Kaleb Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 With the help of certain people on this forum, I have decided to take my forge down the dirt path and build my take on JABOD forges. I started this project just earlier today and just came up with the design I have as I went. Take in mind that this is my first forge and the first one I built as well. It is of 3/4x8 material cut to make a 12x24 inch box. I wanted to make it as small as possible since I am just starting and I don't need anything big for my first forge and as many people have pointed out if I need to make a bigger forge I can just use the materials from this forge and put them in a bigger box. The forge is that of a side blast configuration which might be temporary but who knows. It is currently only going to run off a hair dryer just because I already have one. I want to add some sheet metal plating on the wood closest to the pit but I do not know if that is really necessary. Also how deep should the pit be and how much clay should be in between the wood base and the fire? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 First of all ALWAYS list the fuel you will be using; a charcoal forge is deeper than a coal forge and a wood forge is much deeper than a charcoal forge. I would slant in more clay from the top to the pit and call it good for charcoal and reasonably sized wood. How much distance from the base of the firepot to the bottom? How much gas do I need to drive where I am going today? (Since you plan to be forging 1" stock 8 hours a day 6 days a week you need a lot of distance! Since you plan to be forging 1/4" stock for a couple of hours on a Saturday you need very little distance...the devil is in the details!) If the bottom is wood I'd go with 5 inches, if it's sheet steel maybe 2 to 3 if it will be supported off a burnable stand. More if it will be resting on a burnable stand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaleb Posted June 15, 2017 Author Share Posted June 15, 2017 Well, pardon me on forgetting to add the details because you guys alway are asking for them I have decided to stick with charcoal even though I might use wood every now and then. As I said I don't plan on forging anything big or every day on this forge as I don't have the experience to do so. And for the base material, I have a piece of sheet rock on top of wood so I say its pretty fire resistant. And I will look into allocating more clay for slanting the firepot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 Some of us old and feeble folks can't be trusted to remember *YOUR* particulars from post to post; so it always helps to remind us at regular intervals. Looks OK for smallish stuff, but I don't see how you would heat the middle of a 3' bar for example. Next week I'll be in the hospital for epilepsy testing; they hope to induce a seizure while I'm wired up like a 1960's HiFi fanatic's basement. Who knows what I'll remember! My wife has already turned down my offer to frighten the horses while I'm on 24 hour video monitoring... So is the bottom wood or light steel sheet? if it's steel, stick it up on a couple of fire bricks and get to forging! ( looks like a couple of computer case sides would work for a bottom. I know I'm always looking for a use for the old ones...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaleb Posted June 15, 2017 Author Share Posted June 15, 2017 I'm sorry if I came across as rude or anything. I had thought that in the original post I had mentioned this is just for small items, but I did not. And I get what you mean by heating up the middle of a 3' bar and how that might be difficult. Since this is my first forge and maybe I am very unexperienced how would you go about fixing this problem? Becuase maybe I'm thinking too narrowly as I do sometimes. I was thinking that maybe I should center the fire pot a bit then go with the traditional bowl shape for the pot? I don't know. Also, what do you mean by computer case sides? (I am quite curious what you meant by this) But regardless thanks for helping out even tough I was quite rude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John in Oly, WA Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 You could figure out where the center of your fire will be and cut notches in the side boards on either side of that point. Then you could put the long bar in the notches and heat the middle of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaleb Posted June 17, 2017 Author Share Posted June 17, 2017 I think I have decided upon either building up the forge to the top of the walls as they sit or cut down the side walls flush with the pre-existing clay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 Either way is fine. If you add more clay, the extra depth will be good for the charcoal fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaleb Posted June 17, 2017 Author Share Posted June 17, 2017 Well, I might have to switch to coal now that I know that Tractor Supply Co. carries coal. So will I need the extra depth if I do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 TSC anthracite likes a deep fire, but not quite as deep as charcoal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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