[SEL] Tod Engine Works Foundry

[Rick Rowlands]

A few weeks ago I was given the opportunity to expand our fledgling foundry 
operation to its own site.  Up until now I have been making castings at work 
using my employer's furnace and have been waiting until I got the Tod Engine 
building put up at the museum to start melting using our own furnace.

We have been offered to rent a 40' x 40' brick building with attached 25' x 
28' concrete block garage addition.  The main part of the building is at 
least 100 years old and has lots of character.  The building once had 480VAC 
3 phase fed underground from a building across the street.  This has been 
cut off and we are in the process of having the electric company run an 
overhead service to the building.

I've already started moving in and am in the process of setting up a newly 
acquired secondhand 50kw induction melting unit and 100 pound induction 
furnace.  I've also moved an air compressor, welder, molding tables and 
workbenches to the building.  When I am up and running I'll have the 
capacity to melt and pour castings in iron, ductile iron, all grades of 
carbon and alloy steel, stainless steel, copper based alloys and aluminum. 
The furnace will have a maximum capacity of 125 pounds of steel so the 
largest casting I can make with this unit will be 100 pounds.

I am fortunate that this building became available and that I have been 
acquiring equipment for years in anticipation for the day when I could set 
up a workshop. I am not going to have too much of an upfront investment to 
get things started.  The building owner is a gas engine collector and has 
quite a collection of oilfield engines.

Here are some pictures of the building, the 50kw power unit and a 300 pound 
induction furnace that I recently rebuilt at work. 
http://community.webshots.com/album/180048461ppagnh/2

A big thanks to Curt Holland who planted the seed a year ago and gave me the 
idea to start a foundry.  The Tod Engine Works is set up as a part of the 
Tod Engine Foundation, and all profits from the production of castings go 
toward preserving the Mighty Tod Engine and two more smaller engines which 
we have become caretakers of.  Our latest adopted engine is this one from 
New York state.
http://community.webshots.com/album/512613592rLSddm

Rick Rowlands
Tod Engine Works
Makers of Quality iron, steel, ductile iron
and nonferrous castings
2261 Hubbard Road
Youngstown, OH  44505
330-728-2799
www.todengine.org/engineworks.html