jmeineke

Thanks to everyone who replied. You saved a nice table from being an anvil stand. I'm going to weld up a steel base to mount it on and will use it as you guys suggested.

Here are some pics. The anvil that came with it weighs 158 lbs - I was able to get it in my trunk on my own without much fuss. I had to have help getting the block in my back seat, though. It sure seemed heavier than the anvil. The top measures 15" x 16" and it's 14" tall. The slots are 11/16".

I recently bought an anvil that came with a heavy (approx. 200 lbs) T-Slotted table that came off of some sort of machine. It's slotted on the top and a couple of the sides and is cube-shaped (I'll try to get some pics of it later on this evening). The guy who sold it to me was using it as the stand for the anvil. What would some alternative uses be for something like this? I could continue to use it as an anvil stand, but would something like this be better used for something else? I'm not a machinist and don't really know much about what all you can do with a slotted table, so any ideas/info would be appreciated.

Here are some bigger pics from the seller for anyone considering buying it.

I guess if Central Ohio weren't an anvil rich area, it would be a different story. I live in anvil alley. Using the TPAAAT method, I've been able to score some really nice ones for not much more than what this one is currently going for.

Very, very nice. I want one!

Call me crazy, but I actually contacted the seller on that one - was thinking about buying it (bartering some tools I don't use anymore) and trying to fix it up to gain some repair experience. After getting some higher res photos from different angles, I decided there are some things you just have to walk away from.

As far as diets go (and by that I mean what we eat, not going on one), a friend of mine who also has a heart condition told me about a book that his Cardiologist actually "prescribed" that he read called "In Defense of Food - An Eater's Manifesto." I've read it and it's a good book if you're trying to take care of your heart (like I finally am after years of neglecting it). The problem with the Western diet are the highly refined foods that are in the grocery store these days. The book's summary is, "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." Basically it's about eating the way people used to eat before the modern food industry and nutritionism was born. If you think you're eating healthy by eating "low fat" or "fat free" or "cholesterol free," think again. The biggest problem I see with eating well is that it's not cheap. Refined foods, on the other hand, are cheap and easy. When you start talking about fresh fruits, lean meats & veggies and 'from scratch' recipes with no preservatives and such, it can get pretty pricey, not to mention the fact that it takes a lot longer to prepare a good meal from scratch than throwing something cheap & quick in the microwave or going through the drive-through and ordering from the dollar menu.

Interesting. I'll give that a try. I did do a little forging on it last night, nothing big, and it felt okay to me, but the bearing rebound coupled with the cut marks had me a bit concerned. I happen to know that the smith who owned this anvil also owned several others (really big ones). It had crossed my mind that perhaps he intentionally softened this smaller one to use exclusively for cutting. If anyone out there owns one similar and can do a drop test, I'd like to know how they compare. Joe

Ok, did some more testing on it last night. Using a 1" Aircraft-Grade E52100 Alloy Steel BB, the rebound is right at 5.5" from a 10" drop. The same test on my Mouse Hole looks to be about a 9" return from a 10" drop. Maybe I have unrealistic expectations that "good" anvils will have a 80%+ rebound? Can someone set me straight on this?

Will be praying for you. Thank you for serving our country! Joe

I picked up a little (I think around 70 lb) Columbian a week or so ago and started cleaning it up a bit. I didn't do a rebound test on it before I bought it. I think it may have been in a fire - I just tested it and the rebound is around 50%. It looks like the former smith (now passed on) may have used it for cutting because it looks like it has a lot of chisel marks on the surface. Does anyone have any experience with this brand? What should the rebound be on a Columbian?

