Blacksmith shop design ideas

[c deperro]

 Looking to build a small blacksmith shop this year. Looking for some shop sizes and layouts.
Forge and chimney designs that work well. Any shop pictures would help. Thanks

[recurve]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1197153865295497&set=pb.100050026844650.-2207520000&type=3

check with Brad cabin creek muzzle loader they built their own forge in the back of his shop

[David R. Pennington]

Here are some photos of my shop. I was limited on space so forge apron is not as deep as I would have liked it but works very well. I have a factory buffalo tuyere and large restored antique bellows mounted overhead (due to space restrictions). It also works very well and wouldn’t want to go back to blower. I designed my brick forge and only thing I would change would be to make hearth opening smaller. With a cold flue and green coal on start up it smokes out a little but drafts very well once everything is going. I initially planned a different forge with metal flue but had the bricks for free and after pricing solid fuel vent pipe I decided to use the brick. I bought flue tiles and a few fire bricks and mortar. The floor plan is only 10x12 but it works well for me. Ideally I’d like more room but I manage.

[whetrock]

Super cool. I'm just using a portable, cast-iron forge and hand-crank blower now, so this looks like a dream to me.

You said you would change to make hearth opening smaller. How wide and tall is it now? And what do you think would be better? Are your ideas on that based on the problems you have with the draft, as you mentioned? Or are they based on experience with friends' forges, that perhaps you liked better than your own?

[David R. Pennington]

I started with a small rivet forge and crank blower out under the shade tree. I did a lot of work with it but struggled trying to get welding heat in it.
I designed the flue using the same rules for building a fireplace flue but the difference is my fire is further out on the hearth. I made a sheet metal apron to close down the opening and it works fine.
One issue was because of limited space I had I couldn’t get as much depth as I wanted. It is really a nice shop to work in. I can pull bellows lever from almost any position around forge. I worked yesterday in a friend’s shop heat treating knives. He has a side draft flue and it smokes more than mine does starting but once flue heats up it draws really well. He has a crank blower and electric blower but I would rather have my bellows.
Here’s a photo of my first shop. And construction photo of current one

[Brian Jordan]

Chris,

   If your going to be at the Carlisle show tomorrow I'll show you some pictures of my setup. I put and addition on my shop last summer that is primarily setup as a blacksmith shop. I'll post some pictures here later as well.

[whetrock]

Peter Ross (Colonial Williamsburg, retired) has a helpful video about shop layout, here:

https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?&q=peter+Ross+blacksmith+shop&&mid=3B555F9365B56E5F558C3B555F9365B56E5F558C&&FORM=VRDGAR

You can search for "Peter Ross blacksmith shop" and search under videos. A lot of good stuff there. (Keep in mind that he is left-handed.)