slab. I have to construct the mold for the concrete, and I am curious as to how large the slab must be dimensionally (and how much concrete mass is required) to provide adequate counterbalance for the 60lb blower.
The blower will be sitting next to the forge to provide air flow to the fire. There isn't a lot of floor space to work with in the tiny area I will be working in: I have about 2 feet by three feet tops of floor space to give a stand before I hit the wall, and honestly I'd prefer not to use that much floor space for a bloody concrete slab!
I may be overthinking this, but the blower is an antique and cannot be replaced if it tips over and cracks. Cast iron doesn't like that kind of force :-)
I am looking for any assistance you can provide to offer me in this construction. It's been a bit since college physics and I figured you all would be more knowledgeable as to what I must engineer. I'm not a builder, I'm an artist :P
I have a hand-crank forge blower with a mass of 60 pounds. I need to build a concrete counterbalance stand to place it in. I will be placing the forge blower into the concrete by way of a metal tube connecting the concrete to the blower. There will be a 2" piece of PVC pipe which will be sunk into the concrete that the steel tube will insert into.
The blower is an odd shape, it's about 14 inches diameter for the actual blower, the hand-cranking 'generator' plus blower measures about 15 inches in length, and with the hand crank extended it would be 21 inches in length. I can provide pictures, but I am unsure if this is needed, given the mass provided.
Initially I thought the concrete stand should be a triangle. I have been advised it doesn't have to be such, it can simply be a slab. I have to construct the mold for the concrete, and I am curious as to how large the slab must be dimensionally (and how much concrete mass is required) to provide adequate counterbalance for the 60lb blower.
The blower will be sitting next to the forge to provide air flow to the fire. There isn't a lot of floor space to work with in the tiny area I will be working in: I have about 2 feet by three feet tops of floor space to give a stand before I hit the wall, and honestly I'd prefer not to use that much floor space for a bloody concrete slab!
I may be overthinking this, but the blower is an antique and cannot be replaced if it tips over and cracks. Cast iron doesn't like that kind of force :-)
I am looking for any assistance you can provide to offer me in this construction. It's been a bit since college physics and I figured you all would be more knowledgeable as to what I must engineer. I'm not a builder, I'm an artist :P
