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Blacksmithing teacher Kelly Kring of Dallas College (Texas) writes on Facebook:

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Ok, the gate needed a replacement bolt for the hinge. I was told to cut off some square stock and weld it on for the head.
[...]
So, I (of course) had to upset the end of a 1/2” round bar to make the head of the new bolt. 
As you will see, this is one of those times that I harp on my students why you NEVER bolt or chain down your anvil.... 
The bolt was longer than any of my anvil heights or vises to properly head the bolt. Yes, I laid the anvil (with the 1/2” Pritchel hole) on its side and it became my header! Unfortunately, or fortunately, you got to miss the upsetting part! Lol 
The bolt now has a 7/8”x7/8”x1/2 head ready for being threaded and use!

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(Photos shared with permission.)

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I have a church window anvil, I started with it strapped down, but I can't count the times I flipped it on it's side to use the church window as a swage or fuller now since I unstrapped it on the block. The little amount of wiggle while forging normally is more than worth it.

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So you think wearing a welded collar will get you to behave better? Hmm. Volunteers to do the deed? :P

Neither of my Anvils are held down, they fit snugly in their stand's flange up rim and are wedged in with the tong and hammer racks. A tap with a hammer to loosen one of the racks and they will lay over and are secure on their sides. I've never turned one upside down though.

Frosty The Lucky.

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Interesting. I wonder if you could use a load binder if you wanted to chain down your anvil and still have some versatility. A couple of lever style load binders don’t look that difficult to make and would allow you to easily unchain the anvil if you needed to manipulate it. 

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Bantou, I would say that would be pretty snazzy from where I sit...  I am compelled at present to chain my anvil down, but it employs a semi-quick release.  Thinking I might try that myself.  I use chain binders around the property, love em...

Robert Taylor

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On the whole, I'd rather have a solid anvil. The ability to flip it over or on its side to use in a case like this is cool, but rare enough that having the option doesn't outweigh the benefits of rigidity (especially since my anvil is also the base for my treadle hammer AKA the nodding donkey).

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If you would have a well fitting base, maybe welded mild tightly around the base, that would at least eliminate sideways wobble while still being able to take the anvil out and flip it. Or is this not the case?

Something like this:

Anvil Stand Plans // DIY Blacksmith Tools

This is from Roy of Christ Centered Ironworks.

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I mounted my Soderfors mortised into a spruce block for maybe 20 years. It didn't move though it was possible to rotate it when applying bending force to a bending fork, etc. It wasn't enough movement to make me want to attach it to the floor though. Again, that was me in my shop doing what I do. Different strokes for different folks. Yes?

The block was starting to rot on the bottom and effecting it as a stand, not to mention leaving rotten wood bits when I moved it. So I built the steel tripod stand to replace it. I had a number of reasons to try the tripod but mainly: I wanted to be able to work very close to the anvil for some operations, I wanted something easier to load in a vehicle, the wood block was hard to get loose and lastly I had the wild notion that a mild steel stand might damp the dangerously LOUD ring of a Soderfors anvil. 

A tripod because they're stable on any slope or surface, provided it isn't silly steep rough or soft or course, you can tip anything far enough it'll fall over. I had the steel on hand so I used it, I have fabrication skills and equipment of course. I've described my anvil stands enough times already, I won't belabor you again. 

They have met and surpassed my expectations well enough I recommend them over wood if at all possible. Most noticeable is the sound damping characteristics. While still unpleasantly loud if struck on horn or heal neither my Soderfors or Trenton make my ears ring through muff or plug hearing protection. A missed blow directly on the Soderfors would make your ears ring wearing both plugs and muffs. 

I can't think of a good reason not to modify a steel stand for special tooling or such. Just be careful not to make shin barkers. round the corners and debur like any good job of exposed fabrication.

Frosty The Lucky.

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Lol, different strokes. My first years were as a farrier with a portable metal stand. I used this in every possible situation. When I set up my shop, I went for a buried in the ground stump. Now stump doesn't mean round log drop. My stump is cut to give me about 2" all around my anvil. So it's rectangular, not round. Eventually I mortised it into the stump. The mortise is deep enough to add a couple inches of sand. This makes leveling the anvil a snap and, most important, gives me the best sound deadening hands down. And it means all the boogers and traps( chains,straps, turnbuckles etc) are gone. Rot isn't a problem with proper stump prep. Roofing tar is great,,, below ground,,,

To amend the above, my first 5 or so years in my shop, my stump was round and not buried in the ground with all the inherent problems. I read about mortising your anvil into the stump in "the Ring"  and that's when my stump became rectangular, got buried in the ground and mortised into the stump on a bed of fine sand.

 

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Steel or other stands need to be about 2/3 the anvil height at the base. 3 legged works well for uneven surfaces and for keeping your feet clear. Mine, or at lest my 70# portable  has big feet with provisions to be staked down.

honestly I have 4 anvils that see a lot of use depending on the job. 

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