customcutter Posted August 27, 2017 Share Posted August 27, 2017 I'm just getting started and I got a nice 185# PW anvil a few weeks ago. I contacted a friend in the tree removal business and told him I wanted a piece of oak to use to mount the anvil on and he said the next live oak he got, that he would contact me. He explained that live oak was more rot resistant than the other oak species in our area. Since then we had 3 large cedar trees blown over at our church. We removed them ourselves and milled most of it into lumber however there is a piece that's to short to mill that could be used for an anvil mount. At first I was thinking it might be too soft, and I might loose some of the benefit of a harder material. However, I think hitting a 185# anvil on top of a stump, it's going to be hard to tell whether it's mounted on soft cedar on the ground, or mounted on steel on top of a concrete floor. Also I know the cedar will be much more rot resistant than any other wood in my area. What are your thoughts? Thanks in advance, Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 27, 2017 Share Posted August 27, 2017 Welcome to IFI! Plenty of folks here use softwood anvil stands, mostly from built up from construction lumber scrap. The most important things are: (1) that the total height of anvil + stand is correct, 2) that your anvil is mounted securely to the stand, and (3) that the stand sit solidly on the ground. Worst case scenario, your cedar stump ends up as practice for your live oak stump. If you're going to have an outdoor shop in Florida, rot-resistance is good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted August 27, 2017 Share Posted August 27, 2017 I would use it and never look back. A benefit would be the nice smell in the shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 27, 2017 Share Posted August 27, 2017 That's true -- especially when a hot piece of steel touches the stump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 And you can carve it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
customcutter Posted August 29, 2017 Author Share Posted August 29, 2017 I looked it over good after Services on Sunday and there is definitely and large piece than can be cut for a stand. So cedar it is. I'll have to get the chain saw running and figure a way to get it loaded in the truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 Cut it into the biggest chunk you can handle (maybe with a friend or two) and make sure it's bigger than you'll need for the stand. Once you get it in the shop, cut it down to the size you need. Use the scraps for other projects or even just to start your forge fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
customcutter Posted August 29, 2017 Author Share Posted August 29, 2017 That's the plan, cut it at least 4-6" longer than needed and trim it once it's home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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