BigDrew Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 I've been meaning to write this up for a while but I've just been too busy. I decided to upgrade from a brake drum forge to a full size shop forge. Because I live in a subdivision and have no room for an outbuilding, the new forge would have to be portable. I decided to get a fire pot from Centaur Forge. The main part of the forge is 1" square tubing with 2" angle around the top. In hindsight I wish i had gone with 3" but no matter. The table top is 12ga. sheet, which is a little thin but with bracing from underneath it is serviceable. The wheels are okay but I wish I had gone slightly larger. learned several lessons in this build. First, I need to quadruple the number of welding clamps that I own. Second, close enough to square isn't square. The last one I'll share is knowing whats worth my time. Sure I saved money by making my own table but that was valuable time I could have spent forging when free time is at a serious premium. Thanks for looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDrew Posted December 4, 2014 Author Share Posted December 4, 2014 Working on a hood for it now btw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LastRonin Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Nice looking forge. 1:you can make easy slip on side rails 2:looks like it wouldn't be too hard to replace the wheels... is the problem the diameter or width? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDrew Posted December 4, 2014 Author Share Posted December 4, 2014 Its not that they're a problem per se, I just was thinking the whole thing would have been easier to push had the wheels been a larger diameter. Its heavier than I thought it would be and the gap betweek my garage concrete and the driveway is just large enough to make the transition in and out difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironmike Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Nice forge Drew, Main thing is it rolls,You can allways throw somthing over the gap to get over it Ironmike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 learned several lessons in this build. First, I need to quadruple the number of welding clamps that I own. Second, close enough to square isn't square. The last one I'll share is knowing what's worth my time. Sure I saved money by making my own table but that was valuable time I could have spent forging when free time is at a serious premium. Take solace in the fact that you produced a decent piece that's fully functional. It might not be perfect, but it's close enough for government work, and you learned some important things. I always tell people to factor in their time when they start complaining about the cost of something. $40 for a pair of tongs isn't that expensive when you think about the quality of tongs you could make from "free" metal. And those $5 tongs you got at the flea market cost more than $5 when you factor in the gas and time it took to find them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricJergensen Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 I think your firepot is too low. If you lay long metal stock all the way across the firepot, you will be an inch(?) above the design height for the firepot. Assuming Centaur's design is right, the lower sides on the pot are level with the sweet spot and are there to allow level stock to be at the right height. That said, many people only work the ends of pieces and tend to slant them down into the firepot thereby reaching the sweet spot. I consider this a bad habit and try to always work with my stock level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
queensdudleyanvil Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Looks nice Drew. I've just started designing mine and like the looks of your table. What are the dimensions of your top? Thanks, Kent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LastRonin Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 @EricJergensen: I think you're overlookin the cutouts in his angle-iron side rails front and back. That leaves him able to lay long stock level through the fire at the low-sides of the firepot. @BigDrew: Wasn't sure whether you were having an issue with them digging into soft ground or gravel which would mean wider wheels would help, or rough ground leeping it from rolling easy which would mean that larger wheel diameter would help. Was just cirious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 Looks fine to me. Sure you'll want to refine it but that's easy, larger dia. wheels will make it a lot easier to move around, keep an eye open for little bicycles, those tires work wonderfully on rough ground and the solid rubber ones don't care much about punctures and burns. I would suggest mounting the wheels closer to the center so it balances to move. 12ga. is thicker steel than I put under mine, that's 14ga. and a couple pieces of 1" angle, it hasn't moved a bit. It's not like you're going to be forging trunnions on a 6lb. Napoleon cannon is it? Another little tweak I like are pull out helpers in front of the cut outs. Welding a couple pieces of sq tubing just large enough to make sleeves for smaller sq. tubing to the bottom of the table makes for mounts. Then weld light angle iron to the ends connecting the smaller sq. tubing that slips into the sleeves makes helpers for long stock that will slide tight to the forge table out of the way. They also make dandy tong racks right next to the fire where you need tongs. Just thoughts. If you want pics search out my Variable Volume Forge in the Gas forges section. I have the retractable helpers on it and love the things. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDrew Posted December 5, 2014 Author Share Posted December 5, 2014 Thanks for the comments guys. The table top is 30x48. From my last forge I knew I'd want plenty of table suface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricJergensen Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 @LastRonin: no, my point is that table cutouts are not in line with the "cutouts" in the firepot (by what appears to be an inch). If you lay the end of say, 2' stock in the fire and the other end on the table cutout it will slant down into the fire. If you lay 4' stock all the way across, it will be more than an inch over the end of the 2' stock. It may not be a big deal. On my forge, that was more like 2" and was seriously annoying trying to get long stock to heat. It took forever to get it hot enough to bend down into the sweet spot of the fire. That said, his table cutouts are actually lower than the ones Centaur Forge makes. <shrug>. Why make lowered sides on the firepot and then bury them below table height?! Oh well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Beautiful forge. I definitely agree on the larger wheels. I would look for really big wheels from some old farm equipment. Anything larger than 16" will be great for rolling and give it a classic look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LastRonin Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 @EricJergensen: Ok, I think I see what you were talking about. I didn't notice at first that the firepot low sides were actually below table height. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbo7 Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 can you put the wheels on the inside, to make it narrower, and say under or just in front of under the fire-pot, to help with the weight distribution? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmoothBore Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 Rather than fool with wheels on everything, ... whenever possible, I prefer to use a "skid" type base, under anything that I want to be "portable". That includes Workbenches, Storage Cabinets, Arbor Press, Forges, Grinders, Drill Presses, Belt Sanders, Table Saw, etc. One good "Pallet Jack" lets me move anything, anywhere, at any time. Works for me ..... . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjh66 Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 I agree with others that you may need to lift your fire pot up a bit to get the level of the pot right. Also if it was mine I would be putting some support brace across under the cutouts as wit heat & use it will bend. If you are concerned about the table thickness you can put some flat bar on its edge across under it in a couple of places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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