• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Now for something completely different . . . an anvil stand . . . for my shop

conv67bdere

Super Moderator
Staff member
FBBO Gold Member
Local time
3:33 AM
Joined
Aug 18, 2013
Messages
8,219
Reaction score
14,844
Location
Concord, NC
One of these days, when (and if) I ever get my shop, I'm going to want to try and use my anvil and do some of the Damascus Steel stuff that I've been watching . . . it looks so cool, but to do it . . . I need

1. to finish my shop . . .
2. to have my anvil at a height that will work . . .

It was raining today, so I too the day to work on my anvil stand. The place where I purchase my steel has a "drop" sale once in a while to get rid of their drops . . . and I neve miss the sale - picked up an I-beam that I want to use for my anvil stand.

Saw this anvil stand that I really like but am going to change it up a bit . . .

anvilPlanPic.jpg


He did not want to deal with compound angles, so this one only has the 22 1/2 degree angle cuts . . . My plan is to add a 10 degree taper to the back 2 legs . . .

If you've ever used SketchUp . . . or some other design software, it's really pretty cool and can help out a TON during your designing stages . . .

Here's my thoughts . . .

Here's the end result that I'll need for the compound miters on the I-beam

sm_anvilStandMeasurements01.jpg


The back two legs will be in the orientation . . .

sm_anvilStandMeasurements04.jpg


But will have to be moved closer together until they "overlap" the give me the base with that I need for the stand . . . this is close - it needs to be about 12" . . .

sm_anvilStandMeasurements05.jpg


Time to start cutting some metal . . .

Picked up this piece of 3/4" plate and need to get it trimmed down to size for the anvil . . .

sm_anvilbase01.jpg


Then get started on cutting the 22 1/2 degree angles . . . thought I was "so clever" to get this set up like this - this is a fairly new saw for me . . . and I really like it . . .

sm_anvilbase02.jpg


Except . . . that I forgot that it slides . . . and it ended up hitting the I-beam ( gawd, I hate when I do that)

sm_anvilbase03.jpg


This is as far as I could go until I hit the beam . . . Argh . . . so now I have to flip it around the other direction, and "try" and line up the cuts . . . oh boy ! ! !

sm_anvilbase04.jpg


This took some time in my very cramped garage . . . seems like EVERYTHING was in the way and I had to move 4-5 things to get stuff out of the way, and then move more things, and then . . . they were STILL in the way . . . I NEED MY SHOP ! !

sm_anvilbase05.jpg


Plenty of room for clearance now . . . should not be a problem . . .

sm_anvilbase06.jpg


Not too shabby on the cut alignment either . . . there is a very small piece of metal in the very center of this pic to show the alignment . . .


And the fun has only begun . . . it's bee quite the day (to say the least ) . . .

More to come . . .
 
More . . . on the Anvil build project . . .

Not too shabby on the cut alignment either . . . there is a very small piece of metal in the very center of this pic to show the alignment . . .

sm_anvilbase07.jpg


Here's one thing that I did - with SkecthUp to help with my compound angles . . . Had added a support to hold the overhand of the I-beam (had to)
So it was about 32" from the cut . . . so what "height" would I need at 32" to make my angle 10 degrees . . .

Laid it out with SketchUp . . . and got a height of 5 5/8" . . .

sm_anvilStandMeasurements02.jpg


So a 5 5/8" support was clamped to the cross support - so I could get a measure . . .

sm_anvilbase08.jpg


Worked out great (of course I missed the picture with the sharpie line marked on it)

sm_anvilbase09.jpg


And this picture with the cutoff - you'll see that there is NO Sharpie lines visible - it hit it exactly !

sm_anvilbase10.jpg


Got the 3 legs cut . . . BUT . . .

sm_anvilbase11.jpg


Here's my calculations for the height of the anvil base . . .

