My Houzz: Step Inside a Blacksmith’s Home Workshop
See how this New York homeowner repurposed an old structure to use as his blacksmithing hobby space
Making tools and working with his hands is a way of life for Dick Lanne, a practical blacksmith who has spent his life learning and perfecting this skill. “I got into forging iron watching my first scoutmaster, Nick Schaper, with his forge at a scouting function,” Lanne says. “He made a profound impression on me, not only as a scoutmaster, but that he could make anything he needed for his small farm from a door hinge or a knife or various tools he needed for woodworking. Most everything he did was with hand tools, nothing electric or modern, something I emulate today.”
Schaper wasn’t Lanne’s only mentor. He also learned a lot from his father. “I learned to set and sharpen crosscut saws from my dad, with whom I spent a lot of time on the other end of one.”
Schaper wasn’t Lanne’s only mentor. He also learned a lot from his father. “I learned to set and sharpen crosscut saws from my dad, with whom I spent a lot of time on the other end of one.”
In the interior, Lanne built the workbenches that he uses for his craft from salvaged old barn boards and beams. He then mounted the vices and hand-crank drill press along with the other tools to create a functional workspace.
“This is my area for final grinding, drilling and honing edged metal tools and knives,” Lanne says. “Also for file work and fine-tuning as well as putting handles on tools.”
To complete the space, Lanne built the forge. “Everything was built to blend together and be in a good working relationship,” Lanne says. “It was all set up in close proximity to the forge so as not to lose heat while working between the fire, forge and water.”
Lanne is a practical blacksmith, which means he mostly repairs items and fabricates pieces they need around the house and barn.
Pictured above are the tools Lanne has collected and repaired or has made over the years. Some were in his family, some were given to him, some were bought. He even has made a few tools with branches from the lilac bushes on their property.
“They all have a different purpose, for hammering, cutting and shaping,” Lanne says.
Pictured above are the tools Lanne has collected and repaired or has made over the years. Some were in his family, some were given to him, some were bought. He even has made a few tools with branches from the lilac bushes on their property.
“They all have a different purpose, for hammering, cutting and shaping,” Lanne says.
“A woodworker friend of mine made the ‘sweet’ letters for me to hang in my shop, as that’s what I say when I come across a pile of rusty metal,” Lanne says.
Lanne does a lot of period repair work and makes replicas of early tools, axes and knives. He enjoys repairing old pieces because he can add new life to antique tools, which ultimately preserves them. He also mends chains, hooks and other usable and functional items.
The tools in this corner are mostly woodworking tools and draw knives, which are used for shaping handles for tools. A knife-in-progress that Lanne made from a crosscut saw blade is hanging here as well.
“I particularly enjoy making knives, drawing out the metal and giving them an edge. I make them mostly from steel taken from abandoned farm equipment such as scythes, springs and broken castoff saws,” Lanne says.
“I particularly enjoy making knives, drawing out the metal and giving them an edge. I make them mostly from steel taken from abandoned farm equipment such as scythes, springs and broken castoff saws,” Lanne says.
“My first scoutmaster mostly influenced me on working with tools, after watching him at his farm repairing and making his own tools and implements,” says Lanne, pictured in his workshop. “From there it was a lot of self-teaching, books and learning by hands on.”
Lanne also demonstrates at Boy Scout events and period re-enactments. “It’s important for me to pass on skills I’ve learned, as times change and knowledge that isn’t a part of every day dissipates and dies away with the old-timers. I have read many books on forgotten arts, but there is nothing like hands-on learning,” Lanne says.
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Lanne also demonstrates at Boy Scout events and period re-enactments. “It’s important for me to pass on skills I’ve learned, as times change and knowledge that isn’t a part of every day dissipates and dies away with the old-timers. I have read many books on forgotten arts, but there is nothing like hands-on learning,” Lanne says.
More
Studio Tour: New Life for Reclaimed Wood in Austin
Studio Tour: From Old Shed to Sunny Ceramics Workshop
The exterior color can be found on all the barns and the house on the Lannes’ property. “We chose this color because we wanted to make everything look organic, like it grew there,” Dick says. The paint color by Benjamin Moore is aptly named Olive Branch and the brighter green on the fence and shutters is Bronze Green from Pittsburgh Paints.