Making my own anvil?

[Steven511]

I was thinking about my anvil-buying choices and was researching welding up my own anvil. I found out that it probably wouldn't hold because the welds wouldn't be strong enough or ductile enough to withstand being beaten on by a hammer. Then I got to thinking about a way to get a stronger weld that I could do at home. This got me thinking about using lead or aluminum for a cast weld that goes all around the top plate, not just the outside edges, like welding would. My idea would be to get a thick 2 inch spring steel top plate, connecting it to a mild steel body via casting aluminum into dovetail joints set in the top plate and the body, and welding around the sides. I think that as long as I preheat the steel, the aluminum would stick enough that it is structurally sound, and because the top plate would be extra thick, it wouldn't matter that the aluminum underneath is so soft. Has anyone tried anything like this? I already have the top plate, and I'm guessing that it would cost me around 20-30$ to buy the scrap steel body and the aluminum, and that would make me something like a 100# anvil.   Can anyone think of some problems that would occur, or know of any easier but still cheap options? Is doing this even possible?

[ThomasPowers]

Just get a larger chunk of solid steel---works much better, faster and cheaper.   Any places that deal with mining/construction equipment near you?  Bulldozers are made up of improvised anvils!

[the iron dwarf]

just weld it over the entire area rather than round the edges

tack a 3/8" square down the length of the top, place on the top plate and weld first on one side then the other until you reach the edges so the entire area is welded