Anvil Stand

[BigBlackJK]

So I have a 183# Peter Wright that I am in the tedious process of restoring and am in need of anvil stand advice. I do not have a supply of hardwood logs here in Atlanta and really don't have the money to build one out of 6x6 posts or out of steel. I do have several 21" diameter (layed flat) cable spools. I could build them up to the 31" I need with 2x4s. What do y'all think? Will that hold for awhile until I am able to get a proper base?

[VaughnT]

Cut offs from the local constructions sites is a great idea.  Back when I was a utilities locator, I could regularly fill my truck with good lengths of wood, including tons of pressure-treated stuff left over from building decks and the like.  If it's in the dumpster on the curb, it's free to you and the construction companies don't mind a bit because they have to pay to have that stuff removed.  

I once picked up twenty feet of 6x6, pressure treated and in 30" lengths.  Still have a bunch of them and have used them to make one anvil stand.  Some of the others will become the base for a grinder stand.

It doesn't take much lumber to make a stand that's stable.  The key is that it doesn't wobble.  You need just enough timber to match the size of the anvil's base.  Then around the bottom you can layer more timbers to create a wide base that doesn't flop around on you.  The important part is having a straight line from the anvil to the ground.  Once you've got that column established, what you do around the base to make the thing more stable is open to your imagination.  You could even set the whole thing in a wide form and fill it with concrete.

Those spools might work if you take them apart and use the straight pieces from the middle where the wire is spooled up.  Screw and nail the into a block, then screw/nail several blocks together so the end grain is pointing up.  Next thing you know, you've got a stump!

Or, use the center portion as a form so you can backfill it with sand and put a plank on top.  Lots of people use steel tubing filled with sand because it deadens some of the ring and makes for easy transport if they ever move.

[BigBlackJK]

Thanks for the advice. A former customer of mine responded back and he is letting me get as much used hardwood lagging from a tank install I did. 5'x8"x4" solid oak!! Will probably get some extra for woodworking projects too!!