Over here in the northeast we have a nor eastern winter storm blowing through and since I don’t have satellite TV I figured I would take the time to post this thread.

This fall at the NEBA meeting at Ashokan Fred Crist was the demonstrator. He extensively used a bridge anvil that he had made that fit into the hardy hole of his anvil. He also used it in the post vise. I was impressed as to how useful it was and thought that I must have one.

A few days ago, Dick Sargent (AKA Doc on IFI) came by to my shop and we decided to try our hand at forging one. It started out as a piece of 1X3X5 ½ flat stock. After about 4 ½ hours of forging this is what resulted.

Looks like you did a great job finishing up where we left off the other day Ciladog :)

Looks handy, especially how it is thick and one side and thin at the other. I started making one out of some 1045 in 1 inch. I think I will change my approach and make it look more like that one. I have a long ways to go on it.

Phil

That Doc is always good to get you going and then heads to the house. Nice job on a handy tool.

Nice job I was there too for the demo. Do I know you?

Good looking tool. What I've been using is a piece of sched 40 sq. tubing with a shank welded on and one opening ground to a bevel.

I like your's better, I'm thinking a project for the next day in the shop.

Thanks for sharing.

Frosty the Lucky.

Ok, but what do you do with one? Or in better terms, how is it used?

I've got two of them, one forged of a 2"D truck axle and the other forged from a pavement breaker, sort of a father and son in terms of size. I have used them for years, and then this year a friend and I turned over my Rathole anvil and ground on the underside of the side shelf. We sharpened one half the width and put a small radius on the other half. The original shelf end was about 5/16" thick. Now i can use the side shelf for fork tines and other hot splits. There is a length factor, though.You might bang a long hot split into the anvil, thus limiting your work. In those cases, I get out the bridge.

A nice drawing of a bridge with dimensions is in Schmirler's "Werk und Werkzeug des Kunstschmieds" on page 56.

Looks like you did a great job finishing up where we left off the other day Ciladog

Thanks Doc, next time bigger hammer bigger tooling and forged in half the time. Like what you said,"it will take what it takes."

Nice job I was there too for the demo. Do I know you?

Yes Tim, you know me.