Ted Ewert

It's too tall, and like you said, the pads are too thin. I'm still learning how to estimate drawn out material. 3/8 " would have been better for the sides and 1/4" or 3/16" for the pad. It was fun to make though, and I may do the improved version.

Thanks for your thoughts. I'm aware that concrete shrinks. However, I see no gaps or shrinkage away from the steel structure. There is absolutely no gap between the stand and the slab. As far as the anchors are concerned, I may have to tighten the bolts from time to time, but they're not coming out of the concrete. The slab will fail before the anchors will. In the unlikely event that happens, I'll go to epoxy. I've been using my anvil every day for 2 to 3 hours and I really like the stand. The tools don't get in my way at all and are very handy where they are. Like anything else, it's not perfect. Nevertheless, it is a viable option for those who have a smaller anvil and need a more rigid stand. BTW, I'm not much of a traditionalist. I use whatever works best for me. If someone else wants to try it, that's fine. If not, that's fine too. To each his own.

I've been experimenting with different leaf designs. I think I'm going through a period when it just doesn't come out quite right. We'll call it a learning phase. I was happy that the methods I used generally worked, but I need a lot more practice. I tried the bent leaf method I saw in a video The leaf is bent in the middle, pounded completely closed, peened into a curve, then opened back up. Trying to keep a good grip on the thing was like grabbing a slippery fish. I think I'll leave the stem part flat next time. The design should have been a wider leaf though, and the tip wasn't done well. It's a pretty concept.

Must be for staking down a vampire. Nice nail. I was walking the dog and this handle popped into my mind. Don't have any use for it but I built it anyway. It could stand improvement.

I forgot to add that the leaf above was not welded, but part of the parent stock. This makes the transitions smoother, but I also used a guillotine tool with a fullering die to help taper down to the stem. Nevertheless, I seem to get better leaves when I cut them out of sheet metal. Maybe it's a result of fewer heats, less scale and an even thickness.

I have a small utility anvil I built which I attach my fixtures to. They bolt down nice and solid and I work the piece there. My system isn't very traditional but it works for me. The stems are the trickiest part to get right. I usually weld them on and then spend a lot of time carefully grinding and filing. I have a MIG welder with flux core wire and it's anything but a clean attachment. I over weld and then grind to suit. Nice clean metal helps, but I still get pin holes. Someday I'll get a nice TIG welder.

I have thought about this quite a bit. It's not so much about adding mass, but more about adding stiffness. All materials have a certain amount of spring to them, including anvils and stands. When the anvil is struck with a hammer, the force is transferred into the anvil, then into the stand, then into whatever the stand is placed upon. During that process there is a certain amount of spring in each of the components. The spring represents lost energy. This is energy which has gone into the deformation of anything besides the work. The effectiveness of the hammer blow has been reduced by the percentage of energy lost in the spring. Bouncing, rattling, moving or ringing all represent lost energy. In order to reduce or eliminate these effects requires that all components to be tightly connected together, and the spring eliminated wherever possible. Bolting the anvil to the base greatly reduces the spring between the two. Bolting the base to the floor does the same. You can't really change the anvil's stiffness, but you can make a very stiff base. Wood seems very stiff, especially along the vertical grain. Nevertheless, it has more spring than vertical steel or concrete. Where mass comes in is in the area of inertia. A 500 lb anvil has much greater inertia than a 100 lb anvil. This inertia can greatly mitigate any spring in the stand, to the point where it is unnoticeable. Stiffness can make up for the lack of inertia in smaller anvils. Having a stiff stand, with everything bolted together, provides similar resistance in the vertical plane as a much larger anvil would.

You would have to define performance and then see whether those parameters improve to make a case.

I've been trying a number of swages and shaped tools to aid me in the making of flowers and leaves. Here's a few I have built recently.. The rings are nice for bending the edges of the leaves or ends of the petals. The one with the three 1/2" round bars I use for putting ripples in the leaves. I also stuck a 3/8" fuller on the end just cause I needed one. Here's a couple of the products these helped me make... Ted

The stand wouldn't be too hard to move. I oiled the slab below it before pouring, so it can't be stuck too bad. The weight is somewhere north of 200 lbs. I love the old popular mechanics stand idea! The lead is a bit much, but you could do the same thing with a big piece of pipe. A flange on the top and bottom, fill it with concrete and you're done.

Thanks, those are good points you make. Everything bolted down tight is key.

If you have a 500 lb anvil the stand becomes far less relevant to its performance. For my little 70 pounder, the stand made a big difference. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and arguing opinion is pointless. I'd rather discuss merits and drawbacks of design and function.

Thanks, I don't plan on moving it anytime soon. I thought about a cage around the rebar, but it's not necessary. Like you said, the concrete holds it in place so it can't deform.

