Building a Farm Forge and Blacksmith Shop 



A Simply Constructed Housing for the Farm Tools 

 By W. E. Frudden 



A SMALL homemade forge for use on 

 the farm is inexpensive and can be 

 constructed so that it will give very 

 good results. A tuyere iron, a few sacks of 

 cement and about 175 ordinary chimney 

 bricks with some stone and sand are 

 all the materials that will be required. 



and reinforce it with wire to prevent 

 cracking. 



A makeshift blower can be made from 

 two old disks of a disk-harrow bolted to a 

 wood frame in position about 2 in. apart 

 for the sides of the blower. The fans and 

 the cover are made of sheet metal and this 

 is geared to an old 

 bicycle driving mech- 

 anism. A piece of 

 3-in. drain-pipe is to 

 be connected from the 

 blower to the tuyere 

 iron on the forge. 



It will pay to pur- 

 chase a good anvil 

 that has a clear ring 



^ 2'X4' RAFTERS^ /' 

 2^X6' CROSS-TIES 



Make the forge about 2 ft. 

 square, with a concrete founda- 

 tion placed below the frost line. 

 To do this dig a hole 2 ft. square 

 and 3 ft. deep and fill it with a lean mixture 

 of cement concrete. Begin laying the brick 

 on the hardened and set cement, which 

 should be just level with the floor-line of 

 the shop. Lay the brick the same as in 

 making a square flue and draw in the side 

 until the flange or tuyere iron will rest on 

 the inside edge of the wall about 18 in. 

 above the ground. It is customary to 

 have the blow pipe at the left and the 

 shaker at the front so it will be best to 

 use this plan in setting the tuyere iron. 

 The brick wall is continued to the desired 

 height and it is widened as fast as possible. 

 Make the fire-pan 3 in. wide and 10 in 

 deep, coat it well inside with rich cement 



A small blacksmith shop constructed of concrete 

 blocks, with a concrete floor in which machinery 

 repairs can be made at times on the farm 



to it and set it on a block handy to the 

 forge. A heavy hammer weighing 4 lb. is 

 another one of the essential parts of the 

 forge equipment. Anyone can then go 

 ahead and make punches, chisels, hardies, 

 swages, fullers and tongs. A good fire is 

 necessary and good coal must be used. 

 Wet the coal down well before putting it 

 on the fire and coke it well before using 

 it. Never let the fire become open, 

 especially when welding work is to be done. 

 There is considerable to learn by experience 

 regarding work on the forge, but there is 

 nothing about it that is too complicated for 

 the average farmer. 



Do not try to save money in building the 



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