How to secure an anvil to a stump

[wooginator]

So I'm getting my first anvil and before now I was using a steel plate with holes in it so I could just nail it down. But how exactly do I go about securing this anvil http://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/for/2436465176.html to a tree stump?

[ThomasPowers]

It's a Fisher so you don't need a noise canceling method of affixing it. Will you be moving it a lot? If so what I do for my portable anvil is to set the anvil on a scrap piece of 2x6 and trace out the curved sections on the sides between the feet and cut those out and place the anvil on the stump and nail the cutouts to the anvil so they fit snug but not tight. This makes it easy to lift it on and off for moving. I also put good handles onto the stump to make it easier to move.

For a more sit in one place anvil I would forge large staples that would fit over the feet of the anvil and hold it fast.

[pkrankow]

I hope that is a good size anvil for that price. There is no size reference in the photos or a weight estimate listed.



Some good ideas in this thread.

Phil

[wooginator]

The anvil is #120 and I bargained him down to $240 so I think it's a pretty good deal. Forged staples sound like a good idea. Is it bad for the anvil if I hammer (lightly, just to get the form right) the hot metal over the feet so that it really fits tightly?

[Glenn]

There are different reasons for loose vs tight staples (or other methods) for holding an anvilto a stump..

As Thomas suggested, wooden blocks work, as does Jymm Hoffman's method.

[cat_bones]

There are different reasons for loose vs tight staples (or other methods) for holding an anvilto a stump..

As Thomas suggested, wooden blocks work, as does Jymm Hoffman's method.

Hi Glenn. Could you elaborate at all on the different reason? I'm going to be mounting my anvil to a stump shortly and had intended to forge staples to do so. My primary concern is noise... my anvil rings like a bell

Thanks,

CB

[ThomasPowers]

If you want to get rid of the ring you need something that holds it tightly to the stump chain and threaded eyes with angle iron bolted to the side of the stump may be better for you---so you can take up any slop as the system wears into place. Hard to keep a staple from being microscopically backed off a bit in use.

[Glenn]

The reason you anchor an anvil to a stump is to keep it from moving about. Loose anchors work well if you need to remove the anvil for travel, to use different parts of the anvil other than the face, etc. Snug anchors will dampen some of the vibration and lessen the ring. I have seen photos of tight anchors breaking parts of the feet from the anvil.

There are several threads on how to kill the ring. The anvil acts as a tuning fork and you are trying to dampen the vibration from the impact of the hammer. Two wraps of loose (light weight) chain around the waist will do wonders. Strapping such as 1/8 inch flat bar across the waist or feet works. On one anvil I had success with just a carriage bolt, nut and a couple of washers, in the prichel hole. Round low head of the carriage bolt keeps you from injuring your hand on the bolt head while using the anvil.

The best I have found is a couple inches of sand around the base of the anvil. Just build something to hold the sand on top of the stand or stump. Be very careful that you do not create a pinch point that can get your fingers.

[nhblacksmith]

So I'm getting my first anvil and before now I was using a steel plate with holes in it so I could just nail it down. But how exactly do I go about securing this anvil http://hudsonvalley....2436465176.html to a tree stump?

A lot of folks are content with an anvil that sits on a stump with blocks or staples to keep it from falling off but from my own experience, I like an anvil that is attached like it is part of the stump. I also like the stump planted several feet in the ground. Sooner or later someone will be striking for you and it will bounce like a ball if it isn't really secure. There are many useful parts on an anvil besides the face and as you gain experience and tackle more complicated work, you may find yourself using the sides almost as much as the top or drawing down on the horn. One good way to attach an anvil to a round stump is to bore a hole center of the stump and 8-10" below the base of the anvil and place a substantial rod through the hole so it extends a couple inches beyond the stump on either side. Make two straps out of 3/8" or larger flat stock that are about about 1-2" longer than the stump is across. These will sit over the feet on each end of the anvil. Slip two eye bolts over the rod in the center of your stump and extend the threaded parts through the holes in the straps. Each side will look like a V originating at the center rod. In my early career, I had this set up and the anvil was rock solid. If noise is a problem-and it shouldn't be with this secure method of fastening-cut an old piece of inner tube to sit between the anvil and the stump before you tighten it down. Staples work but they tend to loosen when you are striking the opposite end of the anvil. Sorry I no longer have a photo of this setup but if it isn't clear I'll try to explain further.

[petere76]

I used this method a couple times and it works great if you have a mobile shop and have to move anvils, its quick, easy and reliable. Run old chain around the base of the anvil and screw through the chain links with lag bolts & washers into the stump. Makes it easy to move the anvil into your truck or roll the anvil around the shop for different operations. The chain also also deadens the ringing and gives you good places to hook into for a hold downs.

The attached pic is a 124 Lb PW on a yellow birch stump in our shop.

Peter

[ThomasPowers]

Perhaps if you are loading the anvil and stump as one unit. Since I have to carry them out of the shop to the truck (loose sand floor---no dolly!) I greatly prefer to move the pieces individually. So the anvils that travel when I teach a class at the local University all have easy on/off mounts and big handles to make loading the stumps easier.

When I get my extension secure I hope to move the big anvil out to it and I have a massive chunk of treated lumber to go into the ground to mount it on---something like 1x2x4, all dimensions being in *feet* of course, and I will fasten that one in tightly so it doesn't go walkabout.

[cat_bones]

Thanks for all the useful information Going to have a think about my options now. One question, using lag bolts (think they're called Coach screws here in the UK), I think they screw directly into the wood; is that correct, or do they need some sort of rawl-plug?

[Ohio Rusty]

The Senior Master Curmudgeon wrote:
I would forge large staples that would fit over the feet of the anvil .................



That is the answer to my problem !! Thought of everything but that. Thanks Thomas !! I love this place ........
Ohio Rusty ><>

[kevan]

The angle iron is embedded deeply into the concrete, the stump rests on the floor. Around the waist of the anvil is a steel ring with loops welded at each corner. From these loops 1/2 inch round bar is welded to the angle iron. Nothing has moved in 10 years. Not fro your travelling blacksmith.

Regards.

[pkrankow]

Thanks for all the useful information Going to have a think about my options now. One question, using lag bolts (think they're called Coach screws here in the UK), I think they screw directly into the wood; is that correct, or do they need some sort of rawl-plug?

I just went straight in with the lag, I drilled a small pilot hole first. Drilling a larger hole and using an expansion plug of some type is an option too, but seems like more work. You can repair a torn out hole in that manner easily though.

Phil

[cat_bones]

Thanks Phil

I think I've decided on how to fix the anvil to the stump now... just got to get a stump!

[Frank Turley]

Stumps are OK; I've used 'em. My personal anvil now is mounted in a 1/4" plate, full box of sand, the size of the anvil base. This makes the anvil movable by being able to "walk" it on my concrete floor. I saw the sand idea in Otto Schmirlers's book.* I used nhblacksmith's method of holding fast; otherwise, the anvil would shift around in the sand. That method is illustrated in the old book, "20th Century Toolsmith and Steelworker."

*Werk und Werkzeug des Kunstschmieds" Each page is in German, French, and English.