Thread: Alls Well that Anv-ells?

Yes, thanks Bruno. I made it from cutoffs for under $25. The legs are filled w/ sand & oil to cut down on the noise, as well as possibly rusting. Under the anvil is a block of wood & caulk. The eye bolts allow me to attach springs to for a hold down.

That is a pretty neat stand set. I see chains, I see a magnet.... Has anybody had any success damping the ring by wrapping a length of rubber (like strips of inner tube) around the anvil?

I haven't heard of doing that, but putting the sand & oil into the legs of the anvil stand was new to me at the time and seems to have worked. Thanks for the idea, I've give it a shot if I have an old inner tube I can find.

Have you had a chance yet to forge with the new anvil?

Not yet. I still need to assemble the forge itself, and for the next few days I am on the road making deliveries. But SOON!

Originally Posted by Magpie

That is a pretty neat stand set. I see chains, I see a magnet.... Has anybody had any success damping the ring by wrapping a length of rubber (like strips of inner tube) around the anvil?

Some folks deaden an anvil with a magnet on the side. Sand has been used for a long time in anvils of all kinds. I build my anvil stands out of 6x6 timber and inlet the base of the anvil. Works well and still moderately portable.

What do you mean by inletting the base?

I'm with Bruno on this one, Not sure what you mean by inletting. As for the rubber band idea, when I worked in the machine shop, we had a lathe for truing automotive brake rotors, and there was basically a huge rubberband that was wrapped around the rotor to eliminate vibration while cutting. I thought the same principles might apply.

Originally Posted by Bruno

What do you mean by inletting the base?

There is a calculation involved for height of the anvil face off the ground that blacksmiths would consider standard, but it's really individualizing the height of the anvil for the most common user. This will determine the length of the wooden base, plus the height of the metal anvil less one half inch.

I use landscaping lag screws to pull all four pieces of wood together, set the anvil on top and draw an outline. I cut down into (rabbit, mortise, rout?) the top of the base about a half inch so the anvil sets down into the block. Once in place, I'll use some quarter round wood moulding to pinch the base of the anvil tight. I've also used plain wood glue. Some of these have been dropped off a trailer or truck bed and not separated. Some come right apart to move, but have not rocked or rolled during use. It's simple, very simple and the wood reduces the anvil's tone instead of ringing through an iron base to concrete. YMMV.

I was planning on basing my anvil height by determining where my most comfortable arm position is for striking with my favorite hammer, and measuring the distance from the hammer face to the floor. Then subtract the height of the anvil itself, plus the height of the average piece of metal I think I might be forging. I know body mechanics are important to watch if you want to prevent repetitive stress injuries, so it makes sense to me to give a lot of thought to how and where my blows are going to be directed and landing.
Does anybody have opinions on the aspects of materials used in the base?
Wood blocks standing on end? Wood blocks stacked lengthwise? steel base?
Mike, I like the idea of wood softening the ring on a concrete floor, but will it be necessary if a steel base is on a dirt floor? or, will dirt be a problem for an anvil stand?

I have also heard putting a piece of rubber mat under the anvil takes a lot of noise out it. Wood or metal stand I don't remember but your could hear the difference in the vid. I am still kind of looking for the perfect tree stump for mine but I'll probably make a metal base. I have a couple more months of hot weather but then I will build the forge and start using mine. I can hardly wait.