Awrksmokey Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 hello, i have a question about using rr tracks as anvils. i know you are suppoesd to turn the track vertically beccuse of a physics thing i'm still trying to understand, but could you keep the top length shorter than the height and use it like that? i’ll explain it better; lets say a rr track is nine inches high, could you cut it off at eight inches or less long? would that have the same effect as turning the track vertically? thanks, awrkiron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 the idea is to have the mass behind your hammer blows. cutting it shorter would make it near useless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 The issue is that the web in 7/8” thick. So using the rail in the normal head up (or flange up) configuration one experiences a minute amount of flex. This flex absorbers some of the energy that would otherwise go into displacing the hot steel. Buy using the rail in the vertical position you have a solid 1 1/2x3” column. And as every little bit of mass helps, the extra 1” is to your advantage. This is not to say that occasionally the longer face of the rail head can’t be used to advantage, but for straining out a long piece it’s just as easy to hang it down and strike sideways as it is to lay it on top and strike down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 If you have enough rail then certainly cut a short piece for a bench anvil where you won't be doing heavy forging. Just try and find a piece long enough to reach from a solid stand to the height that fits YOU. If you need to straighten, plannish or roll, say a chisel socket or gouge blade, the rail doesn't need to be laid flat, you can do all that vertically, I occasionally use the inside curve between my anvil's feet for a defined curve. If you've ever watched a train pass you've seen how much it flexes under the wheels. It's designed and heat treated to flex and does so under your hammer when laid flat. Not much no, but imagine how much force it takes to make it flex at all. That's how much energy it's absorbing from your blows, force you WANT invested in the work, not the anvil. Make sense? Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awrksmokey Posted July 16, 2018 Author Share Posted July 16, 2018 thanks for the replies! I understand now, thank you for the answers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.