[Joss]

The discussion on the Nimba anvil made me think about that subject.

What do you use as an anvil base, how did you make it, and how tall is the anvil face?

Thanks,

JD

[Nick Wheeler]

Joss-

I made mine with scrap 4X4's

I had to plane them all down for a uniform thickness.

Then I stacked them in an alternating pattern, and pre-drilled each board. I then put it all together with Loc-tite carpenter's glue, and 3" deck screws.

It's completely flat/level, and VERY sturdy. It weighs about 100 lb. as well.

-Nick-

Attached image(s)

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[Michael]

See my post in "anvil a ringing". That base allows you to change it so easily that you can test what anvil height you like better.

[P.Abrera]

with the anvil sitting on "a box filled with sand system", how does one keep the anvil from working its way lower and lower into the sand? I was considering a cut-down oil drum filled with sand but the anvil itself will have to sit on a solid base wouldn't it?

[B. Norris]

I used a box of sand at one time and it worked pretty well, except, you cannot bolt the anvil to the sand so there is no benefit from all the added mass. The anvil stand I have now is like the one pictured above by Nick but, my anvil is only 55lbs. and the stand is not heavy enough to keep the anvil from dancing with me when I get enthusiastic. Next one I make I think I'll find a 5 gallon plastic bucket and cast it in concrete. I plan to use allthread to bolt the anvil to and pour the concrete with it in place. The buried power lines for my home run right under my shed, it has a dirt floor, and if it were not for them I would get a cardboard cylinder from the hardware store, dig a hole, and pour the concrete into that. Can you tell I like my anvil fastened down good so it won't move!

[Kristopher Skelton]

you could always call for a utilities locate so you'd know where you -could- dig to avoid them. In my thread "anvil a'ringing" I described briefly a wood box filled with concrete. Some folks say sand, but it isn't quite as dense (1600kg/cu.m. compared to 2200kg/cu.m. for concrete) and there's the anvil sinking issue. Plus, like you, I want my anvil secured to the heaviest thing in the shop so it won't bounce around (ok, not my car and not me... maybe 3rd heaviest )

[B. Norris]

No one said anything about what height they like the anvil at. There is another post in here somewhere that discussed this. Someone, I think J. Fikes, posted that he built a small platform that he put his anvil stand on. That way he can stand on the platform and have the anvil be lower for heavy work, or he can step down and have the face higher while putting the finishing touch on edge bevels. The traditional height for the anvil face is to stand beside it with hands held loosely at sides in a fist, the face of the anvil should be flat up against your knuckles. I used this height for my anvil and it works for me. I have a small chair, toddler size, that I pull up and sit on when I am fine tuning my edges. Eventually, I would like to have a hardy tool that is a rectangular block about 2" x 2" x 6", stood on end and having a slight angle, 1 to 2 degrees, on top to use for finishing my edges. I also would like to try a small post anvil, like the one on Don's site and I can see this one being mounted a bit higher

[blackdragonforge]

Michael, on Sep 8 2005, 04:42 PM, said:

See my post in "anvil a ringing". That base allows you to change it so easily that you can test what anvil height you like better.

i looked and did not find it..could you tell me how you did your base to be adjustable?

[Michael]

It was about a sand box. It turns out its not such a good idea after all, based on the comments from experienced smiths. As for the specific height, same answer, not enough experience.

[Nick Wheeler]

As per height, the old stand-by blacksmith rule of thumb is to have it where you can just drag your fisted knuckles over the face while standing next to it.

But many blacksmiths in old photos are all hunched over their anvil.

I decided to try mounting my new anvil higher, and I ended up putting it right around wrist height (if standing up straight, next to the anvil).

This is very comfortable for me, and I feel I have better control as well.

-Nick-

[Tracy]

Joss,
I agree with knuckle height. A little lower is always better, you can squat if you need to.

This is sitting in sand (Florida), no choice! The rope is to save feet. I expect anything to happen after all these years.... It is fairly quiet. I think the key is stability. The rebound is in the mass. IMHO




Go pound steel


Tracy

[P.Abrera]

I went with higher than knuckle height (more control) but made 6 inch high step ( 12"x 24") to step up on if I want less height (more power) on the anvil. I figure its easier to adjust my position relative to the anvil by using a step rather than the other way around...

This post has been edited by P.Abrera: 23 September 2005 - 07:44 PM

[blackdragonforge]

i still ponder this issue..sure all ive ever heard is the normal knucke bit,,but ive heard from some that it should be higher lattely as it lessens the shock to our arm..and lets face it how many of us have tendernidious(tennis elbows)? i do in both arms that can act up and it hurts...

[ysforge]

I've been making a living with a hammer and anvil for 10 years now, and discovered that for me, I needed the anvil higher than is recomended by "the common wisdom" and my anvil is set to 4" higher than knuckle height. I use a 6 pound forging hammer and get very good power at this height. My back hurts terribly after about a week of work at a lower level, so the way I see it, I'll loose a little bit of power to be able to keep working. your milleage may vary.

Tony

[Andrew Recher]

While I don't have a lot of experience with this sort of thing...
Seems to me that the proper anvil height is going to vary from person to person. I have pretty long arms in proportion to my body and feel that if I put an anvil at knuckle height it would probably be too low for my back (like Tony). It's kind of like kitchen countertop heights...hard to have a standard height.

I think a little trial and error would be the key. That and a slightly adjustable stand design.

Andy