I'm going to make my own anvil. I've got a bar of 1-foot diameter 1144 chopped up into decent-sized pieces, and some other high-carbon steel in similar sized pieces. My dad already made an anvil out of one of the 1144 pieces, but that design is kind of weird and it's currently someplace where I'm not. It works pretty well, for what it's worth.

So, here's the deal. I can toss the 1144 or HC into a 4-axis horizontal machining center to make nearly any shape I want. (Alternatively, I can weld a piece of HC onto a base of mild steel, etc.) Is there anything I should specifically add, or any feature on an anvil you'd love to have that most anvils don't have? My current plan is to make a normal-shaped anvil plus a hardy hole, because I don't know much about anvil design.

Also, is there a shape that will reduce the amount of noise caused by hitting the anvil? I can't cast my own metal, unfortunately; only machine it.


Thanks.

The shape depends on what you'll use it for most. Here's a thread that will get you started on ideas!!!!

If you want to get a really quiet anvil, you'll have to sacrifice the horn- that's what gives it the ring.

Since anvils have not looked like London pattern anvils for 2000 years and like london pattern anvils only in a small area of the world for about 200 years. What do you consider a "Normal shaped anvil"?

Anyway I would go with a double horned---one round and the other sq cross section with 2 hardy holes with no waist.

As for ring: a really positive system of holding the anvil to a stump will kill the ring quite nicely.

If you are machining it check out this thread http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/14549-fabricated-anvil/page__hl__omniversal

Thanks everyone. The suggested threads were a lot of help. I do want a horn, but I also want it to be quiet, so I'm thinking about putting in at least one dovetail horn for the times when I need it, with an 8-degree or so taper to keep it rigid...although pounding in a tapered 8-degree dovetail with a hammer might mean it never comes back out . I'll have a hardy hole, of course, but only one. (I measured my material and discovered it's only 9-inches diameter.)

Edit: I have an awesome stump, so maybe the ring isn't too much of a problem. But putting horns on an anvil with only 9-inch stock will be tough, so I'm still considering the dovetails.

I would not suggest dovetailing---lots of machining for a sub optimal design.

When I was given a "cube" anvil (as has been used from at least Roman times through modern times---cf rant above) and wanted a "horn" for it, I made a stake anvil from an old RR spike driving sledge hammer head. I forged a shaft and tenonned it to fit in the eye of the sledge head and then rivited it hot to make a solid joint from it. I don't recall it being very loud as the riveted joint cuts down on resonance quite well.

The horn on the London-pattern anvil was for convenience, not necessarily because it was a great idea. In today's world, a cubic anvil or post anvil is absolutely wonderful because most people can move over to the vice when they need to use a cone or bick for that 1% of their work. A small cone hardy can be bought for pennies compared to milling one into a large hunk of steel to acquire that typical london-style anvil.