labrat84 Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 The title is pretty self explanatory, but I am about to get my first gas forge ( a diamondback 2 burner economy model), which will be a very nice upgrade to my home made coal burning one. It was ordered this weekend and should be here within a week but I am at somewhat of a loss on what to put it on. I'm not sure how hot the base of the forge will get and what to put it on. I was thinking about putting it on my black and decker workmate table with a layer of half fire bricks between the table and the forge for now, and getting a metal welding bench in the future, but that will have to wait as I have 2 out of town weddings coming up that are eating up my excess funds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy k Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Just make a 1/4" plate the size of the base and weld it to a column that is tall enough to put the forge were you want it, bolt the forge to the plate and add a base plate to the column and your set to forge. And it's moveable with a 2 wheel dolly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
labrat84 Posted June 10, 2014 Author Share Posted June 10, 2014 Just make a 1/4" plate the size of the base and weld it to a column that is tall enough to put the forge were you want it, bolt the forge to the plate and add a base plate to the column and your set to forge. And it's moveable with a 2 wheel dolly. unfortunately I don't have have access to a welder or a cutting torch, which somewhat limits my options, I do have an angle grinder with cut off wheels, but that is about the limit of my cutting abilities at the moment. I'm also limited in my supply access, I live in rural Northern California, the nearest Home Depot/big box hardware store is 2 hours away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy k Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Anything is a phone call away with shipping nowdays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wpearson Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 old gas grill cart ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmccustomknives Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 I've got my Diamondback on a stand but you can use bricks. Turn 2 flat and put the forge on it then you can turn the others up and they will be level with the opening. Watch the borax flux, it will eat your insulation up. :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Plenty of options to cut steel without a torch. A circular saw will work with either a dedicated steel blade, or an abrasive blade. The dedicated steel blades are usually maxed out at 1/4", but you can use a straight edge and make 2 passes to reduce the thickness of the material. A worm drive would be the best circular saw option since the RPMs are reduced, but I've done cuts with cheap "throw away" direct drive saws in the past. I often used to keep my eyes open at garage sales for the old Sears metal cased circular saws for jobs like this. I could pick them up dirt cheap and if I wrecked them with the dust and grit using an abrasive blade, I was only out $5 or so. Other options would include a jig saw using a guide and metal blades, a sawzall ( usually not the best tool for making long straight cuts), and the grinder you already mentioned. If your area has a technical high school, you might ask the instructor of the welding lab if they could cut it for you. Same would apply if you belonged to a local blacksmithing group. I bet if you went to one of the functions and asked, someone would volunteer to cut the pieces for you. Assembly can be with brackets and bolts or even hot rivets. All sorts of things used to be built with plates and rivets vs welding, ships, bridges, trains... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpankySmith Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 I bought a single burner recently, mounted it on a metal cart I had, I put down a base of wood on top of the cart, placed two 12" x 12" thick floor tiles on top of that, then laid down several fire bricks I already had. Forge rests on top of that. I have found it to be MORE than sufficient to handle the heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pike3e Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Mine is on a metal rolling cart with regular bricks under the forge. I wont like to run the forge inside so I just wheel it out when it is time to forge and back into the garage once it has cooled off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 There's no need to get so carried away making a table/stand for a forge. All you need is a reasonably heat resistant deck sufficient to support the forge and the work with a safety factor, say 100%. If you're planning on forging large truck axles then 2" sq. tubing and 2" angle might be called for. If, like a buddy of mine, you're setting your gas forge up on a sheet steel covered wooden bench a heat shield is called for, cement backer board works a treat. I know, it's traditional for blacksmiths to build every darned thing from 1/4" plate as a minimum but . . .Sheesh. A 2 burner Diamondback is reasonably well insulated on it's floor and weighs what 10lbs? A kitchen table will support a couple hundred, all you need is something that isn't going to catch fire. An inch of sand will shield Formica from what heat a Diamondback is going to radiate to the support. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raserei777 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latticino Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 I mounted my home built gas forge on an inexpensive Harbor Freight grinder stand. The one I chose is metal, stable and height adjustable (it was also on sale for around $30 if I recall properly). I could have fabricated something for less money I'm sure, but was in a rush to get setup for testing the forge design. I would guess the workmate table with the firebricks will work just fine for you. Probably will want to justify the opening at the front edge of the table, but otherwise a well insulated forge shouldn't radiate too much heat from it's circumference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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