Railway track anvil idears

[JOEPRO]

I am going to collect a 14 inch section of railway track per below image after work today:



I would like it for helping shape car patch repair sections. The flat top with curved edges and the edges themselves will add to my arsenal of metal bashing formers.

I may also grind and radius the end or ends.

Any good ideas members have for a railway anvil without extreme time expenditure and in the remit of what an angle grinder can achieve?

 

[JOEPRO]

Ps I already have a "proper" Anvil

 

[Gragson]

Some ideas - https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/small-benchtop-metal-basher.121234/

 

[Parm]

This is my selection of Anvils, I’ve milled the top of the rail track so it’s flat.
In practice only the big one gets any use, the smallest one is very handy held in the bench vice

 

[sako243]

The benchmark for anvils, made by a friend of mine

Some are actually used.

 

[Tangledfeet]

The benchmark for anvils, made by a friend of mine
View attachment 493823
Some are actually used.

That's just anvil willy waving...

(I've got a similar one, but not as well-finished, that cost me £130 on eBay.)

 

[Jasper42]

This is still work in progress

 

[Robotstar5]

Cut it in half and fix the two pieces to a piece of wood 4' 8½" apart

 

[citizen kane]

My attempt. Rail steel is surprisingly nice to work with.

 

[Parm]

My attempt. Rail steel is surprisingly nice to work with.

View attachment 493845

That’s beautiful, very nice

 

[northwest]

I had a 3 foot bit that I cut some bits off. It was as hard as the hobbs of hell and destroyed several hacksaw blades and a bandsaw blade :-(
I milled the top of it flat using a pal's Mill (bloody gurt big thing and that cost a couple of cutters, had to use carbide in the end) and now it sits on my bench waiting for me to do the next "thing" to it, whatever that is going to be. I would like to form the web into a curve and the way to do this I am told is to drill through the web with a hole saw, I can see that failing quite spectacularly so I am going to wait until I muster enough enthusiasm to take it down the Fab shop and fashion a bick on one end (the pointy bit). I do imagine however that this is going to need the 9" angle grinder and a good few disks.

 

[sako243]

That's just anvil willy waving...

(I've got a similar one, but not as well-finished, that cost me £130 on eBay.)

The sad thing is he quite often gives them away. Amazing talent and turns his hand to most things and is an utter gentleman to boot.

 

[JOEPRO]

The lump I picked up tonight was £25 and appears in great condition with square bandsaw cut edges. The radius edges will suit well for metal shaping. I may bull nose one end of the top to have an end for shaping metal. But maybe that's about all I'll do to it. I'll post pics tomorrow if the weather holds up long enough to take it into the garden and have at it with my m18 grinders including Big Bertha the 9 inch one.

 

[JOEPRO]

Rain stopped just long enough to take it into my garage at least.



The top edges have different profiles which actually suits my intended use perfectly.



No further edge rework is required except bull nosing one top end which I'll do tomorrow.

The shape is perfect for the likes of this current repair panel I'm shaping. My normal Ridgid anvil is too crisp and square to shape the repair panel in areas and leads to small dents where the anvil corners touch.

The radius matches perfect. So in the morning I'll be able to body hammer / work this patch the way I want it and keep the curve.

 

[Turbo]

A friends daughter married a farmer. The railway that ran across their land closed maybe 50 years ago. The farmer stripped the lines and they have a stack of railway track and another of sleepers.
The track gets used for gateposts, etc but I'm trying to get my mate to ask for a length to sell for anvils.

 

[eddie49]

Acquired for £35. Not the prettiest.

 

[hotponyshoes]

I would like to form the web into a curve and the way to do this I am told is to drill through the web with a hole saw, I can see that failing quite spectacularly

That's how I've done it before, cut a round hole, then chalk out the shape you want from the outer of the hole, cut stright lines with a 9" and curve out with a 4.5"
I've also chalked the whole thing before and cut it with the plasma but that was when I had 3ph. My 1ph plasma will just about do it but its quicker to use the holesaw/grinders than tidy up the mess.



That one was done with a mag drill but you won't have much problem doing it by hand if required