Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 If I were to get an anvil for every hammer, I would need about forty of them. I'm happy with ten hammers for every anvil we own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Hammer Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 I guess I wash out feeling that one anvil is sufficient, but 2 anvils is better. As I accumulate more hardy tools, I like having a second anvil to just use for the hardies. I really get having 3 anvils if you do demos. You need a smaller traveling anvil to do that. So: Hobbyists 1-2 anvils, 3 if you do demos Full-time or Long time smith as many as needed Newbies 1 is sufficient for starting out Collectors as many as your floor joists or concrete floor will support I personally would hate to see an anvil not get used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 MCH: my Blacker Fisher anvil has 2 hardy holes. I have one sleeved to 1" for regular hardy tooling and leave the other at the full 1.5" for hardy tools I have made specifically for it. Really handy for production work requiring multiple tools! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 4 is my magic number.. 1 for the bench, 1 for the forge, 1 for the main and 1 for the sledging.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Hammer Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 11 hours ago, ThomasPowers said: MCH: my Blacker Fisher anvil has 2 hardy holes. I have one sleeved to 1" for regular hardy tooling and leave the other at the full 1.5" for hardy tools I have made specifically for it. Really handy for production work requiring multiple tools! Very nice, I would love 2 hardy holes and can see a lot of good uses for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcusb Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 Like most I have chased a better and bigger anvil over the years. I have had some nice ones. Sold them. What I learned in my journey was two fold. One, the anvil does not make the smith. Two, once you add power hammers, presses etc. the anvil becomes a very stylish table on which to pile stuff most of the time. My main anvil is now a block of die steel. I guess what I have learned is if you are a collector, chase anvils. If you are a smith, find something bigger than your hammer and get after it. So with all that typing, 1 anvil..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 Hum ... that is not entirely correct. You have an anvil and hammer substitute, so you don't count ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 On 12/18/2018 at 8:40 AM, Daswulf said: didn't know that my main anvil was a Trenton for years. Finding out didn't change it's usage or usability My experience as well. I'm not a collector, and I've never, till the internet, known many of the manufactures 15 hours ago, marcusb said: once you add power hammers, presses etc. the anvil becomes a very stylish table on which to pile stuff most of the time Not for me. The addition of my 25# lil giant and my 25# treadle did not remove or replace my anvil. They all are primary tools with very needed abilities. If I had to limit myself to primary needed tools, it would be my shop anvil, the two power hammers my post vice and forge setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcusb Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 3 hours ago, anvil said: Not for me. The addition of my 25# lil giant and my 25# treadle did not remove or replace my anvil. They all are primary tools with very needed abilities. If I had to limit myself to primary needed tools, it would be my shop anvil, the two power hammers my post vice and forge setup. Do you use tooling under the Little Giant? I cheat....my power hammer also contains an anvil..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted December 22, 2018 Share Posted December 22, 2018 I do use tooling with both hammers. No such thing as cheating. Generally speaking, I use the treadle to separate mass, the lil giant to forge these masses, and my hand hammers and anvil to clean up transitions, straighten, and to create the finish I want. Pretty general. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forgedinfire123 Posted December 24, 2018 Share Posted December 24, 2018 I know exactly how many anvils I need. The answer is MORE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedefiddle Posted December 24, 2018 Share Posted December 24, 2018 Good Morning, The correct answer is "Not One". Any number above that is acceptable. There is a HUGE difference between 'Want', 'Need', 'Can Use' and 'Just Because'!! No reasons or excuses will change the fact that "It was sitting by itself and looked Lonely". Enjoy the Journey!! There is no Destination!! Merry Christmas, Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JW513 Posted December 25, 2018 Share Posted December 25, 2018 from a making money standpoint, if you only need one, then one... If you can more money and get more done with 10 anvils, then 10. Whatever gets the job done faster. From a collectors point of view, 1 is too many, 100 is not enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 never forget the cardinal rule,,, you can only work one anvil at a time, so two wont make you faster. ;} Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 Well.... having a hardy in one while using the main anvil for general forging Can make you faster if you don't have to pull the hardy out each step. