I'm very glad I found this site I have been contemplating building a gas forge for a little while now. Like most people who don't know much about them or their efficiency (still don't). I was going to go big because everyone knows bigger is better. Well after a few hours of reading up on this site I have determined that I should actually build a rather small one as nearly all that I work on is small and I have a coal forge for larger projects. One of the main reasons a large forge would be ideal for me though is I have access to a nearly unlimited supply of coil springs. I watched this video and it seems to be the absolute best way of utilizing them. So I I'm not sure which way I should go. Any ideas? I guess I could just make both haha 

 

What are you going to use the coil springs to make? How long do you NEED the stock to be?

 

I've thought about that I was more just thinking about having nice long rods waiting for when I may need them. I can usually get about 3 feet off a spring before I can't hold onto the spring anymore. 

 Personally, I prefer to leave the spring as is, until I need a piece. Then I just cut off what I need and go from there. That saves me the trouble of trying to remember if this piece or that piece is mild  or spring. I have to admit though that my stock storage area is not well organized.        Life is Good                Dave  

It is a lot of work and fuel to straighten a truck load of coil sprints just to let them sit on a shelf somewhere until they are needed. 

As Dave said, you can reduce one or two springs to short curved pieces, precut the most used lengths (punches, drifts, tongs, etc). When needed just heat and straighten. Besides your going to heat the short section to make the point anyway.

Do not fool your self into thinking he makes the uncoiled spring straight. He only uncoils the spring. The metal can still be wavy.  Most likely the section you want will need further straightening before it is used.

For knifemaking or most tooling I prefer to use my angle grinder to cut down one or 2 opposing sides and store the O or ( pieces till needed and then go from there.

For tong forging longer sections are helpful, especially if you are working both ends and cutting in the middle to make the tong pieces. However driving a dump truck to commute to an office job just because you need a dump truck a couple of times a year is not cost effective...(your coworkers may find it impressive though. However I was never impressed by their massive pickups used to go to the grocery store and drive to work; my little pickup that carried anvils and coal and scrapmetal on the weekends worked just fine...)

Building the smaller forge is pretty much the direction I was leaning in. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't overlooking something that a veteran at this saw that I didn't. The biggest benefit to trying to build the bigger one I see now is that it would clear up a lot of space. 50-60 pairs of springs can take up a fair amount of room lol.

I'm glad you chimed in ThomasPowers. Your advice in especially in the gas forge section is what made me realize that bigger is not better.

I will be building the smaller forge... eventually. Thanks for your opinions everyone!

No one ever said you could only have one forge.

Build your forge to fit your projects. If you later need a different size forge, then build it.

Yeah maybe someday Ill have more of a need for a larger forge and maybe ill build one then but for now I'll take the advice and start small.

I once needed to do some box folding of 3/8" steel sheet to make a firebox for a Santa Maria replica in Columbus OH; so no way it would fit in one of my forges.  I dug a trench in my back yard, made a tuyere from some blackpipe and had a forge that would heat 2 to 3 feet of steel to red.  I used a piece of rail fastened to some uprights to bend it over.  Years afterwards I still had a coke rich patch of grass in the yard.

It doesn't always need to be this way or that way, only. Temporary structures and changeable shapes are what brick pile forges are best at. You will want to take time to research them, so build the small forge while you look into the subject. I believe that brick pile forges are the  city dweller's answer to coal forges as backups for occasional projects.

You too Mikey your advice on bigger is almost never better helped me a ton.  I love reading what you write.

You're right. I'm too Mikey ; way too Mikey Thanks a ton for your kind words.

 

the straightening should go easier if the guy dropped a loose pipe around the upright to act as a roller bearing, maybe...

It's also better if you uncoil from the bottom. Means the uncoiling force is right next to whatever is holding your mandrel. 

I do this for garage door springs; for heavier coil stock, I follow TP's practice and cut off what I need as I go.