Workshop
Ask a question

The Bunnings Workshop community can help with your home improvement projects.

Making an anvil base

MartiPedia
Making a Splash

Making an anvil base

PXL_20220406_123622024.jpegA couple of weeks ago, I picked up a little anvil for a very reasonable price off Facebook Marketplace. Now while I had no immediate need for an anvil in the garage, if you love tools, you probably love anvils too :smile:

 

Naturally an anvil needs to sit on a sturdy base and I didn't just want to settle for the old tree stump solution. I wanted something epic, preferably medieval looking with a mix of charred wood and bare steel.

 

So I started off with a 100x100x2400 timber post that I cut in 4 and glued together to create the 200x200x600 blank to work from. I used a power planer to get the sides relatively flush without completely ruining it's rugged looks, and also threw a bevel on the edges while I was at it. I traced the anvil's footprint and used my router to drop it by about 10mm so that the anvil sat nice and snug and couldn't slide around. I also used the router to create 2x 25x3mm channels around the base, 150mm from the top and bottom ends.

 

IMG-20220331-WA0007.jpegreceived_1630146594036466.jpeg

 

Once I was happy with the shape and size, I used a blowtorch to char the exterior and really bring out the wood grain, followed by a quick Scotchbrite scuffing to blend it nicely. I sealed the charred base with two layers of boiled Linseed oil.

 

IMG-20220406-WA0002.jpegIMG-20220406-WA0006.jpeg

 

Finally, I created the 2x metal straps that fit snugly in the channels I had milled, welded the ends and drove 16x 45mm coach screws through it to bring it all together. Overall, I'm super happy with the outcome. The last step will be to add the tool holder to the top and secure the anvil with some brackets that I'm yet to make :smile:

 

PXL_20220406_123622024.jpg

 

PS: Below you will see the welds I did where the ends of the flatbar met. I welded this in place because the strap sits in a channel and could not be fitted over otherwise. I did these with a little Ozito gasless MIG I bought last week: The new one, where the feed and voltage are both adjustable rather than just the feed rate. It works like a charm :cheeky:

 

IMG-20220407-WA0007.jpeg

 

Happy building!

Noyade
Kind of a Big Deal

Re: Making an anvil base

Hey @MitchellMc 

 

"I've been working on a tomahawk for a close friend for a while now."

 

Dunno if this is classified as a Tomahawk but we always called it that. Belonged to my father and I remember using it to chop kindling wood over 50 years ago. At home we needed a wood fire connected to a stove - for cooking and to produce hot water.

 

I can just make out Brades Criterion 1591...

 

20220626_163436.jpg

Re: Making an anvil base

@Noyade nah I don't have one either. I have a Ryobi 18V angle grinder with a pack of CraftRight cutting discs that I use to make strategic cross cuts to get rid of as much stock as possible in bulk, then come in with a combination of a grinding disc and flap disc for the rough finishing. After that its either a selection of sanding belts or the Dremel that does the talking.

 

I have realised that I need to get a 2x72 belt grinder. It will greatly simplify life as Im running a combo of a grinder / sander and a belt / disc sander to get me through, and grinding knife bevels on those is a bit of an odd job. They are exxey though...

Re: Making an anvil base

Hi @MartiPedia 

 

I think you would enjoy and appreciate something like a propane/oxygen torch. You already have the propane. I'm still an amateur - but you can amputate big sections of steel with ease and it's cheaper than an oxygen/acetylene set-up. Certainly quicker than the angle grinder/cutter.

Unless the heat applied will ultimately affect the durability of the knives you're making?

 

Cheers

Graeme.

 

20220626_093047.jpg

 

Re: Making an anvil base

Hey @Noyade , yeah my dad has been saying the same. It certainly does simplify cutting! I bought a Ryobi 18V mitre saw and Diablo Steel Demon blade the other day... You should see that combo whisk its way through steel! Even in a circular saw, those steel demon blades don't take prisoners but obviously useless for angled cuts.

Re: Making an anvil base

Good afternoon @MartiPedia 

 

What sort of 'dust' - for a better word - does your Diablo Steel Demon blade make - when you cut through metal?

There are stories of dual-saws (remember those?) on the internet tossing very small pieces of metal that would penetrate skin - urban myth maybe.

 

In the meantime - I'm wondering if you could make something like this.....?

 

20220708_171131.jpg

Re: Making an anvil base

Hi @Noyade,

 

The Diablo Steel Demon produces steel filings similar to that of a parting tool on a lathe, i.e. little "scoops" of metal as each carbide tooth scrapes against the metal being cut. Are they sharp? Yes, often. But the velocity with which they exit the saw is definitely not enough to penetrate skin. Stepping on them with a bare, otherwise shoe-loving foot can potentially be unpleasant. The filings are short, almost square though and in that sense much less unpleasant than say, treated wood splinters 😬

 

That axe / hatchet is the Aldi Camping variety retailing for $19.95 I believe. I know this, because I also have one 😋

 

I could make one yes, but I'd need two very specific blacksmith tools that I don't have yet: A punch, and a drift. These are used to punch the eye in things like hammers and axes.

 

I'd also need someone to either hold the work piece and the punch/drift or swing the hammer, because my capacity to do those things is limited by the amount of arms I have 😂 Alternatively, I'd need a hydraulic forging press (which I still plan on building from an old log splitter, along with a rudimentary power hammer). Forging presses are often used to simplify the punching of the eye when there aren't other people to help with the forging.

 

It's for this reason that I currently opt to make use of hammers / axes that have already got eyes and just reshaping them as needed. You'll be surprised how big a ball peen hammer becomes when you flatten it out 😬

 

I recently (read: yesterday) placed an order for a proper 2x72 belt grinder which will simplify the knife making a bit I reckon.

Re: Making an anvil base

PXL_20220701_025045687.jpg

 

Here's that other little blade I made with a handle on, Belotta Razor logo still visible from it's hoof-rasping days 😋

Re: Making an anvil base

Hi @MartiPedia 

 

"I know this, because I also have one"

 

I thought you might. As the young people say - I thought it just looks "cool." Unfortunately I find it rather hopeless for cutting kindling. With each strike the wood wants to move backwards, along the blade. Have you tried it?

 

Another nice knife above.

You're a man I would not want to meet in a dark alley. 😁

Noyade
Kind of a Big Deal

Re: Making an anvil base

Hi @EricL 

 

"That looks very nice and I'm sure it will come in handy during this cold season."

 

Yes, I enjoy it.

It was 5 degrees and dropping when I lit one tonight. Red wine and spotify - I like to reflect on the day's events and life in general.

Also with this fire bucket I can fit both feet under it and I find the heat particularly comforting to the surgical area on the left foot.

I was talking to a British friend recently who found it amusing we call them fire buckets - he sees these as buckets to help put out fires.

 

Maybe fire pit is the correct term?

Do you have/use one?

 

Cheers.

 

 

20220709_183251.jpg

20220709_184110.jpg

Re: Making an anvil base

@NoyadeHaha thanks :smile:

 

The Aldi-axe is pretty lightweight and as you say, has a cool looking blade as its primary appeal. I changed the edge on mine to be a bit more aggressive than it came from the factory and gave it a nice polished 600-grit finish, but I'd be lying if I said I've ever used it for anything other than looking at and chopping random things in my garage. That little bearded axe I made is 100 times as practical as the Aldi one I reckon. Good weight, good hardness, good edge.

Why join the Bunnings Workshop community?

Workshop is a friendly place to learn, get ideas and find inspiration for your home improvement projects