I think what has caused a lot of confusion regarding this project is the idea that concrete is somehow unsuitable as a material used in the construction of an anvil base. Perhaps it would be all by itself, or even with a little steel reinforcement. I believe this stems from the general understanding of steel reinforced concrete, where concrete is the primary load bearing material. This stand is made of concrete reinforced steel, which is a different animal. A common bollard is a good example of this; a steel pipe filled with concrete. The steel pipe is the main structural component with the concrete adding mass and stiffness. Which brings me to another thought I had. I see guys adding sand to the inside of the tripod legs they are putting together. Why not use concrete or even mortar instead? It will certainly stop any ringing and will also add stiffness to the leg. You could have bollard legs! I think the main advantage a stand of this design brings is to the guys with smaller anvils. It took more effort for me to draw out a taper on my former wooden stand than it does with this stand. I built a standard wall hook out of 1/2" stock today, and I took fewer heats than I normally take to get the taper finished. It wasn't a huge difference, but it was noticeable. Anyway, I'll let you know if it fails and falls apart, but don't hold your breath. Cheers, Ted

I spent most of the day at the forge. I finalized the racks and they work well for me. The stand worked as designed and provided a rock solid base for the anvil. The anvil just doesn't move... at all. Nothing makes the slightest rattle in the racks either. It actually works better than I thought it would. No cracks, no chips, no errors. None of the tools got in my way while I was working. The tray is far enough down to allow full access to the horn. I'm very happy with it so far. I even made a flower for my daughter.

I work on the side with all the tongs, so I'll narrow that side up. Even with the racks out as far as they are, the stand is so narrow they still don't get in the way. They are narrower than the bottom of my old stand. I'm still going to rearrange everything this weekend. I appreciate all the suggestions. Thanks!

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. I'm sure things will get rearranged as I start to use it. Rounding the corners of the angle iron is on the list, just didn't get to it yet. Beavers: I'm in full agreement with what you said, and based my design on many of those points. I've used a 10 lb sledge to break up concrete and it isn't easy. My heaviest hammer is 3 lbs and that force is spread out over about 15 square inches. The column is 9" X 12" X 24". The compression stress is primarily in the vertical axis with steel directly connecting the anvil to the garage slab. Two rows of rebar take care of any lateral stresses caused by pounding on the side or horn of the anvil. Even hitting underneath the horn will cause tension and compression which the rebar can easily handle. The concrete certainly adds strength and stability and should not at all be discounted in the equation. I gave a good whack to a cold piece of metal on the anvil last night and it didn't rattle the tools in the rack one tiny bit. I think I'm going to like this stand.

Oh ye of little faith. MC: Nothing is certain in life, but I designed this stand so that the steel rebar is taking the lion's share of the shock load. The concrete is more for mass and rigidity, and it will also dampen any vibration. I'm still letting it cure a bit more before I start pounding on it. Steamboat: Yes, I do have vertical angle iron and it is all held together at the bottom with rebar welded to each corner. That caused a slight problem during the pour since the concrete didn't get in the lower edges because that rebar got in the way. I had to patch it after the forms came off. Here is the progress so far... The concrete looks mottled because of some cosmetic patching I did. I used some 5/8" tubing as spacers for the racks. I haven't decided what I'm going to do on the ends yet. It's a very solid stand and I look forward to exercising it a bit.

Love the eye bolt solution. Might want to stiffen up that stand a little though.

I am currently using a single row 10 outlet forced air ribbon burner (2" wide) which works superbly. This burner is coming in at 90 degrees to the tangent of the radius of a cylindrical chamber, which causes the gases to swirl. This keeps the heat in the forge longer and increases efficiency (among other benefits). 2" is plenty big enough for your air supply. If you build an efficient forge you'll need very little air! I found that putting a 2" exhaust port in the center rear of the forge, and doors in the front, works quite well. The heat goes out the back and it's very comfortable working in front of the forge. A lot of us have found that propane and air don't mix very well. For a smooth flame I have installed a perforated nozzle, which extends out into the air flow, as well as a screen and a twisted piece of sheet metal with holes in it to cause as much turbulence and mixing as possible before the burner. This comes after two forges and 5 or 6 rebuilds. A blower with a sheet metal cover over the inlet is much easier and simpler to control than a butterfly valve. They're easy to build if your blower doesn't have one. Hope this helps, good luck with your build! Ted

Beautiful hammer, nice work Mark! JHCC, nice work so far on the forge. Are the outlets from the NARB at a tangent to the radius of the inner casting? If so you'll have a nice hot forge! I can't overemphasize what a huge difference that little detail makes in efficiency and temperature.

I found a big industrial aluminum pot I forgot I had to mix in. I also had a mixing attachment for the drill, and together they worked great. Used 3 bags of concrete and it all went pretty smoothly. I used your suggestion Frosty and feel quite confident that the bottom of the plate is well supported. I learned a long time ago to pretape any exposed surfaces, so I got a good clean contact between the plate and the angle iron. It also saved a lot of cleanup around the top edging. I stuck some 1/2" threaded rod through the sides to build tool racks with. Here's a few pics. Cheers, Ted

Thanks Frosty, I'll do that. Probably going to pour today. My oldest son permanently borrowed my wheel barrow so I'll have to find something else to mix in. I have a large plastic container which might work.

Yes, I am planning to be able to unbolt it. I'll make it so it doesn't stick to the floor. The chamfer strips are a good idea, but I'm putting angle iron all around the edges. They'll get all chipped up otherwise. Didn't get much done today as I was volunteered for babysitting duty.

That's why I made the plate removable. I'll fill it to just under the top of the angle iron, then attach the plate. I should be able to push the rest of the concrete up under the plate. That's the plan anyway.