My newest anvil has been living on the floor. It's 125lb, unmarked. I think it's a PW given other anvils I've seen. I'd like to get it set up so I can host 2 people and reduce traffic jams.
My first anvil was a 279lb german pattern. I set it up on a properly sized stump. I cut the wood green, debarked, burned, and oiled the stump. I used the leveling method for chainsaw cutting demonstrated by The Essential Craftsman on Youtube. I carved a funny shape out of the bottom, so the stump rests on three "pads" of wood. I carved out the top to fit the shape of the anvil. I used large chain, lag bolts, and turnbuckles to secure it down tight (with some glue in between maybe, I can't recall).
Let's bring our attention back to the 1 0 13. My original plan was to make another stump base. I like the first one. It's a moderately heavy stump so it adds to the overall mass. It is secured tight and everything is level. It doesn't walk around on me when forging. (This may be mainly due to the mass of the anvil itself). I can roll and maneuver it around. I could replicate this approach for the new anvil, however the anvil mass isn't nearly as large. I have a (seasoned) large oak trunk sourced, so the base would be heavier for this anvil.
The next plan is a section of pipe/ pipe spool that currently resides on craigslist. The owner is asking $150, however I think my value is half, if it works for my application. It is only 8" in diameter. It has a top and bottom "ring-plate/flange". It appears to be professionally constructed. The owner said it weighs about 100lbs. The problem is that it is only 22" tall. For this shorter anvil, I need a base of 28". (For the stump option I was planning for my initial cut size to be 28". This has enough tolerance to find the stump height in the 27"ish range.) The 22" pipe is not enough. I need a way to fabricate and bring the height of the anvil taller. I would like to add 1" immediately by making a base plate for the anvil to rest on top of. Base plate is welded to the top of the pipe.
The problem is defined. It needs to be taller. I'll dive into some of my thoughts and concerns, but I'd love to hear ideas in all directions.
Is this going to be too "wobbly" because of of the "narrow" diameter of the pipe (8")? Can I flare out a base to increase it's stability? Will this add enough mass on a wide footprint to make up for the stability problem. (I will not be anchoring the anvil into concrete).
If am aiming for 27" of base so I need to make up 5 inches. 1" as a top plate for the anvil and 1" as a bottom plate for the welded "legs" to adhere to leaves 3" of height to be made up. The width of the pipe flange adds (maybe) 3" per side. Total flange size is 13.5". 3" legs set at 45 degrees gives an extra 6" of base. Is an 19.5" base sufficient. Is it too large? I could reduce the slope of the legs to 60 degrees. For the legs, I'm envisioning 1" plate cut out with a torch. I can remove material very quickly on the belt grinder, so I don't mind cutting large, rough, and learning as I go.
I'd love to brainstorm with others. This pipe may be a great starting point, or a total waste of time.
Another note: The pipe would be a great place to fill with sand adding to the mass and likely absorbing noise, vibration, etc. I have 80 lbs of lead I could re-melt into the base. (This may be the winner and it was my last edit to this post. This would make the center of gravity much lower than distributed mass thru the column.)
Another question: Do people add rubber to the bottom of steel legs?
