Brake drum anvil stand

[Mcald62]

 I’m trying to determine how to mount my 208 lb  Hay-Budden  anvil to 2 truck brake drums. Should I use a steel plate to mount it or use sand in the upper brake drum ? The picture is just a mockup of what I want to do. The height is just about right for me also. I’m fairly new to this so any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Mcald62]

Here is another picture.

[Frosty]

EWWWW NO!  Okay, enough early morning drama. Just because you have something doesn't mean you have to use it. In my experience brake drum and wheel tool stands may be stable but get in the way. There will be times you'll want to get up close and personal with your anvil but with that stand you won't be able to. It's not that much different than a wood block, true but a section of tree trunk anvil stand restricts access too. 

A sand box anvil stand is an excellent stand, it really quiets noisy anvils, is easily adjustable for height and portable. Lift the anvil out, dump the sand in a couple buckets and pour it back in when you get it where you're going. Pretty nifty eh? They're typically an open topped wooden box you fill with angular sand and set your anvil in. If all you have available is alluvial stream or river sand securing the anvil to a wood base to prevent it from shifting or sinking in the sand might be called for. Sharp sand keys together and doesn't shift much once packed. Alluvial is round and smooth so it literally rolls past itself when disturbed. Make sense?

Height is important, "about right" just doesn't really cut it. You want a full power blow to impact nearly parallel with the anvil's face with your arm and hand in a reasonably natural position. Stand relaxed in the shoes you work in with your arms hanging at your sides. The anvil face should be between knuckle and wrist height. If you use top tools often or work with strikers swinging sledge hammers the lower position is better. If however you do mostly hand work the higher is better. A good way to check if you know smiths within visiting distance is to try their anvils and or place a thin-ish 1/2" or so wood on the anvil face and give it a working blow. The dent should be the same shape as the hammer face and close to even depth overall. If it's crescent shaped open away from you the face is too high, if it's open towards you it's too low. If it's to either side your grip is wrong!

What you use for an anvil stand is up to you of course, it's your shop. You asked though and I strongly discommend your truck brake drum idea. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[bubba42]

Try welding a plate to the bottom of the top drum. Then, cut a plate the diameter of the top opening of the top drum fill with sand, and "bob's your uncle". Of course you will need to weld two cleats to the top plate to keep the anvil from sliding. That would be a variation of one that is being built for me, and was tweaked from an original design in the book 'Backyard Blacksmith', by healing flames forge in TN. It allows for an anvil stand to be adjustable for students of various heights, as well as compensating for certain disabilities. If I can figure out how to make a pic a URL, I'll post a photo tomorrow. I'll be finishing it up then. I promise that packed sand will deaden ring, and provide amazing rebound from the anvil. Until then, try looking at photos on their website; instead of a top drum, these have a box welded sitting on the bottom drum. You will see that he transitions from wooden block, to a sandfilled steel box on steel legs, to a sand filled steel box on break drums. The legs have a tendency to 'walk around' during use when on a concrete floor.  having used the final design, I would use none other. https://healingflamesforge.org/.

[Mcald62]

Frosty, here is another picture from above with a dollar bill to show scale. The anvil is 14” diagonally from foot to foot. The outside diameter of the upper drum is 17”. Maybe this is enough clearance to stand close to the anvil ? I will definitely try sand first  as opposed to the steel plate. As far as the height is concerned , it is right within your recommendation of “The anvil face should be between knuckle and wrist height.” The other picture is of a 150 lb Peter Wright  I just sold. I was told by a number of people that it was unstable. I doubt that any of them have the amount of experience that you have. Maybe the suggestion that Bubba gave is a viable alternative ?

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

I like the idea of the brake drum to set the anvil in. It would be easy to attach three legs as a tripod to it for the clearance needed to get close.

[Mcald62]

That’s another great idea. Now I have to determine if it is cast iron or steel.

[anvil]

I think its a great idea and would fill it with sand. 

[Frosty]

If it's not in your way it's a perfectly workable stand, I'd bed the anvil in sand.

Frosty The Lucky.