November 7, 20178 yr I have been reading that a coal or coke firebox needs to be cast and 1" thick, Yet I see a lot of homemade forges where the firebox is 1/2" plate. My forge design is with 1/2" plate. Should i worry about melting the box out in the middle of a project and dropping to the floor?
November 7, 20178 yr I know alot of people make them out of 1/2". This guy uses them and sells them on eBay and it looks like they're pretty popular: <Commercial link removed per TOS>
November 7, 20178 yr Nope... my forge fire box is 3/8 plate with a grate of 1/4 inch plate and it's been going strong for the better part of 30 years now.
November 7, 20178 yr This one (and mine) is made from 1/4" steel and here's what he has to say about the thickness: "I made the fire pot. It is welded up out of quarter inch plate, thinner than what you see on some sites on the web, but I haven't had any issues with it. When forge welding all day, like at a forge welding class, it does get hot enough to glow dull red if the lights are low enough to see the glow."
November 7, 20178 yr Yes, 1/2" plate is more than enough. The "hot spot" of the fire is in the center, so you'd be suprised what you can get away with. I've used a grate made out if 1/16" steel wire woven together, and it lasted quite a while!
November 7, 20178 yr 18 hours ago, Scratch said: I know alot of people make them out of 1/2". This guy uses them and sells them on eBay and it looks like they're pretty popular: <Commercial link removed per TOS> Those are made by Dave Custer. If they are anything like his hammers and tongs, they should be high quality.
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.