Anvil Stand Upsetting Block addition???

[GrumpyBiker]

As I'm finishing up the mounting of my anvil & it's base I was wondering if anyone has added an upsetting block to their anvil base.

If so what is the thinnest you would consider usable?

Anyone have photos of their set up?

 

Arrow indicates where I'm interested in installing one.

 

 

[MC Hammer]

You know, that's a dang good idea Grumpy!  I'm getting ready to get a stump level to mount a Fisher on and I hadn't thought about that but I like the idea a lot so I think I'm going to steel it.

[GrumpyBiker]

I was wondering if I could make a stake style upsetting block out of this 3"x3" piece of RR track by cutting off the flat bottom & shaping it into a stake.

Then driving it into the Anvil base.

 

Opinions ? 

 

 

 

 

[FlatLiner]

I was going to do something similar. I was going to use a sledgehammer head instead of a piece of track. I would assume that your plan would be fine.

[Glenn]

You may want to use a short piece of pipe on top of the upsetting block to keep things straight.

[MC Hammer]

I'm more thinking about a solid bock of steel cut to fit with counter sunk lags holding it in.  The lags may not be necessary if the fit is tight enough and a router is used to sink it into the wood stand.  For good measure some clear silicone could even be used to dampen the sound and keep it in place.

[anvil]

Put it on the ground, not your stand.

I use a 6" dia round of mild steel x 4" thick  buried flush with my floor and inbetween the feet.

You will tear up your stand.

[GrumpyBiker]

That would be fine if I had a dirt floor or my shop was only used for Blacksmithing.

Space is a premium in my wood shop so if I can have max use out of my work stations that's best .

 

I'll not be doing work with large diameter stock.

If it's not doable I'm interested in hearing your opinions as well.

You guys have more experience with this work than I do but please understand I have plan or desire to Blacksmith as a primary hobby.

Its just a supplement to my woodworking.

 

[Daswulf]

Grumpy, i think your idea will work fine with just a short spike needed. After all its just small stock. I just use my anvil to upset " shorter" pieces but if I have long stock I do have a thicker plate I use on the floor. It can be put away somewhere when not in use. 

[anvil]

I should have been more clear.

Most of your upseting will be done on your anvil face.

If your piece is too big/tall to upset on your anvil, put something on the ground and do it there. 

If you drive anything into that nice piece of 4"x4" endgrain, then your upseting will split that pretty finished wood right out.

[MotoMike]

I do a fair amount of upsetting in the vice. 

 

[ausfire]

Me, too.  All of my snake heads are upset in the vice. Just can't keep 'em straight on the anvil face.

[JustAnotherViking]

Most of my upsetting is done in the kitchen. Apparently wiping my hands on the curtains is not acceptable just because there wasn't a towel handy.

[stevomiller]

A thought:

if you can cap your wood anvil stand with a piece of 1/2” -1” steel plate, you could then either weld your upsetting block to it, or tap blind holes and screw it from the underside.

If your upsetting block mimics the side profile of your anvil and fit between the feet the whole thing will be tidy and very robust. The weight of the anvil on the plate, especially if siliconed and bolted to it, and the plate lag bolted to the wood, it would be the next best thing to an integral block.

As for upsetting on the ground that’s great for long pieces, and short pieces are fine on the anvil face. 

None of my anvils have upsetting blocks but there are times they would have been very handy , I believe, for those inbetweener sized pieces.

[Glenn]

Upsetting blocks need to be located where they can be used. Top of the anvil, vise, bottom of the anvil, floor etc. I have seen Bruce Wilcock use the anvil portion of his power hammer to horizontally upset large stock supported by a chain hoist.

Then there are the mechanical and hydraulic upsetters that are more for production work. 

 

 

[ThomasPowers]

I've used the vertical face behind the cutting step to upset with before.  To work efficiently you need MASS!

[Frosty]

11 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

To work efficiently you need MASS!

Pray tell?

Frosty The Lucky.

[jlpservicesinc]

I use several different blocks.. for the floor i have a  12" X 5" thick piece of cuttoff round stock..  I also have the upsetting block on the anvil.. I also have the anvil face.. And the vise.. and 2 swage blocks and also 2 tire/axle upsetters.. 

Each block or useful area is used for different lengths of stock and for each type or operation of upsetting..   Is the piece being hit with the hammer or dropped also plays into which one gets used.. 

I like the block on the stand idea.. But as pointed out it can tear a block apart if used with very heavy work if the block is not bolted together with heavy enough bolts.. 

The block attached to the side of the anvil is my least favorite because it doesn't have substantial mass though it is attached to the anvil and it is supported well from the bottom but I can feel it deflect with each heavy blow of the hammer..  it is however very convenient.. 

it is very convenient again depending one how long, drop vs hammer, thickness of bar.. 

You have ample room to take a thick plate and shape it to fit between the feet of your anvil  and use a longish stake going into a hole to hold it in position..  it will bounce around but it being held in position is the most important part..  By using a larger plate it will also distribute the pressure into a greater area which will help the block stay together longer.. 

Use the anvil and stump for awhile.. Re tighten the bolts.. Make the plate and then heat it up and burn it into the block.. This will get you the most contact.. put the stake on and put the hole in.. the pin can be round if the plate is fitting between the feet will keep it from turning..   Throw a layer of silicone on it and then set it into the hole and weight it to squeeze out the silicone.. 

It'd look for 2" plate or 3" if you have a way to cut it or form it.. The more the merrier.. 

Personally where I do the upsetting depends on length of metal, size and then which tooling i am using to get the most out of it with each hammer blow or metal drop.. 

[JHCC]

My metal stand has an upsetting block made of welded-up chunks of track plate. The location is convenient, especially when upsetting pieces about 18-24” long. However, the lack of coherent mass makes it pretty inefficient, and I’m constantly tempted to cut it off and weld on a solid block of some variety.