anvil stand

[FieryFurnace]

My ol' faithful Trenton has ever been mounted on a stump. However, we are considering hitting the craft fair circuit on a much larger scale, doing extended routes lasting several weeks at a time. With that in mind, my current packing space and forge arrangement would no longer be sufficient.

So, I am needing to build an enclosed trailer and have a space efficent forge set up.

Today I finished some custom work, cleaned up shop, and before starting on my next job, decided to make a steel stand for my old 86 pound Trenton!
I still have to add some tool racks for hammers and tongs, and give it a nice coat of paint. I'm also going to add wheels onto the legs under the horn. When the anvil stand is sitting flat the wheels will just barely be flush with the ground. This will give stability under the horn. When load up time comes, I'll have handles on the other side and I will be able to pick it up like a wheel barrow and roll it onto a trailer.
The anvil slides out from under the angle iron brackets, but is held quite solid and stable when in position.

[FieryFurnace]

The stand is light but extremely sturdy. It is surprisingly stable, regardless of the fact that the bottom pieces of angle iron are only 13 inches wide.

Thoughts???

[Dave Parker]

Impressive, I would suggest a small hole on the open side to drop a pin into, just an additional safety measure. It looks solid enough that there should be no side-to-side movement but I would still add a small pin just to make sure. Then again, I am paranoid.

Dave

[Iron Falcon 72]

The stand is light but extremely sturdy. It is surprisingly stable, regardless of the fact that the bottom pieces of angle iron are only 13 inches wide.
Thoughts???

It looks good! Did you think about making a three-point base? I'm currently using a wooden base but would like to have something sturdier like yours. A lot of folks seem to think that the tripod is able to handle more uneven ground.

Thanks for the article.

[John McPherson]

If it were mine, I would make some holes in the feet to pin it securely to the ground whenever possible.

The design is top-heavy and narrow, making it likely to topple if bumped. The tower shape is fine for straight down hammering on the face, less desirable and stable for working on horn, heel, over the side, twisting, etc.

I have found a tripod 1.5+ times longer and wider than the anvil to be more stable, especially on rough ground.

[FieryFurnace]

I used the tripod base for my big anvil, and I like it very much. I was using smaller size legs on this so I wanted it to be stout, that's why I went with four legs. I like the idea of staking it down and will do that I think! I also like the idea of the pin on one side to keep the anvil on. Not a huge deal but it would be a bummer for it to come out on my feet!

[Mainely,Bob]

Dave,I`m going to go out on a limb here and suggest something that may not be too popular as some may feel it departs from utility and wanders into art.
We`ve all seen the wonderful work you are capable of by the pics you have posted here.I`m going to suggest you make your anvil stand a showplace for that work.Whenever I bring something I own or work with out into the public eye for demo work I use it as a billboard to show the kind of work I am capable of.Think about how many eyes are going to be on you while you work and then use whatever surrounds you to showcase your potential.
That anvil stand is a very utilitarian example of your potential right now.It works just fine as it is but if you were to cut back and blend all the sharp corners till everything looked like it was custom fit to that anvil then how much better would it look?Simple diagonal braces or gussets on the legs will make them stronger but if you wrap that stand with examples of your ironwork then it`s not only stronger,it also looks good and even the people who passed by your table are now looking at your work as they watch you work.A simple bolt dropped into a drilled hole will serve as a pin to hold your anvil in but if you use a hand forged pin with a feather or animal head on the end to serve the same purpose now people will see and realize that you are capable of more than just scrolls and leaves.These are all just examples to get your mind started.

I once asked a customer why he chose me over the 3 other guys in the shop,two of which I felt were more talented than me.That customer told me he wanted me to do the job because all my tools were clean,well organized and I was the only one with polished hammers hanging in a custom made rack."Anybody who pays that much attention to detail is the guy I want working on my project" was what he said that stuck with me.Those were the same hammers I had been using all along but I had run them under the buffer after talking to one of my artist buddies about "surrounding yourself with the exceptional".
You have exceptional talent Dave,use every chance you get to make sure others see that.Your anvil stand and demo forge would be a good place to start showing people what you`re capable of.

For those who think this is BS and has little application in the workplace I`d like to point out that many of the welding and roustabout trucks in the oilfield served as rolling billboards for their owners.I personally saw oil men looking at those trucks wherever they congregated and made the choice as to who got the job based simply on the appearance of the truck.
Funny thing was,there were a small number of us custom building those trucks for people who had just graduated from tech school and had far more of daddy`s money than they had experience.Didn`t stop them from accepting those big money jobs though.

[FieryFurnace]

Hey I've been out of town and indeed I still am!

I'm online for a bit though!

Mr. Bob!
I agree 110% with your idea, and will most certainly implement it if time allows. Right now I have a few small orders to fill, craft fair stock for next year to start on, my trailer to sell, and a 16 foot enclosed trailer to build. Hopefully though I'll "git-r-dun."

[Ted T]

Thank you John, Bob, Dave, and Fiery Furnace.
Your creation and suggestions are in the center of that target of good Craftsmanship.
I feel strongly in favor of the exelent suggestions that all of you have presented to
Fiery Furnace.
I had actually thought about making the same suggerstion that John had posted
about placing stake down holes in the feet of your stand (I Do it myself).
But lazyness or life pulled me away from the computer.

And thank you Bob for puting into words of how important the value of presenting your
equipment is as a show peice that may reflect the quality of your craftsmanship that the
customer may expect.
That principal is very strong, and not acted on enough I feel!