Fisher anvil questions

[Bo Diddley]

Bo Diddley here,  I demo houses in Jacksonville Florida I found a small anvil the name FISHER is on one side the other side looks like passion.

There's a number 8 on the end about half way on the side and number 6 at the bottom. there is no horn it's small in size. The weight is 65 pounds.

Just trying to find some information on it.  Thanks in advance Bo Diddley.  

[Frosty]

Welcome aboard Bo, glad to have you. Are you thinking about learning to use it? If so you might want to put your general location in the header so you'll have a better chance of hooking up with members living within visiting distance.

If you're just looking for information about the anvil, be patient one of our regular members is the owner of the Fisher Norris museum and author of at least one book about them and the companies who made them.

Can we see some photos? One from all 6 sides please. Not super close, get the whole anvil in the shop if you can. Lighting it from the side will make details easier to see. 

While we wait for Josh to notice and speak up I'm sure other guys can fill in some info, there is another excellent anvil reference in common use here, I just don't have a copy.

Anybody have Josh's email address, give him a shout please?

Stick around Bo, we're a friendly bunch and there are some pictures of really beautiful work to look at.

Like puns?

Frosty The Lucky.

[Bo Diddley]

Thanks Frosty,  I will get the photos uploaded. I have to many irons in the fire now to take on another task.

Thanks for fast reply I really appreciate it. 

Regards Bo

[Bo Diddley]

Frosty this is the anvil that I was referring to.

once again Thank you for your help.   Regards Bo

[Frazer]

I'm not an anvil expert, but Josh's email is email address removed, contact him pm through IFI. He is certainly the expert if I've ever seen one.

All I can say is that it's a Sawyer or Saw makers anvil. It was used for truing up saw blades and not for forging work. That doesn't mean it couldn't be used for that now, but it's my understanding that that wasn't it's original purpose.

Quote

Fisher sawmaker's anvils were never intended to be hit with a hammer, or be used with hot metal.  Their use was under a circular saw blade, used when the saw master was tuning the blade, done cold.  Their faces were hardened when made, but never had to be as hard as a regular anvil.  However, in time, the face did work harden.  I have some saw anvils that have faces that are around Rockwell 58.

 

Quote

Fisher saw anvils were designed to be use with a cold circular saw blade.  The technician would tune the blade according to many factors: hp driving the saw, left or right, # teeth, and type of wood usually sawing.  The blade was always between the anvil and the hammer.  You can use hot metal on the anvil.  It will not affect it.  Just remember that the face of the anvil is usually very hard, somewhere around Rockwell 60, and can be prone the chipping or cracking.  Be sure to aim you blows carefully. 

 

[JHCC]

What you read as "Passion" is actually "Disston". The Disston Saw works was founded in Philadelphia in the 19th century, not far from where the Fisher anvils were made in Trenton, NJ. My guess (and Josh can confirm or deny) is that this anvil was a custom order for Disston.

For more on the Disston company (which is quite interesting; Henry Disston may have been the first producer of crucible steel in the US), see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disston_Saw_Works

[Bo Diddley]

Wow y'all don't mess around responding back to a question.

I want to thank y'all for the information. Thanks again Bo Diddley

[JHCC]

Knowledge is not diminished by being shared!

[ThomasPowers]

Perhaps this should be moved to the anvils section?

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Here is a link to the Fisher thread by Josh. A very interesting read.

 

[njanvilman]

Josh here.  I just found this thread.

The anvil is a small saw maker's anvil, made for Disston by Fisher & Norris Anvil Works in Trenton, NJ.  The face looks to have gotten extremely corroded at some point, but looks to still be flat.  This anvil was intended to be use to tune Sawmill blades.  The faces were extremely hard, and flat.  They were never hit with a hammer, there was always a blade in-between.

The whole history of Fisher & Norris is an amazing story of a great American company.  My book is only available through me, the author. PM me.  

Any other questions?

[Bo Diddley]

Hey Josh, I’m good with what your comrades in arms shot at me. I was mainly curious why it didn’t have a horn and what time frame. Really appreciate y’all’s knowledge. 
regards Bo

[JHCC]

2 hours ago, njanvilman said:

made for Disston by Fisher & Norris

Josh, did F&N do a lot of this kind of work, where the customer’s name was cast into the anvil itself? Are there similar examples at the Museum?

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Bo, not all anvils have a horn. It depends on what they are used for. As mentioned above, these were used to tune circular saw blades so they ran straight and true. This was done on a COLD blade, not one heated in a forge. No need for a horn when all you work on is flat saw blades.  Look up sawyer's anvil for more info.

 

[Bo Diddley]

Thanks I appreciate it. Y’all take care 

[ThomasPowers]

The fact is that the "London Pattern Anvil" design dates only a couple hundred years out of the 3000 years of ironworking and was used in a fairly small area of the world.  Other designs are common in other times and other places.  A big cube-ish hunk of metal has been in use as an anvil design for about 3000 years and all over the world.

This confuses me when people say they can't get started in blacksmithing because they can't find or afford a london pattern anvil; sort of like people telling me they can't learn to drive because they can't have a Mercedes Benz!  I tend to pick up cubes of steel at the scrapyard for beginners to use; 20 UScents a pound for an *ANVIL*!

[njanvilman]

On 4/7/2021 at 10:40 PM, JHCC said:

Josh, did F&N do a lot of this kind of work, where the customer’s name was cast into the anvil itself? Are there similar examples at the Museum?

Fisher made saw anvils with Disston and Adkins cast into them.  I found one other reference to a group of anvils being made for the US Navy with hull numbers cast in, but have not found any photos.

I am sure that if a customer wanted an anvil with a name cast in, they would have done it.  

[Frosty]

On 4/8/2021 at 9:08 AM, Bo Diddley said:

Thanks I appreciate it. Y’all take care 

I hope you check in once in a while, blacksmithing is a great way to decompress even if you don't want to take it up in practice. Getting lots of detailed information regarding anvils shouldn't be too much of a surprise, we're blacksmiths and REALLY into anvils. 

Here's hoping we hear from you now and then. Y'all come back. Hear?

Frosty The Lucky.