Show me your anvil stands

[Jaegers Forge and Foundry]

about 3-4 inches

10 hours ago, BartW said:

Nice stand. What I would do with that stand is this :

1. fill the feet with stuff, reinforce the plate, weld a T close to the ground to prevent the feet from splitting apart, add feet under the square tubing of sufficient height.

Thanks I'm planning on adding a thicker plate at the top and the bottom, and yes I do plan on adding a t under the stand using angle iron or something

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Is that 3-4 inches to your wrist or knuckles? I would try and use it after putting a heavier plate on top for the anvil to sit on and go from there.

[BartW]

for that difference; I'd cut sections of tubing and extend the feet. It's always fun (for me) to stick stuff back together with a stickwelder.  and then the rest of my suggestions

[JHCC]

Agreed. 

[BartW]

You could also weld a large triangle under it, and weld 3 or 4 inch feet under that. This takes care of the T-reinforcement all at once

[Jaegers Forge and Foundry]

Okay good to know thanks for all the suggestions I'll look for thicker plate but I wonder I have more of the same thickness plate I have on currently would I be able to stack/layer it 

and yes 3-4 inches below my knuckles 

I did run out of square tubing but I so have some 2 inch diameter steel pipe that I could use as feet but the only trouble with this is cutting it 90 degrees as I don't have a chop saw but I have ideas

[ThomasPowers]

Depending on what you will be doing; knuckle height is too low.  For things like precision smithing:  knives, bottle openers, animal heads; wrist height is a better one---keeps you from bending over so much!  Knuckle was the height when smiths used strikers and top tooling and sledges---which few of us do; yet folks still quote the "proper height" from those days! 

However it does vary from person to person.  As one person has said: "Start low and raise it bit by bit until your back stops hurting at the end of the day!"  (If you already have back issue you may not want to go that route!)

[Jaegers Forge and Foundry]

I've also heard the leg test to see if you can put a bar of stock between your legs and keep it at a good height. My old stand was knuckle height and I've found it worked, but thank you! that's some interesting history behind the reason we keep it at knuckle height. 

[ThomasPowers]

Lots of "urban myths" about blacksmithing out there; leading people to assume that previous generations of blacksmiths must have been using the same materials and doing the same things as we do nowadays. For example "Coal is the traditional Blacksmithing fuel."  Unfortunately charcoal has been in continuous use for about 3 times LONGER than coal. And anyone who has worked with real Wrought Iron knows that if you treat it like mild steel you probably not be happy with the results, (Mild steel, known as Bessemer Steel in the late 19th century dates back to 1856, or slightly earlier if you are in the Kelly camp and was used in parallel with real WI pretty much until the great depression of the 1930's.)

[George N. M.]

I have always heard that the knuckle/wrist height is only an approximation for the best anvil height and that the real measurement is what height places the anvil face and the hammer face parallel when you are in your striking stance and hitting downward on the anvil.  If you place a piece of wood or lead or copper on the anvil and strike it you can tell if you need to adjust up or down from the mark you have made in your target material.  If you make a semi-circular mark with the front of the face of the hammer (the part furthest away from you) the anvil is a bit low.  If you have a semi-circular mark from the heel of the hammer (the part of the face closest to you) the anvil is a bit high.  If the mark is circular you have the right height.

This is all theoretical and IMO does not work for everyone because of physical differences.  I may stand with a wider stance or square my body up to the anvil at a different angle than someone else.  I suppose that we adjust a bit to what ever is familiar for us.  In the end it is what is most comfortable on our bodies and what allows for the most efficient and best work.

Individual results will vary.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

[ThomasPowers]

WHAT HE SAID!   There is no "one size fits all"

  Knowing that you need to experiment and find out what works best for you and what you do and how you do it is the true secret to anvil height!  (And it may change over the years!)   I have anvils at various heights as I teach some and do NOT force my students to all work at *my* anvil height. With students ranging from 6'4" to 5' (and under!) It's nice to have a range of stand sizes  Handy too; for when we are striking on heavy stock---go low or doing delicate chisel work---go high.

