Todd Honhart

Undoubtedly more comfortable than my underneath set up. I made the box rather large and didn't want to add any width, so it was easy to store and move. I think I may make a removable mount that I can quickly attach/detach.

I mounted mine horizontal under the box with the handle protruding towards my legs. I made the box tall so putting it under the front is reachable, but even after only doing it for a few minutes I can see how having it a bit higher would make it easier.

They are on sale in the sports departments at Walmart for $8.97

You definitely have a lot of sparks, my manual air pump didn't throw any sparks. However I certainly had too large of pieces of charcoal on the fire also. You are right in the same boat as me so far, just trying to see what you can do.

Oh yes the link helped greatly. That is really slick. I was hoping to do something on one end but never considered pulling it up and flipping it over to expose additional additions to the anvil. I have some grinding and cutting in my future.

The rail is 18" in length, so my idea is to mount it by cutting away a large log (stood on end)and set it down into the relief cut into the log. A great deal of what I am doing is being done on the cheap for now, until I decide how much I enjoy the trade/hobby. If I begin to enjoy the craft I will most certainly expand my tooling and anvils. I have poured untold dollars into my woodworking shop, purchasing and restoring machinery from 60 to over 100 years old. I have hopes to use metal working in my woodworking projects. I do not sell items, just make them for our home or for gifts. I guess what I am saying is that I am no stranger to craftsmanship and the time it takes to create items.

Tried to post a picture but seem to have failed. I am aware of the ASO conumdrum, I will be using a RR track end as an attempt to use as an anvil until I acquire a more adequate anvil.

first forge fire

I put some charcoal and air to the forge today. I shoveled some coals from the outdoor woodburner and stuck a 3/8 piece of scrap steel in the coals and within 5 minutes the end 1" was glowing very brightly and was able to be hammered flat with just a couple strikes. I don't have an ASO yet so just laid a sledge on the ground as a striking surface. I heated repeatedly and continued to pound on the steel until I flatted about 4". All told I probably spent 15 minutes with the steel in the forge, so I think it heats pretty nicely. I do see that I may have the fire pot a little wider than necessary, it is 4 1/2" currently and the heat did not radiate to that outside wall away from the blower tube. I made absolutely nothing but a piece of steel with a flat end, still pretty excited about the forge being functional. Next time I will be stacking another brick above the front and going for a little more charcoal to add depth to the sweet spot in the fire. In total I may have burned up about half a lunch bag of charcoal.

I have been reading this website for many months and to see if I enjoy pounding metal I have built one of these forges. Charles your writings have been invaluable in my build. The simplicity of this design is very appealing and I was able to put it together in a few hours including building a mobile stand to roll it around. I have yet to mount the pump but believe I am going to add some additional pipe and mount the pump just under the box at the front. I built mine a bit taller than what I generally see here so the pump will be easily accessible from the front. The box is 22" wide by 32" long. I only have wheels on the back legs so the action of the pump should not move the forge around. For my first attempts I am going to fetch charcoal from my outdoor wood stove and transfer it to the forge. I have a piece of railroad track that I am mounting to use the end (and not the top) as many people have suggested. 

I chose this size of fire pot because of the knowledge that has been shared on this site. I trust that the knowledgeable folks here know better than me what size works most efficiently without wasting charcoal. Most of the sites I have visited have these huge pots that are using a bunch of charcoal and seem to be such a waste since you can only work a few inches of metal at any one time.

Thanks again folks for sharing your knowledge.