Thursigar Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 So since I am using a modified vertical railroad anvil, in trying to problem solve for some of the areas its lacking in. Unfortunately, I can't weld/don't have a welder. I was wondering if it would be a good idea to drive down 1 inch interior square tubing into my anvil stand to create a hardy hole? Some problems I foresee but don't know how realistic they are: 1. The anvil is blocking access to 1 side of the hardy and would be a danger to any wild swings. 2. I may crack the 2x6's from both creating and using the hardy. 3. The hardy would be significantly lower than it should and that could be problematic. Am I worrying for nothing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 I would suggest getting a piece of wear plate with a nice sq hole in it as the tube and wood would not stand up to a lot of hammering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 Personally I wouldn't want to do much hammering around or below that hot cut on the webbing. I'd go with an additional stand for a hardy hole if I were doing it. And as Thomas said, mount a metal plate with a hole to the top over a bored out hole in the wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 I sure wouldn't! You have most of the bottom tools you'll need ground in your anvil now: hardy, fuller and bending forks. What else are you thinking you'll need you can't grind in the other end of your rail? If necessary you can make a portable hole without welding. Screw your piece of sq. tubing between vertical lumber that's been screwed to a piece of plate for the foot. By screw together I mean use screws and lumber to squeeze the tubing hard but leave a slight space so the screws through the plate foot into the lumber draw the sq tubing onto the plate hard. Sure welding would be better but this method is a good work around. If you make the plate large enough you can stand on it it won't move if you need to do some hard bending. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HojPoj Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 Likewise, you can find these on the popular Auction site. Apparently they reproduce some styles of stuff in ductile iron- there are also stake plates and others that aren't cantilevered like the picture. They certainly cost more than scrounging it together yourself, but sometimes the Time Value of Money comes into play (at which point it's well worth the investment). One smith I know uses this style of stake holder with great success. I had purchase the set with the armorer's stakes before I ended up with my 66 lb anvil, though I haven't used them. I can say, however, they're quite robust and would only require minimal fiddling to set up well (just drill the mounting holes and grind down the cast surface finish). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 Thurisgar, sorry for the off topic question but I was wondering how your 2x6's are held together. The only bolts I see in the pictures are holding the rail to the stand. Are there any lag bolts going through the whole stack or is it held together with adhesive? I have a rail that I want to mount in a similar fashion and I have some 2x10's on hand. How's it working? Is it stable enough? Thanks in advance. Pnut (Mike) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thursigar Posted March 30, 2019 Author Share Posted March 30, 2019 Pnut, First, they are 2x10's not 2x6's. Second, the bolts holding the track down go the entire way through the stand. Third, in addition to those, I also used construction screws in between each layer and going in both directions. I would try to get a better bottom plate than I used as mine came off pretty quickly. The only other problem I had with it was when I would use my bending forks the entire stand wanted to twist. When I moved my setup out to my dirt floor shed I actually added on another board and buried it shown about a foot and the rest of the stand down about 2 inches. It's now rock solid and whisper quite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted March 31, 2019 Share Posted March 31, 2019 I did type 2x6 at the top of the post. I got it right at the bottom though. Sorry about that. Wait a second you referred to them as 2x6's in concern no. 2 . It's not a big deal we both seem to know they're 2x10's. LoL.. Anyhoo I was wondering how it's performed and I think I may go ahead and pull the trigger on it. I'll probably drill through holes for lag bolts to pass through a flat bar on the back side and use washers to hold the flange on the front side like you have. Thanks for the help and good luck with your search for a new anvil. Pnut (Mike) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thursigar Posted March 31, 2019 Author Share Posted March 31, 2019 Funny how that works.. I'll blame you priming my subconscious with the 2x6. As far as the washers go, they have performed perfectly. Post pics once you have it done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilentForge Posted December 11, 2019 Share Posted December 11, 2019 I wouldn't hammer on the wood, in my experience it will hold up for a bit but deform to much after that, I love that rr anvil you made! you did a very nice job on it! Damian Stil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enduvdaze Posted December 25, 2019 Share Posted December 25, 2019 I actually bought a small anvil from harbor freight. Wow..no bueno. However I got a rr anvil I made and hardened it and use the cheapo anvil for the Hardy hole. I am yet to put a good stand together. Does wood or metal matter with sound dampening? I'd like to get as quiet as I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted December 25, 2019 Share Posted December 25, 2019 You want to kill the vibration to deaden the sound. Build the stand of your choice then bed the anvil down in some sand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted December 25, 2019 Share Posted December 25, 2019 Welcome aboard Enduvdaze, glad to have you. I've had good luck damping loud anvils by mounting them on steel stands, the difference in resonant frequencies between the hardened high carbon anvil and the low carbon steel stand is self damping. Unfortunately I've never had much luck damping RR rail laid flat. I'd give Glenn's suggestion a try though clamping it to a bench might work too but a bench is a lousy anvil stand. If you get the chance try mounting a length of rail on end, shine up the top and radius the edges. The depth of rebound on end is much greater and it makes a much more effective anvil. You don't really need a large face, only a little larger than the face of the hammer. That is a darn nice looking rail anvil, it will do a lot of good work for you. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilentForge Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 Try using strong magnets to dampen the anvil, in my experience that works wonders. Just put one underneath the horn and the heal, maybe some on the body as well and almost all the sound will be gone. Damian Stil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 Since you have the two bolt holes in the rail, try bolting a chunk of steel on either side, perhaps with a bit of inner tube rubber between them and the rail. That will give you some more mass that should help dampen the ring. Also, attaching your anvil to its stand with silicone caulk will help dampen the sound as well. That said, welcome to IFI! If you haven't yet, please READ THIS FIRST!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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