How to beef up my anvil?

H

Hoyts n Mulies

Guest
Hello, so I'm new into knife making and just starting to hand forge my own blades. My old man wanted to help me out and got me a very nice anvil from Cliff Carrolls. It's a 70# wide face. Anybody know much about these?

Now I've heard that the heavier the better with anvils and that may be the case but I'm limited by funds right now and am very happy with what I've been given. Question is, can I increase the performance of this (in terms of response to the blows) by doing something specific with the base?

Thanks for any help!
 
You can place some steel plates or a flat slab of stone, something like marble or granite, under the anvil. Be sure to anchor it well. I started out with a 66 lb anvil and it worked pretty well by itself.

Doug Lester
 
Wayne Goddard built his useing partical board and 2x4 alternating the layers it is heavy and absorbs the blow.
 
JAWilliams,

Would you need to cut the 2x4's and set two beside each other in order to have enough of a square to obtain stability?
 
I believe the goal is to have a solid base. You can use 2 X 12's stacked with particle board, a solid tree stump or your own contraption as long as the result is a solid base which will absorb vibration. I have seen the anvil pulled down tight onto the base using chain to hold it down, again, to reduce vibration.

I remember seeing a picture somewhere of an anvil that had weights welded to either side of the base in order to increase mass. Just make sure it is attached so that there is no additional "ringing" or allowable vibration (I know, I'm overusing that word).

These are just my observations. I'm just getting started in forging and am by no means an expert.
SDS
 
Here's the stand I built for my 150# Hay Budden. It's basically 2x12's (or close to it) cut and secured together. There is construction adhesive between every piece, and the stack is compressed with 4 all-thread rods that go all the way through the stack. The anvil chains are secured with 6" lag screws. I laid a bed of silicone under the anvil to absorb ring and there are cutouts to match the base shape to keep it from walking in addition to the chain.

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--nathan
 
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