Was thinking about placing a steel carport over my forge/anvil area. Just curious if anyone else is doing this? Does the smoke just hang under the carport or does it filter out? Will I need a hood/chimney? We've had over 35" of rain here in upstate ny this year, not giving me enough time to do anything!

heres a pic to give an idea of what I'm working with. The forge I can move, the stump is buried a foot in the ground.

Dan

I used a cheap Harbor freight car port over my outdoor forge for doing demos now for 5 years never had an issue but I have it on 10 foot at the center ridge and 7ft at the sides. Only thing I've seen as far as an affect on the cover is it does sort of inflate above the forge a little if I'm really pushing the heat. I have no flue over the forge. i do not operat it with any of the side walls inplace just the top.

 

 

 

It would be a good start.  Place the forge near the end the wind usually blows towards; just remember Winter is coming!

You have a fabric material carport over your forge? I have a cheap $100 10x20 fabric carport over my boat, I have to keep shoveling snow off it all winter or the poles will surely snap.

 

guess I'm surprised tr heat doesn't melt anything, guess 10' high is high enough then

There was a smith that famously forged in a teepee for years (don;t recall the name). As long as the roof is high enough and there is provision for heat and smoke to exit then all should be good. A hood and flue would be preferable.

A metal carport will work just fine.  A bit cold and windy in winter, but nice and open in the summer.  If it gets too bad in winter, I can run tarps around it to cut the north wind.  My stuff is set up under a metal carport like Leon described.  Size is 12' x 21', with 8' eaves and about a 10' gable.  No roof penetration since I wanted to keep out rain and the forge is semi-portable.  I used a stack about 4-6' high (changed it) and most of the smoke goes out the high ends.  I could run the stack out the sides, but both sides are wooded and have lots of leaves and brush...not good for the potential for fires.  I just live with it and don't sweat it.  I've been considering running a slanted stack out the front top of the gable.  Two pics show the carport just after it was installed, the other one is just after I started moving stuff under it.  Wish it were that clean and uncluttered now!

 

Arkie that's exactly what I was looking for, little bigger than I was looking to get but that convinces me that's the route I want to take.

You can get smaller sizes, but I definitely recommend the tall configuration with the 8' eaves whatever L x W you choose.  You can walk under the eaves without ducking (if you're short like me) and have plenty of room for swinging around long stock outside the shop for cutting or bending, and plenty of headroom to try to keep any smoke up high.  About the only time smoke is a problem is when starting a fire and you have to burn quite a bit of green coal, otherwise not much of a problem.  Fans work great for that problem, too.  If you're handy with metal work or carpentry, you can buy them as kits to save some $$ or have them installed like I did so that it comes out looking like a carport, not a piece of metal sculpture.

Spend the extra for the square posts and snow load rated option. This gives you 48" oc bays So 48" steal building insulation will fit right in and additional steal roofing panels can be added. Getting the wind and wet off you in winter is good, but winter condensation and summer radiant heat may make you want to upgrade to insulation, and you mat het ambitious down the road and wish to enclose your shop. 

 

I believe Jack Andrews worked in a Teepee and used it to show a good production layout. I demo under a portable awning with no burns or melting.

Frosty The Lucky.

"Jack Andrews" thank You Frosty......your memory appears to be somewhat superior to mine,

Maybe but my filing system is scrambled. His name just popped into my mind when I read Teepee. I believe it was "Edge of the Anvil". What really stuck in my mind was the really good production shop layout he arranged in his Teepee. Raw material came in the opening and worked around the circle leaving finished when it came back to the opening. It really reminded me of how Dad's shops were laid out so it stuck.

Frosty The Lucky.

I believe California artist-blacksmith Heather McLarty (one of Alfred Habermann's students) forges out of a teepee as well.

On 7/25/2017 at 9:24 AM, JHCC said:

I believe California artist-blacksmith Heather McLarty (one of Alfred Habermann's students) forges out of a teepee as well.

Ayup, right you are. Wish I'd known when I was down last fall, she'd be well worth a visit, no matter how brief. 

http://www.steelcrazy.biz/about.html

Frosty The Lucky.