BsnNFrnt Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 Another attempt with better lighting. Please let me know if the stand is more visible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 Impressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 Much better thank you.. She is a beasty.. Nicely done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BsnNFrnt Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 Thank you sir. As an added bonus it’s no problem to cold bend 3’ sections of 5/8” sucker rod in the pritchel hole. I was trying to move it to get some better light and had to upsize my stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goods Posted October 6, 2020 Share Posted October 6, 2020 I don’t think you’re going to worry about that walking around under heavy hammer blows (even with a team of strikers!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeNomad Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 On 10/4/2020 at 1:05 PM, Frosty said: I'm looking forward to pics when you get it done. Frosty The Lucky. Frosty, all finished up. The motor hoist was a good tip, I borrowed this one for a week. Back-saver right there. I quickly forged some straps and lag bolted my anvil to a wooden base. The straps lock in place on the edges of the anvil. I cut the top off a scrap hydraulic tank lowering it to a good working height, saved the top of the tank with the threaded holes to use for accessories and stiffen up the top of the tank. Welded a collar that goes all the way around to hold hammers and tongs out of scrap flat bar. Then filled with around 600 lb of masonry sand so I can adjust height up and down. Gotta say masonry sand is cheap in bulk, like $30 for 1000 lb dropped onto my trailer with a backhoe. Gonna try some forging at wrist height rather than knuckle to see if I prefer taller before piling sand all around this anvil to "lock it in place". I plan to use the bolt at the top to press on a 2x4 to push down on my wood platform since that would be easy. Also I want to wrap use a chain with a stirrup on my anvil for working on some stuff without tongs. Going to try out wrist height for the first time, will see if I prefer that over knuckle height. If I do I think I will make a wood platform to stand on for sledge/drifting holes in hammers. This Soderfors seems to benefit from a magnet on the heel to quiet the ringing. At 800 lb (sand + anvil) I don't think this will be walking around my garage. Material was scrap, so only costs were spray paint, sand and time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frazer Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 The anvil is a beauty and that stand is a beast. I would have used tank instead, but yea. Very nice. I totally know what you mean about needing the magnet. I need one under the heel, one under the horn, and chain around the waist since the magnets tend to move around over time. Once it's buried in sand, I doubt you'll have any issues. Anyway, I like the anvil (and the stand). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 That is very nice indeed. My only concern is that you might find that the width of the tool rack keeping you a bit too far from the anvil (I like to cozy right up to the anvil for finer work). If that does turn out to be the case, you could always remove the rack on your side of the stand and keep it on the other three. Another option is to get so many tools that they no longer fit on the rack and you build a larger, separate one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeNomad Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 Thanks, and that is a very valid point with not standing close enough. When I was making the wood base I cut the base fairly small so I could shift it around in the stand and mounted the anvil off center so the horn overhangs. I have moved the anvil to my "working corner" where I usually stand. If the tool rack ends up being an issue I will zip off 25% of the tool rack to stand closer. I will need to forge a few things on the new set-up and see what is comfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 Remember not to hang hot tongs where you will cozy up to them while working on something else! For a shop stand I prefer to have the tools away from the anvil to get maximum access and use space around it. For a traveling set up keeping your tools close to hand and under your control is generally a good idea. With that size anvil/stand I would assume it's for a shop only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 I like a tong rack close to the forge and a hammer rack close to the right side of the anvil. That means I can grab the right tongs for the workpiece when it comes out of the forge and the right hammer for the job when it's on the anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 When it's just me in the shop I place the hammer I want to use on the anvil. I have a tong rack close to the anvil and forge, it's a bit taller than my other ones as it's used to hold "tongs in use" and I prefer to be "forced" to grab the cold end. (No bending over too!) Hammers and tongs do seem to follow the Pareto Principle; but having the oddball ones to hand sure makes some jobs fast and easy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeNomad Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 1 hour ago, JHCC said: I like a tong rack close to the forge and a hammer rack close to the right side of the anvil. That means I can grab the right tongs for the workpiece when it comes out of the forge and the right hammer for the job when it's on the anvil. 1 hour ago, ThomasPowers said: Remember not to hang hot tongs where you will cozy up to them while working on something else! Good safety tip Thomas, thanks. My practice is to put hot tongs "in use" next to my forge on a cart (aka my old bbq cart) so I always grab the reins. I will move the tongs "in storage" to the far side rack, much better than cluttering my shop table. Having a dedicated stand for tongs and hammers would be nice, I might look into something wall mounted in the future after I redo some electrical for 220V. I have been looking at my layout in the garage to make every inch count as I want to squeeze in a belt grinder somewhere one day. Oh and yes this is a stationary set-up. Previously I had all my hammers on the ground next to my stump and 100 lb anvil. Bending over to swap hammers got tiresome. I change between 3 hammers quite frequently and I could use a few more. I am considering bolting a piece of plate behind the anvil heel to use for a table so I could spread out tools like chisels/stamps/punches/extra hammer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 Wall mount tong rack: Use an old basketball hoop! They turn up at the scrapyard on a regular basis. Hammers; I have gone way past a "few more": 2 of my hammer racks My tong racks are made from steel bases I find at the fleamarket with an old iron/steel wheelbarrow wheel on a piece of pipe mounted to the base. