What is the ideal wood type / wood species for an anvil stand?

[anvil]

Adjustable bands are cool. Two right angle bends with drilled holes for a connecting bolt and turn the in-between into a circle. Make sure the diameter of the steel from bend to bend is less than the diameter of the stump

[ThomasPowers]

Allow room between the bent ends for shrinkage.

[natkova]

I red  in old book that stand can be even barel filled with sand.
Dont know is it ture.

Can i jump to question is 20 KG 44. punds decent fore one person anvil?

 

[anvil]

Sand is good under an anvil. The way I do mine is to trace the outline of the base of my anvil and chisel out wood so I can get about an inch or of sand in the bottom. make it deep enough so that the anvil base is 3/4 or so in the stump when sitting on the sand. The sand makes it easy to level and deadens the sound.  If it is a tight fit when you remove the wood, you don't need any other fasteners to hold your anvil in place.  

As a general rule, a 125# anvil is ideal for a single man shop.  

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

A 20 KG anvil will be a little light for most forge work. One that is 45- 50KG would do just about anything.

[natkova]

Thanks for answers

[rich_c]

Is using treated lumber, such as 4x4 or 6x6 posts, okay for building a stand?

I have read that the treatments can cause corrosion with metals that are in contact with them.  

[Frosty]

Un-treated is better  but you CAN use treated lumber for the stand if you can't find untreated. You'll need to try to keep HOT steal off it, the smoke can be B A D in your breathable air. On the upside I rarely ever had something hot enough to make smoke land on my old spruce block anvil stand and I used that thing until it started rotting away on the bottom side, 25+ years at least.

If making it smoke becomes an issue wet it down when you're at the anvil, sprinkle some sand on it so the water stays if necessary. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[George N. M.]

Dimension lumb er is fine but I don't see the necessity of treated wood.  I doubt your shop is so damp that it needs the rot resistance of treated lumber and there are some wood treatments, particularly older ones, that involve some fairly toxic things like arsenic and heavy metals.  If I could use untreated lumber I would prefer that.  It is always wise to avoid exposure to things like that when possible.  

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

[rich_c]

Good evening, Frosty & George!

Thanks for the replies.  I’ll stay away from the treated stuff, and I think I’m going to revisit the idea of a metal stand.

[Frosty]

You're welcome, it's my pleasure. I have a 125lb. Soderfors anvil that has a dangerously loud ring, especially on horn or heal, I'm talking make my ears ring through plugs and muffs loud. My Trenton isn't quiet by any means either. I'd stuck magnets to them and wrapped chain around their waists both helped but neither made them comfortable to be near if you missed a blow. When my spruce block stand got so it wasn't working I built a steel tripod stand and it quieted it down considerably, plugs or muffs is more than enough hearing protection. Pics below.

Loud anvils ring because the sound waves can bounce back and forth between face and foot, a magnet or chain damps the resonating vibration. The steel stand has a different resonant frequency (wave length) so the anvil and stand are self damping. A tripod is also stable on uneven ground, it can't rock between two legs. One of these days I'll make new feet for both stands, something easier to get a hand truck under. As they are now it's easier to separate them or turn them upside down to move with a hand truck. Happily the engine hoist has wheels and my shop has a concrete floor so moving them at home is easy.

Frosty The Lucky.

The first pic is the Soderfors mortised into the old spruce block stand.

   

This is my Trenton on it's tripod stand, the hammer and tong racks wedge it into the flange up angle iron rim. The chain on it is there to load it in the pickup with the engine hoist, the wedges hold it well enough the stand stays on when lifted. The space between the feet makes a handy place to put ready tools like the hardy in the picture.

And the last pic shows how the hammer and tong racks wedge the anvil into the stand.

[rich_c]

Your metal stand looks awesome, Frosty!

I have to make sure that whatever I make fits in my shed.  My “shop” is my back yard.  I don’t have a garage or anything like that.  I might be able to build a small shelter but it will be a dirt or gravel floor.  If I want to put down a concrete pad and build on it, I have to file paperwork with the Township and deal with a zoning hearing.

[Frosty]

The tripods work fine on dirt, gravel, pavement and all three at once. I'll cop to cheating a little, I turned my anvils upside down, fitted and clamped the angle iron rim to them to weld.

Frosty The Lucky.

[rich_c]

I measured out the base of my anvil: 9-1/8 inches long and 6-7/8 inches wide for the feet.  There’s a slightly wider spot where the upsetting block is located.  With an 80-pound anvil, I’d like a bit of mass below it which is why I’m looking for a stump or making something solid.  If I go the wooden stand route, I’m going to use 2-by-12 lumber, line them up in a staggered pattern and use glue and screws to hold them together.  I’ll also use bands at the top and bottom to keep it together and act as a base for some sort of tool-holding device.  If I go for a metal stand, I’ll have a bit more work ahead of me for fabrication.

[Frosty]

I'm not sure what you mean by lining the 2" x 12"s up in a staggered pattern? Not stacked laying flat I hope!

I envision Staggering them on end, say 1 1/2" - 2" they you'd have handy spots to hang hammers and tongs, especially if you put a band around the top. Screwed and glued of course and it'd give you a solid block of end grain wood under your anvil and make good solid stand. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[rich_c]

Hahaha!  No, I am going to do it just as you describe here:

18 hours ago, Frosty said:

I envision Staggering them on end, say 1 1/2" - 2" they you'd have handy spots to hang hammers and tongs, especially if you put a band around the top. Screwed and glued of course and it'd give you a solid block of end grain wood under your anvil and make good solid stand. 

Frosty The Lucky.

I saw a few like this online, and a Youtube video showing how to do it.

Until I know what the home situation is going to be, I am afraid to sink anything into the ground for additional support.  My wife and I have been talking about the possibility of moving because of her job, so there is a bit of uncertainty in the near future.

[Frosty]

You realize that if you bury half your anvil stand in the ground you'll discover you wanted it somewhere else and have to rearrange the whole shop, building and all. If it moves too much on it's own drive a couple stakes in the ground a ways keyed into the spaces in the staggered planks. 

Frosty The Lucky.