Buffalo table forge: Make it mobile

[Omar Norvald]

Greetings,

 

So the title says it all. I dont have a pic. up just yet but suffice to say its a table forge style from Buffalo with four legs, ash dump, tuyere ect. Currently have everything in a 8x10 shed pull everything out...you may or may not know the drill. I have seen the mobile forges on here but this is a little diffrent. I am thinking of a simple axle with pneumatic tires and a U shaped handle to connect to the legs...make a dolly of sorts. But with all things I like new ideas. A fresh pair of eyes.

Oh yea forgot to mention that the I use is a pedistal based while the forge has a mounting clamp...I just made a adapter and attach a flex muffler pipe to it easy on/off. Also the legs come off easy as well.

 

Thanx for any suggestions.

[VaughnT]

Attaching wheels to a Buffalo forge that uses pipe for legs would be rather easy.  01Tundra, a member here, used pneumatic wheels for his home-built forge and it looks mighty sexy.  A quick search through the forge section of IFI shows several forges that have wheels attached for the same reason you're facing.

 

I'd be partial to using old cast iron wheels like you see on hit-or-miss engines and the like.  They have class and fit the look of an old forge.  

 

I definitely wouldn't go with anything less than 10" in diameter so you have easy rolling.  The biggest caution, though, is to make sure you brace the legs so that undo stress isn't transfered to the cast-iron pan.  It wouldn't take much to pop the area around the where the legs go into the pan.

[Omar Norvald]

Thanks for the suggestion esp. about the legs. I thought about the x-brace but not that it may crack. How many people leave C/I forges out or under simple cover?

[Michael]

I've got a no name cast iron forge out on a sheet metal covered patio, a somewhat leaky covered patio.  I put one of those large steel oil drip trays, the ones you protect a driveway with, from the auto parts store, over the forge table when not in use. Overlaps the sides quite a bit and seems to keep everything dry.  Of course waiting till the forge is cold before covering it.  Usually a bucket on top of that the catch the drip from the chimney pipe (Got to build a Hofi style chimney!)

 

I've read about the destructive combo of rainwater and coal ash, rotting out firepots and tables. 

[VaughnT]

It's always better to keep the forge covered when not in use.  I used to stick a 5g bucket on top, upside down, and then cover the whole thing with a tarp that I cinched to the legs.  Waterproof and windproof, but still easy to get off.

 

I'd venture to say that most folks on IFI have their kit out in the weather, so you're not alone.  

[ThorsHammer82]

1, we need to know what kind of fabrication you're capable of. Can you weld? or is it all going to have to bolt together? Note, anything that can be welded can be done with nuts and bolts, it will just be bulkier and take longer.

 

As for attaching to the legs, I wouldn't because you're risking cracking the table. You're better off making a cart that the legs sit in. This can be done in either wood or steel, but if you use wood, you'll want to use steel for the handles to keep the wood far way from the burning stuff. 4 wheels, steering if you want to go that far, or casters. handles on the cart so you're not pushing on the table to move it in and out.

 

What size is the table? I'd say pnuematic tires you should be ok with 8" or bigger tires, but you may be limited by the size of the door to your shed/shop and stuff like that THe larger the tire, the higher your forge is going to sit. My forge sat outside long enough for me to Clean and organize my shop. It got rained on once. but I built a cover/damper for it so the coke and ash didn't get wet.

[01tundra]

I originally had spoke wheels with airless, solid rubber tires on my forge, but the weight of the forge smashed the tires down too much for my liking, so I changed out to all steel wheels like what's used on smokers.  Also added a continuous (solid) axle between the two wheels to beef it up a little more.  I have solid, swivel casters on the front.  It rolls great in the shop and not bad out onto my gravel driveway.

 

 

[Omar Norvald]

Jonathan, really like your setup. And yes I can weld and am prob. going to go with a skid type design and anchor the forge to it like you sugg. Thor.

[3DistinctKnocks]

Jonathan,

Love your forge setup.  I visited your site....yeah, gonna have to delete that one from the history lest my wife sees it.  You'd end up with my entire paycheck!!  Beautiful work, man...really.