How to Make a Horseshoe Door Knocker
- 1). Set up a drill press with a 5/16-inch cobalt drill bit. Cobalt is a material that will cut through iron, according to Harry Sawyers for This Old House. Set a railroad spike against the drill press fence on its side, with the tip of the spike under the bit. Align the spike with the bit so it will drill completely through the spike, 1 inch below the tip. Clamp the spike to the drill press fence. Do not try to hold it steady with your hands. If your drill does not have a fence, use a special vise for holding small parts that is compatible with your machine.
- 2). Adjust the drill press for high torque and low speed. Add a drop of lubricating oil on the spike where the hole will be. Turn the power on and slowly lower the drill to drill through the spike. Periodically add more lubricating oil. Continue drilling slowly until you pass through the spike. Raise the drill and power it off. The spike will be hot enough to burn your skin. Wait until it cools before handling.
- 3). Arrange the horseshoe, with the ends facing up for good luck, on the face of the wood plaque where you like it. Insert screws through one left and one right hole in the shoe with a power drill to secure the shoe to the plaque. If it is not snug against the wood, add more screws in other holes.
- 4). Remove the spike from the drill press. Measure it from the flat head to the drilled hole. Measure from the bottom-center of the horseshoe up to the measurement you took for the spike and make a mark on the wood.
- 5). Twist one eye bolt into the plaque 1 inch to the left of the mark. Twist the other eye bolt 1 inch to the right of the mark. Insert both of them 1 inch into the wood, leaving 2 inches exposed, and stop when the eyes are vertical. Slip a washer onto a carriage bolt. Push the carriage bolt through the left eye hook. Hold the railroad spike with the point up and slip the carriage bolt through its hole. Push the carriage bolt through the other eye bolt. Place a washer over the end of the carriage bolt, and twist the nut onto the end. The head of the spike will rest against, and strike, the center-bottom of the horseshoe.
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