MantisEsq Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 Hi all, I'm trying to see if I can design a space that will let me do a little of basic smithing in the winter. I've got a 168 sq ft wood frame/wooden shed. Unfortunately the floor is also wood. It's similar to this. Average height ceilings and two front facing windows with double doors. Assuming I could work out proper ventilation (there's none at the moment), is it a completely horrible idea to try to use this space for forging in the winter? I'm currently outdoors using anthracite coal in a forge similar to this (forge in center, not the one in the back) with a anvil that's a piece of rail standing on its end. I'm still pretty new at this, so I don't want to get hurt or burn my building down. Do you all have any recommendations? I'll try to get some actual pictures and measurements when the sun comes back up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 (edited) A wood floor doesn't seem like the best idea. I drop hot metal occasionally and sparks fly. I'm sure there's a way to mitigate the hazard but I need to think about it for a bit. Hopefully someone else will know before I can get back to you. Pnut Fire resistant concrete backer board on the floor around the forge and anvil might work. I don't know how durable it would be. Edited November 2, 2019 by pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 4 hours ago, pnut said: I drop hot metal occasionally Occasionally? I do a lot of drop forging my self. Before i moved i was forging outside. I was thinking of a shed to put up to work out of. My plan was to get some sheet metal to put on the walls to act as a heat shield. If you have a good hood and ventilation you should not need anything on the ceiling but better safe than sorry in my opinion. What has the shed been used for? Storing the lawn mower, tiller, weed wacker, etc.? If so have they leaked any fuel or oil? If so, those spots have soaked into the wood and will be more prone to combustion than the areas that are free of contaminates. Can you cut out the floor? My plan was to either not install a floor or cut it out once installed if needed for the walls. 2 reason, fire hazard obviously, but really to get my anvil on a good solid base, the ground. How close is the shed with other structures? In the off chance you do manage to burn it down is it close enough to also get the house? My shop now is in a 12 x 18 garage. Even in it i have had to put out the occasional fire. Concrete floor but the walls are set on 8 x 10s and a flying hunk of red hot steel will ignite them, or at least start a smoldering. Using anthracite you should already know about it popping and throwing off pieces. Those pieces can be hot and a potential fire hazard also. When i was going to use a shed i was running a gasser. I do not think i would use solid fuel in a shed becuase of sparks and the like. Anyway just some food for thought, but in my opinion i would not do it. Regardless of what you decide though safety above all else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcusb Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 Some plain steel diamond plate on the floor? Cheaper option would be some hardy board.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 3, 2019 Share Posted November 3, 2019 If the wood floor is up off the ground so hot bit can fall all the way through the cracks a wood floor isn't a big risk. Spray or just wash it with a saturated solution of borax makes it pretty fire resistant. A good tip is at the end of the day open all the doors and windows and air it out good, then come back in half an hour and give it a good sniffing. Once your nose has cleared up from the forge smoke wood smoke will really be obvious. Dim light and a bright flashlight will reveal a smoking ember like dust in a sunbeam. Then douse it. A steel diamond plate is kind of overkill but it'd work. You can buy 16 ga. sheet steel for much less and for the same money completely clad the floor and maybe part way up the walls. Sheet rock mud and tape the walls and ceiling will take care of hot bits. I'll bet a nice inexpensive ceramic tile floor would make it safe as can be. No matter how you set it up, what preventative measures you take and alarms you install, the best fire safety tool is between your ears. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyGoatLady Posted November 3, 2019 Share Posted November 3, 2019 Yep. My son installed a fire extinguisher for my shop. I'm not the most safety conscious person in the world. I'm glad he thought of it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud in PA Posted November 3, 2019 Share Posted November 3, 2019 I am going to have the same worries, my wife didn't want me to use half of the 20 x 20 garage. She was worried about fire. A fire in that garage would be a home run,. She bought me an 8 x 12 shed kit. Bad enough I am on the downside of the hill of life, now I've go to build a shed! I have been giving this quite a bit of thought. Flooring will be used pressure treated decking, I all ready have it. Cement wall board above and around the forge. My chimney will be the Hofi style which will keep my roof water proof. Sheet metal, what ever scrap I can find to cover the floor. Most importantly a floor plan for my equipment that will allow a quick exit in case of emergency. Ventilation will be a couple of small windows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted November 3, 2019 Share Posted November 3, 2019 So if it’s a kit, replacing the floor with a 6” grade beam and pavers shouldn’t be to difficult. The floor could be repurposed as a lean to roof, dubling your work space. You can either use 4x6 ground rated PT or cement over the gravel filled trench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 3, 2019 Share Posted November 3, 2019 About fire extinguishers. It's intuitive to put extinguishers where you think you'll need them but this isn't such a good idea, it can lead a person to stay and fight rather than get the heck out. A fire can go from oh crap to death trap in seconds. Hang the extinguishers near the exit or maybe between the expected hazard and the exit. ALWAYS LEAVE THE BUGOUT ROUTE CLEAR! If you're building your own shed they you can put down whatever floor you wish. It's also easier to treat lumber with borax fire retardant before it's closed up in the structure. You don't need a garden sprayer if you aren't trying to spray into nooks and crannies, if the wood is laid out on saw horses or the lawn a paint roller works a treat. One box of 20 muleteam borax covers a lot of lumber. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slanwar Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 My "garage" has wood floor as well I built as a shop ages ago before I was playing with fire but my propane and coal forge stay outside and I use when is not raining or snowing, the problem is the cold because the pieces cool too fast but I try to do all the working inside the shop (I have a 1900 coal stove inside) like grinding and any wood work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 I'm a lot less concerned with fires when forging and not just because my shop is concrete and steel. Coal or charcoal only throws coals if something goes wrong and I'm standing right there if it does. Propane is more a CO hazard indoors, my shop is 30' x 40' and CO is still a hazard. Trimming small bits might send a hot pinch off flying but I almost never part a cut on the hardy or with a top cut. I score it almost through then twist it off with pliers or tongs. This not only prevents hidden smolders it saves me having to sharpen my hardies and top cuts or dress my hammers so often. New guys are soooooo hard on hitting the hardy with the hammer and I haven't made a mild steel hammer. <sigh> A good practice to follow is develop a routine to shut the shop down at the end of a session. Treat the entire shop as a complex piece of machinery. When I walk out the door the propane tank valve has been checked at least 3 times, power cords are unplugged, at the tool, etc. and I leave the man door open. This is to air the shop out and as a reminder to go back out and check everything one last time. If something hidden is smoldering I'll smell it once the air and my sniffer is cleared of the typical forge and shop smells. Have you noticed your shop has a distinctive smell when you first enter it? Strange smells WILL stand out. Just develop a routine. I organize mine by hazard level starting with fire hazards, then HOT materials, then tools and ending with electricity, I have a lot of extension cords and unplug them as I leave. The lights I leave on in case something comes up or I forget to do my end of day walk through. I know guys who start their shut down at the man door, turn right and make a circuit, spiraling to the center far wall. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 Frosty; I have a soft hammer for new folks who "hammer like lightening---never hitting the same place twice!" But I don't let them use it on the hardy. I found it was much easier to dress the hardy two quick passes on a grinder, than to dress a hammer face with a deep trough in the middle of it! That hardy was made from the end of of a jack hammer bit; so no great loss if it wears down to a nubbin over time. 15+ years and it's still going strong though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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