I welded .5" x 2" support braces to the frame (same stuff I used for the frame) and then cut notches out of bed frame and welded those to the support braces. To give the bench strength, I glued smaller strips of walnut together and screwed / glued them on the underside. The bed frame really just ties the ends together and gives it lateral stability. May not be the best way to do it, but it seems to be really sturdy. My welds are pretty rough (still learning). I hit those with some grill black. Joe

Just finished up this bench. I used 1/2" x 2" hot rolled steel finished with a 30/60/10 mixture of beeswax, boiled linseed oil and turpentine. The wood is Black Walnut with a Red Mahogany stain and 3 coats of Minwax satin polyurethane finish. Joe

Hang in there, my friend. I was pre-diabetic (mine had been creeping up too) and back in November, before I had to have a stent put in an artery in my heart (blocked near 85%), I weighed in at 260. I just hit 204 the other day but, in spite of losing 56 lbs, last night thought I was going to have to go to the hospital again - I was having chest pains and the 2nd Nitro I took didn't initially work. I was about to take the third one after which if you're still in pain they tell you to call the squad. Fortunately the pain finally subsided and that was the end of it... I'm pretty sure that barring an accident, when I do finally check out it will be because of my ticker. I've got the bad back, bad knees, bad feet, crummy eyesight, "tennis elbow" from hammering, one artery that's still 60% clogged and two others that are 30% - and my forehead just keeps getting bigger and bigger I'm not old, but I'm definitely on my way. It gets more interesting every year One thing my mother always used to tell me, and I still hear her to this day and do it when I remember to, was "Offer it up." Whenever I'm in pain, discouraged or even smack my toe on the coffee table, I try to remember to offer up that pain as a prayer for others. I'll say some prayers for you tonight before I hit the hay. Joe

What do you all think of using 7024 for something like that?

Yeah, you're right - the one I did was solid wrought. I didn't realize Fisher's were (might be?) cast.

For that Fisher, you may want to try something like I did here. My results were really good, but YMMV. If you go the route I did, you may not need to do any buildup - it looks like the plate thin enough that 2 or 3 (max) passes of HF rod would do it, but I can't be sure.

Post pictures if you can! I'd like to build a little power hammer eventually - this sounds like a cool project.

Prayers going up from Ohio.

A wire wheel won't harm the metal, It more or less just 'buffs' the surface and will make it look dark and somewhat shiny - like a semi-gloss finish (and will make quite a dust cloud, so you may want to do it outside). I wouldn't recommend painting it. Once you put a light coat of oil on it (e.g., WD-40) you shouldn't have any more problems with rust. In addition to WD-40, I'm a firm believer in Marvel Mystery Oil - it's been around since 1923 and is a tried and true product. Works really well - cleans and protects. Have fun!

Nice! I second what Sask Mark said - use a knotted wire cup brush to knock the rust off. You'll be surprised how nice it will clean up. Taking everything apart helps get into all the nooks and crannies. I also use Marvel Mystery Oil on all the stuff I clean up. The MMO does a good job of darkening up what's left on it and protects it from further rusting. Also, grease up the pin and the metal in the pivot area and that screw box. Not sure what everyone else uses, but I use the same stuff I use on brake slide pins (high temp grease).

Is it just me or does that one look like it has a thicker tool face than Vulcan's usually do? It almost looks like they forge welded two tool plates on it. If you look real close, you can see a faint third line right down the middle of the plate. I snipped and blew up a portion of the picture to show what I'm talking about (see attached image). At any rate, it looks like it's in really good shape and a good one to start out on.

Yeah, I really want to learn, but it sounds like the chances of me finding someone that 1) knows how to do it and 2) lives near me and 3) is willing and/or able to teach me are pretty slim. I'd be willing to help someone learn English. Wonder where you would even begin to look for someone who's looking to learn English in exchange for that sort of thing.

Thanks, I appreciate it. I definitely enjoyed doing it and would love to do another one. I have a 309 lb Arm & Hammer that I'm going to do some work on - just the horn and the table, though. I'm going to leave the face alone until I'm 100% sure I won't hose the tool plate (mess up the temper, use the wrong rod, etc.) It's too valuable to me to take any chances on. I know I can handle the horn and table. I have no illusions, though - I also know I still have a lot to learn, and I'm not quite sure how to correctly weld smaller chips on the face/edge, etc (anyone out there want to teach me? ). I'd love to hang out with someone who really knows what they're doing and learn the ropes... There's only so much you can learn from reading books and watching YouTube videos, etc.