D H B Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 I've shown my work-in-progress for the floor-side of my new anvil stand, but I'm at a loss how to level the portion facing the anvil. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D H B Posted April 28, 2015 Author Share Posted April 28, 2015 I should mention; I don't have a belt sander, router, or anything much more significant than battery-powered saw-and-drill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 (edited) You WANT to be a blacksmith, so the first project needs to be a wood chisel to make the ends of the stand parallel. Use the hammer and new wood chisel to remove any excess wood and you should be able to carve out the stand to level in short order.Using a square mark the top at 90 degrees to the side of the stand. Remove any material if needed and make it 90 degrees.Using a square mark the bottom at 90 degrees to the side of the stand. Remove any material if needed and make it 90 degrees.Level a piece of plywood on the floor. Place the stand top down on the plywood. The 4 sections of the bottom of the stand should be level. If not make them level. Problem half solved.Flip it over and place the anvil on the stand. Now level the face of the anvil if needed.You can make a square using the 3-4-5 numbers, that is one side 3, one side 4, and the hypotenuse 5. Use the same measure for each number. If the stand is 12 inches wide, divide 12 by 4 to get the 1/4 (3 inches in this example) as the unit measure. Then it is simple to multiply the unit measure (3 inches) by 3 to get one side at 9 inches. Multiple the unit measure (3 inches) by 4 to get one side at 12 inches. Multiple the unit measure (3 inches) by 5 to get the hypotenuse at 15 inches. Lock in all the sides so they do not move. If you have a known flat surface such as a piece of plywood, you can put carbon paper (did I really say that) on the 4 bottom sections and wiggle the plywood a bit to leave an impression where any high spots are located. Heavy grit sand paper is a good way to take off wood fast. Wrap the sand paper around a board to keep the paper flat and not to introduce a curve to the wood being sanded.Remember that you want the finished anvil face at the proper working height for you. As you remove material from the stand you lower the stand. Finish the project by nailing a couple of crescent shaped pieces of wood on either side of the anvil so it does not wiggle or fall off the stand. Edited April 29, 2015 by Glenn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FoxFire Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 Are you trying to level it or make your anvil sits without wobbling? If the face of my anvil is even close to level it's purely by luck. When I set an anvil my eyeballs are my level and my biggest concern is does it wobble. And don't forget that there's no point in making the stand level if the face of your anvil isn't parallel to the bottom of your anvil. Wasted a lot of time once getting my stump perfect only to have the face be way off. That's when I realized I was over thinking it and stopped using a level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frozenforge Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 Glenn your making me feel old. It would not surprise me if DHB doesnt know what Carbon paper even is! No offense intended! I dont recall seeing any in daily use in the last 20 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 Close is good enough. Using a square to scribe all 4 sides, a skill saw to cut just over 1/2 way threw all 4 sides and then a bit if touch up with a rasp or chisel will do. Might i suggest taking the inside half (diagonal) off your "feet" or at least the inside corner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D H B Posted May 1, 2015 Author Share Posted May 1, 2015 I have a close-enough solution for now. No wobble, MUCH quieter, and should last while I continue to figure out what I'm doing.... Thanks for all the friendly advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FoxFire Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Looks good to me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 Glenn, Glenn, Glenn... You are going to have to explain carbon paper to most of these younger guys. Try to do that with out using complicated new terms like "typewriter" or "pen" and "pencil" please, so as not to overload them with all sorts of unfamiliar items at the same time... As far as the OP, that works well. If you have a 4 1/2" grinder, a flex back sanding disk can make short work or wood with a course grit sanding pad. Even better is a bigger 7" sanding disk. Getting things truly "flat" takes a bit of practice, but it's not impossible. Most people who work in metal need at least one 4 1/2" grinder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D H B Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share Posted May 4, 2015 (edited) I've got the 4.5" grinder ( Harbor Freight special for a one-off project a couple of years ago ).Just learned about flex back sanding disks based on your post here. Hurray! I used a flap wheel for the rough leveling I needed to attach that chunk of 2x12.And no guff out of you boys, or I'll make you run the ditto machine with the door shut Edited May 4, 2015 by D H B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 4/12" grinders are a necessity if you work in steel. I've probably got close to 8-10 loaded with different wheels, sanding grits, zip wheels or wire brushes, so I can quickly change from cutting with a zip wheel to grinding with a grinding wheel, to doing finish work with a sanding disk or flex pad or wire wheel. I like the flex backed disks for rough stock removal and flap wheels for finish work. If I stick weld or use FC wire, a knotted wire wheel on the grinder is pretty much mandatory. My 2 7" grinders, one has a flex back disk on full time and the other a hard wheel. Both for heavy stock removal. I've even got a monster cup brush for it for stripping paint/rust off large flat surfaces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 (edited) Carbon Paperis a thin paper coated or faced on one side with a waxy pigmented coating so that when placed between two sheets of paper the pressure of writing or typing on the top sheet causes transfer of pigment to the bottom sheet.In this case it would be placed on the leg with a flat surface then placed on top of the carbon paper. A little pressure and a wiggle and the carbon paper would transfer to the high points of the leg. You would then know where to remove material to make things level. Dentists today use carbon paper for determining a bite alignment between teeth. There are many items from days gone by that are still useful in the 21 century. You just need to find someone born in the 20th century to explain them to you. (grin) Edited May 4, 2015 by Glenn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 (edited) Well done! LOL Edited May 4, 2015 by DSW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Ever write an email and send it to a second person by clicking on CC ?Carbon Copy LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D H B Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share Posted May 4, 2015 And no guff out of you boys, or I'll make you run the ditto machine with the door shut Ditto Machine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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