I have been working on some projects. This one is a quick stand for my anvil.

I did not have any large lumber to build from. I did have a few 2 x 4s left over from a different project.

So i used them to build the stand below.

The pic with the anvil is the test fit.

After that pic I dissembled the stand and put it back together with construction adhesive.

The top and bottom have been sanded to remove any high spots. It is very rigid. I need it to be moveable for now.

If it proves to be to light I have thought about filling it with sand.

Any feedback is welcome.

Thanks for looking.

Mel

If you have some more 2"x4"s fill in the space in the middle. If not stack them so as much of the 2"x4" as possible directly under the anvil's heart. As built most of the 2"x4" ends are in the open, not supporting anything. Under the feet is better but even they have flex you want the support under the center when you have this little support.

I'd swap sides with the posts so they better match the anvil base and lay ONE 2"x4" horizontally between them if necessary. That gives you 4, 2"x4"s directly under the center and the ones at a 90* angle will follow the feet. Close and tight makes a more solid stand.

It's not a bad stand it could just be more solid which = better. Keep at it brother we're pulling for you.

Frosty The Lucky.

Hi- I would fill in the gaps between all the side pieces with more wood. I would add four more pieces, two top, two bottom; to the side braces. I think that would add a tad more stability at the base in particular(and be handy for the odd tool hanger)  and  lastly, I would add some sort of banding around the exterior sides, top and bottom, on the side support line again to help keep everything together and tight. As for the anvil, I would fasten it to the stand by your preferred mechanical connection. I suppose you could treat the wood with borax solution(there are threads on here about it) which will help make it more fireproof but not completely. Filling with sand is good, get the sand dry. (1) you will get more in. (2) It wont wet/ rot the wood from inside. Good work.

 

Tom.

20 minutes ago, Frosty said:

If you have some more 2"x4"s fill in the space in the middle. If not stack them so as much of the 2"x4" as possible directly under the anvil's heart. As built most of the 2"x4" ends are in the open, not supporting anything. Under the feet is better but even they have flex you want the support under the center when you have this little support.

I'd swap sides with the posts so they better match the anvil base and lay ONE 2"x4" horizontally between them if necessary. That gives you 4, 2"x4"s directly under the center and the ones at a 90* angle will follow the feet. Close and tight makes a more solid stand.

It's not a bad stand it could just be more solid which = better. Keep at it brother we're pulling for you.

Frosty The Lucky.

Thanks Frosty

The bottom of the anvil seems to be arched and would not contact the center of the stand. Do you mean have the stand higher in the middle to touch the center of the anvil?

As it is the feet set on the 90% join of the legs. I have thought of filling in the gaps between the legs front back and sides like tom has said. Maybe get some ply and box it to make it stronger.

Thanks

Mel

 

No, just suck as much under the center as possible. The center of the foot being sort of hollowed out is the norm. Perhaps just an artefact of manufacture or perhaps to improve stability. A wooden block anvil stand that's had the center hollowed slightly doesn't rock as much under the hammer.

Frosty The Lucky.

It also helps in silencing the anvil if there is good solid contact with the end of the feet.

I was out of good 2x4s. So quick trip to Home Depot. To see if they had any cheep ones.

What I found in the Cull pile was in the first pic.

What is there is a 20 foot 2x12 cut in half and a 8 foot 2x11.

The second pic is the 2x12 cut to the 26" height I need. 

I was able to get 8 lengths out of the 2x12.

May have to abandon one for a large crack. That should not be a problem as the anvil is on a 11x11 footprint.

The cull wood came to $9.87 for both pieces.

So I have changed the stand completely.

Next is to score some all thread and flat steel to reinforce the block.

Thanks for looking!

Mel

What needs reinforcing?

If you need the other lam; glue up the crack and mount it so it's an interior board and the crack is away from the floor (and moisture therein)

5 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said:

What needs reinforcing?

If you need the other lam; glue up the crack and mount it so it's an interior board and the crack is away from the floor (and moisture therein)

Well more like good looking clamps that will stay on the stand.

Mel

build a tool rack around the top that also holds things in place. Ornamental straps.  

I haven't done this on any of my vertical lam anvil stands, just the 3 to 5 through bolts.  (Mainly the bolts used for guardrails with a wooden shaft.  I get damaged ones---bent in an accident---and straighten them cold as they are hot dipped galvanized and they are about the right length for my stands.  Also I get utility pole bolts. (Living near the only scrapyard in our area means that a lot of local items end up there).  I like using the "eye nuts" from utility poles as they are easy to tighten and loosen.  If I'm set up on an uneven area. I've been known to loosen the bolts and pick up and thwap the stand down to conform to the floor and then retighten---a wedge or two at the anvil is easier to work with than trying to wedge it at the floor.

