Robotick Posted July 20, 2018 Share Posted July 20, 2018 Hello, I'm just started pounding metal a few weeks ago. Up now, I used rocks as anvil until they cracked. Today, I found a chunk of steel plate thats about 6 inch long, 3 inch wide and 3/4 inch thick. I intend to secure it to a log and use it as my anvil. What are the best way to mount it? Should I just try to drill a hole in it and bolt it to the log? Also, is spruce log good enough or should I try to find something else. I only have spruce and aspen on my property. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Hammer Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 Robo - I see nobody responded to this. I'd suggest you read this thread: Lots of improvised anvils like what you have and it'll show you how many of them were secured. I have a square chunk of steel that I use as a flatter station and this is a picture of how I mounted it with 2 brackets, routered out the top of the post and secured it with silicone to stop the ringing. I made the brackets - nothing fancy just quick and dirty to hold it in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanglediver Posted July 26, 2018 Share Posted July 26, 2018 A piece of steel that is 3"x 6"x 3/4" may seem heavy, but when it comes to moving hot metal, too much mass below your hammer is just right. A big sledge hammer clamped down tight makes a good improvised anvil. Edit:- but as for mounting a piece of plate like that, I'ld hollow out a log for it to nest in. But I am sure you will come to find that there are much better options out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eventlessbox Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 On 7/25/2018 at 11:45 PM, tanglediver said: A big sledge hammer clamped down tight makes a good improvised anvil. Very new to the craft. I keep seeing post mentioning using a sledge hammer head as a make shift anvil. How big would the sledge head have to be to work for this application. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HojPoj Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 As big as you can get, but I used an 8-pounder since it's what I had. I ended up taking a bit off the flanks so I could work some bends/corners a little easier. It works well enough for starting out. As Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 I keep stumbling over 16# sledges at the fleamarket. What did the hoarder leave you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HojPoj Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 Maybe you should be more careful when walking around there, TP! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 Why I wear combat boots...I'm more worried about all the dealers with axes with the sharp end pointing toward the aisle and the handle up against their table; kids run around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eventlessbox Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 Thank you. I had the handle fall off a 12lb sledge that was in one of the piles of tools. He left me everything from entire cases of shower curtains, to a full workshop with many of the tools I could think of wanting(drill press, a miter saw, a wood lath capable of handling 36" stock, hand tools galore, etc) a 50 year old tractor. Two old motorcycles that are missing parts. The list keeps growing as I go through the various buildings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 HojPoj's sledge head mount is as nice as they come though I'd probably use a heavier strap to anchor it. Something I could run a couple lag screws through and really cinch it down. A sledge head mounted in a similar manner is all the anvil traveling blacksmiths used for I don't know how long and many still do. There is a video of a Japanese master swordsmith forging highly desired swords on a block of steel about that size. Your anvil really only needs to be a little bit larger than your hammer head. If you watch some videos of 3rd. world and the Japanese smiths working do ONE thing differently. Mount yours at a comfortable height to work at standing up or sitting in a wheel chair. Correct height is more important than size. Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave51B Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 2 hours ago, Eventlessbox said: a 50 year old tractor Ok....more details please. Just happens to be another obsession of mine....... Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eventlessbox Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 It's a kubota L305. Beat up quite a bit. And yet I'm sure with just a bit of work it will probably outperform a lot of newer models. Not that I have any use for it. Hoping to sell it to cover probate costs for the estate. For correct height am I looking for my hammer to strike flat if I'm swinging it naturally? I'm building the mount this weekend. And will be using some 4x4s in a manner similar to one I saw in another thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 Yes, that is correct. If you put a board (say 1/2" thick) on your anvil and hit it with a natural swing, the hammer should leave a circular dent. If the anvil is too low, you'll get a crescent with the curved side away from you. If the anvil is too high, you'll get a crescent with the curved side toward from you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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