HarleyArley

Thanks for all the info and ideas guys.

And Will, that blower does sound like just the ticket for my situation. I'll definitely give it a look.

Thanks Pnut!

It sounds like even the smallest of the traditional style manual or electric driven blowers will be sufficient.

Now that I know what I'm after, I'll get more serious about my search. I was afraid I might buy something only to find out it wouldn't move enough air.

I'm currently constructing my first solid fuel forge. It's a side blast JABOD with a 6" x 6" by 5" deep fire bowl. I plan to use charcoal as my primary fuel, but may give coal a try at some point in the future. I think I've got a good design and construction plan. But I'm having trouble figuring out what kind and size blower to get.

My questions are:

How much air (cfm) do I need to get the most out of the forge with charcoal?

What if I decide to try coal? How many cfm would I need then?

Since I'll probably try to get something a little bigger than necesssry, what's my best option for properly controlling the excess air flow? Blower intake valve? Blower outlet valve? Dump valve?

Thanks for any help you can provide.