HWHII Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 I was having a discussion with a couple of other smiths over what is a better anvil stand. I have two on a stump, another on a three legged steel fabricated stand, then one on a four legged angle iron stand that is tappered, and finally one that is on a wood stand that is made up of pieces laminated together by bolts running through. I have seen a stand made to the shape of the base of the anvil out of steel and filled full of sand with the anvil sitting in the sand, and was thinking about building one of these. Does anyone have one like this and do you like it? What do you all think? What do you have and how do you like it? Some photo's would be nice if you have them. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiack Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 This is one I recently made up. I used one very similar at the Gunter's school and liked it very much. The block is made up of 2x12 bolted together with all thread. The frame bolts to the floor and the anvil and block are cinched down with the chain. The height of the anvil is adjustable by placing wood blocking under the 2x12'. There are tool holders on the sides and back of the frame. I'm sill in the process of getting my shop setup and equipment built so it is not yet bolted down in its final location. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yves Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Sand box is 1/4" plate. Anvil sits on a piece of plywood. I'm very happy with the set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Private Entrance Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Yves, I'm curious about that type of anvil stand. Are there any issues with the plywood and anvil 'settling' into the sand? Do you occasionally have to pull the anvil and the plywood out and kind of reset it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royce unruh Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 yes you do ocasionly have to reset it well mine anyway i used a metal plate to set my anvil on (just cause it was there) heres the link its on this same site it might not be the best ideaout there but its an idea http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/28374-royces-anvil-stand/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KYBOY Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 This 205 pound fisher is setting on a 200 pound stump..The stump is dead level and wider at the bottom than the top..Ive thought about making a metal stand several times but this stump is rock solid so I aint gonna try to fix it now..Works better with a dirt/gravel floor anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 A friend of mine has several anvils on the sand filled fabricated base. He used channel with a section of pipe where the web is. The channel was cut on an angle with the pipe split in half length wise. A 1/4" steel plate is fitted over the sand. They are very solid and haven't settled in 2-3 years of heavy use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 My 125lb Soldorfors is on a spruce block and my 206 Trenton is on a three legged steel stand and I like both fine. I'm probably going to replace the spruce block with a steel stand because it's quieter than wood and there's lots of potential for tool racks. Lastly I can get closer to the anvil on the steel stand which has it's advantages. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yves Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Yves, I'm curious about that type of anvil stand. Are there any issues with the plywood and anvil 'settling' into the sand? Do you occasionally have to pull the anvil and the plywood out and kind of reset it? I had to once or twice. It has been stable for a long time. Being picky, I check the height quite often. After a while, it seems that the sand is packed and will not move. I do not see this settling as an issue. Moving the anvil, I must say, is not a problem for me since I have an overhead moving crane in the smithy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 This is one I recently made up. I used one very similar at the Gunter's school and liked it very much. The block is made up of 2x12 bolted together with all thread. The frame bolts to the floor and the anvil and block are cinched down with the chain. The height of the anvil is adjustable by placing wood blocking under the 2x12'. There are tool holders on the sides and back of the frame. I'm sill in the process of getting my shop setup and equipment built so it is not yet bolted down in its final location. Very nicely done! I have considered framing my stand made from 4 6x6s that are currently just held together with construction adhesive. They've held for 12 years now but I like the metal frame; Makes for nice hammer racks and such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechnicusJoe Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 I have a 300 pound Peddinghaus anvil (older, heavier model) that sits on a nice more or less 200 pound teak block. It's very nice to work with, doesn't matter where or what it stands on, I get very good rebound. I also have a steel stand for my travel anvil, but I tend to take this anvil with me a lot more often as it's very solid and easy to take with me. Next to this teak block I also have an oak block, but nah...... teak will beat it any day of the week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWHII Posted August 12, 2012 Author Share Posted August 12, 2012 Sand box is 1/4" plate. Anvil sits on a piece of plywood. I'm very happy with the set up. yves Thanks for posting this photo! Do you notice any difference with the sand, like with the rebound or ringing of the anvil? My main work anvil is a 385lb Peter Wright. The stump it is on is all dried out and cracked. I had put steel bands around it some time ago but they have even loosened now. The anvil is a real ringer. I have a big magnet on it. It helps but still rings. I am really leaning towards building a sand box stand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judson Yaggy Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Whatever you use as a base, glue down your anvil! Use Sikaflex, 3m 5200, basic silicone, or construction adhesive like PL 400 or Liquid Nails. Once cured any of the above will grab the anvil strongly enough that you won't need any other fastening devices. Also, any adhesive bond will cut down on ringing by at least half. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiack Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Thanks Dodge. Its pretty easy to make up any kind of tool holders with the frame there to weld to. The back has two racks for hardy tools and the right side holds wire brushes and a hot cut. I may add some thing on the front to hold punches and chisels. The thing I like the most about it is the adjustable height. Since I'm still pretty new to this and did not know exactly what height I would be comfortable working I can easily experiment. Since changing heights can be done without much trouble it can be changed to accommodation small or large stock, at this point I'm not really sure how much benefit that will be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yves Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 yves Thanks for posting this photo! Do you notice any difference with the sand, like with the rebound or ringing of the anvil? My main work anvil is a 385lb Peter Wright. The stump it is on is all dried out and cracked. I had put steel bands around it some time ago but they have even loosened now. The anvil is a real ringer. I have a big magnet on it. It helps but still rings. I am really leaning towards building a sand box stand. Being a newfie (first anvil, first anvil stand), I am very happy with the rebound I get. If I miss, which happens, the hammer comes up to attack me, As for the ring, it seems to me pretty well deadened. And when I forge I tend to stick my hip against the anvil and get no ring at all. When I do not touch the anvil, the ring is very acceptable. I do not notice realy. I am thus very happy with the set up I have. I probably ought to attach the anvil to the box. Sometimes when I use the fork and turn some steel, if on the cold side, the anvil does move. But in 2 years, it has not bothered me enough that I would do anything about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01tundra Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 I filled my stand legs with sand, then put 2" Oak blocks between the feet and concrete floor. I put two layers of 30# roofing felt between the anvil base and mounting plate. It's solid as a rock and almost completely killed the ring, I was shocked how much the ring was dampened, it's now just a dull "thud" when struck. I studied all different types of anvil stand designs and tried to incorporate everything I liked from each into this stand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Gaddis Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 That is a very nice clean stand. I even like the wooden blocks since you have decided in NOT bolting it down to the concrete. On this forum therre are many "I have the best idea" persons. In the future after using some others' setup you too may find out that your dream design could be improved upon. But here your design is clean and functional. Besides , with this setup you can get your feet really close up under your work if you want too. Congrats Carry on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01tundra Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 That is a very nice clean stand. I even like the wooden blocks since you have decided in NOT bolting it down to the concrete. On this forum therre are many "I have the best idea" persons. In the future after using some others' setup you too may find out that your dream design could be improved upon. But here your design is clean and functional. Besides , with this setup you can get your feet really close up under your work if you want too. Congrats Carry on Thanks, actually those 3/8" bolts going through the feet are concrete anchors that run through the metal feet, wood blocks, and into the concrete slab. I used 3/8" drop-in anchors with 6" long, 3/8" Grade 8 bolts, so if I decide to move it there will be nothing sticking up to have to cut flush with the slab. Believe me, it's not going anywhere anytime soon. So all-in-all, it's a 155 lb. Hay-Budden anvil clamped to a 150(ish) lb. steel stand that's mechanically fastened to a 5,000 psi, 6" thick reinforced concrete slab ;) . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Watching the Young Smiths and others at ABANA, I noted that the tripod stands that were not tied together with a 'Y' or 'T' or triangle between the feet or legs tended to 'hop' more that those that were a more unified structure. Those were the ones that had to be spiked deep to hold them in place. Granted, I don't know if any of them were sand filled, but don't underestimate the effect of vibration on an unsecured stand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatfudd Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 I've had my anvils mounted on various contraptions over the years. My 240lb HB was mounted on a 20x20in square hardwood block for much of its existence. It was ok but I like to tinker so I made a 3 legged frame with scrap tubing and angle iron just to see if I would like that. It was ok until I got some of the foam rubber matting that you can piece together, that made all the difference. It sort of cushions the stand and sort of glues it to the floor but still allows you to move the anvil if need be. I tosed the wood block and made two more stands for my other anvils, They seem to work great and I have no problem with the bouncing or moving even when I really get to heavy pounding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWHII Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 I filled my stand legs with sand, then put 2" Oak blocks between the feet and concrete floor. I put two layers of 30# roofing felt between the anvil base and mounting plate. It's solid as a rock and almost completely killed the ring, I was shocked how much the ring was dampened, it's now just a dull "thud" when struck. I studied all different types of anvil stand designs and tried to incorporate everything I liked from each into this stand. Filling the legs with sand is a new one for me. Seems like a good idea. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01tundra Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Filling the legs with sand is a new one for me. Seems like a good idea. Thanks I got the idea from somewhere on this awesome site, so it's definitely not a new concept that I came up with. As I was filling the legs with sand, I was tapping on the legs with a brass hammer to settle and pack the sand in as tight as possible, you wouldn't believe how striking the legs went from sounding like a very load church bell to hitting on a dense log as they were filled. So this is a double positive in my opinion......added approximately 20 lbs of mass to my stand and dampened the legs really well, all for a very minimal cost. I drilled 1/2" holes in the metal foot plates and then tapped them with NPT threads, filled with dry sand, then used flush-style plugs with pipe sealant to avoid ever having that "beach" feel in my smitty :D ! I guess now that I really sit back and think about it.......when you consider the sand, two layers of 30# felt between the anvil and base, mechanically clamping the anvil down tightly on each end to the base with preload, the 2" hard wood blocks between the metal feet and concrete slab, and the 3/8" anchors into the concrete slab on all three legs......I guess it's not so much of a miracle that my anvil is very quiet now afterall....talk about overkill......oopsie....it's the stupid "engineer" in me....what can I say :unsure: . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Gaddis Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 It does not take a big experiment to understand what the sand and oils can do to this project. Get your recorder out to capture the noise before and after installing the sand. The noise is reduced a lot. FOR an easy answer take a piece of tubing from around the shop and bang on it with the hammer..not while you are holding it..but propped up somewhere. The report of noise is loud. Now fill that tube with sand and beat on it. Go back to you recorder (iphone, etc) and compare. WOW! Better reduction than 10 feet of chain wrapped around the anvil in some cases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Gaddis Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 It does not take a big experiment to understand what the sand and oils can do to this project. Get your recorder out to capture the noise before and after installing the sand. The noise is reduced a lot. FOR an easy answer take a piece of tubing from around the shop and bang on it with the hammer..not while you are holding it..but propped up somewhere. The report of noise is loud. Now fill that tube with sand and beat on it. Go back to you recorder (iphone, etc) and compare. WOW! Better reduction than 10 feet of chain wrapped around the anvil in some cases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Gaddis Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Sorry for the double post...maybe an administrator can remove one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.