i do some part time work @ a John Deere dealership & have hauled a couple 6-8inch by 3ft axle shafts to the scrap dumpster. ya think they would be ok to use? (i can get them for scrap price) i dont do anything real big just railroad spikes & twisted barbed wire knife blades. the anvil i have now is a piece of RR track & i dont like it.

A piece of axle shaft like that would need to be used on end to be effective as an anvil. For that matter your RR track anvil might also be put to better use if turned on end.

But heck yeah, I think a tractor axle should make a fine anvil. And at scrap prices I'd sure grab a few.

Yea, I'd grab a handful of those axles for scrap price and then sell them to local smiths for a fair profit margin. A 6" dia. anvil face is more than enough for making a blade, and all the mass is right under the hammer!

All you'd have to do is build a box or framework to hold the axle steady so it doesn't wiggle or fall over while you're hammering. That would be a breeze!

if you could. i would suggest trying to find a longer axle(bout 4 foot) then bury the one end a foot in the ground. it would make a great anvil/anvil-stand. i doubt it would move. my rule of thumb when you have an anvil on the stand, it needs to be where your arm can be at your side and your hand balled up in a fist, it should be about 2inches shorter than that. hope you found this helpful. best of luck.

You want to grab a passle of them to use as anvils for treadle hammers!

I once bought 4 pieces a bit longer like that for scrap and then sold two of them to other smiths for double what I paid and so got my two treadle anvils *free* and gave one to a friend.

6x36" is about 288 pounds of steel, a fine anvil for a 25# treadle hammer (at 10+ to 1)---why are then not in your possession already!
8x36" is 513 pounds of steel, a fine anvil for a 50# treadle hammer (at 10+ to 1)

Ask around to other smiths those are *gold* for post anvils and other heavy hitting uses!

got one home & no problem on the stand as the ones that they scrap usually have the wheel housing(BIG HEAVY PLATE) with. all i had to do is adjust the axle length (turn a bolt on the side) & weld it solid. thanks for the height info it made finding a comfortable height alot easier

Krisfaeth when you have the time can you put up a photo of this we have three John Deere tractors we bring in to get serviced at our local dealer and i am thinking the next time i am drive the bucket tractor over i might see about getting permission to take a dip in the scrap pile
and i would like to see what to look for