AlexM

Thanks everyone for the info so far.  Hmmm... that's too bad.  I hate it when the law comes down to how well you know someone, or "it depends on who gets sent out to the call".  You never know if you'll get a reasonable guy who sees you're doing things safely or a by-the-book jerk.

I had thought about the charcoal grill angle.  I actually forge mostly with charcoal, and was thinking of building the forge like an outdoor bbq so I wouldn't necessarily have to tear it all down for re-sale purposes.  In most place, including Cambridge, the government does not restrict you from having an "open fire" so long as you are cooking with it.  I can always bring a baked potato out when forging, but of course, this is a bit of a work around and I was hoping for a more solid, less techincal solution.

Anyway, I'll see what I can do.  Thanks again for the info.

Alex

Hello,

I used to do my forging out in the country, so this was never really a problem.  I've recently just moved to Cambridge (right in the city) and the last thing I want is to set up a forge and have fire trucks at my house handing me a hefty fine for not adhering to local by-laws.  Don't get me wrong, I have every intention of setting up my forge safely, but some of the local by-laws are a bit overkill.

For example, "The use of chimineas and factory-built outdoor fireplaces or fire pits are considered to be open burning and would require a permit to be used."  Permits are $54/month (pricey), and they come with additional stipulations that are nearly impossible for most people to satisfy (i.e. "Fire MUST be 150M (492 ft.) from any building."  I don't know of many people who live in the city who have a property line that's almost 500 ft long, not to mention another 500ft away from a neighbouring building).

Info found here... http://www.cambridge.ca/fire_department/fire_prevention_division/open_burning

I was just wondering what experience any of you had in terms of setting up your forge within a municapality.  I'm an amateur, so normally I just wheel out my brake drum forge out of the shed, but I was hoping to build an enclosed, or semi-enclosed structure in the backyard.  If a chiminea is considered an open burning fire, I can't see how most forges (unless you're doing propane or something) are much different. 

Any advice?  I plan to talk to the local fire department, but I'm afraid they'll just tell me "no".  There has to be a way around this.

Thanks,

Alex