Homemade Anvil (Wayne Goddard's $50 Knife Shop)

[GunsmithnMaker]

Has anyone here made a copy of Wayne Goddard's Rail Car Coupler anvil as pictured on page 27 of "$50 Knife Shop" or page 29 of the Revised Edition?

I actually found a coupler to make one of these anvils for free, and some steel to weld on as a hardy hole area, but I don't have anything for the base yet. It's been a project in parts for the last 3 years. As a practice project I think it could be interesting, but with a real anvil in my possession I don't see any other need for it.

I guess having a back up, or cheap travel anvil it could come in handy. If you don't have the book I can scan the page to show everyone.

Your opinion is appreciated. :)

[zampilot]

I'd finish the project and keep it. It could serve as your outside or inside anvil depending on the weather and how heavy your 'real' anvil is to move around. Heck it may also be an inspirational anvil as you made it yourself and can prove that it works as well as any other, as the 4x4x12 chunk of steel did in Livley's video.

[GunsmithnMaker]

zampilot, you can see my real anvil on this post: .

I've never seen anvils for sale in my area until this year and then suddenly they seem to be everywhere. I guess it could be because of the economy. People are prioritizing and the extra anvil has to go. Maybe they bought the anvil they have on a whim and they aren't using it, or it was an inherited piece from a favorite uncle, or relative and they figure someone could use it to make money instead of it just taking up space. Whatever the reason, I know of one other at the local Agway for sale and that's a first.

I used to have an ALO/ASO that I bought cheap from Harbor Freight, but it was stollen along with a bunch of other tools. It was the only think I have ever been glad to lose in my life. Well, stuff happens.

[edge9001]

I don't uyet have a copy of the book, does anyone have an exaple of the anvil from the book?

[ThomasPowers]

I used the broken knuckle from a RR car coupler as an anvil before about 12 years ago; never know it was in a "book".

It had a flat area and a curved area, was heavy, hard and *FREE*. I used it as part of a "complete beginner's start up kit for under US$25---included forge, blower, anvil and basic tools and the most complex tool I used to make it was a 1/4" drill. (Nice forge too, I used it for billet welding for several years.)

I assembled it because I kept running into folks who told me they would like to do blacksmithing but it was too expensive to get started...

[edge9001]

I have a RRcoupler anvil, but I'm curious if in the book any modification was dont to the coupler. I assume from what ive read that this book shows how to make your own tools that it would have had some domification to the coupler. if i'm right i wanna know what changes were made.

[GunsmithnMaker]

For those who haven't read the book, here is a picture of the cover and the homemade railcar coupler anvil.