okay I have been looking around at building a sword forge and wanted to weld together one out of an i-beam. i was looking around the web for some ideas when i came across this

Forge Building

this evening i tried a modified version and just dug a hole in the ground stuck a pipe in there and taped my blower to the pipe and it worked like a charm

my question is why don't more people do this? or at least i have never heard of anybody doing it?

I know I'm too lazy to do all that bending :)

okay I have been looking around at building a sword forge and wanted to weld together one out of an i-beam. i was looking around the web for some ideas when i came across this

Forge Building

this evening i tried a modified version and just dug a hole in the ground stuck a pipe in there and taped my blower to the pipe and it worked like a charm

my question is why don't more people do this? or at least i have never heard of anybody doing it?

I think most people don't do this because of moisture in the earth.

The eight inch bed of gravel and sand negates most of the moisture issues.

Over the last 28 years I've been smithing I have used ground forges whenever I needed a forge bigger than what I had to hand. I'm mentioned them here a bunch of times; guess you just missed them.

BTW what is this "moisture" you speak of? We've had 0.14" of precip total so far this year.

I have used a ground forge in the past. Past is the operative word here. If I were to try now I would end up in ER because my back wouldn't let me stand back up. LOL!! All foolishness aside they work !
Finnr

There are some alternatives, I have seen them built out of 55 gallon barrels split the long ways....good luck.

If you ever get over North of Knoxville, look me up, always welcome visitors, I don't do swords or knives though.

it's the knee's man.
My old knee's just won't put up with it.

NOW if we raised the forge to LAZ_E_BOY height, we might have something.

Ground forges are old school - REALLY OLD SCHOOL!!! But they work in a pinch. My two students used a ground forge to make 18 tent stakes for their pavillion (... yup ... them's ma boys ...).
There is a solution to the bending issue ... dig another pit next to your ground forge and stand in the pit. Plunk your anvil on the ground at the egde of your pit and this brings the forge fire and anvil up to a comfortable working height. Old Norse trick (we speculate). Tried it once with a glass bead making furnace - works like a charm. Just goes to show that a little ingenuity and creative thinking can overcome a lack of equipment (granted if you have the land space to dig your holes in - would be hard to do if you lived in a condo )

Sam

i guess ime just too lazy! it would be easyire for me to weld up something than do all that digging ! besides they have this stuff called calekche (not sure on spelling) that takes almost a jackhammer to dig around here! looks good tho!

Ground forges require a good bendover mechanism. My bendover don't work so good anymore ;)

If you do it on a bank or pile dirt or otherwise elevate it a ground forge works dandy. My back and knees are still fine but a lot of that has to do with not overusing them if possible.

One form of ground forge I used to use so frequently I couldn't begin estimate how often was the campfire. We'd be sitting around it poking anyway so I made myself a small anvil and would sit, poke, heat and hammer. Not high production but I preferred it to knocking back a half rack every night after work.

If I wanted high heat I'd plug the Coleman Inflate All into the truck cig lighter and using a piece of pipe, side blast coals raked from the campfire.

Did it all sitting down.

Frosty