With your hand hanging normally, you mark where your knuckles are relaxed . . . that's 34 1/4" for me
Then the Anvil is 11" tall . . .
And then I've got the 3/4" base . . .
Which leaves a height of 22 1/2" . . . ( now here's where I was going to warn about getting the right measurement . . . )

GUESS WHO DID IT WRONG . . . Argh ! !

sm_anvilStandMeasurements03.jpg


And had to do some "metal Stretching" . . . to be able to make it all work
( and I had PLENTY of extra I-beam . . . just forgot about the angle making the pieces LONGER . . .

sm_anvilbase12.jpg


So I set up the saw to re-cut the stretched metal . . . and I did THAT wrong (again) and it hit the I-beam 1/2 way through the cut . . .

SO I had to flip it over (again) and try and match up the cuts . . . again, not too shabby . . .

sm_anvilbase13.jpg


So my required 22 1/2" . . . on this it's showing 1' 10 7/16" . . . missed my point but didn't want to spent time finding the error for this demo.

The length of the leg needed is showing 24 5/16" . . . 2 additional inches . . .

sm_anvilStandMeasurements06.jpg


So . . . I ended up having to stretch the metal . . .
 
Here is my anvil on a chunk of ash. I wish the top was in better shape, somebody evidently used it to beat cold steel. I had it on a steel stand before I put it on wood, my experience with steel is that the anvil bounced too much when you hit anything on it.

C7DC897B-9787-4F63-8FE8-689655F074EB.jpeg
827D5922-FCFE-4054-9ACB-73014DA20577.jpeg
 
More . . . on the Anvil build project . . .

Not too shabby on the cut alignment either . . . there is a very small piece of metal in the very center of this pic to show the alignment . . .

View attachment 1102108

Here's one thing that I did - with SkecthUp to help with my compound angles . . . Had added a support to hold the overhand of the I-beam (had to)
So it was about 32" from the cut . . . so what "height" would I need at 32" to make my angle 10 degrees . . .

Laid it out with SketchUp . . . and got a height of 5 5/8" . . .

View attachment 1102115

So a 5 5/8" support was clamped to the cross support - so I could get a measure . . .

View attachment 1102109

Worked out great (of course I missed the picture with the sharpie line marked on it)

View attachment 1102110

And this picture with the cutoff - you'll see that there is NO Sharpie lines visible - it hit it exactly !

View attachment 1102111

Got the 3 legs cut . . . BUT . . .

View attachment 1102112

Here's my calculations for the height of the anvil base . . .

With your hand hanging normally, you mark where your knuckles are relaxed . . . that's 34 1/4" for me
Then the Anvil is 11" tall . . .
And then I've got the 3/4" base . . .
Which leaves a height of 22 1/2" . . . ( now here's where I was going to war about getting the right measurement . . . )

GUESS WHO DID IT WRONG . . . Argh ! !

View attachment 1102116

And had to do some "metal Stretching" . . . to be able to make it all work
( and I had PLENTY of extra I-beam . . . just forgot about the angle making the pieces LONGER . . .

View attachment 1102113

So I set up the saw to re-cut the stretched metal . . . and I did THAT wrong (again) and it hit the I-beam 1/2 way through the cut . . .

SO I had to flip it over (again) and try and match up the cuts . . . again, not too shabby . . .

View attachment 1102114

So my required 22 1/2" . . . on this it's showing 1' 10 7/16" . . . missed my point but didn't want to spent time finding the error for this demo.

The length of the leg needed is showing 24 5/16" . . . 2 additional inches . . .

View attachment 1102132

So . . . I ended up having to stretch the metal . . .
Dang....you make the Energiser Bunny look lazy. :lol:

Nice work guys. :thumbsup:
 
What we won't go through to get a tool we can work with. What are you planning on making with the Damascus steel. Do you have a forge also. Al way's wanted a forge to work on thing's. Good luck and show some pic's of what your making. :thumbsup:
 
When I read the header I thought for sure that this would have had something to do with Wile E Coyote.

2AB43E2D-058B-4B68-8E72-DA7D8D800E3A.jpeg
 
Here is my anvil on a chunk of ash. I wish the top was in better shape, somebody evidently used it to beat cold steel. I had it on a steel stand before I put it on wood, my experience with steel is that the anvil bounced too much when you hit anything on it.

