Paradigm11 Posted July 26 Share Posted July 26 I recently inherited a huge, fresh cut pine stump that I'd love to use as an anvil stand because the height is perfect, but I know soft wood is... Well... Soft. Anything I can do to make it take a beating? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 26 Share Posted July 26 It should work fine without special treatment, you're beating on the anvil, not the block stand. My old stand is a white spruce block and was considerably softer than pine. One last tip, Please do NOT use bolded letters to write the subject of your post. Sure it's attention getting but in an irritating way. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted July 26 Share Posted July 26 Soft and hard woods is kind of a misnomer. For example balsa wood which is quite soft and light is a hard wood. The hardest hard wood is harder than any soft but there are many soft woods that are harder than hard woods. Soft or hard is the way the resin veins are in the wood not the density of the wood. I use pine 4x4's for my anvil stand. Pine is actually a pretty tough wood or else we would not use it in so much construction. You could make a couple steel hoops to go around the log but i think like Frosty said it will work just fine as is. A plus to the hoops is that you can incorporate some tool and hammer holding hoops, hooks, etc. into them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted July 26 Share Posted July 26 I've been using the same piece of pine log as an anvil stnd for about 35 years and it is still doing fine. Around here there isn't much hardwood. So, an anvil stand has to be constructed out of steel or dimension lumber (pine) or a pine stump or log. Putting steel bands around the stump or log is not a bad idea although I have done that to mine. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted July 26 Share Posted July 26 Southern Yellow Pine is one of the strongest and durable of all the different pine species. I learned that when doing repairs to my mothers house that was built in 1947. All the rafters and stud's were made from Yellow Pine and driving a nail into it was nearly impossible after 30 years. The main thing when using it as an anvil stand is to remove the bark to stabilize it and so critters don't get under the bark and start boring in and weakening it. I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sail’s. Semper Paratus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 17 hours ago, happy days said: Where did you get those ideas from ? Hardwood: Comes from angiosperm trees that are not monocots; trees are usually broad-leaved. Has vessel elements that transport water throughout the wood; under a microscope, these elements appear as pores. Softwood: Comes from gymnosperm trees which usually have needles and cones. Medullary rays and tracheids transport water and produce sap. When viewed under a microscope, softwoods have no visible pores because of tracheids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 Pine and Cypress are two very different genera of tree. People get these ideas from reading something other than social media. This for example is from a simple search. https://pediaa.com/what-is-the-difference-between-cypress-and-pine/ Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 28 Share Posted July 28 "Australian White Cypress Pine" is one of several "Common" names, it is NOT indicative of the species let alone the genera. It is of the genus, "columellaris," the genus Cypress. It is specifically, "Callitris columellaris (= C. glaucophylla)." It is NOT of the genus, "Pinus." Other than being a conifer they are not remotely related. A "common name" is what people call a thing and is not generally an accurate identifier. Almost every uneducated and some pretty well educated person out there calls any conifer a "pine." Read something real. I'll link Wiki so as to not over burden you. https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › List_of_Pinus_species Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted July 28 Share Posted July 28 You can have your own opinion about anything but you can not have your own facts. And the fact is that it is the growth pattern of the tree that determines if it is a hard wood or a soft wood, not the density or hardness of the wood. Like i said earlier balsa wood is a hardwood because of how it grows, yet is a very soft and light wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 28 Share Posted July 28 Ahh, the distractor is gone we can get back to Paradigm 11's original question by. Your pine block will be more than stout enough for your anvil stand. No mere mortal is strong enough to damage it swinging a hammer at the anvil. You are good to go. I don't recall if you've shown us a picture of your anvil. Please? Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gewoon ik Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 use it; if it fails or rots, bet another one. It can outlast you and the new stump could be a job for your childeren/grandchilderen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 22 hours ago, BillyBones said: it is the growth pattern of the tree that determines if it is a hard wood or a soft wood, not the density or hardness of the wood. Per your earlier article, "hardwood"/"softwood" is a function of biology, while "hard wood"/"soft wood" is a function of both biology and how an individual tree grows. For example, old-growth southern yellow pine is generally harder than second-growth, because the larger number of growth rings per inch means a greater density of the harder "latewood" that forms at the end of each growing season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 We're painting ourselves in a corner here guys. "Hardwood, Softwood," are nouns (pronouns?) where Hard, wood and Soft, wood are descriptive phrases, adjectives. For example, "Are you sure it's a softwood, it is really hard wood!" Another example Yellow Pine (softwood) vs Cottonwood (hardwood). I can mar cottonwood lumber with a fingernail where almost any pine lumber laughs at it. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike BR Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Indeed, balsa wood is a hardwood, but hardly a hard wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Jeff Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 22 hours ago, Frosty said: Your pine block will be more than stout enough for your anvil stand. I agree with frosty. You will be hitting hot metal on the anvil, not beating the stump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
528E12 Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 both will burn. If you don`t like it , make firewood and start over. imo if the shop floor is dry, it won`t make too much difference. Rot has been one reason my previous wood stands were replaced. Personally I like heavy stands ( not if you need to move the anvil a lot) Oak would be my choice, but i use steel nowadays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paradigm11 Posted July 29 Author Share Posted July 29 On 7/26/2024 at 3:38 PM, Frosty said: It should work fine without special treatment, you're beating on the anvil, not the block stand. My old stand is a white spruce block and was considerably softer than pine. One last tip, Please do NOT use bolded letters to write the subject of your post. Sure it's attention getting but in an irritating way. Frosty The Lucky. I apologize, I was on my phone when I posted it and did not intend to do so! As for the anvil and stump, here is the most recent pic I have of both: The anvil itself is probably in the 60-75lb range. I got this one for free and eventually will be getting a less well loved one once I finish my little forge area (which is this crowded little place). Some of you may remember my post from last year of me building a little forge area. Still working on it, but it survived the winter with flying colors. Frosty was very helpful in that thread as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Aw shucks. <shuffle shuffle> Glad to be of help. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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