Anvil stand

[Frank S]

To what Tool maker 51 said about sand instead of concrete. I once needed a completely stable stand for a 10 inch bench grinder I made it out of an old 18" diameter brake drum a well worn plow disc welded inside the drum just far enough so as the disc could not touch the floor the center hole filled then a length of 8" casing pipe welded to the center hole of the drum all stud holes filled then I filled the whole thing with a mixture of fine sand and used hydraulic oil as I filled and rammed the sand I poured just enough oil in to moisten the sand as I packed the drum and the pipe full then I welded a 1/2" thick plate on top for the grinder base mount It was very heavy around 350 Pounds maybe well over 400 with the grinder mounted but easy to move around by tilting and rolling but dead solid for grinding
An anvil mount would obviously be different since the need to cancel out the vibrations of the blow strikes but a similar concept would work well

[Toolmaker51]

Never try to tell him it can't be done. I enjoy the variety of posts and personalities here, but the way Frank S nails jobs and describes them just floor me. That's the kind of guy I've been able to work for now and then, and instilled every positive, driving urge I have to create. I hope to spread that far and wide; for a long, long time.
I appreciate the weight estimate; even if 100 pounds off. That CG will almost below ground level, and nothing preserves natural stability like a low CG. Besides, truck scrap is plentiful, of good materials and easy enough to identify when a special so and so is desired again.
I'm getting a set of topic questions for the Help Needed forum, the next stages to accomplish in and around the building. Seeing how HMT runs, gives me every confidence about viable responses.

[Frank S]

Yeah the weight was probably closer to 500 with the 3 HP 10" grinder mounted on it. Considering the average weight of used steel truck brake drums are around 85 lbs a plow disc doesn't weigh much only about 25 lbs and 8" sch 40 pipe checks in at 28 lbs ft loose dry sand can be from 90 to 100 cf when wet and packed to max compaction weights of almost 140 cf can be achieved concrete can come in around 148 to 150 cf but unlike packed sand with oil it's rigidity of being a solid mass will not absorb shock vibrations well. But given enough time and shock it will become a packed powdered substance as well, it just may take it 100 years to reach the same quality of oil moistened packed fine sand. If one is lucky enough to live where dust blows and accumulates that is actually better than sand due to it being blown and ground to a fine powder it will pack with a higher density

[will52100]

Nice! I like how you can get up close to it, and if need be move it around. Mine are filled with concrete and buried 6" in the gravel smithy floor and a PITA to move.

[thoms_here]

Sorry for the double post…

[thoms_here]

What a great job! That's and the anvil is damn near a work of art

[juniorsamples]

I am in the US, and just getting started in Blacksmithing. You have a spectacular anvil. I've got an old Peter Wright that weighs in at about 209 lb (95 Kg). I would love to have one like yours, also. But, if I got the funds to buy it, I would buy something else I need more than a second anvil. If it is cast steel, it is ideal.

Several people in my forge group have metal anvil stands, made with heavy, thick steel plate and tubing, 3 legs with braces near the bottom (about 2 to 4 inches {5 to 10 cm} above the ground) to brace the legs, with thick flat feet. Some people chain the anvil to a stump, or to such a stand to dampen ringing. If the anvil is tightly coupled to the base, the mass of the base will increase the effective mass of the anvil. When looking for my anvil, several people told me to get the heaviest one I could afford, and avoid cheap imitation anvil-shaped-objects that have no rebound (no cast iron).

One tip I plan to follow is to add a 1/8 to 1/4 inch (3 to 7 mm) thick lead sheet between the anvil and stand to dampen vibration while still binding it somewhat rigidly to the base. You can buy lead sheet, but it is expensive. I am collecting lead wheel weights, and will melt and pour the lead onto my base.

I will first weld a barrier onto the top of the base in the shape of the anvil at its bottom to keep the anvil from sliding sideways, about 3/4 inch (19mm) high. Then I will fill the cavity about 1/8 in. (3 mm) or so with lead. After it cools, I will place the anvil on the base inside this barrier and clamp it down with angle-iron pieces. I plan to fill the hollow legs with lead or steel fragments to make it more massive. I'm hoping for at least 100 to 150 lb. (45 to 70 Kg) in the base. You are way ahead with your much heavier anvil. I have welded 2 railroad plates together (side-by-side), making a platform about 12 in. (30 cm) square, and about 5/8 in. (16 mm) thick. I used 2 double-shoulder railroad tie plates, and will fill the square holes that were originally for rail spikes before pouring the lead. The shoulders are down, with the flat part of the plates up.

The feet will be out of 3 in. (7.6 cm) square steel tube, about 1/4 in. (6 mm) thick. The feet will be pieces cut from another tie plate. The double shoulder tie plate invites being cut into thirds, and with 3 feet, it should work without any wasted material.

Wood is also good, but most of the examples I can look at are metal, custom fabricated by the smith, and I plan to follow suit.

I have also seen nice stands made from square pressure treated timbers about 6 in. (15 cm) square in cross section, with the grain running up and down and 4 or 6 of them bolted together sideways. If you have a dirt floor, you can even make them long enough to protrude into the ground about 2 ft. (0.6 meter) with concrete anchor. If you do this, you can make clamps with angle iron and lag screws to clamp it down. The wood will dampen the ringing a little, and I know several people with loud-ringing anvils that wrap a heavy chain around the waist to dampen it.

Don't forget to provide tool hangers for tongs, hammers, chisels, etc. on your stand at the bottom of the anvil.

In bocca al lupo (Good luck).

[fredellarby]

I use a block made of vertical 4x4's bound together with steel straps.

[will52100]

My main anvil is a 330 pound Refflinghaus and have very little ring to it. The base is a 20" heavy wall, 1/2" thick pipe, with a 1/2"x4" cross section under the top with a 3/4" top, and filled with concrete. Pipe is also buried about 6" into the shop floor. Anvil is bolted down and I used caulk between anvil base and stand. Very very sold with very little ring to it. Only time you hear any ring is while working on the horn. My other anvil is a hornless mounted to a steel box made from 2"x3/8" angle iron with 1/4" panes in it, 3/4" top and bracing under it and filled with concrete and buried about 6" under the floor. No ringing.

[rendoman]

Thank you all for your advice!

I took a different way today, I found two stump of cedar, 30cm (12") high, 72cm (28") and 62cm (24") diameter. I'm thinking about putting them at the entrance of the garage, in place of calender.
I don't know the exact weight of the 2 woods, but I think they can weight more than 50kg each, maybe it's not necessary to join them togheter with screw or other solutions.
They show a nice flat surface, I'm not sure about carve the shape of anvil feet, could 4 lateral blocks hold the anvil in position alone?
I'm thinking of putting a mat of cork or rubber on the floor, in order to preserve wood, and maybe decouple the wood from ground...
Should I remove the bark?

I'm also thinking about making a little table with stump, with minimal polished inox frame.
I really like this design, cracks filled with special resin, maybe sanded with 1200 grit paper and polished with tru-oil
Anyone here tried this way?
I really don't know a thing, this wood is fresh, can be a trouble the loss of water for this application? It's not easy to find big wood seasoned

Saluti
Stefano

Shinium - Brilliance by Design: Resin-inlaid Wood