Many of the old time blacksmithing forges I remember were homemade from scraps that had been laying around the shop. In the Ozarks coal was available and so was coke, a coal derivative. It was preferred to firewood because you could get more heat out of it. However, with a blower a homemade forge can get plenty of heat out of good hard firewood. If you can get some hedge (osage orange) you'll have the hottest wood fire ever imagined.
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There are lots of ways to build your own blacksmithing forge – you can use junk materials you already have around. Now that you've seen how this project was built you have the basics down and know how a forge should work.
We have so much more to work with than the old timers did. It's important when planning your forge to think about how it will fit in your shop and what kind of work space you need around it. Do you want it on a fixed table or made portable?
Be sure to make your design really stable because a hot forge is really dangerous to you and any other people, animals or objects around it. Think safety all the time and wear appropriate safety gear when building and using your blacksmithing forge.
