Anvil stands?

[rtread]

I have some 2" x 2" x 1/4" angle iron and I'm wanting to build a sturdy anvil stand for a new 112 lb. anvil I'm getting (I want to see Santa coming down the chimney with this sucker!).

I'm looking for tips, plans, etc. from experienced anvil users. I'm very new at this and all help is appreciated.

[element]

If u make a stand with just angle iron it will problably bounce around
unless you have heavy weights within the stand. Look around your town
for a hardwood log 14 -16 inch across or more , makes good stand.

eric

[Glenn]

I have used both a wooden stump and an angle iron stand under my anvil. Both have advantages and disadvantages. For me the wood is a little softer to work on, where as the angle iron is a bit stiffer to work on.

When bugs and insects set up housekeeping in the stump, I switched to iron. I use a piece of wood sheeting between the anvil and the anvil box on the stand to cushion the anvil. A couple of wraps of loose chain to kill any ring.

BP1049 A Tour of My Shop Look at the 3 legged anvil stand.

[Pault17]

I just got a 20-inch diameter chunk of oak from my father-in-law (and he gave me a craftsman chainsaw to hack at it with - gave it to me outright:D).
I cut it down to the right height plus on inch, trimmed out three feet on the bottom and drilled, chiseled then routed a pocket for my anvil to fit into.

Now I have a very solid, stable stand that smells good and alows me to move my anvil if needed. It also added many, many more pounds of stability to the anvil as well.

[Rodney Skinner]

I bought a 6" x 12" beam at the lumber yard. I cut three pieces to length and glued them together with elmers wood glue. Its been working fine with a 165lb anvil.

[Ten Hammers]

I have several shop pics but guess no anvil pic. The shop anvil here has set on angle iron stand for I guess 15 years. Just make a picture frame to set the anvil in ( leaving a smidge of clearance ). I assume you have a saw and a welder. 2x2x1/4 is fine ( mine may be 3/16).

The thing now is to get your proper height. See my post in "problem solving" about scale removal for my opinion about anvil height.

My stand has 4 legs. Inverted hopper design. 2 shelves (both are flattened expanded to allow scale to drop through) are just pictureframes like the place where the anvil sets. The footprint is I guess 3" bigger than the top ( anvil footprint ). I am also assuming you have a cement floor. If not I will suggest you get some feet ( larger punchpress slugs or just some bar stock ). To each his own. My shop is small and the anvil sets in front of the power hammer. The forge table, power hammer anvil height and anvil height ( along with swage table height and another tooling stand ) are all roughly the same height. 6-7 foot tripods or other long stock has a place to rest while forging on one end. The anvil stand is portable to allow virtually any placement I need. Works well for me.

I would suggest making the footprint for the anvil first ( picture frame ) and then get the height. I would also suggest stout tacks first. My stand allows me to place my feet UNDER the anvil stand from time to time or rest one foot on the bottom shelf ( which is I guess 4" off the floor ). It also allows me to rotate the anvil 360

[Dave Budd]

my last workshop had a stump (15"diam) with a small anvil on it. It got right on my nerves aws it moved around under heavy hammering. My previous place had a stand bolted to the ground but was made from RSJ and was REALLY load.

Now I've a clay floor. So my anvil logs are 20" diameter oak that is planted three feet in teh ground. Those suckers are going nowhere :D

[rtread]

Wow! Great info! Keep it coming!

Glenn....your "shop" is awesome. If those walls could talk!

I was trying to figure the height of my stand. I ran across this info at
Setting up Shop ....does this look like the right way of figuring height (for those of us that have to consider sore backs)?

[Sam Thompson]

I agree with Dave Budd, the best by far is a stump set firmly into the ground... When did you last need to move your main anvil? A spike driven into the centre will hold it reasonably firm. Iron and steel stands, especially on a concrete floor give an unpleasant 'harsh' feel to the anvil and are almost impossible to get firm and level.

[Glenn]

Glenn....your "shop" is awesome. If those walls could talk!

It would say Whirlpool, as in refrigerator (grin)

I was trying to figure the height of my stand.

Start with the anvil at knuckle high, closed fist and standing straight. Then adjust the anvil height so the hammer face hits parallel to the face of the anvil at the point of impact. Put a piece of board on the anvil and hit it with the hammer. A crescent mark will indicate that the height needs adjusted. A circle indicates your real close to right. You must consider the thickness of the steel your when using this test. 1/4 inch stock size is different from 2 inch stock.