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 The Fisher & Norris Factory Museum....a sample.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stash Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 Come on, Josh Show us the bigguns! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 Not having to adjust the height of the anvil you are working on for various tasks speeds up work in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 I concur.. I have one on the forge, workbench, main, and sledge.. Of course I have 1 in the trailer.. Does this qualify as a professional.. Each one varies in weight and you'd be surprised how having one on the forge can be very handy when making small hinges and such.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BartW Posted January 1, 2019 Author Share Posted January 1, 2019 I got a block of hardened steel; 15 inch long; 5 x 5 inch square lying next to the forge. Initially I figured; when it gets really cold in my workshop; I'll light the coal forge and use it as stove. Then i figured; the more mass heated up would mean more residual / IR heat; cq when i'm working on my work benches, I have my back towards the coal forge (nice 'n cosy) - which makes sub zero temperatures more bearable. Later I found I was using the block a lot to do small stuff; to save me the 3 steps towards the anvil . It's been lying next to my coal forge ever since; and I had a buddy of mine drill a 2 inch, a 1,5, a 1 and a 0,5 inch hole in it. Verrry handy having a anvil a foot away from the forge. mvg; Bart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 Bart, it amazes me how some people will run a shop 20,30, 40 years and never change anything they do to make it easier.. The anvil on the forge was not my idea, got it from a Smith named Tim D.. I was 18 at the time and it was one of those "Dah" moments... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 I do almost everything on one, but it’s nice to have the striking anvil/portable hole available for certain tasks, especially holding other tooling and drifting holes bigger than the 7/8” square hardy hole on my Mousehole (aka The Undisputed King of Anvils). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 15 hours ago, BartW said: ; to save me the 3 steps towards the anvil Why is your anvil so far away from your forge? My setup is a triangle and both my post vice and my anvil are only a step away from my forge. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. I've never come across a situation where I've needed to modify my forging triangle by introducing another anvil for any reason. All my anvils, portable and permanent are the same height. I mean they are set for me and I'm certainly not going to change my anvil height going from my 2.5# hammer to my 10# one. A striking anvil implies a striker working on my anvil and striking for me., and when in my shop, you will strike as I show you, and there is no need to vary the height. And no, for me anything on my forge besides coal, coke, and the irons I'm heating would just be in the way. I do use my forge as a stand for longer irons for my anvil. I just see no advantage to playing musical chairs with anvils. Especially when space is critical. Truth be known, the only time I ever have another anvil setup in my shop is when i have someone working for me,,, and not as a striker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BartW Posted January 2, 2019 Author Share Posted January 2, 2019 57 minutes ago, anvil said: Why is your anvil so far away from your forge? My setup is a triangle and both my post vice and my anvil are only a step away from my forge. Yup, I get that question a lot. There is an answer to it too. I don't have a space issue - my workshop is about 6 yards x 12 yards floorspace. With a simple steel roof; in the middle more than 6 yards high. The tips on either side aren't closed; so there's always a light breeze about 2 meters above my head. So no need for smoke evacuation; chimneys... My coalforge is actually mounted in a "hot table"; and that is mobile. I also have a gasforge which is also on wheels. So I can put my forge being used right next to the anvil if I wanted to. My forge is basically the center of a cube / rectangle; with 2 corners being 2 anvils; and the 2 other corners being a workbench with a large post vice on each. I basically move the hot table or gasforge to the side I need it most when I'm doing something specific. It's simpler than moving the anvils which are more then 200 pounds each; with an equally heavy wooden block as foot. However; this setup shines when gives classes ... people don't bump into each other; people don't burn each other with a piece of hot metal ... and you can keep a nice overview of what everyone is doing. mvg; Bart P.S. I attached a picture ... below the lamp behind those two guys is anvil 1; you can see the "hot table" with the gas forge sitting on top of the coal forge. That whole table is on wheels. The other half of my shop - not in this picture - is structured the same way. anvil in the center, also about 3 meters away from this table. The yellow "block" is the anvil-ish tool that stays next to the forge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 7 minutes ago, BartW said: So I can put my forge being used right next to the anvil if I wanted to So why set your anvil 3 steps away? You wouldn't have to bend over and pick up that block of steel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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