home made anvil

[brightspark]

it looks interesting and clever but id pass on making one

 

[Screwdriver]

Very pretty and anything anvil like is surprisingly handy. That looks more like a labour of love…

 

[Mike B]

Wouldn’t mind a short length of track just to make a little anvil. People are charging a fortune just for the blank, never mind an anvil!

 

[frank horton]

Waste of plywood…either weld or bolt it down…
have two small length stashed…curtesy of FNR…

 

[Blobber]

All that work to make something thats really nice to look at but couldnt be bothered to sand off the saw blade burn marks?!

 

[Screwdriver]

All that work to make something thats really nice to look at but couldnt be bothered to sand off the saw blade burn marks?!

Yeah, I thought that too but ultimately an anvil is a tool and a pretty damned useful tool too.

It's not such a bad idea either. The mounting does perform a number of tasks beyond merely looking nice. Obviously the anvil section can be fitted either way up giving you a convex or flat surface to work from. You can't use the flat if the item isn't secured. It holds it very firmly despite being removable. The wooden jacket will kill the ringing which anyone who uses an anvil will tell you gets really annoying, really quickly. The overhang when it's inverted in the mounting is also a very handy feature for clamping or bending.

Even the concept of cutting out a complex profile, then stacking plywood to form the "jacket" is a nice idea. As is the "dual purpose" bolt on removable handles which retain the anvil section in use and of course mount the handles firmly. Finally, if you end up with something you're not happy with, it's a non destructive mounting. No welding odd bits of metal to it or drilling holes. Just pull out the anvil and throw a few odd bits of ply on the bonfire.

Is it better than just having a handy section of railtrack? Yes. The "overengineering" is a subjective criticism. Maybe the chap has nothing better to do, who's to say he's "wasting his time". The more I look at it, the more tempted I am to make a version myself.

If I did, I'd want a horn and a hardy hole.....

 

[Maker]

The wooden jacket will kill the ringing which anyone who uses an anvil will tell you gets really annoying, really quickly.

I've got a bit of rail I dragged home to use as an anvil, I literally never use it, the ring is far too annoying. For my needs, an old lump hammer head held in the vice is good enough.