Anvil Orientation?

[brianbrazealblacksmith]

It actually seems to make quite a difference. When I first got my 350 pound Fisher, I just had it on a section of log that sat at ground level. After I replaced the log section with a deeply buried heavy post (16 inches diameter by four feet long) I was startled by the difference. Three blows quite literally did the work four had done before. You would think so heavy an anvil would have so much inertia that the mount wouldn't matter, but it didn't turn out that way. The effect is even more important with lighter anvils.

Now I teach my students, who often end up working with small or improvised anvils in their own first shops, that they can make up for a lot of anvil mass by putting a lot of effort into a really good post, deeply buried. And digging a hole costs time but not money, which is usually important to them.

Conrad Hodson

Conrad, now try binding that 350 pounder down to that pole and you'll see an even more drawatic difference in what a hammer blow will do.

[Mainely,Bob]

Well,We`ve heard some advantages from some folks who are in the backing/support camp.
Any damping/absorb the impact reasoning out there to be shared?

I have to wonder if there is a cut off point or specialized application where one would be more appropriate than the other.The need to isolate and tie a power hammer such as one of us might use into the ground seems intuitively right and yet when dealing with a huge industrial machine the acceptable practice is to mount it in a way that it will float to a certain extent and the vibration and impact of the work will be dissipated.
People who work larger cross section steel seem to favor firm connections to more effectively get the job done yet sheet metal workers and armorers favor wood stumps and shot bags for their control and damping qualities.
Thoughts either way?

If you have only one anvil(the horror,the horror)would it be worthwhile to have two or more different bases for it?Say one that was triangulated steel and rock solid and one that was a sand base to absorb and dissipate all vibration ?
How would someone approach a solid base to anvil connection and still allow the anvil to be turned around on the base to allow adjustment for different jobs and approaches to the anvil/tooling/work?

[ThomasPowers]

Once I get my forge extension finished off and work in it a wile to get the set up tuned I plan to bury the baulk I have for my large fisher---it's about 2'x1'x4' and creosoted. probably part of an OLD bridge. I'm trying to work out a set up where I can still back the truck into the shop for loading. so the power hammers and anvil will need to be on the sides and I'm going to sink and concrete a large piece of square tubing into the floor to use as a receiver for the large post vise so it's removable when I want to load or unload with the truck inside.

[Mainely,Bob]

Once I get my forge extension finished off and work in it a wile to get the set up tuned I plan to bury the baulk I have for my large fisher---it's about 2'x1'x4' and creosoted. probably part of an OLD bridge. I'm trying to work out a set up where I can still back the truck into the shop for loading. so the power hammers and anvil will need to be on the sides and I'm going to sink and concrete a large piece of square tubing into the floor to use as a receiver for the large post vise so it's removable when I want to load or unload with the truck inside.

Nice tip on the square tube receiver thing.
Perhaps I`m thinking about this all wrong.Maybe what I need to do is save up and buy an induction heater,throw it on a cart and move the source of heat around a locked down anvil/base.
So many projects yet so little cash. :(