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I Forge Iron

Got rid of the stump...


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Few months ago, I aquired a small collection of blacksmithing hardware, among them a 140-pound Peter Wright that's seen far better days. It came unceremoniously nailed to a large but crookedly-cut and much too short chunk of local Spruce. Nailed- as in large nails driven partway in, and then bent over the feet, sorta-kinda.

Well, besides it being too short, too soft, and too crooked, it made moving the anvil all that much harder. It wasn't secured well enough to move it all with a hand cart, and added just that much more weight and bulk when trying to carry it by hand.

Time, work and prior projects have kept me away from it for a while, but today was such perfect weather to work outside, I told everyone to get stuffed and pencilled in a bit of "me time"- the first since, oh, Thanksgiving, I should think.

Six hours later, I had this:
See attached photo

It's slightly higher than the recommended "closed knuckle" height, and the anvil is "padded" with a fitted piece of 1/2" plywood in it's socket, to somewhat dampen the ring.

Rather than making a simple box form, I "cut out" the space between the feet, so I could add in a cross bar to hang tongs, hammers and other bits therein. (The twisty pieces were leftovers from an old project I fiddled with the last time I had access to a forge and an anvil- right about 20 years ago now...)

Last, there's four pair of pins to hang a few hammers right close at hand.

Now, if my Dura-Blanket will just get here... :D

Doc.

3958.attach

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That's one terrific stand you have made there. I recently acquired my first real anvil and I was stuck for a base for it. I had considered making one from steel, too. I would have wound up with something like what you have there.

But I didn't due to cost of materials at the time. Instead I scrounged a big hunk of tree from a neighbour of mine, in fact he gave me 2 hunks. As it turned out I had to rent a chain saw to take down a rouge tree threatening the garage and at the same time I trimmed the hunks of tree so they would stand straight and square. Now I have on stand for the anvil and the other for my bench grinder. Not as elegant as your steel stand, but it works so far for me.

I like the way you cut out the sides of your stand and added the twisty bars. Sort of like handles.

Nice job.

Christopher

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Very nice job on the stand. A few months back, there was a BUILD AN ANVIL STAND Challenge in the monthly projects section. Don't remember if anyone had a stand like yours in there. Yours would have made a nice addition to the contest.

You might check the archives for more inspiration/ideas on getting the most out of an anvil stand.

I like the creative use of the space directly around the base of the anvil. Makes the most-used tools readily available for you. In my case, my setup would benefit from this type stand, as everything I have gets moved outside when I forge.

Keep up the good work.

Aaron aka
keykeeper

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Very nice job on the stand. A few months back, there was a BUILD AN ANVIL STAND Challenge in the monthly projects section. Don't remember if anyone had a stand like yours in there. Yours would have made a nice addition to the contest.


-Just went and looked, and didn't see much in the thread. Is there a place elsewhere that challenge results get posted?

Also, I think the main point of that challenge was the height adjustability. I'd played with that idea here, but decided against it for complexity reasons. In the few times I'd used this when it was on the too-short stump, I felt it in my back within a very short time. It's now some six inches higher than that (roughly wrist level) and while I haven't tried it yet, it does indeed seem to let me stand a bit straighter.

In the future, if I decide I need variable height, I'll probably just have a series of blocks to go under the feet. Say, a 2X4 with a "pocket" for the foot routered in it, for a quick and easy (and cheap) 1-1/2" rise.

I like the creative use of the space directly around the base of the anvil. Makes the most-used tools readily available for you. In my case, my setup would benefit from this type stand, as everything I have gets moved outside when I forge.


-Ditto. I have a decent shop, but it's all car bays on one side, with a small machine shop on the other. I really don't have the space (or really, the need) to dedicate to a full-time indoor forge arrangement, to say nothing of the heat, dust/grit and soot issues.

But I have lots of acreage, open yards, and relatively distant neighbors. I hope to have a setup where I can spend maybe five minutes with a handtruck rolling gear out front, light the (gas) forge, and go to work as soon as it's up to speed.

Doing so in the winter will certainly be an issue, but I'll work something out.

This stand, by the way, lets me slide the anvil onto the lower shelf (on a piece of thin plywood so it doesn't stretch out the mesh) to make it more compact for storage.

Doc.
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Very nice stand!

In my case i've been unable to find a proper stump... so I built my own out of 2x4s laminated into a heavy block. Mine is also a little bit higher than the 'recomended' knuckle high for the face, I find it more comfortable to work on an anvil with a face height at wrist height instead.

http://www.tharkis.com/images/wright.jpg

It's not pretty, but it works, the anvil doesnt dance around, and it's quiet.

I'm going to be putting a metal bar like a towel rack across the front to hang tongs, and some loops on the side to hang hammers. I've got enough space on the other side that I may add some angle iron on the top to hold one of my swage blocks.

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Doc: here's the thread that had several ideas on adjustable anvil stands I was referring to http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f24/contest-design-anvil-stand-1728/

Quite entertaining, I thought.

By the way, if you don't mind, I am going to build a stand using your design, with a locking mechanism for my dinky little 70 pound anvil. Without locking it down, I get some movement when using the horn on bends.

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By the way, if you don't mind, I am going to build a stand using your design, with a locking mechanism for my dinky little 70 pound anvil. Without locking it down, I get some movement when using the horn on bends.


-Don't mind a bit. It's not like I copyrighted the layout. :D

I only took two measurements, and the rest was cut and glued by eye. Sorry, no plans. :D

Doc.
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