Now use the anvil for a week and adjust as needed. Easiest way to adjust is to stand on a piece of wood, then raise the anvil by the thickness of the wood determined by the best feel when at the anvil.

Each smith is different, in height, in preferences, etc. Use what works best for you in your situation.

[48willys]

I like useing a stump,its easy to find and most of the time is free.But mostly I like how the anvil feels when its on it.Right now it's just sitting on the ground and it will move alittle at times.If you can,try setting it in the ground like they said.A well set up anvil will help your work alot.

[hammerkid]

I use a fabbed stand which is adustable for my mouse hole. I need to cut me a piece of plywood to put in between the anvil and the stand.

[dwczerr]

I fabricated this stand for my 172lb Hay Budden using 2" sch40 for the legs, 1/4" plate for the top, and a 2" thick slab of poplar between the the 1/4" plate and the bottom of the anvil. A previous owner had welded a plate to the bottom of the anvil with the two bolt holes which I used to fasten it all together. Can't say that I would advise welding to the anvil, but it does work well.

Things I like about the stand include the stability (legs angled outward), the foot room to get up close to the anvil, the mesh shelf underneath, and the small rack for a few select hammers or tongs. The only thing I wish I would have done differently is made the stand about 1" - 1-1/2" taller so I may have to retrofit the feet on the legs at some point.

David

[Frosty]

This is the stand I made for my 202lb Trenton. It's 2" x 4" rec tubing and 2" x 3" angle iron. The hammer rack is 3/4" angle and is the wedge that holds the anvil in place.

I didn't get enough spread on the legs when I mad it so had to add the widened foot to the front leg for stability.

I was pleasantly surprised at how quiet this stand is, more quiet than the wood block it replaced in fact.

Frosty

[Bob S]

This is an angle iron stand with a 150lb Kolswa anvil. I think the angle is 1/4"x2" or maybe 5/16"x2-1/2" but you get the idea. I have another similar stand for my 'main' anvil a 200 lb Trenton that is bolted to the concrete floor to prevent moving. The anvil sits on a piece of 3/4" plywood and a piece of rubber mudflap found at the side of the road.

[Lysdexik]

I have a stump (Locust) for my main anvil. The guy I got it from was a HVAC contractor who had it mounted on a pad that they use as an isolation mount for heat pumps. It is a thick cork mat with ribbed rubber laminated to it, it worked realy well.
Paul

[Dave Hammer]

I like the idea of a long stump buried in the ground. My primary shop is not amiable for that because I occasionally need to move my anvil. I still use a stump that I have cut into a flat topped tapered sides block. The top and bottom can easily be "shaved" flat with a chain saw that is held perpendicular to the surface and "fanned" across the surface, lightly touching the surface.

I also use a circular saw to cut grooves near the top and bottom, then make up clamps I put on so when the stump dries out, it doesn't split.

I also made little attachments that hold some of my hardy tools and a swage block.

The anvil is held in place by two blocks that are screwed to the top and are shaped to fit against the side of the anvil.

The "Z" on the front is a helper that swings up (and is held in place by tightening the big thumbscrews... so I can lay stock across the helper to the anvil.

Edited December 24, 2008 by djhammerd

[Avadon]

I'm thinking of building something like this with three legs...

I wish I could do 4 legs but since my shop floor isn't really level I have a bad feeling it would prollyl teeter-totter.

[piglet_74]

This is similar to what the BGCM classroom has for each of the eight workstations. I made this more rectangular just in case I get a larger anvil someday.



Rob.

[element]

Rob, did you ever use a solid block or some other type of stand? If
so how would you compare them to this one? The holes might act
as dampeners for sound and or vibration. Did u use glue and screws or just nails?

eric

[petere76]

rtread,

I made a few of these 4x4 stands out of hemlock. It is very strong, quiet and it adjusts to any irregularities in the deck surface. the chain hold fast keeps the ring down.

Height is your own preference, get it right though and save your elbow from abuse.

[petere76]

Missing photo.

[fat pete]

the best one i saw was at turleys school....he has 1/4inch plate welded together to the size of the bottom of his anvil(rathole) and its filled with sand....no noise.....none....nada.....nice and simple

[element]

Pete, i was thinking the same i would a filled it with cement or lead. But now
sands sounds good because they would act as millions of little
dampeners. eric

[gdh]

My current anvil stand is a box made of 2x12s cut to length and screwed together. I then filled the box with dirt for the anvil to rest on. The advantages I've found are that it's cheap, solid on uneven ground, and best of all dampens the ring of my Peter Wright.

There are pictures and a bit more detail on my wife and my farm blog.