Ooh, I would NOT recommend that, since cinder blocks will crumble over time. A wood stand or welded steel will be a LOT better; even cast concrete would be an improvement. 

Yeah the cinder blocks are a bit fragile but I'm going to beef them up with rebar and then fill them with concrete then later clad with wood. The materials I have kicking around after building my man cave so won't cost me anything. Hopefully it will hold up

Just because you have it doesn’t mean you have to use it. The wrong material doesn’t miraculously become right just because it’s free. 

Better to build it right the first time. 

There’s a lot of other cheap or free materials that could build an anvil stand that would last a very long time and be safer,

just be really careful! If your working with hot material and that concrete breaks you could risk breaking a foot when the anvil falls and then also possibly suffering from some serious burns from the work piece! 

JHCC isn’t trying to pick on you he’s concerned for your safety!

And the safety of others that will come along later on here and read your posts in the future, and might attempt to follow your footsteps and potentially harm themselves too, 

just be safe and please do plenty of research before following through with your plan, we all love to hear new ideas an different ways to accomplish the same goals but no one wants to hear about a fellow smith getting hurt 

 

 

I appreciate the feedback on safety concerns on building an anvil stand.  I haven't quite decided which material to use but these tips are very helpful.

Many or most towns have a brush pile. Ours sets logs to the side for anyone who wants them for free. That is where I get my stumps and smoker wood. 

I've got 4? anvil stands that I have constructed Using scrap wood oriented with the grain vertically: 3 oak---used to be the floor of a scrapped horse trailer and 1 softwood.:

  

They are not even glued together!  Old bolts from Utility work hold them together.  (Note an old mining timber snuck in that first picture

I used to use logs but I got tired of chaising them around and built metal tripod stands. In my limited experience they seem to be more stable and the anvils respond better.

I appreciate the feedback.

Really like using the scrap wood. Having the ends a little taller to lock in the anvil is a neat trick.

Still deciding on the material.

I found some big blocks of maple that might be useful.

Saw some good plans for metal ones too.

Will let you know what I use.

 

I have a dirt floored smithy and so no problem with anvil stumps moving. I have a massive creosoted mine timber I planned to bury for my 469# Fisher; but haven't had the need. That anvil seems pretty stable even on a "regular" stump.

My anvils and "stumps" get swapped around. I teach some so it's nice to be able to have an anvil at the correct height for each student.  That Softwood one was to fill a need for students above 6'.

One thing to remember: anvil stands can be replaced/improved/swapped around.  I notice that I will often go to a different anvil when working to make use of it's special features, (height, heel thickness, horn shape, weight, face size, etc.)

Thank you for the feedback and advice. I'm going to ditch my original plan and settle for something more traditional and safer. I've found some really cool ideas for a proper stand just browsing this site.

Seasons greetings all

13 hours ago, Patrick Kelly said:

Thank you for the feedback and advice. I'm going to ditch my original plan and settle for something more traditional and safer. I've found some really cool ideas for a proper stand just browsing this site.

Seasons greetings all

Seasons Greetings. At first some on this site can come across pretty abrasively but they really do have the best interest in mind and there are literally hundreds of combined years experience here.

I do appreciate all the advice.  Having this resource will help me as I begin this journey.

It is good to have advice from this wealth of experience.

 

SCORE!! I wasn’t even looking it just came up!

Flats on the feet would fill out the stampings.

Nice score Dano !!! 

Right time and place I would guess. It looks lonely for some hot steel. .have fun

First anvil stand I tried to build was like those posted by Thomas. The wood split though. 
I’d mentioned casting a concrete stand and moving away from my 4X6 posts, and I think it was JHCC who recommended footing it 3-4’ deep. Looks like I will when I do that. The 4X6 posts are buried into the floor and bound on both ends with iron bands bolted together. But they seem to be shifting some. The anvil was level when I did this, but now it’s off level towards the bick and away from the upsetting block. Not bad, the bubble in my level still floats, but it bugs me. 

On 1/11/2022 at 5:01 PM, ThomasPowers said:

Flats on the feet would fill out the stampings.

It has the letter W on both sides. Any way to date it? 

20 hours ago, Rojo Pedro said:

Nice score Dano !!! 

Right time and place I would guess. It looks lonely for some hot steel. .have fun

Thanks!! I definitely will

Does "Anvils in America" have a listing of styles of the main logo stamping vs date range?

Why do you need to know the date?  It doesn't affect using it any and anvils are not considered to be "old" until you get past 200 years and that configuration is not "colonial".

I believe it was after 1909 that they added England to the logo. Other than that, the logo would need to be in better shape to get closer I believe.

1 hour ago, BIGGUNDOCTOR said:

I believe it was after 1909 that they added England to the logo. Other than that, the logo would need to be in better shape to get closer I believe.

Thanks!

Don’t “need” to know. Just curious. Thanks for the info friend!

This is my first post here but I have been a wall flower for a while.  Learned a lot just hanging around listening. I could use a bit of help with this old man here, not sure what the maker is(looks like a Alsop) not sure myself.  I would like to know approx manufacture date (marks are pretty much gone) and maker if possible.  No stampings visible, the old man was used hard, and I am now his current keeper.  I already have an anvil that I love and use, I am just going to keep him safe for the next generation.

English, "colonial era", definitely pre-1820.  With out specifics you can't put a maker on it.  You could have two or even five anvils that looked exactly the same and each one could have had a different maker as anvil makers usually learned the trade in one shop and then went on to run their own shop and for some reason made anvils that look a lot like the ones they learned on.

Sad; I try to use my old tools at least once a year to let them know they are still valued and appreciated!

I am out of town and can't go look till this coming weekend, but there the remnants of some numbers on it.  The sort where they center punch the starts and stops then cut the lines, most of it is lost and I have been reluctant to use more aggressive methods.  If it had been stamped acid might reveal something but with the remains of cut lines I didn't know how likely that would be.  I prolly will use him at some point he deserves that but as you put it "just enough to know he is still loved".

Ok men I finally made it back home and dug the old man out in the light.  Tried to do a bit of a rubbing with soapstone but didn't have much luck.  Best I could figure based on Mr Postman's work is somewhere in the late 1700's.  Take a gander and give me the benefit of your experience, I will appreciate any help I can get.  I am not an Anvil collector so my estimates are suspect, I figure he is over 200yrs old, and probably an Alsop.  I do need to weigh him that may shed some light on the markings but I will have to get my sons to help with that project.  Thanks in advance