View attachment 1102133 View attachment 1102134

Lol, we think a lot alike. Mine is a chunk of oak though. I like your hold down straps better than mine, I'll have to make some like that. I kind of like it mounted on wood, especially because of how it deadens the sound when banging on it.

20210425_091408.jpg
 
My anvil was originally mounted to a piece of very large I beam, not the most stable stand, when you struck the anvil it would bounce. One time I hit it so hard that it fell over onto my foot. I thought I broke it, ended up in the emergency room, found out it wasn’t broken, just a bad bruise. When I told the ER nurse that I dropped an anvil on it, she asked me if I was chasing a road runner at the time! Nothing like a little ER humor. :D
 
Lol, we think a lot alike. Mine is a chunk of oak though. I like your hold down straps better than mine, I'll have to make some like that. I kind of like it mounted on wood, especially because of how it deadens the sound when banging on it.

View attachment 1102265
Hard to beat a big chunk of log.. and it only requires a chainsaw to build:thumbsup:
 
wile e coyote schematic copy.png

Conv67Bdere - Holy mother of all schematics! Why in the Wile E Coyote would one need such a complex, engineered anvil stand?? Admittedly I know ZERO about anvil stands - and sure, I could go Google it and maybe get some education - but it seems more fun to just ask you. Like others said, the Ash log looks pretty easy and 101, but I'd like to learn more. Please do tell! Thanks!
 
Last edited:
So much fun doing things the second time around . . . got all of the feet fixed due to my miscalculation . .

Pulled out the TIG welder to get some practice with it . . . going to figure that thing out one day . . .
Feel like I'm actually getting the hang of it . . . and now I understand a water cooled torch ! !

sm_anvilbase14.jpg


Also will be adding bottoms on the feet - really like the way it finishes off the leg . . .

sm_anvilbase15.jpg


More work left . . .
 
Mine's on a 30" diameter log, it's sturdy and deadens the sound. But if you're using metal you can place either a piece of heavy rubber (like conveyor belt) or plywood shim under the anvil to help muffle the ringing.
 
Got the bases welded onto the feet . . . well . . . sorta . . . and the TIG welding got much better . . .

The helmet started blinking that the battery was low, so I had to run around and find new batteries . . . that took a while . . . but glad to have new batteries in the helmet now.

Here's what I've got now . . .

sm_anvilbase16.jpg


The far left one is the front foot . . .

The other two are the rear feet . . . and I welded them so that the "patches" were on the top . . .
One Problem . . . both cuts were done the same way on the bandsaw . . . so . . .

Now got two rear feet the lean right, instead of one right and one left . . . ARGH ! ! !

I can fix that . . . just get to do it all over again . . . story of my life . . .
 
View attachment 1102345
Conv67Bdere - Holy mother of all schematics! Why in the Wile E Coyote would one need such a complex, engineered anvil stand?? Admittedly I know ZERO about anvil stands - and sure, I could go Google it and maybe get some education - but it seems more fun to just ask you. Like others said, the Ash log looks pretty easy and 101, but I'd like to learn more. Please do tell! Thanks!

LOL . . . I don't know much either, but I've been looking around and watching videos, so I've come up with a plan . . .

1. wanted more time and practice with SketchUp . . . it's a great tool, and the more I learn the better it can help me in the future.
2. it could be secured to a stump . . . but they tend to be less portable ( I know - who wants to move an anvil )
3. I like things unique, one of a kind, and love to design . . . so it was "just" more practice . . . for me . . .

So basically . . . I'm doing it to see if I can do it and see how it turns out . . . and learn along the way . . . and in the end, hopefully, it will not only be an anvil stand in my shop, but one more piece of artwork that I'll have in my shop . . .

Look at all the practice I'm getting, especially when I have to do everything 2X to fix all my mistakes . . . UGH ! !
 
Auto Transport Service
Back
Top