here is a 57kg ( about 125 lb ) anvil I made today, first got two blocks of steel from the local scrapyard

 

on top is a part from a mole plough that I will use as a horn.

 

 

deeply veed out the horn and cleaned up the main block then welded them together using 7018 rods, also welded on bottom half

 

there is still a slightly larger base plate to go on yet, height about 325mm ( 13" )

thickness of top block 90mm ( 3 5/8" )

thickness of bottom block 140mm ( 5 5/6" )

 

the table is not hard but it will do for some work and be used by those who may damage a more valuble anvil, I may hardface it later, will try it out this weekend to see how it holds up

When you say "deeply V'd" did you get a full penitration weld, or just a good strong one?

looks like you need a coyote under the base.....we have a gracious plenty of them out here I see them on my way to/from work on a regular basis

the welds did not quite meet in the middle, there is probably no more than 1/4" in the middle of the horn that is over 2" diameter that is not welded


very few coyotes here and even less roadrunners

May not be pretty, but it's interesting. Take it for a test spin yet? How's she handle?

 

(I always rooted for Wile E. myself.......that roadrunner was too smug....)

It looks like you have the weight, but not the stability that will be needed for the anvil.  If it "works" for you, you might want to consider welding the whole thing to a plate of 1" or thicker steel, that is wider than what you have in your base piece.  It will add weight, and keep it from tipping.  Holes pre-drilled will give you the easy ability to bolt it to a log.

there is as stated above another plate to weld on the bottom which will help, the plate is the right size to fit in a stand I have and I will put in a few holes to bolt it down.

the horn on this is hard but the table is not at the moment and I have another pair of blocks for a bigger one today

Oops, missed the line about the base plate.  Am I reading it correctly that this base plate is 13" thick?  If that is correct, that is one beefy plate of steel.

I would guess the height is 13" at the moment without the base plate, see the 3 welding wire rolls in the background for scale.

 

Maybe you find another piece for a upsetting block since you already have a step between the two blocks.

It would add some weight too 

3 times I typed replied but they all failed to post, yes it is about 13" tall,

will get more pictures tomorrow and try it out

we tried it out today after adding a plate to the bottom to increase the area and put it on a stand, it worked well and was quite stable.

The top as expected was not very hard and has hammer marks on it, will see what I can do to make this better later.

iron dwarf

 

Could you post a profile picture of the anvil with the base plate?

Nice job on the anvil!

I did make it too tall but that was the size of the pieces I found.

here are a few measurements for you

 

base 9 1/2 by 8" and 1/2" thick  240 by 200 by 12mm

OA height 13 3/8 340mm

table 3 3/8 by 9" 85 by 230mm

horn 6 1/2 165mm

 

the next one will be shorter and fatter, already have the pieces for it

The face of the anvil may work harden with time.

 

Tall means you have the anvil mass under the hammer.  

 

The next one will be shorter and fatter. If they are the same weight it would be interesting to compare the two anvils.

That's me in the photo making the hook.  The anvil works very well. It sits very solid and still on the stand so no stability problems even though on first sight it may look like it could topple over it most certainly wouldn't.  I did have the same thoughts about the horn as other posters but after using it I am sure my hammer handle will fail long before that weld even notices it's being hit.  It's a great size for a backyard/home forge too.

Just put/make a smaller stand for it. That will lower the hight.

Heat and peen it with an air hammer should help work harden it. I'm guessing it's A36?

i used A36 for the body of my anvil and it was quite hard on the edges where it was cut with the cnc torch

working height is not bad it just looks tall.

next one is quite a bit heavier but a lot shorter, awaiting for the top to be machined and a hardy hole put in it ( I also think it is a harder steel ).

it will probably be a month before that comes back and I may wait till I need to use it to put it together.

 

as a student anvil I am happy with it, there is not much damage that can be done to it that cannot be easily fixed

I think you've shown great enginuity in this build and have overcome the lack of a anvil in your area.
Please post pictures of the stuff you're making on it!

I dont lack an anvil, I own 8 excluding simple blocks and there are another 3 large ones in the shop too.

I like making things and sometimes will need more anvils for others to use.

 

here in the uk we have lots of anvils :)

here are some pictures of the next one, it is bigger and has a long heel, just got the top half back from machining.

it is about 5 1/2" wide and 11 1/2" long before I add the horn, this block is also reasonably hard though I  dont know the grade

it has a big block for the base like the other one but this time it has a 1" hardy hole