|
by Jeff Young
The
question, “Exactly how do I support an anvil in the shop?”, is one
that every new blacksmith
asks. If he is smart, he’ll ask as many people as he can find.
The odds are, you’ll get as many different answers as smiths that
you ask!
Some
smiths prefer fabricated metal stands, others have made boxes and filled
them with sand, yet others, bury a post or beam in the ground. All of
these methods will hold up even the heaviest anvils. All of these methods
have advantages, but with the “good” sometimes comes some “bad”.
What remains, is a personal preference. Take a look around the
shops you visit, and see what might work for you. Well, I’ve tried the whole tree stump thing, and it works! I have had several solid stumps, and still have some. But I’ve had some problems, either finding a suitable stump or I spent a great deal of time preparing the stump only to find out that I didn’t quite cut the log square. The result is a wobbly stump. If you CAN cut a straight line, you might find out that your floor isn’t quite level, so back comes the wobble. What I came up with is a multi-piece stump. My work space is usually outside, so I wanted a stump that would resist rot. I also wanted something with square sides, and a stump that I could cut square. I also wanted to get away from staples to hold down the anvil. The photos below show what I came up with.
|
|
|
Before you start, determine
what size base you need and how tall the stand needs to be.
In my case I used 4 - 6” X 6” timbers along with 2 - 1” thick
planks to make up the 12” needed for my anvil.
The planks are sandwiched between the 6” X 6”
and bolted together with the threaded rod.
The holes are drilled and countersunk so that everything is flush.
I offset the bolt holes so it could be bolted from both sides.
The greatest part of this style stump is that you can have your
local home center cut the
timbers for you. A chain is
wrapped around the base of the anvil and attached to eye bolts which are
welded shut to add strength.
To tighten the anvil, simply tighten up the eye bolts on either side.
Your anvil will be quieter if it is held fast on the stump.
If you have a dirt floor, you can extend the length of the timbers
and dig them into the floor to steady the anvil. |
|