February 17, 201313 yr I just completed my forge. 26"x42" table with wheels to roll it outside when using. 1/2" plate to hold fire. Royal Western Chief blower mounted to one of the wife's old cast unbrella stand. No hood as I do all my forging out doors. let me know what I could do to make it better. Thanks Mark
February 17, 201313 yr It looks very good and user friendly. Since you specifically asked here's a thought. How about adding a blacksmith's helper. Either the friction locked bar type or a robust swing out and adjustable height one? I made one that sits on the floor and use it a lot but have been thinking about adding a permanently mounted one.
February 17, 201313 yr Author I didn't think about a swing arm. Great call. I will have to look into that.
February 17, 201313 yr Greetings Mark, Your build looks great... It will serve you well... I think if it was mine I would consider lowering the blower... Hammer hard.. Jim
February 17, 201313 yr Author I considered that but I am 6'3" and it seems to work with my arm at my side bent at the elbow at 90deg. I have a friend that is learning to blacksmith along with me and it might be a little tall for him. I may put a sleeve in the pipe to make it adjustable to fit both of us. If my son usees it he is 6'6". Another great call.
February 17, 201313 yr Add a side draft hood. Can be nothing more than a frame that you drop a pipe into during the set up. Get the smoke out of your work zone. Your lungs will thank you.
February 17, 201313 yr Find a couple of 30 gallon grease drums, several metal 5 gallon buckets, or a 10-12 inch pipe. Knock the heads out and weld them together to get 4-6 feet of chimney. Make a ring at table height to slip the end of the pipe into and another ring maybe 24 inches higher for support. Cut a window in the side toward the forge. It does not need to be elaborate, it just needs to work.
February 17, 201313 yr Looks nice. Ive been working on mine all day. Almost the exact same dimensions. Mine ended up 26 x 43.25". The metal shop had a left over piece that was 43.25" so I left it since it was already a nice clean cut.
February 17, 201313 yr Very nicely built! A support for longer stock is mighty handy, as has been mentioned, and a chimney to get the smoke up above you is always nice. But, any other modifications needed will come to you as you work with it. Love the idea of using that umbrella stand as a base. I would never have thought of that!
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