The idea here is to get a 'functional' anvil as cheaply as possible.  This is just an idea and I am relatively inexperienced(based only off of what I have read), so help me out please; but, I think it seems like a good idea to strap a 2 inch thick (hot rolled) steel plate to a stump and use that as my first anvil.  I know that it is probably wise to just put in the money and get a proper anvil, but let me know what you think some of the drawbacks, or dangers would be.

Best from an aspiring smith

use it on edge so more mass is under the hammer, mostly the area of an anvil you use is about the same size as the face of your hammer.

mass is what you want rather than area

How about a "reed mfg co erie pa" 130lbs vise I found.  Anyone have thoughts or concerns about using this as an anvil, it rings like an anvil and bounces mildly well.

Why run the risk of damaging the vise when a chunk of scrap will work just as well if not better and you can still use the vise as a vise!

Do not use the vise as an anvil as it is too valuable as a vise.

The attaches photo shows a piece of rail road track, a piece of 1/2 in round bar and the hammer face. Lots of room for the hammer to hit the end of the rr track.

Look for anything with a mass of 50 to 100 pounds and solid. Heavier the better. This can be a hydraulic cylinder, a piece of solid steel 4x4 or what ever size is available, a knuckle coupling from a rr car, or what ever is available in YOUR location. The concept is to get the mass under the hammer so stand it on end. Mild steel is find for this as you will be hitting HOT metal which is very soft compared to even mild steel.

Check with a heavy truck shop, a broken semi axle mounted flange up makes an excellent anvil.

Frosty The Lucky.

Also check with road building contractors and suppliers.  I picked up the tool end of a hammer off a back hoe for hauling it off.  The first stop was a dead end but they told me where to go...walked in to the shop told the shop Foreman what I was doing and a week later I had it.  30 pack for the cut. The foreman told me they scrap these all the time.  5 1/2" by 55" plenty of rebound.  

Papy

I have a hundred pound fisher but I'm kind of wanting a bigger anvil and I have some rail road track. But I'm thinking about putting three pieces side by side to make one big surface and instead of building up the webbing with only plates. I might do like I did on the swage block and fill up the underneath cavities with molten aluminum. That would be better than concrete.  I totally agree with taking something like a piece of rail and turning it up on the end. A piece of fork lift blade works good too. 

 I think I could probably use hard surface welding rods on the anvil face of the three rails  and cut one big horn too . I was thinking about making a bickern for the fisher out of rail as well. But yeah I'd rather build my own heavy anvil then pay a 1000 bucks for one! I'm sure you get what you pay for though. I'd just rather keep that money in my pocket...

What is it that you what to make that the 100 pound Fisher anvil will not accomplish?

How much larger anvil do you think you need to accomplish this task?

I'd go looking for an old die block and get a much better anvil than what you are planning to do cheaper...

The fisher is my baby ,it's a fine anvil and I do most of my work on it. I was just kicking the ideal around because I sometimes need to do some serious pounding. If you look at my home made swage block page I threw a picture of the tire hammer that I built and it uses a rail road track anvil and it so far has held up to some serious use. By the way the swage block worked out really great.

If a 100 pound anvil is all that you need than why do they make bigger anvils.. Because their needed for heavier work. If you break the heel or the horn and it does happen who fault is that? My whole thing is you see how much a 300 hundred pound Hay Budden sells for. This is just a work around.