venusblue Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 So I'm getting an anvil made for me. I decided to go with a traditional late viking setup, something like the picture. I'm mostly planning on doing small jewelry and knives, so that should work, right? I mean I figured that people had been using that type of set up for like 1,000 years, I'm sure I can get by... Anyway my question is, what do I do about a hardie hole in a set up like this? Should I try and make a metal square and bury it into the stump and put hardie tools in that? Anyone have any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 find a piece of grader blade with a nice sq hole in it and mount it over a similar hole in your stump; or if you have small tooling the track plate from a RR can often be found AT THE SCRAP YARD and has sq holes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
venusblue Posted October 4, 2014 Author Share Posted October 4, 2014 Grader blade like from an ice scraper or something like that? I live in Texas so that might be a bit difficult to find, but I'll keep an eye out. You think just any metal I can bend in that shape would be OK? I've been looking for rail road track lately but no luck so far, I need to keep hitting the scrap yards I guess. I still don't have my anvil in or my forge built, but I've been getting stuff ready here and there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Road graders and snow plows are two different animals. I must admit the inset heavy wall, perhaps with a half inch square around the top and inset in a nice stump would be a nice way to have the modern conviniance of hardy tools and the look of somthing ironage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Road graders are well know in Texas; ask any county maintenance shop that has dirt/gravel roads to deal with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Heck, you can buy small grader attachments to tow behind any tractor with a 3 point hitch at any agricultural supplier in the western hemisphere. Anybody who repairs or sells used farm equipment has probably replaced cracked blades and thrown them in the scrap bin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsoldat Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Find a used corner bit from a D-8 the hole will be 1" sq and the cutting edge will be 1 1/4 thick. Most grader blades are 3/4 thick and take a 5/8" bolt. So it works out to a 3/4" sq hole for the plow bolt. The D-8 corner bit could be stood on edge and make a decent anvil as well. I used a piece to make a small bick. It hardened nicely in water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewOC Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Hi venusblue. Last month, for a 'mediaeval faire', I made a similar set up to your picture. For the square-hole-in-a-stump, I drilled a 1 inch hole with a spade bit to the depth of my hardie shank. Then chiselled the corners out to approximately 1" square. The rough square hole deliberately let just the tip of the shank in. Next I heated the shank, and hammered it into the hole- not quite bottoming out. Douse with water. This gives a matched fit and also allows the tool to sink tighter with use. Hope that was what you were after, Regards, Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
venusblue Posted October 6, 2014 Author Share Posted October 6, 2014 Hmmm thank you guys very much for your help. After I get my anvil in I'm going to try out a few of the options you guys mentioned. Thank all of you guys very much, and you can expect some pictures probably around december Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notownkid Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 Same thing with replaced cutting edges on Farm tractor or heavy equipment bucket loaders, skid steers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donnie Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 My suggestion, and I'm not trying be cute here, is to learn to do most things with the hammer. I use a very similar setup. I can no longer move my anvil around thanks arthritis. I use an anvil devil or a hot cut chisel to cut when needed. I use to miss using bottom tooling, but now I don't. Some folks are quite surprised at what can be done with an anvil smaller than my fist and a one pound hammer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 Bottom tooling dosnt need a hardy shank either. Anvil devils being an example. Fullers can be a peice of rod bent into a "Z" so it sets on the face of the anvil and with a small post anvil other tools can have a socket to fit over the anvil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donnie Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 "Socket to fit over the anvil"......genius!! Have you ever heard someone else's idea and wondered why you didn't think of it. I just did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 That, sir is why we are all here. Realy just bent legs or wings would do. Even a 1/4 wire frame. Lots of ways to ad tooling. Think power hammer or treddle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
venusblue Posted October 16, 2014 Author Share Posted October 16, 2014 Those are some pretty good ideas, too. I could probably just grab some angle iron and make fullers out of that, or make something myself. Hmmm really good ideas. All I could see myself using is a chisel type hardy tool, something that I could use an anvil devil for instead actually. I agree too, Donnie, I do need to just start hammering. I'm a bit frustrated because my anvil won't be built until sometime around december, and I think I'm getting a bit too much ahead of myself. I don't want to go out and blow my money on things I won't use, I think I'd be better doing it and buying/building things as needed. I think a socket that fits over my anvil is a good idea, or maybe I can find something in the right general shape and make something like a second stake to use for that, so I can quickly and safely transfer my work between it and the anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 16, 2014 Share Posted October 16, 2014 Honestly if your going to do that, instead of a second stake, i would go back to your ariginal idea, a peice of 1 1/2 heavy wall square tubing set in the stump as a hardy hole. I still suggest sholdering it with a peice of 1/2 square bar. That would give you a hardy hole, that you could hide with the tool. If your tools, or anvil are taperd, you can use them to drift the tubing for a tigter fit. This would alow you to knock down your entire set up, and still have the look. In the mean time you might try sorcing a 1-2" bolt. That will give you an anvil, once the grade stamp is grount off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 16, 2014 Share Posted October 16, 2014 Fastenal lists 1 1/2" bolts for less than $40. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
venusblue Posted October 17, 2014 Author Share Posted October 17, 2014 That's also a really good idea, about the bolt. I'm going to check some of the supply houses for work to see if I can get it for a discount. I've been working a lot of construction lately, I'm sure I can find some old ones laying around in scrap piles. Hmmm I'm going to try and source a nice big bolt tomorrow then. Next I just have to cut up the fallen tree in my back yard for the stump, and get some fire clay for the sink sitting next to the tree... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
venusblue Posted October 17, 2014 Author Share Posted October 17, 2014 How's this bolt look for a potential anvil? Also please ignore the mess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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