[BartW]

Welded steel tripod for the 150 kilo/ 330 pound skoda.

Half inch baseplate out of steel; 2.5 inch thick wall square tube legs at 14° angle, filled with dry sand and ash. I reinforced the baseplate; and the anvil is screwed down with 4 M16 bolts. there's a leather liner inbetween the stand and the anvil.

it's more quiet than the original wooden stand.  I love it. The picture is strange, it looks like the legs too straight down, but the wooden base was narrower.

[Jobtiel1]

This is my anvil stand in my small shop, on the left side I have a wooden shoe full of punches and drifts, and to the left I have a wooden shoe with currently my handheld hot cut and hammer eye drift, but those are going to get different places as soon as I have the stock again to make a second rack. Also a hook for the block brush.

On the back I have a ring rack, as well as a small mild steel cutting plate so I don't damage my anvil.

~Jobtiel

[JHCC]

And today's prize for "Most Dutch Anvil Stand" goes to....

[Jobtiel1]

JHCC Thanks! It's not even my idea, I picked up the wooden shoes idea from other Dutch blacksmiths, so it might be our national gimmick in terms of blacksmithing.

[ThomasPowers]

Can you send videos of picking up the stump and anvil and holding them upside down and shacking them to get the scale out of the shoes?  (Or is that only the Frisians?)

[Jobtiel1]

Thomas, I don't think that'll be necessary (luckily), the wooden shoes are quite easy to get off the stump. Would be hilarious to have some friends try doing that when they come over to be my minions.

[ThomasPowers]

Always good to have some "minion tasks" on hand for when they visit... 

[Frosty]

I like your wooden shoeL holders but isn't tempting the gods to have your tools to grow feet and walk off?

Frosty The Lucky.

[Jobtiel1]

Hi Frosty, I guess it is, the tools don't always come back home, especially drifts get lost sometimes.

[JHCC]

Old punches never get lost. They only drift away....

[Will Brouwers]

After reading almost every post and getting so many different ideas on an anvil stand, I decided to go with a style copied from Essential Craftsman on YouTube, (and maybe some of you as well). I drilled four 1/2 in holes, took 1/2 in threaded rod, and two pieces of flat stock and bolted it all together. The stump is a little small, and I am also a little worried about it splitting, but I think it should work for my hobbying purposes. 

 

I am also planning on cutting the excess threaded rod. One more thing, just to make you guys laugh, but I got the auger stuck two times. I had to take a crescent wrench and wiggle it back and forth for an hour on one side, and had to drill holes to loosen the bit on the other side where I got it stuck. Nothing is ever easy... 

[Chris Williams]

I see that the nuts aren't tightened down on the lower ends yet. Save yourself the effort now and put some thick washers between the nut and the wood. If it were mine, I would use a forstner or spade bit to make a flat spot for the washer to sit in. It's hard to keep the spade bit centered when there is a hole already, though--you could tap a wooden plug into the hole to give the center point something to bite into, if needed. The nut by itself will dig into the stump when you tighten it down. It may work great and seat into the wood, or it may eventually be the cause of a split as you tighten it up over time as the nut keeps digging more into the stump during use. If you use a washer, the wood will compress some, but it shouldn't continue digging deeper over time. 

[Frosty]

That'll hold her down Will. I highly suggest you counter sink the shin barkers so they're completely inside the block. 

That's a long way to drill with an auger, you need to advance it an inch or so and pull it back to clear the cuttings. It's a driller thing. 

Looking good, a wider block will show up and I like wood screws for that type anchor.

Frosty The Lucky.

[BartW]

or make angled thick washers to distribute the pressure. Now all pressure will be pointed upwards and attempt to shear / split the wood. Like a knife trying to cut a piece wood off. But this will hold an anvil down fairly effecient.