Made some progress today. First pic is of the glue up. the next one is the test fit of the anvil.

The top of the anvil is just below my wrist joint. Just need to find some chain to tie it down to the stand.

Is there some where I can find out what the numbers on the side of the anvil means?

Thanks for looking.

Mel

depends on the brand of the anvil:

Old English anvils are weight stamped in the CWT system: Given 3 or more sets of digits

Leftmost digit x 112 pounds which is a hundredweight

Middle digit x 28 pounds and should only be 0-3 as they are quarter hundredweights

rightmost digit(s) is residual pounds and can only be 0-27 

Note some mistakes in stamping have been documented (like a 4 in the middle position on a CWT anvil.)

Modern English anvils are marked in KG

American anvils are marked in straight pounds.

If you haven't a clue, weigh it and see what's the closest!

Note that some American anvils will have serial numbers on the front foot and some anvils will have the year they were made either in full or abbreviated on them; again it depends on the brand and a previous owner can stamp anything they want to on *their* anvil!

Thomas

Thanks for the info. My anvil is marked 10 22 that would make it 122Lbs.

Seem about right. I lifted it a couple of times today and am glad to have stopped.

Mel

1 x 112 + 0 x 28 + 22 = 134 pounds not 122

Of course anvils when weighed on calibrated scales nowadays are often off by a few pounds when compared to their original stamped weight.

Well my math sucks!

 

Thanks!

I have an American made anvil that through anvil abuse has lost it's markings. I've been thinking of chiseling a weight stamp on it in CWT and coming up with a Bogus name just to throw a monkey wrench in a future owners expectations. (I believe it is a 410# Trenton...that suffered at a copper mine in Arizona)

Not much done today. Did get 14 feet of chain. I will use some to mount the anvil and wrap the rest around the anvil to dampen the ring.

The best part was it was on sale at Harbor Fright for $19.99. I was at the hardware store later and the same 3/8" chain was $3.99 a foot.

Without the hooks on the end.

Mel

Thomas, you should mark that anvil 'Hey Buddy!' and 'Crooklyn, Noo Yawk'.

2 hours ago, John McPherson said:

Thomas, you should mark that anvil 'Hey Buddy!' and 'Crooklyn, Noo Yawk'.

The weight is measured in the "Fuggedaboutit!" system.

Anything over 880,000 grams is a "Leaveright Legless Deluxe."

Frosty The Lucky.

Hmmm perhaps weight stamped in Nano-CWTs, but I don't know if I have enough room on it for all the numbers.  I know: Carats and use scientific notation...or Troy Weight---measured in milli-wooden horses of course!

I could mock up a brass  Proprietary Tag for it too...

17 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said:

Troy Weight---measured in milli-wooden horses of course!

Reminds me of the contention that the basic unit of beauty should be the "Helen", the face that launched a thousand ships. Thus, a "millihelen" would be a face that would launch one ship.

Okay, we can measure beauty in Helens, makes sense. It reminds me of a freebie audio book I downloaded on my Kindle which did it's job and hooked me on the author. "Tom Stranger, Interdimensional Insurance Agent" by Larry Correia. In it he introduced me to the scale used to measure a person's toughness. Standing there buck naked the average person has a .4 on the Bear Grylls scale, Tom Stranger has a BG of 248 and change. The average person can withstand the damage it would require to kill 0.4 Bear Grylls. To be a good interdimensional insurance adjuster a person shouldn't be less than a BG of 35 or the amount of damage required to kill 35 Bear Grylls.

From personal experience I believe I'm pretty close to a BG 1 maybe a 1.5!! 

If I was any good at chainsaw carving I'd carve a wood block into a Bear Grylls bust and sell it for an almost indestructible anvil stand!

Frosty The Lucky.

Frost *please* stay away from chainsaws and black birches, you know they have your number!

I have a more difficult task; I should avoid concrete floors...

Frosty

He is a good author. I found him years ago on a forum where he was posting his work as a serial before he got picked up by Baen books.

That story became Dead Six. I do like his Monster Hunter series.

To provide a update. I did some more sanding to the stand top and bottom.

I appears that my anvil has some wear on the feet it rocks some.

I read that some have been using silicon to mount there anvil. How has that worked out?

As you can see from the photo I wrapped the chain around the anvil. Wow that worked a treat.

The ring is bearable. Not painful now.

Thanks for looking.

Mel