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 I often use more than one hammer or hand tool. Im a leftys so for ease of understanding i put multiple hammers on the far side of my hardy hole. I place them in a pretty specific manner. the working face points inwards, the angle that the handle sits wrt to the face of my anvil matches my reaching hand. I set them this way no matter if im using one or multiple hammers. The only conscious thought is which face and which hammer is next. All else is habit. I do the same with hand held punches or handled struck tools. Multiple hand tools go on the anvil step in the order of use, nearest first. I can sometimes place two struck handled tools on the step as well,,, sometimes not. this organization may seem to be a petty detail, but the truth is it saves time, fumbdidling for tools and droping them. Much of our work becomes habit, so id rather develop a habit that saves time, thus more time to work each heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 great info Anvil. Being organized at the anvil is key to productive work. Instead of looking for things and chasing things around. the old saying strike while the iron is hot.. I'm not a fan of a stand that sticks into my work area. I like the area around the anvil to be clean with no up ends from stands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 I would find the gaps between the stand and anvil to be a problem, when small things would inevitably fall in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 Nice job on the stand Nomad, well done. I didn't realize it was going to be so wide and long or I would've suggested a change. I'd like it a lot more if it were only a LITTLE larger than the anvil's foot, say +1 to 1.5" longer and wider. As it is you can't access the heal except the top. I often work around mine, top, sides and around. For instance making large staple shapes, I insert the stock to the desired depth in the hardy hole and bend it around the heal. This gives me a squared U preform I only need to square the bends and sharpen. I have hammer and tong racks on my anvil stand too but they're much more compact and my stand is MAYBE 1/4" wider and longer than the anvil's foot. I can stand with my toes under the stand as well so I can actually work with my knees almost touching the anvil. Your stand isn't as wide as my old wood block stand and I was never so happy as the day I replaced the block with the steel tripod. I made tong and hammer racks to hang on the rim of my steel tool (now full of . . .stuff) table. This little table is to hold work, tools, etc. close to the anvil and gets taken to demos. The racks on the table and anvil stands clip over the rims. The racks on the anvil stands wedge the anvil into the stand solidly, I driven them in with a hammer. With the racks in, I can lift both anvil and stand with the engine hoist. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeNomad Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 Thanks for all the feedback Frosty, IronDragon, jlp, ThomasPowers. I ended up pushing my anvil right in the corner. In this position my tool rack extends 2" from the foot of the anvil Which seems reasonable, will cut off if it bothers me. I ended up wedging my base in place with 2x6's and shims. Then I put some cross beams under bolts at the front and back to apply downward force to my wooden anvil base. Covered everything with sand. After I did that this anvil became really really quiet and I am pleased with that. It is also very very secure. I might re-make the stand one day as it is over large, I agree. But it works as long as I stand on the "close side". I have enjoyed having an area to put a flux tray and spread out my tools. Maybe I should just get a bigger anvil so I can better utilize my stand better My wife would love that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 Bigger anvil, of course! Why didn't any of us think of that? Enjoy, there's plenty of time to change things as you learn what works for you. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur210 Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 Stand for my 157# Wilkinson Dudley anvil. Legs are 4.5" diameter tubes filled with sand. I will use the handles on each side as hammers and tongs rack, as will as attachement points for bike chain hold down. The short lengths of tubes at the corners will eventually host small remkveable shelves to lay down tools. The underside of the stand is reinforced with welded webbings. The stand weighs a bit over 100# and is rock solid. I laid transparent silicone caulking between the anvil and stand, so no ringing at all. When I need to move it around the shop, I will use a set of snowmobile rollers. Much easier than dragging it around! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Ade Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 The Mr. T. Fuller description on my original post here. (Warning: picture heavy). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 Authur 210.. thats a nice stand. will work great. Brandon Ade. Not sure where to go other than nice job on fabricating it. I like the center mass of the anvil to go directly to the floor/ground. I could see myself tripping over the out riggers and smashing my knees or shins.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 Arthur 210, that is a really nice, neat, functional stand. Well done! Easy to work around, not cluttered. The rollers are a good idea too (if you are on a hard floor). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elmoleaf Posted November 3, 2020 Share Posted November 3, 2020 Got my 80 lb Fisher mounted. My aim was to have the anvil functional quickly, rather than making a big long project out of the log. This is a heavy oak log I’d been saving...was painted with some extra latex paint originally to seal end grain and keep out the moisture /bugs ( last summer I’d had to eradicate some carpenter ants that’d started in on a soft area on one end). I have to move this outside to the lawn whenever I use the forge, so sealing bottom will help keep out water etc. Last week I cut down log end to level it off and got sides trimmed/tapered down to allow close access to the anvil. Top needed some chiseling to fine tune for anvil footprint. Dumped some BLO on fresh cuts to seal, since didnt want to wait for paint to dry and it’ll all get dirty and dinged up soon enough. While it would’ve looked good to strip all the wood down and smooth it out etc, I’d rather spend my time on other stuff. Hold down is a length of spare chain with 4 lag bolts sunk in at a slight angle. Again, nice forged hold downs would look cool, but I really would rather use my time to make some new tongs, as well a proper punch and hot cut. There is also some silicone under the anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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